《Touch of Fate》 Status Sheet ********************SPOILERS********************** Below is a status sheet for Mike corresponding to the current chapter. I will try to keep this updated as the story progresses. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 4 (Low) ------------- Title: Aspirant Ascendant Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Adversary Wyrmkin Fortuitous Alchemist Known to the Lurker Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline Dragonknight High Elementalist (EVOLVED) Battlemage Iron Soul Slyphkath Renowned Initiate Defender of Ea (NEW) -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 4) Life Magic (Rank 1) (EVOLVED) Appraise (Rank 4) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Advanced Water Magic (Rank 1) Advanced Fire Magic (Rank 1) Advanced Air Magic (Rank 1) Advanced Earth Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Light Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 5) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Space Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Alchemy (Rank 5) Master Scrivening (Rank -) Basic Artifice (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 3) Advanced Evasion (Rank 1) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 4) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Advanced Elemental Magic (Rank 1) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Intermediate Riding (Rank 1) Basic Haggling (Rank 5) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Intermediate Unarmed Fighting (Rank 1) Intermediate Chanting (Rank 3) Tri Casting (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Aerosense (Rank 3) Dancing (Rank 1) Basic Stealth (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Dismantling (Rank 3) Basic Blacksmith (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Mana Transference (Rank 5) Mana Shield (Rank 5) Mana Attack (Rank 1) Tailoring (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 4) Advanced Physiological Resistance (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Advanced Poison Resistance (Rank 1) Intermediate Heat Resistance (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Mental Resistance (Rank 3) Basic Electricity Resistance (Rank 3) Basic Cold Resistance (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Death Resistance (Rank 1) Basic Curse Resistance (Rank 1) Large Mana Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Large Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 5) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 4) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 3) Moderate Willpower Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Minor Speed Enhancement (Rank 1) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 4) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser Aspirant Ascendant -------------- - Skill Master - A unique class created by the Ancient One %#@#$&!@#$& for the one who desired boundless horizons and endless growth. Skill Masters are unparalleled in their versatility, able to learn and master almost every skill. With enough effort and the right resources, they can accomplish almost anything. Effects: ? All non-inherent skills available for acquisition ? Unlimited number of primary skill slots available ? Large enhancement in the acquisition of new skills ? Moderate increase in the rate of skill improvement ? Class skills: None ? Attribute enhancement: None -------------- Titles -------------- - Multiverse Traveler - You have traveled across the multiverse to make your way here. In order to facilitate your easy integration into this world, the gods of Ea have awarded you this title. Grants the ability to speak and write fluently in the most commonly used language of the region you currently reside in. Language: Lower Pyrathien (Nurtas dialect). Minor increase in luck in regards to survival for the first 90 days after transmigration. - Blessed One - Title given to those who have received a blessing from one of the gods of Ea. - Hunter of Renown - Either due to personal temperament or the expectations of a higher power, you are destined for greater things. The world bears witness to your deeds and will judge you accordingly. Moderate increase to the acquisition of titles. - Battlefield Healer - You are a practitioner that threads the line between life and death on the battlefield. By virtue of your healing prowess lives are spared. Minor increase to healing effectiveness on combat injuries. Minor increase to mana efficiency when healing. - Kal''Thel - The title given to those who have won a Kal''thelk against a worthy opponent. It is in the nature of orcs to respect those who fight with strength and honor. Minor increase to charisma when dealing with orcs. Only applies while active. - Philanderer - A true womanizer, you are famous for your exploits in the bedroom. Minor increase to charisma when interacting with members of the opposite sex. (Increased to moderate when equipped.) Moderate increase to performance during intimacy with members of the opposite sex. Minor increase to improvement of related skills. - Hero - A chosen champion, blessed by one or more gods. You bear an epic destiny, and have been granted power to help see you through it. Moderate increase to Strength, Agility, Endurance, Mana, and Willpower. Minor increase to the acquisition and improvement of skills. - Dungeon Challenger ¨C You have challenged the dangers of a dungeon floor beyond your capacities. Despite this, you have emerged victorious. Minor increase to Endurance while inside a dungeon. Minor increase to the acquisition and improvement of skills inside a dungeon. - Undinekath - You achieved a true connection with the Elemental Source of Water. Whether achieved at a moment of breakthrough or by channeling a pure elemental force, you are now forever marked by this connection. You are favored both by water itself, and water elementals of all kinds. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Water Elemental Magic and charisma when interacting with water elementals. Allows air breathing creatures to breath underwater. - Saint of Healing - You have been recognized as a divinely blessed individual in regards to healing. Whether by your deeds, or merely your reputation, word of your holiness has spread. Moderate increase to Charisma when interacting with those of a properly aligned religion. (Only applies when active.) Moderate increase to the effectiveness of healing. - Nemesis of Demons - By virtue of you extensive campaign against the armies of the demonic, you have been named as their nemesis. Lesser demons will fear you and greater demons will seek to destroy you to claim vengeance for their slain kin. Moderate system correction to the effects of attacks against demons. - Adversary - A powerful organization has determined you to be a true enemy, and will stop at nothing to see you destroyed. Fortunately for you, the concentration of their collective ire has manifested in a new well of strength. Minor increase to the effectiveness of all offensive skills and abilities when used on members or allies of the adversarial organization. - Wyrmkin - You have been bound by destiny or chance to one of the Wyrms, greatest of the dragon races. By virtue of this connection, you inspire respect and fear in these races. Moderate increase to Charisma when interacting with dragons or individuals with a draconic bloodline. - Fortuitous Alchemist - By virtue of your exceptional curiosity and luck, you have a created a rare alchemical item from common materials. Minor increase to material efficiency when performing alchemy. Positive mutation rate increased by 1%. - Known to the Other - You have stared into the Abyss and the Abyss has stared back. By communing with Elemental Darkness, you have garnered the attention of an entity that inhabits a realm beyond the bounds of reality. For good or ill, you will bear the weight of its gaze in both life and death. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Dark Elemental Magic. - Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline - Your powerful connection to draconic creatures has colored your Summoning Magic. Moderate increase to Draconic Summoning Affinity. Minor increase to the mana efficiency and duration of Conjuration spells used to summon draconic creatures, and beings carrying a draconic bloodline. - Dragonknight - By virtue of skill, deeds, and popular acclaim, you''ve ascended to join the hallowed ranks of the Dragonknights. Though you haven''t explored the full mysteries of the sacred bond with your dragon companion, its presence grants you power. You are a hero to the weak, a terror to the evil, and a protector to the just. Large increase to Charisma when interacting with individuals favorable inclined to the Dragonknights. (Only applies when active) Minor increase to all attributes of bonded dragon. - High Elementalist - Through your mastery of the four basic elements, you have achieved a new level of understanding and control. Moderate increase to the efficiency and potency of all Earth, Air, Fire, and Water Magic skills. - Battlemage Initiate - You have demonstrated proven skill in both martial and magical arts, and the potential for improvement with both. Minor system correction to all weapon skills. Minor increase to the efficiency of all attack spells. - Iron Soul - You have resisted the efforts of a powerful entity that sought to control you, giving you some insight into the means of defending your soul. Minor resistance to harmful effects that target the soul. - Slyphkath - You achieved a true connection with the Elemental Source of Air. Whether achieved at a moment of breakthrough or by channeling a pure elemental force, you are now forever marked by this connection. You are favored both by air itself, and air elementals of all kinds. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Air Elemental Magic and Charisma when interacting with Air elementals. Large resistance to the harmful effects of inhaled substances. Immunity to suffocation in an airless environment. - Aspirant Ascendant - This title is granted to those individuals who have succeeded in breaking through to Tier 4, taking the first step towards Ascension. In addition to granting the Aspirant Ascendant inherent skill, this title embodies its bearer''s transition into a quasi-divine entity, albeit to a very minor extent. Since the existence of Tier 4 creatures represents a large investment in System resources, this title cannot be supplanted by others of lesser significance. - Renowned - By virtue of your actions, you have won the attention and acclaim of entire nations. Your name is known throughout the world and will be etched in the pages of history. Your fame earns you new allies and admirers, but it is a double-edged sword. Minor increase to Charisma when interacting with creatures that look favorably towards your actions. Minor decrease to Charisma when interacting with creatures that disapprove of your deeds. - Initiate Defender of Ea - A title granted to those few mortal beings who have fought against invading forces from outside of Ea and its associated realms. At its current rank, this title provides no bonus. -------------- Skills: -------------- --------------- Primary Skills: --------------- - Communication Magic (Tier 3, Rank 4) - A branch of magic derived from the Words of Creation, Communication Magic embodies the ability of living beings to exchange information with one another. Practitioners are granted an increased ability to communicate with other beings. Masters of this form of magic can use language to influence the world itself. Rank 1 Effects: Polyglot, Weighted Words - Polyglot - The practitioner of Communication Magic is the ultimate translator and a master of languages. Can communicate fluently with any being that has a spoken language. - Weighted Words - The words of a Communication Magic practitioner carry special weight. Moderate increase to effectiveness of negotiation and persuasion through the use of spoken words. Rank 2 effects: Primal Heart, Biting Words - Primal Heart - Although not in the realm of true communication, practitioners of Communication Magic are able to make their feelings and desires known to creatures without a true language. Enables one-way communication with non-sentient animals and magical beasts. The effects of Weighted Words are drastically enhanced when used on beings listed above. - Biting Words - A practitioner of Communication Magic can humble even the greatest of heroes with a single sentence. Using insults as their weapon, practitioners strike at the most vulnerable part of person: the ego. Able to use simple words to cause minor physical damage in those effected. Rank 3 Effects: Beast Speech, Lexicon - Beast Speech - Practitioners of Communication Magic master the strange and subtle method of communication used by creatures of the natural world. Allows users to communicate with living beings that have no discernible language or lack the mental capacity to do so. Such communication is by nature limited, but the general intent of messages can be shared in both directions. - Lexicon - No method of communication is barred to masters of Communication Magic, and this includes the written word. Allows users to understand and use any written language. Rank 4 Effects: Greenspeech, Golden Tongue - Greenspeech - Understanding that even the lowly blade of grass is a living being, masters of Communication Magic have perfected the ability to even communicate with plants, albeit to a limited degree. Allows the user to engage in limited communication with plant and fungal lifeforms. - Golden Tongue - At Rank 4, Masters of Communication Magic begin to approach an understanding of the Words of Creation, the primordial language said to have been used to create Ea itself. Using their command of language to their utmost ability, Communication Mages can even alter the fabric of reality, albeit to a very limited extent. Can be used to mimic the effects of any Tier 1 Magic skill. Due to the imperfections inherent in the user''s diction, such effects requires a much larger mana investment to achieve. - Life Magic (Tier 4, Rank 1) - A form of magic only accessible for those who have walked the path of healer, this skill harnesses the power of the fifth basic element, Life. Practitioners can use their command over this element to control, empower, and even create living things. Within the realm of its influence, there are no forms of magic more dominant, but it cannot affect things that never held the spark of life. Higher levels of skill increase mana efficiency and the power of magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Healing Mastery - Healing Mastery - Life Mages arise only from those who have a fundamental understanding of organic beings. With this understanding comes the knowledge of how to treat the many ailments and injuries that such beings encounter over the span of their life cycles. Includes the effects of all Healing Magic skill ranks of Tier 4 and below. - Appraise (Tier 3, Rank 4) - A more advanced version of the Inspect skill. Accesses the Akashic Records to gather information on the target. The more influential the item or individual is, the more information can be garnered. Higher skill ranks provide more information on items. - Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Tier 2, Rank 2) - The fundamental swordsmanship of the Almiran military. Focuses on the usage of a single longsword in either one or two hands. Characterized by a great deal of flexibility and versatility, with no specific strong or weak areas. Practitioners of this sword style learn to mimic the five basic elements through their swordsmanship. Rank 2 Effects: Paragon of Elemental Might - Paragon of Elemental Might - Through training, practitioners of Almiran Swordsmanship have learned to harness the power of the elements they seek to mimic. When using one of the five elemental stances, practitioners can use mana to power their sword skills and enhance their fighting style. This will create minor visual and audible effects. The bonus depends on the stance used. Roaring Flame Stance - Increased attack speed and Strength when attacking. Flowing River Stance - Increased Agility, evasion, and the efficacy of re directive blocking. Briar''s Thorn Stance - Increased Speed, Agility, and Strength while counterattacking. Enduring Mountain Stance - Increased Endurance and the efficacy of defensive maneuvers. Howling Gale Stance - Increased Speed and Agility. - Advanced Water Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Water magic allows the user to create and manipulate water. It is characterized by flexibility in both offense and defense, but lacks the overt power of other types of magic. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Water Mastery - Water Mastery - Advanced Water Mages master the inherent flexibility of their chosen element, granting them unprecedented control over water. Allows users to perform feats of incredible delicacy and precision using created water, even when it is located within other creatures or objects. Allows for manipulation of alternate states of matter, including both water vapor and ice. Includes all lower skills. - Intermediate Fire Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Fire magic allows the user to create and manipulate fire. It is characterized by powerful offense, but lacks fine damage control and defensive techniques. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Flame Mastery - Flame Mastery - Advanced Fire Mages master the innate volatility of their chosen element, granting them unprecedented control over fire they create. Allows for the user to control size, shape, color, solidity, and intensity of any flame produced with magic. Requires a larger amount of mana for changes that drastically differ from standard fire. Includes all lower skills. - Advanced Air Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) ¨C One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Air Magic allows the user to create and manipulate wind and air. It is characterized by its speed and constancy of motion, providing strong offensive power, mild defensive strength, and some utility. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Air Mastery - Air Mastery - Advanced Air Mages master the inherent mobility of their chosen element, granting them unprecedented control over air. Allows users to control all forms of gaseous materials, and perform feats of delicacy and speed with them that would otherwise be impossible. Includes all lower skills. - Intermediate Earth Magic (Tier 2, Rank 5) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Earth magic allows the user to create and manipulate earth and stone. It is characterized by its permanence and durability, providing the most effective defensive techniques of the four basic elements. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Minor Creation - Minor Creation - As the most fundamental of the material elements, Earth has a sympathetic relationship with all other forms of matter. Skilled practitioners of Earth Magic can take advantage of this relationship to modify the earth they create, allowing it to take the form of other materials. The quality and nature of these materials are determined by skill level. Rank 5 Effects: Permanence - Permanence - By channeling to the solidarity of their chosen element, Earth Mages can grant a portion of that endurance to the more transient components of the world. Allows the user to limit the effects of time and aging on objects. Can be used to increase the lifespan of perishable materials, including organic substances. - Basic Light Magic (Tier 2, Rank 3) - One of the advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Light magic allows the user to create and manipulate light. It is the fastest of the elements, but lacks substance or offensive techniques. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. - Basic Dark Magic (Tier 2, Rank 5) - One of the advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Dark magic allows the user to create, manipulate, and give substance to darkness. Characterized by versatility, it lacks the explosive power of other elements. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. - Basic Conjuration Magic (Tier 1, Rank 4) ¨C The most basic form of Conjuration Magic. Allows the user to conjure objects and creatures based on mental images, summoning them into existence for a limited duration. Higher levels of skill improve mana efficiency. - Basic Calling Magic (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The most basic form of Calling Magic. Allows users to permanently call objects and creatures to their locations. Can be used to recreate things that currently exist or once existed in exchange for a requisite amount of mana. Higher levels of skill improve mana efficiency. - Basic Space Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Space Magic allows the user to manipulate the very fabric of reality to produce a number of effects. Characterized by its versatility, it is well known for its use in teleportation, extra-dimensional storage, and spatial distortions. Higher levels of skill increasing mana efficiency and accuracy of space manipulations. - Basic Alchemy (Tier 1, Rank 5)- A production skill. Alchemy is the process of altering magic and mundane materials into finished products. Although the methods vary based on the particular recipe, all alchemical products bear some trace of magical influence. Allows user to create basic alchemical items, retain memories of recipes, and develop an intuitive understanding of the subtle aspects of the craft. Current mutation rate: 0.05%. - Master Scrivening (Tier 3, Rank -) - The art of drawing arcane runes with mana infused ink to create scrolls. Provides a minor system correction to act of Scrivening. Higher levels of skill increase the mana efficiency and potency of inscribed spells. - This skill has reached the maximum that it can achieve independently. Fuse with related skills to advance further. - - Basic Artifice (Tier 2, Rank 3) - Through a comprehensive mastery of one of the runic languages, the user of this skill is capable of creating rune-inscribed magic items. The effect and potency of these items are directly related to the quality of the composite materials, the skill of the crafter in question, and the synergy of all components working towards the intended effect. Higher levels of skill improve understanding and memorization of runes as they apply to crafting, enhance the potency and efficiency of crafted items, and reduces mana resistance in component materials. - Blood Collector (Tier 3, Rank 1) - The signature skill of the Blood Mage class, users of this skill can harness the latent potential of blood they consume. By sampling sufficiently powerful bloodlines, the user can acquire their inherent skills. Only one inherent skill can be acquired per skill rank. Once selected, the inherent skills cannot be changed. - Bind Familiar (Tier 3, Rank 2) - Through the use of an ancient contract sealed in blood, you have bound a magical creature into your service. This contract connects the souls and destinies of its participants, binding them to one another. Rank 1 Effects: Soul Link -Soul Link - The bond created between master and familiar links their souls together. This allows both participants to gather a rough feeling for where the other is, within a set distance. It also allows particularly strong emotions to be transmitted along the link. ------------------------------------- Secondary Skills: ------------------------------------- - Lifestyle Magic (Tier 0, Rank 0) - A basic form of elemental magic that all inhabitants of Ea have access to. While versatile, Lifestyle Magic has a very poor mana consumption rate and cannot be compared to the effects of other higher forms of magic. Can be used to perform basic household tasks such as creating water, starting fires with an available fuel source, drying wet materials, and cleaning individuals or items in a certain area. - Advanced Lovemaking (Tier 2, Rank 3) - The art of pleasing a partner during acts of physical intimacy. Provides users with an intuitive understanding of what steps to take to satisfy lovers. Moderate increase to Endurance during intimate acts. Rank 3 Effects: Casanova Aura - Casanova Aura - Named for the famous playboy who pioneered this ability. Users subconsciously project an aura that attracts and entices those who could conceivably be attracted to them. This has the opposite effect on those who would not be. Moderate increase to charisma when interacting with those whose orientation matches the users perceived gender. Minor decrease to charisma when interacting with all others. - Athletics (Tier 2, Rank 3) - It is through constant training and practice that true athletes are born. Minor increase to Strength, Agility, and Endurance for the purpose of performing any demanding physical task. - Advanced Evasion (Tier 3, Rank 1) - The art of not getting hit. Large increase to Agility when seeking to evade blows and potential hazards. Agility gain determined by skill rank. Also provides a limited form of prescience, allowing skilled users to respond to even when it would otherwise be impossible. - Basic Dagger Fighting (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The most rudimentary skill of the Dagger Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using daggers and other small bladed weapons in combat. - Intermediate Spear Fighting (Tier 2, Rank 4) - A more advanced skill of the Spear Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using spears and other, similar weapons in combat. Minor system correction to the usage of spears in combat. - Intermediate Sword Fighting (Tier 2, Rank 2) - A more advanced skill of the Sword Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using swords and other, similar weapons in combat. Minor system correction to the usage of swords in combat. - Advanced Elemental Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - The third most fundamental form of Elemental Magic. Allows users to access magic skills for the four primary elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Additionally, allows access to magic skills for the four high elements: light, dark, time, and space. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Elemental Magic skills. Rank 1 Effect: Composite Elemental Magic Mastery - Composite Elemental Magic Mastery- Practitioners with two or more of the primary Elemental Magic skills of intermediate level or higher, are able to combine them to produce different forms of elemental magic. Air and water produce ice, air and fire produce lightning, air and earth produce sand, water and fire produce steam, water and earth produce mud, and fire and earth produce magma. Advanced Elemental Magics with the requisite skills may combine three elements to create different effects. Air, water, and fire produce plasma. Air, water, and earth produce wood. Air, fire, and earth produce metal. Water, fire, and earth produce crystal. Includes the effects of all lower skill ranks. - Basic Summoning Magic (Tier 1, Rank 4) ¨C The most basic form of Summoning Magic. It allows users access magic skills for the three primary forms of Summoning Magic: Conjuration, Calling, and Binding. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Summoning Magic skills. - Intermediate Riding (Tier 2, Rank 1) - The art of directing mounts in both combat and non-combat situations. An intermediate form of riding. Higher level of skill will improve the ability to bond with, train, and ride large creatures. - Basic Haggling (Tier 1, Rank 5) - There is an art to making the perfect deal, and you have taken your first steps down the path of that art. Minor increase to charisma for the purposes of buying and selling goods or services. - Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Tier 1, Rank 2) - You have learned the proper method of controlling your breathing and coordinating your fingers to create music with wind instruments. Minor increase to system correction when playing a wind instrument. - Intermediate Unarmed Fighting (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Whether learned in a street fight or at the knee of an experienced master, all unarmed fighters start with the basics. A more advanced skill of the Unarmed Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using their own bodies in combat. Minor system correction when fighting unarmed. - Intermediate Chanting (Tier 2, Rank 2) - Chanting is the practice of shaping magic to a caster''s will through the use of the ancient languages of power. Higher levels of skill grant increased chanting speeds, improve the efficiency of magic created with chants, and add a system correction to the memorization and pronunciation of chants. - Dual Casting (Tier 3, Rank 5) - Due to the difficulties inherent in the practice of magic, most mages are limited to utilizing one spell at a time. By virtue of practice or natural talent, Dual Casters are not bound by this limitation. Allows the user to cast two spells simultaneously. Higher levels of skill improve efficiency and grant a system correction to concentration and processing speed. - Aerosense (Tier 3, Rank 3) - Only available to practitioners of Air Magic. Allows users to sense the subtle vibrations in the air, and use them to understand their surroundings with near perfect clarity. Higher levels of skill increase sensing range, reduces disorientation caused by over stimulation, and increases cognitive understanding of nearby space. - Dancing (Tier 1, Rank 1) ¨C The act of moving one''s body in set patterns as determined by social constructions and established musical rhythms. This skill enhances the user''s ability to perform said maneuvers. Minor system correction to the execution of dances in a structured setting. - Basic Stealth (Tier 1, Rank 4) - The art of not being detected. Through the suppression of one''s presence, bodily control, and a good sense of timing, the user can hide themselves from others. Higher levels reduce the chance of being detected, and the amount of concentration necessary to maintain stealth. - Basic Dismantling (Tier 1, Rank 3) - The process of dissembling the bodies of slain enemies. Minor system correction to dismantling. Higher levels of skill reduce material waste and increase the likelihood of harvesting useful materials. - Basic Blacksmithing (Tier 1, Rank 4) - The art of fashioning a variety of implements and items out of forged metal. Minor system correction to practitioner''s knowledge and ability in regards to smithing. Functions as the Prerequisite and Limiter for all other forms of smithing. - Mana Transference (Tier 1, Rank 5) - By manipulating their natural mana reserves, users of this skill can transfer their mana to others. This process creates resistance between individual mana reserves, causing a loss of energy. Higher levels of skill increase the efficiency of transference. - Mana Shield (Tier 1, Rank 5) - By manipulating their natural mana reserves, users of this skill can create a shield of pure mana around their bodies. Due to the unstable nature of raw mana, it is difficult to maintain this shield for long periods of time. Higher levels of skill improve efficiency, duration, and durability of the shield. - Mana Attack (Tier 1, Rank 1) - By manipulating their natural mana reserves, users of this skill can create projectiles of pure mana to launch at their foes. Due to the unstable nature of raw mana, the effective range of these projectiles is limited. Higher levels of skill improve efficiency, range, and power of the projectiles. ---------------- Passive Skills: ---------------- - Intermediate Fear Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 4) - Due to long and repeated exposure to terrifying circumstances, the user of this skill has developed a basic tolerance for fear. This skill increases the ability to resist the effects of fear and maintain usual mental function in the face of terror. - Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 4) - You have developed the ability to control your body''s physiological responses to a large degree. Provides moderate resistance to the negative effects of physiological responses. - Advanced Poison Resistance (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Frequent exposure to harmful substances has increased you body''s ability to resist them. Provides large resistance to poison and poison based effects. - Intermediate Heat Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 1)- Frequent exposure to heat and fire has increased your body''s ability to handle high temperatures. Provides moderate resistance to the negative effects of high temperatures. - Intermediate Mental Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 3) - The user of this skill has had extensive practice resisting mental intrusion or mental effects. Moderate resistance to mental effects. - Basic Electricity Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 3) - Exposure to electricity has rendered the user more resistant to its negative effects. Minor resistance to the negative effects of electricity. - Basic Death Resistance (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Miraculously surviving an effect that should have caused instant death, the user has become more resistant to them. Minor resistance to magically created death effects and curses. - Basic Curse Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Frequent exposure to the effects of curse magic have rendered the user more resistant to them. Minor resistance to curses. - Large Mana Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 3) - The user of this skill has a larger mana pool than others. Large increase to mana capacity. - Large Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 2) - By consistent emptying of your mana pool, you have trained your body to recover its mana faster. Large increase to mana regeneration. - Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Tier 2, Rank 5) - Through physical training the user has increased his/her body''s natural limits. Provides a moderate enhancement to Endurance. - Moderate Agility Enhancement (Tier 2, Rank 4) - Through physical training the user has increased his/her body''s natural limits. Provides a moderate enhancement to Agility. - Moderate Strength Enhancement (Tier 2, Rank 2) - Through physical training the user has increased his/her body''s natural limits. Provides a moderate enhancement to Strength. - Moderate Willpower Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Through extensive training of the mind, the user has tempered his/her own will. Provides moderate enhancement to Willpower. - Minor Speed Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Through extensive training of the body and reflexes, the user has succeeded in enhancing his/her physical form. Like all higher attribute enhancements, this bypasses the normal limitations imposed on mortal creatures by the System. Provides minor enhancement to Speed. - Limit Break (Tier 4, Rank 1) - The signature skill of heroes. In times of intense emotional stress, the user can break through his/her innate limits providing a brief moment of incredible power. However, breaking one''s physical limitations comes with a price. While activated, large increase to all attributes. Higher ranks of skill increases both the attribute enhancement and the duration of the effect. Current duration: 1 min. Drawback: After effect ends, moderate decrease to all attributes for 24 hours. - Detect Hostile Intent (Tier 2, Rank 4) - Users can perceive the hostile intentions focused on them, within a certain range. In order to be considered hostile, the individual in question must wish to harm the the user in some form, or cause some substantive loss to the user. Range and precision of the effect is determined by both the user''s Willpower and skill rank. ----------------- Inherent Skills: ----------------- - Traveler''s Luck (Tier 3) - Selenica, Goddess of Gates, Travel, and Reincarnation has blessed you with good fortune during your travels. Large increase in Luck, minor increase in Endurance, minor increase in the acquisition and enhancement of survival and travel skills. - Fate-Touched (Tier -) - You have been touched by Fate, a multiverse level entity responsible for maintaining the very fabric of existence. As such you are no longer bound by the constraints of universal laws. So strong is this effect that your very presence can alter the destinies of those around for good or ill. Beings of great power and influence will take heed of your actions. - (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser (Tier 2) - (Acquired through Blood Collector) You have inherited some of the legendary regenerative powers of the vampire, allowing you to heal from virtually any non-fatal injury. By utilizing a requisite amount of mana, this skill can even regenerate lost body parts. Large increase to the healing speed of all ordinary injuries. Exposure to fire will slow or halt this process. - Aspirant Ascendant (Tier 4) - By breaking through to Tier 4 and surviving the process, the user has successfully tempered mind, body, and spirit into a pale imitation of a god-like entity. Although only the first step on the path of Ascension, this transformation nevertheless grants the user a fraction of the might and wisdom of the divine. Moderate increase to all attributes. Moderate increase to the user''s understanding of all skills. Moderate increase to the efficiency of all mana using skills. Minor increase to the effectiveness of all skills. Link to Map Below is the link to the Inland Sea Regional Map: https://imgur.com/a/yd6s1Jn Alternate: https://ibb.co/rvtMYhF This map was created using Inkarnate, a fantasy mapping program. Any resemblance to places currently in existence is purely coincidental, and in no way reflects a lack of originality on the part of the author. The author reserves the right to update and alter the map when he sees fit, or when he realizes he''s forgotten to include something, and has to desperately adjust it before anyone notices. Biographies **********************SPOILERS********************** Below you will find a description of the important characters, countries, organizations, and even worlds that appear in this novel. Some of this content will include spoilers, so I recommend using this only as a reference after the fact. ------------------------ The Five Creator Gods ------------------------ The five gods who are credited with forming Ea from inter-dimensional chaos. Unlike the Ascended, mortal beings who have achieved Tier 5 and then ascended to godhood after embracing an Aspect of Divinity, the Creator Gods have always been divine. Or so they claim. They are responsible for laying down the destined path of Ea and all of its inhabitants, and as such, exercise a degree of authority over the Ascended, albeit to a limited degree. However, they are not omnipotent. Forces both external and internal frequently seek to undermine or divert the Destiny of Ea, and only through regular maintenance is calamity avoided. The creators are not monolithic, and they each have their own interests and agendas which are often at cross purposes to one another. While infighting is not uncommon, they have a tendency to unite in the face of external threats, which is what allowed their continued cooperation over the millennia. Each of the Creator Gods rules one of the five Heavenly Realms, which are in turn connected to the House of Convergence, the meeting hall and neutral ground a the gods. There, the path of Destiny is forged and maintained, with both the Creators and Ascended responsible for overseeing their individual Aspects. Because of circumstances placed upon them by both the act of creation in and of itself and the establishment of the System, the Creator Gods are severely limited in what actions they can take outside of their home realms. Indeed even leaving the Heavenly Realms can be a dangerous prospect for them. As such, they commonly employ servants or followers to exercise their will. ----------- Aminatrea ----------- Also known as the Goddess of the Sun, Mother of Light, Mistress of the Skies, Sovereign of Fire, and a host of other regional names and titles, Aminatrea is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea and is viewed as their leader by mortal worshipers. The truth is a little more complicated. While she lacks any actual authority over her fellows, she sees herself as the first among equals, and often tries to overtly direct their actions. Like all of the greater gods, she has no definite form, but often appears as a graceful young woman seemingly made entirely of light, whose radiance is painful to look upon. Her voice is said to sound like notes plucked from the finest harp, and her presence is said to be simultaneously comforting and enchanting. She is frequently associated with birds, and her sacred animal is said to be a Phoenix. Personality ------------ Thanks to millennia of cultivating an image of herself as a responsible and dedicated goddess that strives to help the unfortunate, defend the weak, and punish the unjust, she is viewed by the people of Ea as the epitome of holy virtue. Truthfully, she is an irresponsible meddler, who uses her position as one of the Creators to pursue her own interpretation of justice. This includes a zero tolerance policy on beings she classifies as evil or unnatural, such as the undead, demons, and certain kinds of monsters. As such, her angelic legions are often deployed to various realms to combat the growth of these dark forces, while her mortal followers attempt to do the same on Ea. She is also the only one of the Five Creator Gods who goes out of her way to punish serious transgressions against her churches or priests, earning her faith a fearsome reputation. The methods vary from minor (such as setbacks in business or the loss of important crops) to lethal (incineration in a beam of intense light) depending on the nature of the transgression. As a result, her clergy tend to exercise a great deal influence on mortal authorities, as most leaders are hesitant to make enemies of someone with a deity backing them up. Among other gods, she tends to be bossy and overbearing. This makes her somewhat popular with the more militaristic of the Ascended, who are accustomed to more rigid hierarchies than the nebulous collection of independent factions the gods actually fall in to. However, she often suffers setbacks when confronting the other creators due to her inability to garner assistance from others. Spheres of influence ---------------------- Aminatrea governs the Aspects of Sun, Sky, Light, Fire, and to a lesser extent Nobility and Justice. As such she is commonly worshiped in all corners of Ea to some extent or other, with the notable exception of Lacot for obvious reasons. Her most devoted followers include judges, magistrates, rulers, bureaucrats, and other government functionaries, although she is frequently called upon by soldiers and knights who ask for her blessing in battle. Most of the sentient races of Ea pay her some degree of homage, due in large part to her association with the Sun, and its not uncommon to encounter her shrines and temples in most major cities. She is the patron goddess of the Sun Elves, and a member of the Triune of Mirithia. Her elven followers tend to worship her mostly in her Aspect as the Goddess of Fire. As a result, Fire Elemental mages enjoy a high standing in Sun Elf society. She is less commonly worshiped among certain populations, especially those who tend to be nocturnal or live underground. Due to her uncompromising hatred of the undead, Lacotians, and those in a similar state of unlife, tend to treat her as an enemy. ------------------ ------------------ Mone and Mona ------------------ Also known as the God and Goddess of the Moon, Twin Masters of the Night, Weavers of Mystery, Reflections of Stilled Water, and a host of regional names and titles, Mone and Mona together hold a position of one of the Creator Gods of Ea. Like all of the greater gods, they don''t have a defined form, but most often appear as identical androgynous youths with pale skin and dark hair. For reasons unknown to even their peers, they never seem show up in the same place at the same time, but will trade places with each other at seemingly random intervals. This had led to a few of the braver among the Ascended to theorize that they actually share a body, although they never say such things too loudly. Mone is frequently associated with fish, especially aquatic predators, while Mona has affinity for reptiles and amphibians. Their sacred animals are said to be Sharks and Sea Serpents respectively. Personality ------------ Much like the changing face of the celestial body they represent, Mone and Mona have very different personalities. Mone is harsh, direct, and cares little for the welfare of others. His only apparent goal seems to be deriving as much entertainment as possible from the suffering of the mortals under his charge. It is rare indeed for someone to ask for his intercession on their behalf, and such petitioners often regret drawing the attention of this malign god. His most frequent worshipers include sailors, pirates, and criminals who act under the cover of night, and they only do so in order to avoid his ire. On rare occasions, merchants will also offer a prayer to the Dark Side of the Moon when seeking the downfall of a business rival, but such efforts are risky. Mone is just as likely to harm the petitioner as he is to help them. Mona, on the other hand, is calm, rational, and often inclined to act in the best interests of her mortal followers. Of all the creator gods, she is also the one most likely to respond to the heartfelt prayers of her worshipers, and is often credited with aiding those afflicted by her brother''s pranks. Artists, performers, and musicians are her most ardent followers, and it is not uncommon for them to whisper a silent prayer to her before going up on stage or unveiling a new piece. Merchants and craftsmen will also petition her for inspiration and the protection of their trade, while hunters, watchmen, and adventurers ask her for protection when performing their duties at night. However, like all things to do with these mysterious deities, not everything is as it appears. Among other gods, they have a tendency to be viewed as untrustworthy schemers and deal makers, who have been known to play both sides of a conflict against each other. Despite that, they command a great deal of influence among the Ascended thanks to an impenetrable network of agreements and contracts. While the full scope of their faction remains a mystery, the Twins are often considered to the most politically powerful of the Creator Gods due to their ability to apply unexpected leverage at critical junctures. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- The Twins together represent the Aspects of Moon, Darkness, Deception, Water, and Night. Mone is also in charge of Criminals, Trickery, and Cruelty, while Mona governs the Ocean, Music, and Love. Unofficially, they are also the gods most commonly associated with Wealth and Commerce, and are therefore frequently worshiped in cities that rely heavily on trade. Much like their fellow goddess Aminatrea, temples to the Twins are found throughout the Inland Sea Region, and most sentient races pay some degree of homage to them. That said, their religious centers are concentrated in urban areas, especially in coastal regions, and its difficult to find many of their followers in the countryside. The Twins are the patron gods of the Moon Elves and are one facet of the Triune of Mirithia. As such, they have garnered a fair amount of influence among Arcane Mages and adherents of Arcane Magic, something that remains a point of contention between them and Lysande. More so than any of their peers, Mone and Mona are likely to be worshiped by secretive cults, with practices that vary from the benign to the murderous. Everything from ritual poem composition to the sacrifice of infants is rumored to take place at their hidden gatherings. Dwarves tend to be distrustful of the Twins, viewing them as malicious entities that foster chaos and disorder. Mone especially has a reputation for interfering with honest, dwarven craftsmen and laborers for no reason save his own satisfaction, causing their works to break down unexpectedly. Beastmen, on the other hand, treat them with the greatest of respect, second only to Teun in their prayers and rituals. This stems mostly from their Aspect of the Moon, which figures heavily into most traditional beastman religious practices. Aquatic or reptilian races, and sentient monsters from the ocean likewise pay homage to the Twins, although this faith is often overshadowed by members of the Ascended more closely aligned with those individual species. --------- Lysande --------- Also known as the God of the Stars, Lord of Magic, Master of the Unseen Library, Ruler of the Five Winds and a host of regional names and titles, Lysande is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea. Like all of the greater gods, he has no definite form, but usually appears as a grey haired, scholarly man in the prime of his life. He is known to carry a book with him wherever he travels. While typically associated with insects of all types, he is not known to have a sacred animal. Instead, his sacred texts tend to elevate spirits and other energy based lifeforms. Personality: ------------ Of all of the Creator Gods, Lysande is credited with being the most rational and contemplative. Detractors might call him dry or unfeeling, but he is simply unconcerned with the mundane. While usually calm, in the presence of the new and unknown he becomes a passionate researcher, and will often go to extremes to track down the information he wants. He does not often speak in the presence of others, but when he does, his words carry great weight. With the exception of Yilon, Lysande is the Creator God who is least involved in mortal affairs. He rarely answers prayers, and his clergy cannot expect much of anything from him. This has given him the reputation of being an absent and uncaring deity. As a result, he is rather unpopular with the common people. This is not to say that he''s completely unconcerned with the people of Ea. On the contrary, he often intercedes in a minor capacity to give subtle inspiration to deep thinkers like philosophers, inventors, and scientists. Many magical and technological discoveries have come about due to his subtle influence. His clergy and temples are almost universal concentrated in areas of learning and knowledge, with scholars and mages being his most ardent followers. He holds a special place in the hearts of those who work with books and there are few authors or researchers who don''t offer him a prayer before starting a new task. Among the other gods, he is largely a recluse, rarely leaving his home realm. The Ascended tend to see him as being aloof and unapproachable, but those who manage to encounter him while he''s in a rare talkative mood will be regaled with rare tidbits of knowledge. Whether or not such information is useful is typically inconsequential to Lysande. Contrary to what might be expected, he actually has a fairly strong following among the Ascended, albeit a fractious and disunited one. His laissez-faire attitude to most things outside of his interests makes him quite popular for members of the Ascended who chafe under rules and restrictions. He also tends to get along with those gods outside of the major factions. As a result, he can be surprisingly influential under the right circumstances. When interacting with his fellow Creator Gods, Lysande prefers to maintain a professional cordiality, with one notable exception. He has a very unstable romantic relationship with Teun. They seem to go through cycles of passionate love affairs, domestic bliss, arguments, break-ups and eventually reconciliations. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- Lysande governs the Aspects of the Stars, Magic, Knowledge, Wind, Invention, and to a lesser extent Civilization and Cities. As he is essentially the god of Technology, he carries a fair amount of influence with nearly every facet of life for humanoid beings. In some regions of the world, he''s also associated with the, as of yet, unclaimed Aspect of Death. While he officially denies any involvement, it often falls to him to maintain this portion of Ea''s Destiny since his sense of responsibility will not let such a vital part of the fabric of reality go unmanaged. Until a reliable God of Death appears amongst the Ascended, he will likely continue this thankless duty. Much like the Twins, his following in primarily urban, but even more restricted. His temples are rarely found outside of places of learning or inventions, and are virtually unheard of in most rural communities. Of all regions, he is perhaps most heavily worshiped in Cadun, The City of Spells, where the Mage''s Guild is based. That said, it is not uncommon to encounter a traveling priest of Lysande in the midst of conducting field research. All members of his clergy are required to acquire and catalogue knowledge as part of their advancement in the church, and first-hand experience is viewed as being the most valuable. As such, there are a number of small and isolated societies whose only experience with organized religion might be a travel-worn priest of the God of Knowledge barging into their lives with a battery of seemingly nonsensical questions. Lysande is the patron god of the Star Elves, and one of the Triune of Mirithia. Most Star Elf communities are little more than isolated and self-contained monasteries where the mysteries of the universe are explored, thanks in large part to the race''s talent for nearly all forms of magic. He is also rather influential among Moon Elves due to his role as the God of Magic, which remains a point of contention between him and the Twins. Dwarves and beastmen rarely worship the god, with only a small segment of their race''s intellectual elite paying him homage. He is often associated with elves and humans far more than other races, something that makes him a little unpalatable to those outside of those particular groups. That said, it is not unheard of for dwarven craftsmen to offer up a prayer to the Lord of Invention when experimenting with new techniques. Outside of major humanoid communities, Lysande has little following. Only rarely do sentient monsters even know of his existence. The noted exception being the sphinxes of the Shimmering Desert, who are best known for their penchant for intellectual puzzles and riddles. ------- Teun ------- Also known as the Mistress of the Earthen Realm, Ruler of All That Grows, Giver of Life, Mother of Instinct, and a host of regional names and titles, Teun is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea. Like all of the greater gods, she has no definite form, but usually appears as a statuesque women with skin the color of rich earth and tangled, vine-like growth in place of hair. As the goddess most frequently associated with physical passion and lust, she is known to have an enchanting and seductive air. Few among the Ascended can resist her charms, and even her fellow Creators are known to fall prey to her persuasion when she''s seeking a favor. Teun is commonly associated with plants and mammals, and her sacred creature is the Treant. Personality ------------- Vivacious and mercurial, Teun is a goddess of passion who embraces emotion and embodies the principle of living in the moment. She is the most direct of the Creators, often boldly stating her opinion with no thought to how it might derail the conversation, something that irritates Aminatrea greatly. Detractors often call her reckless and impulsive, prone to sudden mood swings. To her adherents, however, she is bold and adventurous, unwilling to waste time on overly complex plans when action is required. This is not to say she doesn''t exercise some degree of forethought, merely that long-term consequences rarely factor into her decision making process. Teun, thanks to her role as the goddess of life is easily the most popular deity amongst mortals. Rural communities are nearly universal in their devotion to her. This is especially true in the case of farmers, miners, and those who work with the soil. As such, her church is by far the largest and most diverse, spanning nearly every race and region. She is quite popular among her fellow gods, but rarely has the wherewithal to maintain a strong faction. As such, she tends to ally with one of the other Creator Gods when making major decisions, lending what support she can muster to their causes. Teun is in an unstable romantic relationship with Lysande, which is often leads to intense drama between the two celestial entities. However, this has not stopped her from taking on a number of lovers among the Ascended, and even the occasional mortal. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- Teun governs the Aspects of Earth, Life, Plants, Animals, Passion, and Instinct. She is often associated with Fertility, and to a lesser degree, Marriage. As such, most wedding ceremonies in the Inland Sea Region are partially dedicated to her. Because of her involvement with nature and natural processes, virtually every person who makes their livelihood off the land pays her some degree of homage. From the hunter offering a silent prayer before his fires his arrow, to the farmer planting seeds blessed by a Teundan priest. From the miners requesting safe passage through her domain, to the expectant mother pleading for a safe delivery. When combined with her role as the supposed source of carnal pleasure, she is understandably the most popular goddess in the pantheon. A fact that continues to irritate Aminatrea to no end. With few exceptions, the various races of Ea routinely worship her, with her most fervent supporters being the many tribes of beastmen. Most of their rituals and traditions stem from the worship of one of her Aspects. Teun is also the patron of the dwarves, who focus primarily on her role as the goddess of Earth, and by extension, all the lies within the ground. Not all of her followers are benign, however, and several primitive monster tribes worship her as the Mistress of the Hunt and Goddess of Hunger. They pay homage through ritual sacrifices and feasts, which is all too often composed of their sentient victims. Similarly, vampires, ghouls, and those types of undead that must feed to survive are also frequent worshipers of hers. However, she is often superseded in their hearts by certain members of the Ascended that more closely align with their worldview. --------- Yilon --------- Also known as the God of the Void, Master of Entropy, Manifestation of Oblivion, The Veil of Hidden Truths, and a handful of local and regional titles, Yilon is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea. It appears as a sphere of impenetrable darkness which seems to absorb the light and heat from its surrounds. Although it likely has the capacity for taking on other forms, it has never done so. Yilon is not associated with any kind of living thing, nor does it have a sacred creature. Personality ------------ Its questionable if this mysterious being even feels emotions in the traditional sense. When necessary, it speaks in a blunt monotone, rarely taking any side in a conflict between the Creators. Indeed, it rarely seems to have any opinion at all, and instead appears to be content with merely maintaining the status quo. Yilon never involves itself in mortal affairs. As such, it has little in the way of followers on Ea. A few desperate or insane individuals will offer up prayers to the Manifestation of Oblivion, wishing for an end to all things, but even these requests go unfulfilled. Although it has no real clergy, Yilon is still included in major temples dedicated to the Creators, ensuring that its existence is not forgotten by mortals. Among the Ascended, it is viewed as a strange and somewhat terrifying entity. Thanks to its tendency to slowly absorb the divinity of the lesser gods in its vicinity, Yilon has no faction to speak of. However, on the rare occasions that it offers an actual suggestion, its fellow Creators usually go along with it. Whether this is because they recognize the being''s wisdom, or merely fear the repercussions of ignoring it, remains unclear. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- Yilon governs the Aspects of Void, Entropy, Space, Time, the Unknown, and the Apocalypse. Its role as the master of the unseen underbelly of Ea''s cosmic structure means that it is also the only being that truly understands the workings of the System. At times, it has been referred to by the other Creators as the Administrator. Outside of a few obscure theological treatises, little is known about Yilon on Ea. Most major cities have at least some small shrine dedicated to the entity, usually funded by the other churches, but most sentient beings prefer to pretend that it doesn''t exist. Not many can comfortably acknowledge the eventual end of all things, a concept it embodies as the Herald of the Apocalypse. Despite its usual tendency towards non-involvement, Yilon is somehow the patron god of the void elves, a mysterious race of beings said to inhabit a shadowy realm known as Nocturnis. They, along with many of realm''s inhabitants, tend to worship the God of the Void to the exclusion of all others, something that remains rather troubling for the other Creators. Outside of Nocturnis, Yilon has little presence. Some apocalyptic cults pray to it, and a few Demon Lords are said to be in its employ, but neither group seems to have any real backing from the Master of Entropy. Of course, no one is truly sure just how much influence it has on the System itself, and whether or not it makes use of it. Chapter 1: That One Trope Leaving through a pair of glass doors emblazoned with "P&H Publishing," Mike started walking the seven blocks to the nearest bus station. Ordinarily, this would have been the best part of his day. Mike hated his job at the small publishing firm. As an assistant to the editorial department, he spent most of his day dealing with menial tasks that numbed the mind and soul. The only benefit of his position was access to the firm''s database of rejected submissions, so, Mike spent most of his free time combing through old, forgotten stories. However, today the department manager had let everyone go early with the news that the firm was being sold to a large media conglomeration, and that the editorial department was up for review. [Guess I''ll have to find another job,] he thought to himself while running a hand through his hair. He was already convinced that his position would be deemed unnecessary, since he often did not have enough work to keep him occupied. While he would not miss the job itself, he regretted losing access to the rejected submission database. Ever since he was a child, Mike had an inexplicable apathy towards his day-to-day life. It wasn''t that he lacked emotions or anything like that, but for whatever reason he had trouble building an interest in anything in particular. The only things that were able to elicit a strong response from the otherwise apathetic child, were stories. For some reason, hearing about the lives of others allowed him to vicariously experience depths of emotion otherwise denied to him. He could feel intense joy and sadness by imagining the triumphs and tribulations of fictional characters. In order to continue these feelings, he lost himself in the world of fiction, spending all of his available time reading, watching, and interacting with stories. This caused him to largely isolate himself from everyone else. He was not a complete social outcast, but never made any real friends. He actually developed a reputation as a good listener, since listening to other people talk about themselves proved close enough to a story for Mike to derive some enjoyment from the process. Unfortunately, he never real developed any close relationships, including with his family. Despite a general ennui towards his studies, he proved an adequate student, eventually graduating from college with a degree in English Literature. Since his diploma didn''t really contribute to his potential employment prospects, he was largely unable to find work until an acquaintance referred him to P&H Publishing, where he had worked ever since. As he continued to walk down the street, pondering his now uncertain financial situation, Mike''s attention was drawn to something unusual in the corner of his vision. He glanced across the street and noticed a small, black cat sitting on the curb, staring at him. On the cat''s chest was a patch of white fur that looked vaguely like a triangle. Mike found himself returning the cat''s gaze, before a passing car momentarily obscured his vision. By the time the obstruction had cleared, the cat was gone, and Mike couldn''t see any sign of it. For some reason the event left him with a deep unease. [Great. Just what I need, a ghost cat haunting me], he thought as he resumed walking before stopping at a traffic light. [Here I am, a sad, hopeless, and soon to be unemployed loner stalked by what I can only assume is death omen. I am one runaway truck from being a novel protagonist.] Suddenly the screech of tires and blaring of horns sounded behind him. Mike turned just in time to see a semi-truck barrelling towards him. He froze, his mind shutting down. As the front bumper inched closer, he had time to see the face of the panicked driver frantically turning the truck''s wheel. Mike shut his eyes, waiting for the collision. He felt a rush of air pass dangerously close and was nearly deafened by the sound of crunching metal from the intersection behind him. Not daring to breathe, Mike turned to track the course of the truck, a fuel tanker now that he could see it. The truck had seemingly jumped the side walk before smashing itself into the traffic waiting at the intersection. As he observed the pile of twisted metal, he knew that he should go and see if any of the people involved needed his help, but his legs felt weak. It was all he could do to just keep from collapsing now that his life no longer appeared to be in danger. At the same time he felt the pressing urge to move. Trying to understand this feeling, Mike found himself examining the now leaking fuel tanker. Wait...leaking? In a sudden surge of panic, Mike tried to force his leaden legs to move, but was interrupted by a sudden wave of heat and wind accompanied by a bright flash of light. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike opened his eyes and found himself in a dark, seemingly vast space. He looked down at himself, checking to make sure he was still in one piece. After determining that his body was still intact, he took stock of his surroundings, which didn''t take much time. He was standing on a perfectly flat, black floor which appeared to stretch on infinitely in all directions. While the sky was also a featureless black, it seemingly provided some sort of illumination which allowed Mike to see himself. After compiling the evidence, he could only come to one conclusion. "Well, this is what I get for raising a flag, I suppose. It seems I''ve fallen into ones of those transmigration or reincarnation stories that''s popular nowadays." Mike said to himself while slowly shaking his head. "Now I guess I need to wait for some god or goddess to send me to a new world or something." After looking around and seeing nothing, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hello? Is there anyone here? I''d like to get this process started!" [Really. They are going to play it this way? This better not be one of plot lines where they leave the MC alone in the void for thousands of years in order to ''season'' him somehow. Those kinds of stories never made any sense.], Mike thought to himself. He felt daunted at the prospect of facing a possible eternity in this void. After considering the issue for a time, he figured that it ultimately didn''t matter. With no better ideas, he sat down and waited for something to happen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "They are really taking their time getting here. I''m sure they haven''t forgotten about me. Maybe this is some kind of test of patience?" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "F***, whoever is in charge of this place is failing miserably." Mike stood while gritting his teeth in frustration. "I guess, I''ll just start f****** walking and hope to find something." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike was lying face down on the ground where he had fallen after finally giving up on walking. A small puddle of tears was starting to form around his face. "Why is there nothing here? Is this hell?" He said between sobs. "I''m not a bad guy, I don''t deserve this." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "God, I know I haven''t prayed much over the years, or really done much in the way of good works, but if you could see fit to fix this, I promise I''ll be a better person. If you send me home, I''ll give away all my possessions, build a church, and dedicate my life to taking care of orphans or stray animals or something." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "So this is it. Trapped in an endless void for all eternity. Nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. The constant pressure of unremitting solitude my only companion. It will be a challenge to stay sane in this environment, but I can only believe in myself." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "And that''s when I said, this isn''t a basketball!" (In falsetto) "Ooh Mike, you''re SOOO funny! Tell us another one!" "Gladly left hand, maybe right knee will finally join us in the conversation this time." (In a forcibly gruff voice) "Not until nose says he''s sorry." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Star date 2059, the crew is growing restless. There is no means of tracking the passage of time here, as our bodies seem to be in some sort of stasis. We have no need to eat, drink, sleep, or even relieve ourselves. Our communication devices are down and have not functioned since our arrival in this accursed place. Morale is low. My only hope is that some kind and merciful deity will rescue us from this nightmare, as not even the sweet release of death is allowed to us." "On a side note, the belt noose turned out to be a terrible idea. Not only did it fail to achieve anything, but I have somehow lost my pants in the process. More to follow." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An inestimable time later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike stared off into the distance while slowly breathing in and out. After a great deal of time and a phenomenal amount of effort he had reached inner peace. "It was a long road, but I''ve managed to climb my way back to sanity." Mike sighed to no one in particular. "But seriously, how broken is this system? I''ve been here for years!" A sharp, feminine voice broke in, "Actually, you''ve only been here for about two and a half days." Chapter 2: Wait, Really? Mike could only stare in wonder at the woman standing in front of him. She was achingly beautiful. With platinum blonde hair, pale golden eyes, and facial features seemingly sculpted by a divinely-inspired artist, she took Mike''s breath away. She had the figure of a model wrapped in a soft white dress of a silk-like fabric, and she seemed to emit a golden light that filled the surroundings. But more importantly, he was quite sure that she wasn''t a figment of his imagination, since his imagination was never this good to him. "Oh God, *hic*¡­.... I-I''m so glad there is someone else here. The loneliness was driving me crazy." Tears, and not a small amount of snot started dripping down his face. "Ugh, please try to keep your mortal fluids away from me, I just manifested this dress." The woman said while taking a few steps back. "I understand you''re probably upset about the whole dying and being stuck in Limbo for a few days thing, but try to keep yourself under control." She frowned while looking at his lower half, "Where are your pants?" "Long story." Mike took a few seconds to process this information. "So I really did die?" The woman blinked, and clipboard appeared in her hand. She started glancing through the contents. "Yes, it says here you got impaled by shrapnel from an exploding fuel tanker and bled out before help could arrive." Mike placed a hand on his stomach as if trying to find the offending pieces of metal. The woman continued reading through the papers attached to the clipboard. "Michael Rasmussen, 28, lives alone, no close friends, no current romantic partners, little to no interaction with your parents and two siblings. Hobbies include reading and watching television. Graduated with a literature degree, but was unable to find work for two years until an acquaintance managed to land you a low-level job at P&H Publishing. Spent four years working as the lowest level member of the editorial department before dying in a traffic related explosion. All-in-all, a boring, pointless life." The woman looked up at Mike with rage and asked him in a low, barely controlled voice, "So why is it that your soul is so heavy?" Mike found himself vaguely offended. "Did you just call my soul fat?" The woman''s eye twitched, and the soft, golden glow that seemed to constantly surround her took on a red hue. "No, you blithering idiot. Your soul has too much content. It''s part of what''s trapped you here, when you should have long ago entered the cycle of reincarnation. And as I mentioned previously, there is nothing in your personal history to warrant you being this heavy." Mike felt a sudden burst of anger at her rant. "OK, first of all, I didn''t ask for any of this. So don''t blame me for having a fat soul. Secondly, you left me alone in this hellhole for years..." "Two and a half days." The woman interrupted. "Whatever, you overgrown firefly! The point is, the first thing you do after finally showing up, is get angry at me and call me spiritually overweight." "FIREFLY! Listen, you pathetic excuse for a mortal! You cannot even begin to imagine the scope of the trouble you are causing me! I''ll have you know that¡­." The woman was interrupted by a massive blast of sound resembling a mix between whale song and an industrial grinder, which seemed to resonate with the very fabric of existence. It was accompanied a vast, overwhelming presence that made Mike feel like he was an insignificant speck of dust in comparison. Now speechless, Mike could only stare open-mouthed at the unchanged, but somehow "filled" sky. The woman flinched at the sound, turned a bit pale, and said in a hesitant voice, "Yes, sorry. I''m getting to it. I''ll explain it to him." "W-W-What is that! Some kind of robot whale ghost!?" "Silence! You stand in the presence of one of the Ancient Ones, show some respect!" The woman screeched at Mike with another flare of red from her aura. "And what does that mean exactly?" "The Ancient Ones are the oldest and most powerful beings in the multiverse! They have existed since before time itself and can shape whole universes with little effort." "So it''s an important robot whale ghost?" She replied with an inarticulate scream of rage. Her face flushed red to match her now crimson aura. Mike found himself unable to stop teasing this woman. Her easily elicited and honest responses satisfied a small, sadistic part of him that he hadn''t known he had. Although another part of him wondered if it was wise to continue antagonizing the first person he''d seen in yea...two and a half days. The universe vibrated with another burst of sound, and Mike could swear it sounded a bit amused. The woman sighed, visibly trying to calm herself. After a few moments she glared at Mike with an undisguised look of anger before her face relaxed into something resembling resignation. "Look, this is all very unusual, but fundamentally it''s not your fault. I should not be taking it out on you. I''m Selenica, the minor goddess governing the reincarnation system in this region of the multiverse." Figuring that discretion was probably the better part of valor in this case, Mike decided let bygones be bygones. "Nice to meet you Selenica, you can call me Mike." Anticipation coursing through him, he asked. "Does this mean I will be reincarnating into another world or something?" "Ordinarily, I wouldn''t even get involved. The system would have simple cycled your soul into a new body after suppressing the memories of your past life, but two factors have come into play which makes that impossible. First, your soul is ridiculously dense. Normally, it would take several lifetimes of refinement to achieve your level of soul density, which when combined with great mental fortitude would allow one to break out of the cycle of reincarnation and possibly ascend." "So, does that mean I''m some kind of god now?" "Absolutely not!" [There goes that red hue again,] Mike noticed. [Who knew teasing a goddess could be this entertaining.] Unaware of his very impious thoughts, the goddess continued, "You don''t have anywhere near the mental fortitude, experience, and raw power required to achieve that, otherwise you wouldn''t have gone crazy after a few days of solitude." "Hey! It was a very stressful time for me. I literally died right before that and was left alone in the dark without any explanation. If it wasn''t for lefty I don''t think I would have made it." Selenica sighed and calmed herself down again, "I know, I suppose it''s a good thing you''re even conversant to begin with...... Wait, what''s this about lefty?" "Its not important!" Mike hurriedly answered her. "Anyway, even though people from your world have unusually dense souls, I can''t think of any reason yours is like this. Normally, someone''s soul can only accumulate density by retaining their memories through multiple reincarnations. You don''t happen to have any memories of a past life do you?" "Not that I know of." Mike pondered while stroking his chin. "Wait¡­... you said people from my world are unusually heavy, right?" "Correct." "And one''s soul density is determined by the culmination of experience, right?" "...Yes. What are you getting at?" "Do stories count? About the only thing special about me is probably the amount of books I''ve read." Selenica opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, her brow crinkling in sudden concentration. Her aura took on a sickly yellow-green color as she pulled out her clipboard and began to frantically flip through the pages attached to it. [I wish every woman had an aura like that. It would have definitely saved me some trouble in the past.] Mike mused while watching the panicked goddess. "Come on, it should be in here somewhere¡­.. here." After quickly scanning the page she stop, froze for a moment before collapsing to her knees. "2,372,452" "Hm?" "You''ve managed to consume 2,372,452 stories over the course of your life." Mike thought back to his life. "A bit lower than I would have guessed, but that sounds about right." "Even factoring in difference in potency between actual and imagined experience, the sheer number still means you''ve accumulated the soul density of hundreds, if not thousands of lifetimes." In a swift motion Selenica stood, grabbed Mike''s shoulders, and began to shake him violently. "How¡­.How are you able to cheat the system like this?!" "I¡­.don''t....know...I...wasn''t¡­.trying...to." Mike managed to squeeze out while his head was being whipped about. She let him go and walked a few paces away. "Gah! You and your world have to make my job so difficult!" Mike sudden realized something. "You said that there was two reasons I didn''t reincarnate. What was the second one?" The goddess looked down, her golden glow tinging a little with blue as her features clouded with apprehension, "Look, there is no easy way to say this, but you''ve been touched by Fate." Chapter 3: Bad Touch Mike had the mental image of a vast celestial courtroom where a massive Zeus-like figure handed him a doll and told him to point to the place Fate had touched him. Suppressing a chuckle, he asked, "So, what exactly does that mean?" "To explain that, I''ll have to start from the way the multiverse is shaped. There are an uncounted number of universes surrounded by a sea of chaotic possibility which in turn makes up the multiverse. Fate is the term used to describe the force that holds the multiverse together and prevents the sea of possibility from consuming the universes. It shapes the way universes form, move, and eventually end while simultaneously giving the multiverse structure. To put it simply, it''s a bit like mass of strings that stitches everything together...Except that the strings are kind of alive...and kind of move from time to time...and change things sometimes..." Mike stared at the goddess, who then looked away with a blush, a pink color tinging her aura. "I''m not the best with analogies, alright?" Smiling to himself, Mike responded. "So, is Fate benevolent?" "It''s hard to label it that way, because while it serves as a stabilizing force for the multiverse, it will occasionally interfere with the contents of individual universes, and not always to the benefit of those universes." "It is sentient?" "Not exactly. We believe that the force has some degree of awareness, but it''s closer to the neurons that governs the reflex response your hand makes when it touches something hot. Occasionally, for reasons that no one save the Ancient Ones really understand, Fate will move, passing through an existing multiverse." Selenica crossed her arms and leaned back slightly before continuing. "Normally, most major events are already laid out in advance by the gods who manage each universe. Small details, like what you had for breakfast or where leaves fall during autumn, are largely left to a combination of free will and chance. However, when a Fate string passes through a universe, it can have some unexpected consequences. Any individual soul touched during one of these movements becomes irrevocably marked, altering that individual''s destiny." Mike decided to ignore the confusing idea of Fate hijacking his destiny. "So, what does that mean for me?" The goddess looked a bit sheepish, her golden aura turning a bit yellow. "Well¡­basically, you weren''t supposed to have died yet. In the original plan for your life, you should have passed through that intersection and been further away before the accident. You would have been hurt by the blast, but eventually would have made a full recovery. However¡­.." "However, I was distracted by an unusual looking cat and got stuck when the light changed." Selenica nodded. "That was likely the manifestation of Fate as it touched your soul. Since your soul is both too dense and Fate-marked, you are no longer able to reincarnate normally. Luckily for you, this Ancient One has taken an interest in your case and is willing to lend its assistance in bringing you back into the reincarnation cycle." She said while gesturing vaguely towards the sky. "That reminds me, you haven''t really explained about this Ancient One. Why can''t I see it, and why does it sound like a whale trying to talk through a blender?" "Your weak mind is unable to fully comprehend the Ancient One''s form or voice. It has graciously deigned to both reduce its presence and words to a far lower level in order to avoid popping your soul like a soap bubble. Be grateful that this Ancient One is both benevolent and kind to you lesser beings." "Wow," Mike said while staring up at the sky, "thanks for that, robot whale ghost." He was answered by a fog horn-like blast, mixed with the sound of someone dropping a drawer full of silverware into a metal trashcan. Mike felt it vaguely resembled laughter. Selenica glared at him again before sighing. "Unfortunately, we can''t reincarnate you into your old world. Your soul has way too much substance and any body you inhabited would simply explode shortly after you got there." "That sounds bad." "With the Ancient One''s assistance, I can send you to another world designed for stronger souls, but that presents its own problem. Since you are marked by Fate, you will exist outside of the usual pattern of events in that world. This means we can only bring into that world in one of two ways. We could place you inside the body of an otherwise stillborn baby, a being with no real destiny. Alternatively, we could create an entirely new body and introduce it into the world directly. There are positive and negative aspects to both options. Reincarnating as a baby means you''ll have a family to protect you until can acclimate to the world, but you''ll also have to go through childhood again. You''d also be vulnerable to outside forces until you were old enough to take care of yourself. Starting in a new body will allow you live as you please right away, but will leave you alone in an unfamiliar world." She paused as if considering her next words, "I will let you decide which course you want to follow." Mike considered the two options. While the idea of being alone and ignorant in a strange new place was slightly terrifying, he couldn''t imagine having to be a baby again. The sheer helplessness that state would bring scared him more than anything else. He decided to go with the option that offered fewer immediate problems at the expense of long-term benefits. "I''ll take the second option." "Are you sure? It will make things difficult for you until you get used to your new life." Mike hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Alright, I''ll get the process started." Selenica motioned with the clipboard in her hand and Mike felt a subtle vibration that seemed to resonate with his soul. The Ancient One let out a deep thrum, more felt than heard, that seemed to amplify the vibration briefly before it faded away. "In the meantime, I''ll go over some things about the world you are heading towards." She held up her empty hand and suddenly a small spinning globe appeared, floating a few cm above her exposed palm. Mike could see varying shades of blue, green, white, and brown. It looked very similar to Earth with multiple continents surrounded by large oceans. Two white icecaps were visibly under the swirling masses of cloud. "This is Ea, and you would probably describe it as a fantasy world. There are a number of different sentient races who make this world their home." At this point the globe in her hand changed into a series of rapidly changing silhouettes. Mike was sure he saw something that looked like a dwarf, an elf, and cat-eared person. He could feel his heartbeat quicken in anticipation. "Life is more robust in this universe than you are probably used to. The native gods have succeed in infusing their realm with a couple unique forms of energy that happen to have positive effects on living creatures. Plants grow more quickly, the biodiversity is extensive, and the people will in general be healthier and heal faster than on Earth." Perhaps noticing the excitement that Mike couldn''t hide, Selenica went on. "It''s not all beneficial, so don''t get too excited. The energies also give rise to a number of strange and dangerous monsters which Ea''s inhabitants are frequently in conflict with." She paused to examine Mike''s face for a moment. Whatever she saw there seemed to satisfy her since she showed a slight smile before continuing. "Ea carries a unique system that interfaces with the multiverse''s Akashic Records. It serves as a sort of corrective guidance for the inhabitants of this world, granting them abilities based on their actions. However, it is an impartial system and benefits all inhabitants. This means even truly evil beings can gain strength." With a smirk, Mike said, "OK, to summarize, we have a standard fantasy setting complete with elves, dwarfs, beast-people and the like. There is probably some form of magic built into the system. Technology is probably on par with Medieval Europe. Am I right so far?" Selenica shrugged and simply stated, "More or less. The big thing for you to know is that we are going to have to convert some of your soul density into blessings before we can even transmigrate you. Blessings are more effective if they stem from a particularly strongly held desire, so what do you wish for? And before you go wishing for extensive wealth or god-like power, there are a number of limitations on blessings. The more pure hearted the better. Try to keep your wish simple and self- contained." Mike frowned. "So no wishing for more wishes?" Selenica didn''t even bother to respond, merely continued to stare him down. "So how many blessings will I get?" "It depends on the nature of the blessing. If we take too much from your soul it could cause long-term degradation and soul dissolution." [Fine, I guess I''ll try to keep it simple] Mike thought to himself. He looked back on his life spent reading about more interesting people. Every day spent trying to escape his own tedious, apathetic existence in the vain hope that someday, something would come to change all that. Now that he finally had another chance to reinvent himself in a new world, the only thing he wished for was help making sure he didn''t fall into old ruts. After a few minutes of thought, opened his eyes and faced the goddess. She was slightly taken aback by the serious and determined look he displayed. "I''ve decided. What I want, is the chance see what this world has to offer, try all kinds of new things, meet new and interesting people, and have enough luck to do so without too much trouble." Selenica stared at him for a second before breaking out into a warm and gentle smile. A soft orange glow suffused her surrounds, bringing to mind a sunset on the ocean. Mike felt his breath catch in his throat as he was suddenly, painfully reminded that he was looking at the single most beautiful person he had ever seen. [Ah, now that is a goddess I can believe in.] An unfamiliar warmth started spreading through his chest. So focused was he on examining her face that he almost missed what she said next. "Very well Michael Rasmussen. That is a wish we can work with." Mike noticed a faint, almost mechanical whine from the floor underneath him as a circle of light enveloped him. Squinting against the sudden glow, he could just make out the figure of the goddess raising a hand in farewell. "I wish you well in your new life." Chapter 4: Naked and Afraid Mike cursed internally, [I still had a whole bunch of questions. She didn''t even let me get a word in edgewise before sending me on my way. The next time I see that firefly goddess I''ll make sure to give her a piece of my mind.] For the second time since he died, Mike opened his eyes in a strange new location. He found himself in a small clearing lined with massive, ancient-looking trees and filled with a riotous explosion of multi-colored flowers. A small pond could be seen off to his left. Birdsong and the sounds of insects filled the air as a gentle breeze carried the delightful aroma of the flowers mingled with the scent of wet earth. The change from a dark, endless purgatory (no matter the company) to a sun-dappled, paradisaical forest clearing was simply too much for him to handle all at once. A sense of contentment he had never experienced before overtook him, and he felt the need to bask in it for a moment. He enjoyed the feeling of sun against his skin, the natural music that filled the air, and the breeze between his legs...¡­wait. Mike looked down and discovered that not only was he completely naked, but the body he was now inhabiting was smaller and more slender than he was used to. He rushed over to the pond and gazed at his reflection. He was greeted by the sight of a young boy of about 13 or 14 with a mop of shaggy brown hair. His gaze was immediately drawn to the reflection''s face where an arresting pair of light yellow-brown, almost golden eyes stared intensely back at him. [These eyes are going to cause me some trouble, but at the very least they should be popular with the ladies.] The rest of his face was rather plain. Examining the rest of his new form he determined that he was slender, slightly pale youth who was in overall good health. Glancing down at his waist, Mike sighed. [Well, at least I''m properly proportioned.] While concentrating on his body, he realized that he was filled with a strange sense of energy seemingly coursing throughout his entire being. The more he focused on it, the more he felt that it was responding to his will. After some experimentation, he decided to put it off for future considerations. [Now, let''s see. That firefly goddess forgot to explain all of the important stuff before sending me here, but I should at least see if the system is working. Usually in novels I need to say something like [Status] to open the menu] As soon a Mike thought the word [Status] he noticed a ghostly sheet of information pop up in his vision. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Title: Multiverse Traveler ¨C Active Blessed One Hunter of Renown -------------- [Skills] Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) -------------- Passive Skills: None -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched -------------- Mike blinked, a little surprised by what he saw. He was disappointed that he hadn''t gotten any unusual race or sealed bloodline. [I guess that was too much for me to hope for. Not sure why I''m 15, but I suppose that firefly goddess never said anything about reincarnating into an adult body. I''m really not looking forward to going through puberty again.] The system was very skill centric by its appearance, but at least it showed class and titles. A little annoyed that the status window didn''t display attributes or levels or anything like that, he nevertheless felt excited about having magic skills. He tried concentrating on the Communication Magic entry and was rewarded with a more in depth description. - Communication Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - A branch of magic derived from the Words of Creation, Communication Magic embodies the ability of living beings to exchange information with one another. Practitioners are granted an increased ability to communicate with other beings. Masters of this form of magic can use language to influence the world itself. Rank 1 Effects: Polyglot, Weighted Words - Polyglot - The practitioner of Communication Magic is the ultimate translator and a master of languages. Can communicate fluently with any being that has a spoken language. - Weighted Words - The words of a Communication Magic practitioner carry special weight. Moderate increase to effectiveness of negotiation and persuasion through the use of spoken words. "Awesome!" Mike practically jumped for joy. "This skill solves a lot of the problems I was worrying about after coming to a new world, although I wonder what the tier thing is about." Not realizing that he had started speaking out loud to himself, a tendency developed during his long (short) stay in limbo. He then concentrated on the other entries in turn. - Lifestyle Magic (Tier 0, Rank 0) - A basic form of elemental magic that all inhabitants of Ea have access to. While versatile, Lifestyle Magic has a very poor mana consumption rate and cannot be compared to the effects of other higher forms of magic. Can be used to perform basic household tasks such as creating water, starting fires with an available fuel source, drying wet materials, and cleaning individuals or items in a certain area. - Traveler''s Luck (Tier 3) - Selenica, Goddess of Gates, Travel, and Reincarnation has blessed you with good fortune during your travels. Large increase in Luck, minor increase in Endurance, minor increase in the acquisition and enhancement of survival and travel skills. - Fate-Touched (Tier -) - You have been touched by Fate, a multiverse level entity responsible for maintaining the very fabric of existence. As such you are no longer bound by the constraints of universal laws. So strong is this effect that your very presence can alter the destinies of those around for good or ill. Beings of great power and influence will take heed of your actions. "That firefly managed to give me something good, although I''m not sure how excited I should be about a large increase in Luck. Judging from the labeling, I can probably assume the Tier listing refers to the relative strength of the skill. Lifestyle Magic seems useful though. I''ll have to practice with it. Fate-Touched, on the hand, sounds like a lot of trouble. I should probably do my best to keep that a secret. Now I wonder about the class." - Skill Master - A unique class created by the Ancient One %#@#$&!@#$& for the one who desired boundless horizons and endless growth. Skill Masters are unparalleled in their versatility, able to learn and master almost every skill. With enough effort and the right resources, they can accomplish almost anything. Effects: ? All non-inherent skills available for acquisition ? Unlimited number of primary skill slots available ? Large enhancement in the acquisition of new skills ? Moderate increase in the rate of skill improvement ? Class skills: None ? Attribute enhancement: None "Alright, sounds like I''m set up to be a jack-of-all-trades, and also master of them. Self-sufficiency is key, so I can''t complain about being able to do everything myself." He paused and considered for a moment. "Judging by that last entry, attributes do exist in this world, but aren''t visible on the status screen. Hm, I''ll have to look into that when I have time. For now I''ll look at the titles." - Multiverse Traveler - You have traveled across the multiverse to make your way here. In order to facilitate your easy integration into this world, the gods of Ea have awarded you this title. Grants the ability to speak and write fluently in the most commonly used language of the region you currently reside in. Language: Lower Pyrathien (Nurtas dialect). Minor increase in luck in regards to survival for the first 90 days after transmigration. - Blessed One - Title given to those who have received a blessing from one of the gods of Ea. - Hunter of Renown - Either due to personal temperament or the expectations of a higher power, you are destined for greater things. The world bears witness to your deeds and will judge you accordingly. Moderate increase to the acquisition of titles "S***.... The world bears witness.....Hopefully, it only means that other people will pay more attention to my actions. I don''t think I could ever be comfortable again if the planet itself was stalking me. Anyway, I need to decide what to do from here on out. Survival guides always say you should find shelter first, so I guess I''ll try to find a cave or something." He took a large breath, enjoying the atmosphere of the clearing one last time. "Well, guess I better get moving. I''m a little surprised that nothing dangerous has happened yet. Usually in novels, the main character has already run into bandits or a monster." Just as he was about to take his first step, Mike heard the snap of a branch behind him. [Why did I have to raise a flag!?] Cursing himself in his heart, he slowly turned his head to examine the tree line, then had to crane his neck upwards to look at the massive saurian maw of the creature taking another step into the clearing. Chapter 5: Cardio Workout For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still. Much like when he was almost hit by that truck a few days ago, Mike found himself taking note of small details while his mind processed the imminent danger. The creature that stepped into the clearing looked almost exactly like the large carnivorous dinosaurs he''d seen in movies back on Earth. It stood about 3m tall on two powerful leg. It had two stubby arms that ended in four wicked-looking claws. The sun-drenched clearing clearly illuminated its mottled grayish-green hide. Mike found himself paying special attention to the set of massive jaws filled with sharp, yellowed teeth. A strangely calm and collected part of Mike started to analyze what he saw. Thinking back to a childhood obsession with dinosaur-related stories he tried to identify the creature. [A little too small to be a Tyrannosaurus, besides the head and the arms don''t seem right. It looks a bit like an Allosaurus, but I''d need some reference material to be sure.] The rest of Mike, however, was thoroughly panicking. [AAAAAHHHHH, IS THAT A F****** DINOSAUR?!! WHAT THE F***!!!! WHAT THE F***!!!! THAT D*** FIREFLY SENT ME TO JURASSIC F****** PARK!] Knowing that the stand-off couldn''t last much longer, Mike decided to take the initiative and started running as fast as his legs could carry him. He easily jumped the pond before moving towards the tree line, not daring to look back as he heard a massive roar followed by the sounds of pursuit. Mike ducked under a low hanging branch before taking off through forest weaving in and out of the trees. In a clearer state of mind, he might have recognized that his actions were actually the best possible plan for him at the moment. He could never hope to outrun the beast on flat ground, so only by taking advantage of the terrain could he widen the gap. Unfortunately, he was fleeing in blind terror. He couldn''t stop imagining those long, terrible teeth tearing into his unprotected back. The sound of cracking wood and falling trees filled the air behind him, causing him to dig even deeper and run even faster. As the thunderous footfalls got progressively closer, Mike found himself running along a steep embankment. Something flashed in the corner of his vision. As he turned to look at it, he noticed the creature leaning forward, mouth opened. Mike''s breath caught as he stared down into the creature''s maw. A hot moist breath buffeted his face, carrying with it the stench of rotting meat. Seeing death swiftly approaching, he closed his eyes and waited for the pain. Luckily, as he was still running this caused him to trip over an exposed root and start tumbling head over heels down the embankment, narrowly avoiding the creature''s bite. A loud *chomp* filled the air as the creature''s jaws closed on the space Mike was occupying a second ago. After a few moments of confusion, leaves and dirt flying, the embankment Mike was rolling down ended in a sheer drop. He plummeted a good two meters before something pliant broke his fall. He heard a faint *Ompf* of expelled air before hitting the ground and rolling a few more times. As Mike tried to gather his wits, he heard a gruff masculine voice nearby. "Oy lad, are you still in one piece? You took quite the tumble there." Once his head finally stopped spinning he looked up and was greeted by the face of a large bearded man looking down at him. The man was quite frankly massive, standing close to 1.9m. A battered looking suit of chain mail barely contained his broad-shouldered, barrel-chested form. His face could have been considered kindly if not for the three long, claw-like scars reaching from his left cheek to his mouth before being lost in his salt and pepper beard. Mike could see the handle of weapon sticking out over his right shoulder, but a well-worn travel cloak obscured the details. A long spear with a wicked, serrated edge was grasped in his right hand. "I think so," Mike said with a faint nod as he struggled to get up. "Something broke my fall." He noted as he glanced around that the man wasn''t alone. Another similarly dressed and armed man stood a little distance away, behind him Mike could see a group that seemed to be headed towards the commotion. All of them were standing on a muddy-looking trail that cut through the woods following the ridge line he had fallen off of. The bearded man gave a full throated laugh, "Aye, that would be Kaya over there. I think she might be meaning to do you some bodily harm once she gets her wits about her." Mike followed his gaze and saw young blonde woman, also dressed in chain mail, struggling to get to her feet. A look of anger and offended dignity etched on her mud-smeared face. Mike gulped wondering if perhaps he hadn''t been cursed with bad luck by that showy goddess, but suddenly remembered why he had fallen in the first place. "Listen! We need to move. I was running away from huge dinosaur. I barely managed to get away, but it should still be following me." "Dinosaur?" The bearded man asked quizzically. Mike was about to explain when a massive crash sounded and the creature staggered out onto the trail. Its head swung about, sniffing the air, before it fixed its gaze on Mike and let loose a terrifying roar. "That! That''s what I''m talking about." Mike exclaimed, but the bearded man was already taking action. Stepping forward to place himself between the creature and the rest of the group. He started to bark quick, efficient commands. "Morris, grab the boy and get the men into line! Give me a signal when they are ready to fire. Kaya, with me! We''ll stall it till then." The other chain mail clad man grabbed Mike, and with an ease belying his thin frame slung him onto one shoulder. He jogged over to the rest of the men while shouting, "Double-Line!" Mike watched from his new vantage point as a group of twelve leather clad men formed up into two lines of six across the trail. The front group fell to a knee and brought weapons, which Mike recognized as guns, up to their shoulders. He noticed a faintly glowing crystal in the in the firing mechanisms, before the man called Morris dropped him carefully behind the formed lines. He managed to glimpse furious movement around the legs of the dinosaur, as it let out some pained cries. "Ready!" Morris called to the two engaged in combat. The bearded man glanced back before yelling, "Fire after we disengage!" Both of the combatants suddenly jumped to the right and left of the trail, leaving the dinosaur to look mildly confused. Morris didn''t miss his chance, "Fire!" A deafening roar crashed through forest as all twelve men fired in unison. Small gouts of blood appeared from the creature''s skin. It emitted a screech of pain before turning tail and heading back into the forest. The group let out a collective sigh of relief. Inquisitive gazes fell on Mike, which was fair considering the circumstances. Now that the crisis had been averted, Mike was once again reminded that he was still completely naked, and now had a nice collection of scrapes and bruises from his headlong flight through the woods. "I don''t suppose that any of you fine gentlemen happen to have some clothes I can borrow?" This was met with a smattering of chuckles from the group. The man called Morris walked over and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I''ll lend a pair of mine, but I would recommend cleaning yourself up first. You''re still covered in mud." "Right. Do you happen to know if there is a stream or a pond nearby I can do that in? Also, if you have any soap it would be much appreciated." Morris paused, looking a little apologetic. "Sorry, didn''t know you were one of those. Almost everyone here can use Lifestyle Magic, so we usually don''t keep track of that sort of thing. We''ll try to find something that will work." He turned to the rest of the group. "Wait, Lifestyle Magic. How do you use that?" Morris stared at him incredulously. Mike could hear the doubt in his voice. "You just think of the effect you want to create, and will it to happen. So long as you have enough mana, anyway." Mike looked down at himself and imagined himself clean. He felt something like a mental click and a quick wave of weariness passed through him. He watched, mystified, as the dirt and mud seemed to simply fall off of him. Once it was done, his skin had taken on the clean, smooth appearance typically seen after a lengthy bath. He beamed, [I just did magic! This is so cool.] He looked up just in time to see a mailed fist swing towards his head. Chapter 6: Ready for Inspection Before Mike knew what had happened, his body had already leaned slightly out the way as the thrown fist traveled by his face. He felt a slight amount of resistance as it scraped by his right cheek. His eyes travelled up the arm and focused on the face of armored woman named Kaya who had thrown the punch. She currently had a faint look of surprise which swiftly morphed into rage under Mike''s gaze. He took a moment to examine her more closely, while taking a step back. She looked to be around 18 or 19 and stood a little bit taller than him. Her blonde hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, revealing a face made mostly of sharp lines and a pair of clear blue eyes. From what Mike could tell under her armor, she had a thin, athletic build. Had her face not been twisted into an angry mask, he would have found her pretty. "Bastard!" She grunted through clenched teeth. "Not only could you have gotten us all killed, but you had to fall on me¡­ in ¡­.that¡­." She trailed off. Her flushed face now looking more the product of embarrassment than anger. "She means that you landed on her butt first, and she got a bit more acquainted with your privates than she would have like." Morris added helpfully while trying, and failing, to suppress a grin. This statement was met by a wave of chuckles from the rest of the soldiers She glared at him, and he had the gall to look a bit smug about it. "Does no one else care about this? If the commander hadn''t taken such quick action people could have died here because of him." The other men shifted their gazes and shuffled their feet awkwardly as a response. "That''s enough lass." The large bearded man broke in, "Judging by his method of joining us here, I doubt he had much choice in the matter. Besides, nobody was hurt, and you yourself played a key role in that. No one else here could have helped me hold that beast back like you did." Still looking a bit miffed, but obviously pleased with the compliment, Kaya announced, "Fine, have it your way." She then turned a stalked off into the woods to brood a bit. "You''ll have to forgive her. She comes off a bit strong, but her hearts in the right place." The commander said while walking over to Mike. He gestured to Morris to bring of over the spare set of clothes. "My name''s Beorn, and I have the misfortune of being in charge of these misfits." This elicited a chuckle from the others, who Mike noticed were in the process of setting up a temporary perimeter. "You''ve already met my lieutenants Morris and Kaya. We are members of the Order of the Wheel, out patrolling this region. Now, perhaps you''d like to introduce yourself and explain what it was you were doing wandering around in the woods completely naked?" Mike used the act of pulling on the spare set of pants to buy himself a few seconds to think. He had already considered the possibility of these people asking him about his origins, but had not had enough time to come up with a reliable story. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to go with clich¨¦d method. "My name is Michael, but you can call me Mike. As to what I was doing up here, I can''t tell you. I must have hit my head at some point because my memory is all fuzzy. The last thing I really remember is waking up in a forest clearing already naked." While he was saying all this, he felt like a small surge of energy passed through him, but was unsure of the origin. He didn''t think this lie was particularly believable, and was starting to sweat a little. Beorn initially looked a bit skeptical, but when Morris chimed in with, "Well, there are a few bandit groups in the area. Maybe you were ambushed and robbed by one. A good blow to the head will scramble most people''s wits." "That''s true." Another guy added from his place on the perimeter. "I knew a guy once who fell off the roof of his house. Hit his head and was unconscious for near a week. When he woke up, he didn''t even recognize his own wife. He eventually got his memories back though." The grizzled commander''s expression softened, "Fair enough. Don''t mean to doubt you lad, but it''s part of my job to keep an eye out for dangerous individuals." Mike nodded, relief flooding through him. "Now, we should move. No telling when that beast might return." Beorn continued. "Let''s head back to camp. We''ll have to escort our new addition back to Denirval, and I would rather not walk the whole way." At his words the group picked up and started moving into formation. Beorn and Kaya walked in front, followed by Morris. The other twelve fanned out at the back, holding their rifles at the ready. Morris motioned for Mike to take a spot next to him before signaling that he should be silent. The group started moving after a hand signal from Beorn. Mike was impressed with the discipline and coordination displayed by this team. It reminded him of the soldiers that often appeared in movies back on Earth. Although he had a number of questions he wanted to ask, he''d have to wait until they reached some level of safety. With nothing better to do as the group walked through the idyllic forest, Mike checked his [Status] to see if there was anything he could do to explain the weird surge of energy he felt earlier. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Title: Multiverse Traveler ¨C Active Blessed One Hunter of Renown -------------- [Skills] -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 1) Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Running (Rank 1) (NEW) Basic Evasion (Rank 1) (NEW) Passive Skills: None Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched -------------- He was genuinely surprised to see the new entries in his status page. [I wonder if it is typical to gain skills this easily. I know my class has a ''Large'' increase to the acquisition of skills, but I don''t know what that really means.] He concentrated on the new skills. - Running (Tier 1, Rank 1) - While almost all living, terrestrial creatures know a way to move faster than normal in times of need, some are better than others. Minor increase to Endurance in relation to fatigue felt after running. - Basic Evasion (Tier 1, Rank 1) - The art of not getting hit. Minor increase to Agility when seeking to evade blows and potential hazards. Mike shrugged internally. [This is some pretty basic stuff, but since I didn''t really put in any effort into getting it, I guess I should be happy about it. I wonder what other skills I can pick up like this.] He felt a collector''s passion as he considered where to begin. After lengthy internal debate, he decided to focus on the old novel standby, and tried to acquire an analysis skill. Not really sure how to approach it, he continued to borrow ideas from novels he had read in the past, and picked up a rock. He then focused on the rock with all of his concentration...before running into Kaya and nearly pushing her over. Not for the first time, he wondered if Selenica had cursed him with bad luck rather than the alternative. On the bright side, it gave him the chance to practice his Basic Evasion skill as she promptly tried to severely beat him with her spear handle. A bruised and battered Mike resumed his efforts while a chuckling Morris shook his head beside him. [Maybe it''s less about concentration by itself and more about the process.] He started to build a mental profile of the rock''s attributes, seeking to gain insight into its make-up. He continued this process for the rest of the afternoon, much to the consternation of the group who were starting to feel a little weirded out by the strange guy who stared at a rock for hours. Finally, when it started to get dark, Mike made a breakthrough. He was just starting to consider licking the rock to determine if perhaps taste was the missing key when he felt a mental release of pressure and a message popped in his vision over the rock. {Rock} A small rock. ...¡­ Mike threw the rock down in disgust. He wondered if the system was playing with him. He hoped that anything in the new entry in the Primary Skills section of his [Status] said will give him something to make him feel better about the situation. Inspect (Tier 2, Rank 1) A more advanced version of the Observe skill. Accesses the Akashic Records to gather information on the target. The more influential the item or individual is, the more information can be garnered. Higher skill ranks provide more information. Of limited use on living beings. Mike wondered if perhaps the rock was the problem and decided to test his new skill on more ''influential'' subjects. He focused on the back of Kaya''s head to see what, if anything, the skill would provide. He was rewarded with a short message. -------------- Kaya (Last name unknown) Race: Unknown Age: Unknown Class: Unknown Title: Knight -------------- Looking over the message, he had to agree, it wasn''t very useful. He was a little surprised that this rude, violent thing could be called a knight, but chalked it up to a difference in culture. Still, at least Inspect will let him know others titles. That could provide some useful information when dealing with others. He drew in a sharp breath. Mike almost hit himself when he realized the implication. Chapter 7: Fresh Meat [How could I be so stupid? I basically left up a giant sign saying "Yes! I''m from another world. Please drag me off to your science/torture/sex dungeon now."] Mike cursed internally while furiously try to interact with his status screen. [Come on...there has to be a way...Aha!] With a little bit of effort he was able to deactivate his Multiverse Traveler title leaving his [Status] screen showing Title: None. He blew out a sigh of relief, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed his sudden panic, only to find a strange tension had settled over the group. Beorn was holding his hand open, seemingly signaling a halt. He motioned Kaya with him and stepped back to confer with Morris. "Something''s not right. We should have been challenged by the sentries by now." He sniffed the air a bit. "I smell smoke¡­and blood." He grimaced, looking around at the group. "We''re going in. Stay sharp and expect trouble. Morris, keep an eye on the boy and get the men ready for some close work." Morris made his way back to the rest of the group and whispered a few quick instructions before drawing his sword. He paused as he reached Mike, before taking out a small dagger and passing it over handle first. "Try not to hurt yourself with that." He said with a half-heated grin. "Stick close to me, I''ll keep you safe." Mike could only nod in response. He was working hard to control the unease threatening to overwhelm him. As the group moved forward, they entered a lower lying area, largely clear of brush. The group spread out, keeping a close watch on their surroundings. The last vestiges of sunlight still dimly lit the area, letting Mike see a camp site taking shelter under a ring of particularly large trees. Crumpled forms could be seen lying on the ground both within and just outside the site. A slight metallic, coppery scent filled the air. Mike gulped down a sudden surge of bile. A slight moan suddenly sounded from one of the bundles lying against a tree. One of the Order members stepped forward to investigate. Mike could see the concerned look on his face as he approached the tree. He was reaching down to move the crumpled form when Beorn suddenly cried out. "Wait! It''s a trap!" The man turned to look back, when a high-pitched whine split the air. There was a flash of silvery light and suddenly the Order member''s head was sent flying. As his body collapsed, Mike could a tall, shaven headed man dressed in ragged black leathers. A long, wickedly curved scimitar clutched in one hand, was held parallel to the ground above the fallen Order member. Mike found himself trembling as examined the man. Scars covered almost every section of visible skin the man displayed. Most horrifying, however, was his face. Sections of his cheeks had been carved out displaying the teeth and gums beneath in a bizarre rictus of a grin. A palpable aura of dread seemed to drip from him as he waved forward towards the Order group. This must have been a sign, because at his wave the forest erupted in a cacophony of screams and war cries, as dozens of ragged humanoid figures charged. "Anhilites!" Beorn yelled. "Circle Up! Fire when ready!" The Order members swiftly formed a circle around Mike and Morris, unlimbered their rifles in a smooth motion and fired into the oncoming horde. Mike could see several of the ragged shapes drop after the barrage, but it wasn''t enough. "Ready weapons!" Beorn called again. Eliciting a surge of movement as the Order members drew various swords, axes, and clubs. With one smooth motion, he pulled back his arm and threw his spear at the man with carved cheeks. Mike could barely follow its flight with his eyes, but the bald man simply leaned out of the way, letting it embed itself in the tree behind him. Without any consternation on his face, Beorn drew a massive greatsword and held it at the ready. "Anhilites do no show mercy. They do not retreat. They do not surrender. We must break them or we will die." Beorn''s grim words echoed through the forest, somehow cutting through the noise produced by the charging enemies. Mike hardly felt that this was an inspiring speech to be giving in the face of these monsters. "Fear not brothers. You are all proud members of the Order of the Wheel. Guardians of the way. Driving back the darkness one step at a time." He paused to glance around the small circle before exclaiming in a sonorous voice. "Show them why we are feared by those who hide in the night!" The Order members roared their own battle cries and stepped forward to meet the Anhilites in a collision of flesh and steel. The circle wavered as Order men were pushed back by the ferocity of the attack, but before long it stabilized as the small force was swiftly surrounded. Clutching the small dagger, there was little for Mike to do initially. The Order members maintained a strong defensive formation with Kaya and Morris serving as a ready reserve, stepping in whenever a particular member was having a hard time. Beorn protected a large section of the circle, wielding his greatsword with a speed that belied its obvious weight. However, it didn''t take long for the first casualties to occur. One unlucky Order member took a knife through the eye and collapsed forward without making a sound. His nearby comrades tried to take over and hold the line, but in a flash the man with carved cheeks was there. His arm blurred twice and two Order members fell with bleeding gashes across their throats. As the bald man stepped forward towards the unprotected backs of the rest of the formation, he was met by Morris and Kaya in a furious exchange of blows. Nevertheless, the damage was done. Anhilites poured through the opening in the formation and the fight dissolved into a furious and chaotic melee. It was all Mike could do to avoid being overrun. After a few furious seconds of scrambling, he found himself near the edge of the fighting. Dodging out of the way of a pair of wrestling combatants, Mike was nearly struck by an overhead swing from an Anhilite wielding a bone club. Some preternatural instinct caused him to step aside just in time. Mike took some distance, also moving further away from the general combat, and looked over at the crazed man as he regained his balance. The Anhilite was dressed in rags and looked like he hadn''t bathed in weeks, judging from the dirt and grime that caked his skin. Half the man''s face was a mask of horrible burns scars that twisted his mouth into a constant lop-sided grimace. Mike could see a long trail of drool spilling from his permanently opened mouth as he raised his bone club a charged a second time. Without thinking Mike thrust his dagger forward with both hands. He felt a bit of resistance, and could only watch as his weapon slid into the other man''s chest. The Anhilite''s look of surprise mirrored Mike''s own as it glanced down at the dagger sticking out of his heart before crumpling to the ground in a heap. Mike stared down at the man he had just killed and felt a sudden wave of nausea. [D*** it, I don''t have time to feel sick! He would have killed me. It was self defense.] Suppressing the vomit that was trying to force its way out of his throat, he reached down to pull the dagger out of the corpse. Suddenly, Mike felt something wrap around his right ankle and yank him off his feet, causing him to fall face-first to the forest floor. Spitting out a mouthful of leaves, he tried to get up, but was crushed back to the ground by something landing on his back. He felt warm, rancid breath on his neck and face as a raspy female voice sounded in his ear. "Well, well, well. What a pretty one we have here. And so young too. Smiler is going to like you. He always has fun with the pretty ones, at least until they break." The voice paused, and Mike could hear audible sniffing. The voice continued hungrily, "Mm, so fresh! I can barely stand it. Maybe I''ll just have a little taste. Smiler won''t mind." A wave of horror and revulsion passed through Mike. He knew he had to escape. A fate worse than death evidently waited for him if he couldn''t. He furiously tried writhe out of the woman''s grip while screaming, "Help! Somebody, anybody, HELP!" The words seemed to hang in the air for second before being quashed by the woman''s maniacal laughter. "HAHAHAHA, YES! That''s it. Keep it up. I love it when they scream. Let''s see what kind of music you can make when I really put it...." There was a squelching sound not unlike stepping in wet mud as the woman was suddenly cut off. Mike felt the weight lift off his back, and he lifted his head just in time to see a pair of skinny legs in tattered trousers fall in a pile in front of him. A pair of legs without any body attached to them. He turned onto his side, looked up, and was met face to face with a massive, and slightly familiar, saurian maw. Chapter 8: Still Counts as Winning Once again, Mike wondered if perhaps he was cursed with misfortune in his new life. Here he was for the second time in the same day, face to face with the same primordial predator. He could even see the bullet holes still marring its hide. Sadly, this time he was lying on the ground, directly under the creature''s jaws. With escape hopeless, he resigned himself to another death. He felt strangely at peace with it. After the horror of the Anhilites, being eaten by a giant carnivore didn''t seem so bad. "Well, you got me. It was a short day of life, but I got a second chance where I didn''t expect one, so I can''t complain." Mike smiled ruefully up at the dinosaur. "If you can do me a favor and kill the rest of those evil bastards after eating me, I can die without regret." The beast cocked its head while looking down at Mike, seemingly confused by what he had said. After a moment''s pause it opened its jaws a let out a deafening roar. For the first time since the fighting had started, silence descended on the forest, all of the combatants turning to look at the new arrival. The dinosaur lifted one of its massive, three-toed feet and, much to Mike''s surprise, carefully stepped over him. With a speed belying its size, the creature smashed into a group of Anhilites and started tearing them apart with ferocious abandon. Mike could only watch with astonishment as the beast wrecked havoc on the ragged bunch, who, despite their best efforts Not long after, the man with carved out cheeks spoke calmly in disturbingly wet and raspy voice. While not particularly loud, his words could, somehow, be heard over the general confusion. "Retreat brothers and sisters. The time for our ascension is not yet here." Almost as one, the Anhilites scattered in dozens of directions, escaping into the woods. The sickening voice continued. "Know this, Bear of Arn Mountain. Today is not a victory for you, merely a delay in your inevitable demise. Soon you and all of the pathetic Greenlanders will know the embrace of Anhilus." With that said the scarred man turned and vanished into the trees. The dinosaur chased them just long enough to grab another of the ragged bunch and end his life with a sickening crunch of jaws, before turning and lumbering back towards Mike. "Whoa there buddy! Stop! I was just joking about eating me. I''m pretty sure I taste terrible." Mike said while holding out his hands in a futile effort to stop the large creature. Surprisingly it did stop and once again gave Mike a strange, confused look. [Can it understand me?] Mike thought in amazement. [It seems to be acting like it got the intent of my words.] After a few moments observing Mike, the creature gave a surprisingly dog-like huff before turning and stalking off into the woods. Figuring that investigating this strange phenomena should take back seat to dealing with the fallout of the ambush, Mike headed over to a knot of Order survivors. He could see an injured Beorn attempting to brings some order out of the chaos. Kaya and three other Order members were still upright in the area looking after a handful of wounded who were unable to stand. Most of these were moaning in obvious pain. As he approached the group, Beorn turned to look and his grim features softened somewhat. "Its good to see you alive lad. We lost track of you in the chaos, and I was sure you had gotten yourself killed somehow." The large bearded man looked around the group, and a weary sigh escaped his lips. "I don''t suppose you happen to know any healing magic, do you lad? I know you lost your memories, but if we want to save any of this bunch, they''ll need a healer''s attention soon." Mike was about to voice a negative response, when he noticed Morris among the more seriously wounded Order members. He had lost his left arm and taken a large gash across the chest. Although a tourniquet had been applied to his arm, he was quickly losing a lot of blood. Recalling what medical knowledge he could remember from various books and TV shows, he felt that Morris didn''t have long to live. Not wanting to give up on the friendly young man, Mike decided to give it a try. Besides, its not as if he could make it worse at this point. [If I can acquire a skill for healing magic, even if the effect isn''t particularly powerful, I should be able to help.] "I''m not sure to be honest, but I''ll give it a try." Mike said while walking over to Morris. So focused was he on his task, he completely missed the flash of surprise that crossed Beorn''s face. He knelt down, placing a hand on the wounded man''s chest, before closing his eyes and concentrating. [Just imagine the effect and will it to take place.] He thought to himself, recalling Morris''s instructions earlier that day. Bits and pieces of medical trivia flashed through his mind as he tried picturing the cells of Morris''s body replicating and forming scar tissue. After a few moments, he was just about to give up, when he noticed a strange feeling of weakness spreading through him. Some kind of energy seemed to be pulled from the core of his body out through his arm into Morris. He heard a few gasps from people around him, and opened his eyes. A soft, white glow now covered his hand, and he watched with amazement as Morris''s wounds not only stopped bleeding, but started to close. When the long gaping chest wound began to look like a long pink scar, Beorn placed a hand on Mike''s shoulder. "That''s enough lad. He''ll live now. Save your mana for the rest of the wounded." He said while gesturing to the other four still laying on the ground. Although he was feeling a strange weariness, Mike started healing them. Each time he used the new magic, he grew progressively more exhausted. Beorn followed along and let him know when his efforts had proved sufficient to stave off death. By the third Order member, he was having trouble keeping his eyes open and felt like he would collapse at a moment''s notice. On the fourth, a man who had taken a broken spear shaft to the stomach, he could only heal for a few short moments before his strength finally gave out. He collapsed, darkness swiftly closing in on him. The last thing he heard before falling unconscious was Beorn''s words. "The lads out of mana, but it looks like he''s done it. He''ll be out for a while, but we need to get a move on. You two start..." Mike didn''t catch the rest as oblivion swallowed him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike awoke with a start. Looking around, he saw that he was lying on a bed next to the wounded Order members in a simple stone room. The darkness of the room was alleviated by a lit fireplace in one corner of the room. He winced in pain from a sudden onset headache, before lying back down. Looking up at the ceiling, he couldn''t help but recall the horrors of the battlefield he witnessed. Shivering slightly to himself at the memory of a hot, hungry voice in his ear, he pledged that never again would he be that helpless. Feeling increasingly exhausted again, he forced himself to stay awake just long enough to review his [Status] sheet and see the changes. After seeing that there are a number of things he will have to look into once he had the time, he rolled over onto his side and drifted off to sleep. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer (NEW) -------------- Skills Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 2) (LEVEL UP) Basic Healing Magic (Rank 1) (NEW) Inspect (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Running (Rank 1) Basic Evasion (Rank 2) (LEVEL UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: Basic Fear Resistance (Rank 1) (NEW) Minor Mana Enhancement (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched -------------- - Battlefield Healer - You are a practitioner that threads the line between life and death on the battlefield. By virtue of your healing prowess lives are spared. Minor increase to healing effectiveness on combat injuries. Minor increase to mana efficiency when healing. - Communication Magic (Tier 3, Rank 2) - A branch of magic derived from the Words of Creation, Communication Magic embodies the ability of living beings to exchange information with one another. Practitioners are granted an increased ability to communicate with other beings. Masters of this form of magic can use language to influence the world itself. - Rank 2 effects: Primal Heart, Biting Words - - Primal Heart - Although not in the realm of true communication, practitioners of Communication Magic are able to make their feelings and desires known to creatures without a true language. Enables one-way communication with non-sentient animals and magical beasts. The effects of Weighted Words are drastically enhanced when used on beings listed above. - Biting Words - A practitioner of Communication Magic can humble even the greatest of heroes with a single sentence. Using insults as their weapon, practitioners strike at the most vulnerable part of person: the ego. Able to use simple words to cause minor physical damage in those effected. - Basic Healing Magic (Tier 2, Rank 1) - The most elementary form of True Healing Magic. By channeling pure mana into the bodies of the injured, practitioners of Basic Healing Magic can stimulate natural healing processes. Due to this, it cannot be used to cure any condition the body would not normally be able to recover from without sufficient time. Higher skill ranks allow for the healing of more severe injuries and lowers the overall mana cost of healing. - Basic Evasion (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The art of not getting hit. Minor increase to Agility when seeking to evade blows and potential hazards. Agility gain determined by skill rank. - Basic Dagger Fighting (Tier 1, Rank 1) - The most rudimentary skill of the Dagger Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using daggers and other small bladed weapons in combat. - Basic Fear Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 1) - Due to long and repeated exposure to terrifying circumstances, the user of this skill has developed a basic tolerance for fear. This skill increases the ability to resist the effects of fear and maintain usual mental function in the face of terror. - Minor Mana Enhancement (Tier 1, Rank 1) - The user of this skill has a larger mana pool than others. Minor increase to Mana capacity. Chapter 9: Living Another Life Mike awoke in a stream of sunlight pouring in from the only window in the room. He stood, dressed in the clothes lying nearby, and exited the room. He found himself in a bare, stone corridor with a few other doors. After wandering for a while, he managed to make his way outside and into a courtyard of sorts. The sounds of training rang out as he saw a group of 20 Order members drilling in a blocked off portion of the courtyard. From his vantage he could see that he was in a small-sized castle or fort. Judging from the wheel shaped heraldry hung in various locations, he assumed it belonged to the Order of the Wheel. While he was examining his surroundings, Kaya exited a nearby doorway. Seeing him up, she approached with a slight frown on her face. "Your finally awake." She said before motioning him to follow her. "Come on, the commander wanted to see you once you were up." She turned and led him through a series of corridors into a small, disorganized office. A small mountain of papers and documents threatened to overwhelm simple wooden desk. Beorn''s fatigued face could just barely be seen over the paperwork. A thin, wiry man wearing a tunic emblazoned with a wheel stood at his shoulder with an intense and slightly disdainful expression. Mike thought he looked a bit like a teacher watching a problem student do remedial work. Beorn stood as Mike entered. "There you are lad. Good to see you up and about. Have a seat," He said while motioning to a pair of dusty looking chairs, "I wanted to talk to you for a bit." He looked over at the thin man with a slightly apologetic look, "Sorry to say Wendel, this is important. Can we put off the rest until later?" Wendel sighed deeply, "As you wish commander. Just remember, the longer you put off your work, the more will build up for you." He then walked out of the office, only sparing Mike a quick nod of acknowledgement in passing. "Seems like a serious sort." Mike said while sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs. He surprised to find it a lot more comfortable than it first appeared. Beorn grinned slightly at that. "Ah, don''t mind Wendel. He''s a little over-serious about rules and the proper procedures, but his heart is in the right place. Truth be told, without his assistance on the administrative side, this place would have fallen apart a long time ago." He settled down in the other chair. "I wanted to talk to you about a few things, but first of all, welcome to Fort Cayern, chapter house of the Order of the Wheel in Northeastern Almir. I know your memory''s a bit spotty, so I won''t be surprised if you haven''t heard of it. Do you remember anything about the Order?" Mike shook his head negatively. "I thought not. Well, to put it simply, the Order of the Wheel is organization charged with guarding the roadways and safeguarding travelers. Much like the other knightly orders, we answer directly to the Crown." He smiled ruefully before continuing, "But that''s about the only thing we have in common with them. The Order of the Wheel is the poorest and least respected of the knightly orders. Even though we do good, necessary work, we always lack in funding and resources compared to the other orders." Noting Mike''s look of mild confusion, "I''m not trying to complain to you, but I wanted to give you an accurate picture of our status before I make my offer." He leaned forward, a serious and determined look in his eye, and quietly said, "I would like to offer you a place in the Order of the Wheel. I''m not sure about your background, but I feel that you have a lot of potential. I would be remiss in my duties as a commander if I didn''t at least try to recruit you." Mike expected the offer, but was surprised the older man didn''t try to sell his organization more. As it stood now, it would be completely reasonable for Mike to say no. He studied Beorn''s face, but could not read him. Nevertheless, something told him that saying yes to the offer would be a mistake. So, he met Beorn''s eyes and gave his reply. "Thank you for the offer, commander, but I think I will have to pass. There is so much I don''t know about my past and my place in the world. Sorry, but I don''t think I''m ready to commit to something this big just yet." Beorn grinned, "No worries, lad. I would have been surprised if you said yes. Someone with your magical talents could easily make more money as an independent healer or adventurer. You''d be better off avoiding this line of work. The Order of the Wheel is a home for those with nowhere else to go, but I can tell you''ll do great things one day. If I hadn''t at least made the offer, my superiors would have my head for letting a promising candidate get away." He leaned back and took a more relaxed pose on the chair. "That said, you''ll have to figure out what you want to do in the coming days. You can stay here for now, but I suspect you''ll want to start making your own way in the world. If that''s true, I would recommend heading down to Wyrport. It''s the largest city in the region, and you''ll have a lot of options. A talented young man like yourself will do well there." He paused and then started patting his tunic, before pulling out a small pouch and handing it to Mike. "Before I forget, here, your reward for your actions against the Anhilites. Not only did you manage to kill one, but you saved the lives of four of my men. It''s not much, but its all we can spare at the moment." Mike opened the pouch and saw it was full of a mix of gold and silver coins. The gold coins bore an image of a small bird, while the silver ones had a pair of crossed spears emblazoned on one side. He briefly glanced through them before closing the pouch. Pondering a couple of options, he finally turned to Beorn and asked him, "What would it cost to buy some arms, equipment, and basic supplies?" The older man blinked, before scratching his beard thoughtfully. "I could get you a set of leather armor, a good sword or spear, and a dagger for 5 gold wrens. As far as the supplies go, I have a small task that I hope you could help me with. If you do, I''ll provide them to you for free, and even throw in a horse." "Hm, I guess the gold coins are the gold wrens you are speaking of?" Beorn nodded. "Alright, what''s this task?" The large, bearded man stood, and began pacing in front of a large window. "Morris is one of my best lieutenants, but he lost an arm in that last fight. Even if he makes a full recovery, without the aid of a powerful healer, he''ll never be the warrior he was before. The Order has places for knights and yeomen too injured to keep performing their duties, but I don''t want to see that young man waste away in a position meant for the old and decrepit." He turned to look at Mike. "He has a dream he has always spoken of, one that he hoped to pursue once retiring from the Order. Although I haven''t talked with him yet, I suspect that, given the option, he will choose to leave the order to pursue this dream. If that is the case, my request of you is simple. Help see him safely to Wyrport, and when there, keep an eye on him until he settles in. I would send some of my own men, but with recent events I''ll need every sword readily available." Mike nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, I can accept those terms, with one condition." "Oh?" "Morris is still injured, so I''m sure he won''t be leaving anytime soon, right?" "That''s correct." "My condition then is, that while I am waiting for him to convalesce, I want you to provide me a trainer. I want to learn some to use my weapons and equipment, and if you are giving me a horse, I''d like to learn how to ride it." Beorn grinned again, "Fair enough. I won''t stop you from trying to get stronger, and I''ll even throw in free food and lodging, since you forgot to ask about it." Mike almost facepalmed, he had forgotten to ask about that, but had largely taken it for granted. He shook his head slightly to himself before sticking his hand out to the older man. "It''s a deal!" Beorn paused for a moment, a look of confusion flashing across his face, before he grabbed Mike''s hand in return. "Deal. I''ll get Albert to train you. He''s the best instructor on this side of the kingdom. It''ll be a bit harsh, but you''ll definitely improve." Chapter 10: No Training Montage? Mike picked himself out of the dust for the hundredth time since breakfast. He channeled a small amount of mana to repair the new set of bruises and scrapes. His grey-haired, one-eyed tormentor walked back to his starting position and casually leaned against the practice spear clutched in his hand. "Is that all you have, boy?" Albert asked in a laconic voice while stifling a yawn. "I thought you might have improved a bit over the last month, but I must have been mistaken." Mike gritted his teeth, stood up, and retrieved his own practice spear which had been knocked to the other side of the courtyard. "One more time old man." He said, as he took his stance. He was going to hit his trainer at least once. Since Mike was leaving for Wyrport today, this was his last chance. Albert nodded, but continued to casually lean against his spear. Mike took that as an invitation and started with a thrust towards Albert''s torso, which was easily deflected. Mike expected as much, and using his right arm as a lever, attempted to put pressure on the other man''s spear in an effort to unbalance him. Albert quickly took a couple steps back to compensate before whipping his spear into an overhead chop. Mike caught the blow on the haft of his spear and redirected it to his right, before following through with another thrust towards Albert''s face. The older man casually leaned out of the way before delivering a sharp kick into Mike''s unprotected ribs. "Sloppy. You''re still over-committing on your counters. Any halfway decent fighter would have skewered you by now." Mike stumbled back a few steps while coughing. He decided that he would win this one even if he had to fight a little dirty. He dug the butt of his spear into the soft dirt of the training ground, before whipping it up at Albert''s face. The cloud of fine dirt obscured the older man''s vision for a few moments. Mike rotated his spear around at knee level in an attempt to sweep his mentor''s legs. Displaying an unusual amount of agility in one so old, Albert calmly jumped over Mike''s weapon while wiping his eyes with his free hand. [I got him now!] Mike thought as he pulled the practice dagger from its sheath and stabbed towards Albert''s torso. Albert frowned a bit as he realized that, since he was in the air, he couldn''t effectively dodge or block the strike. [Should have blocked that sweep rather than jumped over it. Gotten a little too flashy with this kid. Oh, well, guess I got to get a bit serious.] Mike felt assured of his victory. He had finally managed to seal the slippery old man''s movements and line up a finishing strike. Right before he struck, the world seemed to blur, and he felt himself falling for a few moments before crashing down onto the ground a few meters away. Albert looked down at youth who was struggling to regain his breath after the impact. "Not too shabby, boy, but if you are going to use cheap tactics like that, make sure they work. As it stands now, you are just going to upset your opponents." He stretched casually and stifled another yawn. "Still, that was the closest you got to hitting me since we started training together, so kudos. With a few more years of practice, you may even be good enough to make me fight seriously from the start." He turned and started walking back into the castle. "Anyway, its time for lunch, so I''m going to go ahead and call it a day." Mike sighed and laid back down in the dust. He had improved a lot in the last month, but it evidently didn''t help him in the end. He pulled up his [Status] again to review the increases he had gotten during his training. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer -------------- [Skills] -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 2) Basic Healing Magic (Rank 3) (LEVEL UP) Inspect (Rank 2) (LEVEL UP) Initiate Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 3) (NEW) Basic Water Magic (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Fire Magic (Rank 2) (NEW) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Running (Rank 2) (LEVEL UP) Basic Evasion (Rank 3) (LEVEL UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Spear Fighting (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Sword Fighting (Rank 3) (NEW) Basic Elemental Magic (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Riding (Rank 2) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: Basic Fear Resistance (Rank 1) Minor Mana Enhancement (Rank 2) (LEVEL UP) Minor Endurance Enhancement (Rank 2) (NEW) Minor Agility Enhancement (Rank 2) (NEW) Minor Strength Enhancement (Rank 2) (NEW) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched -------------- - Initiate Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Tier 1, Rank 3) - The fundamental swordsmanship of the Almiran military. Focuses on the usage of a single longsword in either one or two hands. Characterized by a great deal of flexibility and versatility, with no specific strong or weak areas. - Basic Water Magic (Tier 1, Rank 2) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Water magic allows the user to create and manipulate water. It is characterized by flexibility in both offense and defense, but lacks the overt power of other types of magic. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. - Basic Fire Magic (Tier 1, Rank 2) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Fire magic allows the user to create and manipulate fire. It is characterized by powerful offense, but lacks fine damage control and defensive techniques. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. - Basic Spear Fighting (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The most rudimentary skill of the Spear Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using spears and other, similar weapons in combat. - Basic Sword Fighting (Tier 1, Rank 3) - The most rudimentary skill of the Sword Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using swords in combat. - Basic Elemental Magic (Tier 1, Rank 3) - The most fundamental form of Elemental Magic. Allows users to access magic skills for the four primary elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Elemental Magic skills. - Basic Riding (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The art of directing mounts in both combat and non-combat situations. The most basic form of riding. Higher level of skill will improve the ability to bond with, train, and ride large creatures. - Minor Endurance Enhancement (Tier 1, Rank 2) - Through physical training the user has increased his/her body''s natural limits. Provides a minor enhancement to Endurance. - Minor Agility Enhancement (Tier 1, Rank 2) - Through physical training the user has increased his/her body''s natural limits. Provides a minor enhancement to Agility. He had picked up a number of new skills, including two basic elemental magic skills he acquired from overusing Lifestyle Magic in an effort to figure out how it all worked. Creating water and fire respectively to the point of emptying his mana pool a couple of times was all it took to pick up those skills. He had also discovered that strange energy he had felt flowing through him ever since he had reincarnated here was mana. Anytime he used it for one of his magic skills he could feel it traveling through him and leaving to create his desired effect. Like many other of the phenomena that he had observed so far, he was taking his time in studying it. Mike stood up, dusted himself off and started heading to the mess hall for lunch. He picked up a bowl of stew and a small loaf of bread before moving to find himself a place to sit. The hall was almost empty, with only a few Order members eating inside. Commander Beorn had been leading the Order in a large effort to find and eradicate the Anhilites in the area. While they had some success, the carved-cheeked leader called Smiler had eluded capture. Mike had learned during his time at the Order that the Anhilites that still occasionally plagued his dreams were really just ordinary men and women who had been twisted by some dark ritual. According to the Order historian/record-keeper/lore master Wendel, the Anhilites are a kind of cult. They worship a powerful demon lord by the name of Anhilus who is bent on world-wide chaos and suffering. The cult is lead by mysterious priest figures who are capable of performing a ritual which turns an otherwise ordinary individual into a loyal Anhilite at the cost of the participant''s sanity. Anhilites teach that suffering is natural, and that torture and death is the proper path for all living beings. To that effect they usually form small warbands based around a priest, and roam the world spreading destruction and chaos. Recently, the Anhilites had been quite active in the northern reaches of Almir. While they were still raiding and causing general misery, they were behaving rather oddly. This particular group was a lot more cautious than usual, so despite the Order''s best efforts, they continued to wreak havoc. The thought of these strange madmen caused a slight chill in Mike''s heart. [I''m heading out tomorrow, so I shouldn''t be worrying those crazy f******. Hopefully, I won''t have to deal with them again.] He finished his lunch and stood up. He left the mess hall and headed back to the barracks. There was a little bit of packing left to do, and he wanted to check in on Morris. He had developed a solid friendship with the man, and was looking forward to traveling with him. He went to his room first, mentally thanking the commander once again for placing him in a single room, rather than the more common barracks most Order members lived in. He drew up short, however, when he saw a familiar figure waiting for him outside of his door. Chapter 11: Grim Tidings The Archmage was startled out of his trance by a sudden surge of energy. His senses had been fully expanded, allowing him to track the flow and ebb of mana across the planet. While he was searching for a certain unique fluctuation, an explosion of power took place on the central continent. The magnitude of this explosion seemed so great that he would not be surprised if the continent had ceased to exist. Such an event required immediate investigation. He swiftly exited his meditation chamber and headed up to his observatory. As the Archmage of Cadun, City of Spells, he had access to the best equipment available in this world. As he passed through the large double doors of the observatory, a small winged creature humanoid greeted him. It resembled a frail young boy the size of a housecat, with a pair of bat-like wings. "Good morning Master, can this one assist you in any way?" The creature bowed in a servile manner. The Archmage glanced down at the homunculus, one of his earlier creations that he had kept around primarily for sentimental reasons. It took him a few moments, but he was able to recall his creation''s name "Not for now, Yan. I have something I need to investigate in the observatory." He paused for a second, considering a number of possibilities. "On second thought, there is something you can do for me. Go find Ophalia and Minzu, tell them to get the Probability Lens activated. I will join them shortly." The homunculus bowed deeply. "As you wish, Master." Before flying through a small opening in the wall that led to a series of tunnels which honeycombed the tower. The Archmage continued into the observatory, and sat behind the control console. He activated the crystals which fed mana into a complex lattice of silvery metal which was suspended in mid-air. As the lattice began to spin and hum with energy, he placed a hand on the control sphere and mentally directed the machine. Recalling the sensations he had experiences during his trance, he was able to narrow down the location of the disturbance to a remote region of the Almiran frontier. As far as he was aware, there was nothing of interest in that area. The place in question was near the edge of The Forest of Shadows, which dominated much of the northeastern portion of the continent. After a few seconds of scanning, he was unable to locate anything unusual. He activated one of the observatory''s life-sensing filters. This one was primarily geared towards locating complex lifeforms. He immediately noticed a large predatory animal which seemed to be chasing a humanoid creature through the woods. As he watch the humanoid joined another group of humanoids. The predator and the humanoids clashed, resulting in the predator being driven away. Curious, he was just about to focus the image on the group when an urgent telepathic message stole his attention. [Master! You need to come quick!] The panicked mental voice of his apprentice Ophalia sounded in his head. [There is something strange going on with the Probability Lens] [I''ll be there soon.] He responded. One portion of his mind immediately started the calculations necessary for teleportation to the lab containing the lens. Ordinarily it would require no effort at all, but the layers of protection he had added around the tower meant that he had to expend a bit of energy to do so. Another part of his mind considered what he had seen with the Observatory. [There was nothing present that warranted the usage of such an amazing amount of power. There were a few humans in the area, but only one of them was higher than Tier One. It seems unlikely that the amount of mana consumed by that action would have anything to do with the humans. Probably, this surge was meant to affect some change instantaneously to the world at large, and the location itself didn''t matter.] While still lost in thought, his mind completed the teleportation, bringing him to the laboratory. There he saw a panicked looking Ophalia wrestling with the controls for the Probability Lens. The young elf was trying her best to shut the machine down with no apparent success. The air hummed with a veritable sea of energy as the lens itself vibrated with an increasingly high-pitched whine. Minzu, a black-haired rat beastman, ran up. "Master! We don''t know what''s going on. As soon as we started the Lens, it began to run out of control. We can''t get it to shut off!" The Archmage looked up at his prized creation. The Probability Lens was in truth a massive spherical crystal he had painstakingly grown over several years. At each stage of development he had shaped and engraved the crystal, ensuring the optimal level of quality and mana capacity. Fundamentally, the Probability Lens functioned as a massive mana battery, 4m in diameter, which focused and channeled ambient mana into the control circle. The circle was an incredibly intricate 10m wide diagram carved into the stone floor of the tower before being filled with magically charged mithril. When activated and supplied with sufficient power, enough to level a small city if used for destructive purposes, the Archmage was able to calculate possible futures. Since he didn''t have access to the rare oracular powers that certain bloodlines carried, he had to rely on this blunt force method in order to track potentially dangerous threats. He could tell from a single glance, that due to some error, the Lens was taking in far too much mana. If he didn''t know any better, he would say that some new factor had exponentially increased the difficulty of calculating futures, and the machine was attempting to compensate. Knowing he had to act fast, or else risk an explosion that would level much of the surrounding area once the containment spells were overwhelmed, he immediately ordered his apprentices to leave. As soon as they were clear, he opened a spatial rift below the Lens. With a thought he disconnected the many coupling attached to the giant crystal. Bereft of control the whining in the air grew a level louder. Concentrating his will, he forced the spatial rift to swallow the Lens before mentally pulling it shut. He sighed in the now silent laboratory. Although he had averted disaster, several years of painstaking effort had been destroyed in an instant. More importantly, he lost one of his most important sources of information at a crucial juncture. The two apprentices re-entered the laboratory now that it was safe. Ophalia simply stared at the devastated landscape, seemingly unable to comprehend the magnitude of what just happened. Minzu on the other hand, immediately began muttering to himself. "Was this an equipment malfunction? We didn''t do anything different, and the rest of the apparatus appears normal. No, the crystal was specifically formed to function in a particular manner. It would only overload in that manner if the fundamental principles underlying its creation changed in some way, but how is that possible?" The Archmage was not surprised that Minzu arrived at the correct conclusion so quickly, despite its absurdity. Ophalia was a bright young mage, but she had won a position as his apprentice largely due to being a distant cousin of his. The Archmage wasn''t one to forget his origins, so he made an effort to assist his fellow moon elves when he had the chance. Minzu on the other hand earned his position entirely through his own genius. He had repeatedly impressed the Archmage with intuitive leaps of logic that signified an instinctive understanding of the universe. "It is possible." The Archmage answered dryly. "I had been tracking a massive mana surge in the central continent just before this. Judging from the way the Probability Lens behaved, we can now make some assumptions about the origin and purpose of the surge." His two apprentices turned and faced him with serious and attentive gazes. "It seems that a divine entity at the level of the creator deities, or perhaps stronger, has changed some fundamental aspect of our reality. My guess is that it has introduced an element that directly influences the path of future events. Such an element would, in theory, would create the possibility for a near infinite number of possible futures. Calculating them would have proven impossible for the Lens, causing its overload." "A god stronger than the creators?! That''s insane. Everything we know about the creators suggests that they are at the top of the divine hierarchy." Ophalia exclaimed. "That''s true, but evidence suggests otherwise. The energy I detected was of a level that only a high deity could wield. More importantly, there was absolutely no side effects or mana fluctuations after this surge." The apprentices gasps at the implications. The Archmage nodded. "That amount of power, wielded that precisely, with no visible effects on the world? This could only be the work of a being or force beyond our imagination. We can only hope that its intentions are benevolent." With that, he turned and left his apprentices standing in the ruined laboratory, speechless. There was much to do and little time to accomplish it. The Archmage found himself smiling. For the first time in centuries, he felt the excitement of bearing witness to the unknown. For good or ill, the world was in for some interesting times. Chapter 12: Road Trip Kaya stood leaned against the wall next to Mike''s door. As he approached, she turned and stepped forward to meet him. Her face still had the usual frown she used when looking at him, but it seemed softer somehow. "Look, I don''t want you to get the wrong idea. I''m not here for you." She paused and glanced around furtively, as if embarrassed. "I''m here about Morris." "What about him?" Kaya faced him fully, squaring up as if preparing for a confrontation. "He''s been different since the ambush in the woods. Quieter...less cheerful. I...we are worried about him." Her voice faltered a little as she stared down at her hands. "He used to be so confident, I thought he could make it through anything, but now¡­.." She trailed off as her trademark frown morphed into a look of worry with a hint of guilt. Mike hadn''t interacted much with Morris over the last month, so busy had he been with his training. However, he had noticed the older man become a bit more withdrawn as time wore on. It was evident that his injury was weighing on him to some degree. After a few moments, Mike decided to break the silence that had descended in the hallway. "So, what exactly are you asking me to do?" Her eyes snapped back up to him, frown back in its rightful place. "I don''t really expect anything from you. I know you''ve been training for the last month, but that is no replacement for real experience. With Morris the way he is now, if you run into any real trouble on the way to Wyrport, it''ll be up to you to protect him. Considering your performance in the training yard, I think that is beyond your abilities." "You''ve been watching me?" Kaya blushed slightly as her frowned deepened. "I wasn''t watching you! I just happened to see you flailing around and getting beat up by Albert." She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Anyway! Even if you could handle yourself in a fight, your memory issue means you will have a hard time adapting to circumstances. So, I have a proposition for you." "Oh?" "See Morris safely to Wyrport, get him settled in, and help him find a path for himself." She paused, looking a little unsure again. "I don''t know what he will do now. The Order pension will last a while, but he''s still young. With his family situation, he''ll basically be on his own. Not many people will be willing to hire him as he is." "That''s easy enough, but since you called it a proposition, I assume you have something to offer me?" She pulled out a small, clear uncut crystal tied to a leather cord. While it wasn''t particularly appealing to look at, Mike felt his gaze drawn to it. "This is a Salvation Stone, a rare magical item designed to save the user from dire circumstances. When you crush it, it creates an orb of nearly impenetrable force surrounding you for a short period of time. While protected, you can use your will to move the sphere in your direction of choice." Mike focused on it and used Identify. {Salvation Stone} Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 2) A mid-grade, consumable, magic item produced through Advanced Force Magic. Used to create a mentally controlled sphere of force, with a diameter of 3m, around the user. Lasts approximately 1.5 minutes. [Seems useful enough.] Mike thought before asking, "So, you''ll give this to me in exchange for taking care of Morris?" Kaya hesitated before nodding. "Use it if you get into trouble. If you manage to make it all the way Wyrport without needing it, you can keep it." She reluctantly handed him the stone, her gaze lingering on it before he clasped in his hand. She looked him the eye before continuing. "Keep Morris safe. If any harm comes to him, I''ll make sure you regret it." Mike felt a bit intimidated by her sudden seriousness, but felt the need to tease a little bit due to the somewhat unreasonable demands she had been putting out. "This seems pretty valuable. Morris must be pretty special to you." "A-Ah¡­.." Kaya blushed fiercely at that. She was at a loss for words for a few moments before stammering a reply. "L-Look, I-I don''t care about him. I-I just owe him a favor. He helped me out, so I''m just repaying him." Mike grinned mischievously. "Alright, I''ll accept your proposition. You don''t need to worry about Morris." Kaya gritted her teeth, feeling like she had lost somehow. "Fine! I don''t care if you die in a ditch somewhere but don''t let anything happen to him." She stomped off after delivering this retort. Mike smiled to himself before heading into his room. [No matter the world, kids will be kids.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The next morning, Mike was saying his goodbyes to the few people in the Order he had grown close to over the month. After talking briefly to the commander and waving to a casually observing Albert, he mounted his new horse, a pleasant-tempered mare named Barley. He adjusted his new sword into a more comfortable position on his back, since it was too long for him to wear at his waist. He was dressed in a suit of leather armor in the pattern of the Order footmen. A simple grey traveling cloak rested around his shoulders. He checked the mare''s saddle bags one last time, mentally going over the supplies stored within, before he felt himself fully ready. He looked over at Morris who had some trouble getting into the saddle. The older man was finally able to pull himself up by using the short stump that was the remainder of his left arm as a lever. Mike felt a pang of pity while watching. It had not been his fault, and indeed he had even saved Morris''s life that night, but he nevertheless felt some responsibility. "You alright over there?" "I''m fine!" Morris grunted a little too aggressively, before sighing. "I''m just ready to get this trip started." "Fair enough, if you''ve finished your goodbye we can head out." "I have said all that needs to be said." Morris replied while staring up at the fort''s battlements. Mike followed his gaze as saw a depressed looking Kaya watching them forlornly. He could guess what must have happened, but couldn''t see any good way to solve the issue. Besides, as an outsider, it wasn''t his place to interfere. "Alright, let''s go." Despite the gloom cast by their departure, Mike couldn''t help but feel some excitement. It felt like he was finally starting his other world adventure. This time he thought himself prepared for what was coming. After waving goodbye to the surrounding Order members, the two headed out the gate. Mike couldn''t wait for what was ahead. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Argh! I''m so bored!" Mike yelled while collapsing onto the neck of his horse, who placidly continued to walk along. She had already gotten used to her new owner''s personality. Mike and Morris had already been traveling for close to a week, and while the weather had been pleasant, they had barely seen anything of interest in the vast plain they were traveling across. Besides increasing his Basic Riding skill to Rank 3, nothing of interest had happened. "There is not much to see around here. If it were not for the mining communities of the Ash Mountains to the North, the Order wouldn''t even bother setting up a fort near here." Morris replied. He had been sullen and quiet for much of the last week, but seemed to brighten while teaching Mike new things about the world. He continued after a brief pause. "In another couple of days we should be getting closer to civilization. If I recall there is a small town along the way we can stop at. They have a decent tavern there where we can rest." He gave a conspiratorial grin to Mike, looking more like his old self. "Besides, they also have some of the ''friendliest'' barmaids around, if you catch my drift." "Morris my good man, I like the way you think. We have a long journey still ahead of us, and we should take the opportunity to rest and recover." Mike said with a similarly lascivious grin. The road didn''t seem quite so tedious now that he had something to look forward to in a couple of days. [I''m a little surprised that nothing has happened to me yet. If I were to use novels as a reference, this trip would have been the perfect time to run into bandits attacking the carriage of a princess or something.] Just then, Morris chimed in "Hey, do you see that dust cloud ahead of us?" Cursing his flag raising self, Mike looked in the direction of the cloud. Now that he was paying attention he could barely hear the sounds of combat on the wind. Morris kicked his horse into a gallop. "Let''s go! They might need our help." Sighing, Mike followed suit. Chapter 13: Fiery Start As Mike and Morris approached the conflict, Mike could see that it seemed to involve two sides. A small group of armored humans in a shield wall seemed to be protecting a larger group that carried a few makeshift weapons while relying on a trio of wagons for protection. They were being attacked by a group of about 30 tall, muscular-looking, green-skinned humanoids. This group was primarily clothed in simple leathers and armed with a collection of rudimentary weapons. A pair of better armed and equipped humanoids watched from the back, one of which was riding a massive insect-looking creature. It resembled a stag beetle the size of a draft horse. A pair of long, dangerous-looking pincers extended from its head. If anything, its rider seemed more fearsome. Dressed in a crude form of plate mail made from scavenged pieces, it rested a huge cleaver-like sword on its shoulders. The other was a smaller and more slender, dress primarily in leather armor and carrying a spear. A closed-face helmet hid the orcs features. "Orcs!" Morris called from his position slightly ahead of Mike. He drew his short sword with his one good hand while directing his horse with his knees. "You go help out the survivors, I''ll distract the leader." Knowing that the older man had much more battlefield experience, Mike decided to follow his plan even though he had some apprehension about letting Morris take on the intimidating looking orc. "Be careful. I promised to get you to Wyrport safely." Morris nodded before directing his mount towards the two orcs watching from the sidelines. The one riding on the back of the beetle grinned in anticipation while readying his cleaver-sword. The other orc stepped back out of the way, but kept his spear in hand. Realizing he had a task to complete now, Mike turned his attention to the group of orcs attacking the caravan. Luckily, they had their backs turned. Wanting to clear a few of the enemies out of the way prior to engaging fully, he concentrated on his fire magic while stretching out his right hand. His magic was still basic, so he couldn''t make use of the overwhelming fiery explosions he wanted too. At most he could summon a small ball of fire that would ignite the target. He slowed his horse in order to take better aim and launched his attack as swiftly as he could. A small orange fireball smacked into the back of one of the orcs and burst on contact, coating the unfortunate creature in flame. He began to scream horribly and trash about, trying to put himself out before the human he was fighting skewered him with a short spear. A little shocked by the effectiveness of his attack, since he had only managed to scorch a few rocks during practice, Mike quickly summoned more of the fireballs and launched them into the crowd of orcs. By the time the sixth one had landed home, the nearby orcs had taken notice of the spell-slinging youth on horseback and a group of 8 broke off and charged him. Mike focused, drawing even more mana and channeling it into his hand. He pointed his hand at the approaching group and released it in one burst. He felt the familiar sensation of understanding as his Basic Fire Magic leveled up, increasing the strength of his attack. A cone of flame washed over the leading orcs, swallowing three of them before they had time to scream. The remaining five stopped, looking on in horror at the charred bodies of their peers. Fighting a wave of weariness caused by mana consumption, Mike drew his sword and kicked Barley into motion. He knew that shock from his attack wouldn''t last long, and he needed to take advantage of it. Despite his relative inexperience in combat, Mike understood the inherent advantage a mounted soldier had over those fighting on foot. Even though his horse lacked the temperament of a true warhorse, as a mount originating from the Order of the Wheel, she had received enough combat training to know her role in this fight. Before the orcs had time to react, Mike approached and brought his sword down on the closest one. The orc was squinting as if the blast of fire had partially blinded it, but still tried to raise his club in a feeble defense. Mike''s sword knocked the club out the way before lodging itself in the orc''s head. As the orc collapsed, Mike was almost yanked from the saddle before his sword pulled free. As he was being dragged down, he felt an impact score along his left side. He saw a crude looking spear tip flash by his vision. As soon as he could he whipped around to face the spear-wielding second in command. Recognizing that he was in a dangerous situation, surrounded on both sides with his mana reserves dangerously low, Mike decided to try a delaying tactic. "Wait! If continue to attack me, you''ll regret it!" The second in command paused. Mike couldn''t tell what sort of effect his words had due to the helmet, but the orc''s body posture reflected surprise. A strangely high-pitched voice emanated from the helmet, "You know our language? How? It is not something for you humans to know." Mike frowned as he realized his Communication Magic had also shared the full meaning behind the translation for the word human, which apparently was synonymous with ''weak, squishy, prey beast'' in the orc''s language. "Never mind that. You should know by my earlier demonstration that I''m a powerful spell caster. I''m trying to control myself around my fellow humans, but if I feel my life is threatened I won''t hesitate to reduce this whole area to ash. If you leave right now, I will spare your lives." Mike wasn''t sure how much the orcs knew about magic, but he hoped the Weighted Words component of his Communication Magic would help see him through. The helmeted orc waved off the others menacing Mike from behind. He seemed to consider for a while before coming to a decision. "Hmph, I doubt one as young as you has that much power, but I suspect you have a few more tricks and we cannot afford more casualties. Very well, human we will cease for now. Grobosh, round up the survivors and get them back into formation." Mike heard a call from the large mounted orc, "As you wish, my chieftain." He pulled his mount back from a battered Morris. Mike felt relieved to see his traveling companion still alive, but couldn''t help but notice several serious looking injuries. He noticed the decapitated corpse of his horse not too far away. Morris sat down heavily, the exhaustion evident in his features. The apparent orc chieftain''s next words caught Mike''s attention. "However, after losing so many of my brethren, even to a mage, it would shame me to accept defeat completely. Therefore, I challenge you to the Kal''thelk. Do you have the honor to face me?" Mike was caught by surprise and quickly tried to formulate a reply. "I am afraid that I am largely uninformed about your customs. Can you explain what you mean?" A hint of disdain entered the chieftain''s voice, "The Kal''thelk is a sacred contest of strength and skill between two opponents dedicated to Angrosh, the Unconquered. Accept, and we shall fight with blade and fist until one yields or dies. Refuse, and we shall treat you as a worthless coward in need of killing." "So what happens if you win?" "I will claim you and the rest of the surviving humans as slaves. You and the one-armed one were worthy opponents, so I will only take five years of service from you. The rest will be slaves for life." "And if I should win?" "Then I shall spare you and these humans." Mike frowned, "Those hardly seem like fair conditions." The chieftain laughed, "If not for you, these humans would have no choice but to submit or die. You and I both know if we continued our attack in earnest, you''d have no hope of victory. I simply do not wish to sacrifice the men necessary to take out a powerful fire mage." Mike glanced around the area, surveying the onlookers. There were still over two dozen orcs up and moving around. Many of them had injuries, but overall they still seemed ready for a fight. The majority of them stared hungrily at the surviving humans, but wary glances towards Mike clearly told him that the only thing keeping them from attacking was the fear of his magic and their chieftain''s words. The eight remaining caravan guards who had been fighting in the shield wall were exhausted and wounded. There was another dozen or so civilian-looking caravan members who stared back at Mike with uncovered fear, clenching their makeshift weapons with white-fingered grips. Between his current lack of mana, and the general state of the other combatants, Mike knew that if it came down to another all-out conflict, the humans would probably suffer a serious defeat. For a brief moment, Mike felt hopeless. [I could run, I suppose. I''m the only one with any kind of mount besides that slow-looking beetle, and it''s not like I owe these people anything.] As soon as he thought it, he felt a rush of shame. [If I run here, I will not be able to live with myself. I don''t want to be the same pathetic man who spent his entire life running away from the world. I will be better and it starts here!] With newfound determination Mike squared his shoulders, looked the chieftain in the eyes and declared, "I accept your challenge." Chapter 14: Its Time to Duel! Mike barely managed to bring his sword up in time to divert the spear thrust that threatened to impale him. He didn''t fully succeed as another searing line was drawn across his abdomen. He stumbled back while diverting some of his diminishing mana reserves to healing the new injury enough to stop the bleeding. In just a few minutes of fighting he had already suffered several minor blows. "Is this all you have, human? I''ve seen orc children with more skill than you." Mike gritted his teeth at the chieftain''s words. The orc had incredible skill with the spear. Mike couldn''t compare in terms of skill, strength, or reach, so he was on the defensive from the start. He had initially adopted the Flowing River stance of Almiran Swordsmanship. It was the most balanced and flexible of the various stances he learned from Albert and the one he had the most practice with. However, when it quickly became obvious that he was outmatched by his opponent he switched to Briar''s Thorn, a stance that focused on defense with quick efficient counter attacks. So far he had little luck of the few attacks he managed to launch. The orc chieftain fought with a level of grace and agility that was surprising coming from such a brutish looking people. If not for his luck and the fact that the orc was going easy on him, Mike would have died several times in the last few minutes. "It should be clear to you that I am the superior fighter. Yield and I shall make sure that your five years of servitude are comfortable. Perform well, and I might even give you a place of honor by my side." That declaration caused a bit of stir among the orcs, but Mike didn''t have the time to consider it. "Thanks for the offer, but I prefer my freedom. Although, you could still walk away if you want to." The chieftain growled slightly. "Once it has begun, the Kal''thelk must be completed. Perhaps it is time to end this. I grow weary of trying to spare you injury. You will serve me just as well as a cripple I suppose." The chieftain suddenly burst forward, aiming for Mike''s torso with a vicious spear thrust. Mike knew he only had one chance, so he decided to test his luck one more time and attempt the Thorn''s Gambit. It was one of the most difficult techniques of the Briar''s Thorn, and one he had only succeeded in performing on a few rare occasions during training. It relied on dodging the opponent''s attack with as little motion as possible while countering with a mirrored thrust. The goal of the maneuver was not to strike with the thrust itself, but to unbalance the enemy for a follow-up attack. Utilizing his newly ranked-up evasion skill, Mike was almost able to slide past the spear, taking another painful wound along his ribs. He nevertheless was able to remain steady, thrusting forth with his sword aimed at the orc''s throat. The chieftain responded by quickly stepping back and whipping the spear around in a horizontal sweep. Mike allowed his sword to be deflected, using the momentum of the chieftain''s block to both duck under the spear shaft and spin into another rising attack. The orc, unbalanced, could only attempt to block. With a loud crack, Mike''s sword cut through the spear and continued on to smash into the chieftain''s helmet, sending it flying. The orc stumbled back and fell to its knees while Mike stepped forward, intent on delivering the finishing blow. However, he couldn''t help but stop when he caught a glimpse of the chieftain''s face. She had short, dark hair and light grayish skin. Although a little on the masculine side, if not for the pair of small tusks protruding from her lower lip, she could almost pass for a human woman. At the moment she was still kneeling, staring down at the two halves of her spear. She looked up at Mike with a pair of pale, blue eyes. "It seems you have won." Disbelief was clear in her voice. "What are you called, human?" "I am Michael Rasmussen." He lowered his sword and took a step back. "But you can call me Mike." "Mike," she said as if tasting the unfamiliar word. She stood and started walking back towards her kin. Just before she reached them, she stopped, and with an imperious glare declared, "You and the rest of those humans are free to go. I, Talgratha, future High Chieftain of the Ashborn, grant you your lives." She turned her gaze toward Mike, "Know this, Mike. Although the Kal''thelk was fairly fought, I cannot live with a defeat. The next time we meet, it will be as enemies, and I will make you submit to me." With that, she turned and led her people to the north, soon vanishing into the tall, prairie grass. As soon as it appeared they had gone for good, Mike relaxed. The accumulated fatigue nearly caused him to collapse, but he managed to push it aside and walk over to Morris. The older man had suffered a number of wounds including a nasty gash from the top of his left shoulder down to his stomach. It looked like he had narrowly avoided being split in two. "Hell of a fight, Mike." Morris said with a cough. "Albert would be proud." Mike pressed his hand down on Morris''s chest and started using his healing magic. "Hold still for a second, you dumb ass. Do you have any idea what Kaya would do to me if you died?" Morris chuckled before wincing. "Urgh, don''t make me laugh. I think I broke a rib." After a minute or so of healing, the majority of Morris''s injuries had been taken care off. Mike didn''t have enough mana to fully heal him, and falling unconscious in the attempt would be counterproductive. "Now then, let''s go talk to our new friends over there. Hopefully, they''ll be willing to compensate us for the effort of saving them." Morris chuckled again while standing up, "I wouldn''t count on it. Caravan merchants are notoriously tight-fisted. Then again, not many people want to piss off someone who can set them on fire." Mike noticed the caravan members were watching him carefully. One of the guards, an older solid looking woman stepped forward to meet them. "I am Ymra, sergeant of the Red Lion Mercenary Company. Sir Mage, you have our gratitude for your timely assistance." Mike noticed the red, lion shaped emblem painted on the mercenaries'' shields. "Alright Sergeant Ymra, you can call me Mike, and this is Morris." He said while pointing to his compatriot. "Is there anyone in critical condition? I''m running low on mana, but I can do a little healing magic." Ymra blinked in surprise, "Most of our injuries are minor thankfully, but one of my men took a spear to the gut. If there is anything you can do to help, Sir Mage, you would have my eternal gratitude." "Well, let me see what we have to work with." He said as he followed the mercenary sergeant to a pale, young man lying next to one of the wagons. He was thankfully unconscious, a wad of bloody bandages failing to stem the slow trickle of blood seeping into the dirt from a nasty abdominal wound. Not wasting any time he knelt next to the man and started healing. Luckily, he had made some breakthroughs in terms both healing magic and mana consumption. As it was, the effort nearly made him pass out. After a few minutes of concentrated effort, Mike stood up dizzily. "He''ll still need to recover for a while, but he should make it." Ymira slapped a fist against her chest, and dipped her head in a bow. "Surely the gods have looked kindly upon us. Thank you, Sir Mage." Mike nodded his head in what he hoped was a sage manner. "Now if you don''t mind, I''d like to find a place to rest. This whole event has worn me out." The mercenaries quickly brought over a pair of folding stools for Morris and him, and started offering him food and drink. Evidently being a spell caster capable of healing magic was a rare commodity around these parts. Although, the sudden devotion had him questioning a little about the nature of society in this world. He spent some studying the merchants who had yet to come over. They seem locked in some sort of debate regarding him. Not particularly feeling like he wanted to accommodate them, Mike decided to wait and enjoy the mercenaries'' hospitality for a bit. With nothing better to do, Mike checked his [Status] to see what progress he had made in the intervening time. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel (NEW) -------------- [Skills] -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 2) Basic Healing Magic (Rank 4) (LEVEL UP) Inspect (Rank 2) Initiate Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 4) (LEVEL UP) Basic Water Magic (Rank 2) Basic Fire Magic (Rank 3) (LEVEL UP) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Running (Rank 2) Basic Evasion (Rank 4) (LEVEL UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Spear Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Sword Fighting (Rank 4) (LEVEL UP) Basic Elemental Magic (Rank 3) (LEVEL UP) Basic Riding (Rank 3) (LEVEL UP) -------------- Passive Skills: Basic Fear Resistance (Rank 1) Basic Pain Resistance (Rank 2) (NEW) Minor Mana Enhancement (Rank 3) (LEVEL UP) Minor Endurance Enhancement (Rank 3) (LEVEL UP) Minor Agility Enhancement (Rank 2) Minor Strength Enhancement (Rank 2) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched -------------- - Kal''Thel - The title given to those who have won a Kal''thelk against a worthy opponent. It is in the nature of orcs to respect those who fight with strength and honor. Minor increase to charisma when dealing with orcs. Only applies while active. - Basic Pain Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 2) - By experiencing pain, one learns to overcome it. Provides minor resistance to the negative effects of pain. Chapter 15: Manifest Destiny Talgratha scanned the horizon. Searching the seemingly endless grasslands that stretched before her. A human trading caravan had failed to pay the long established protection fees owed to her clan, so she led a punitive force to track them down. These weak humans could not be allowed to insult the Ashborn. She tried to imagine the path the offending caravan would take to reach better defended human lands. Grobosh and his insufferable insect companion made that largely impossible, however. "Come Kral, come and get it!" The 2m tall orc held out a fruit the size of a child''s skull to the giant insect. Grobosh''s arm was promptly engulfed up to the elbow in the creature''s mouth, mandibles seemingly working furiously to devour the orc''s limb. "That''s a good boy! How energetic you are today." Grobosh pulled his arm free with no injury visible on his tough hide. For all his eccentricities he was still one of the most accomplished warriors in the entire clan, well known for his toughness. Talgratha had seen arrows literally bounce off his bare skin, so she suspected he had some unusual skills. The giant stag beetle started to nuzzle against his owner, although casual observers would probably describe it as a futile attempt to bite off the orc''s head. At a few moments, Grobosh pulled his head from the creature''s jaws, covered in a sticky mucus and bits of fruit. "Aw, you''re being awfully friendly today." Not for the first time, Talgratha regretted taking him on this trip. Grobosh himself was a valuable asset, but his irrational love for that beast was a headache. The insect was fearsome to look at, but was largely useless in combat, the massive pincers more for show than anything else. It also stank horrendously. Even the most hygienically challenged of the tribe tended to give it a wide berth. "Grobosh! Stop fussing with that beast and gather the rest. If we move quickly we can reach the high road before dark." "As you wish, my chieftain." Once again, Talgratha was struck by the strange devotion the older orc displayed. She still didn''t know why such a powerful warrior had chosen to follow a scrawny half-breed all those years ago, but his loyalty had helped her earn her current position as War Chieftain. Her subsequent accomplishments in the border skirmishes with the neighboring Blood Tongue Clan had established her as a rising star in her generation. She dismissed her thoughts and tried to concentrate on the task at hand, as she led her band deeper into human territory. While not explicitly a violation of the treaties established between the Kingdom of Almir and the Ashborn, this venture was close to an act of war. She had to make sure that she caught the transgressors before they could reach a major human settlement. Luckily, this region of the Kingdom was sparsely populated. After a cold night spent sleeping without a campfire, Talgratha had a third of her warriors remain at the campsite to protect their supplies. She would take Grobosh and the rest to the lay in ambush along the only real road in the region. If her hunch was right, the caravan should be passing through their area in the next couple of days. The first day passed quietly. The only notable incident was the large bison that one of her scouts had managed to bring down. It had taken three orcs to drag the beast back to the ambush point. The whole band had eaten well that night, which had almost made up for the fact that the trio had created a large, bloody path directly to their ambush point. Talgratha established a new location some distance up the road. The caravan arrived during the second day. According to Talgratha''s plans, the orcs were to wait until the lead wagon had passed before launching their attack. Unfortunately one of the unruly mob of ''warriors'' she led in this case got overly excited and rushed the caravan guards far too early. The rest of the orcs, with the exception of Talgratha and Grobosh followed suit. This gave the humans a chance to partially circle their wagons and force the ambushing orcs to attack a solid shield wall formed by the caravan guards. Talgratha cursed the foolishness of her kind again. It had caused her numerous headaches in the past. She motioned Grobosh to follow and moved out onto the road. Hopefully she could salvage the situation before too many of her warriors had died. She couldn''t help but sigh as she watched the orcs fling themselves haphazardly against the human shield wall. Grobosh''s eager voice broke through her resigned thoughts. "Looks like we have some company." Talgratha looked over as saw a pair of humans on horseback swiftly approaching. The seemingly older one launched a quick series of commands to the other before directing his horse in their direction. She noticed that this young man was missing a large portion of his left arm, but still handled his mount and sword like a veteran. "Take care of the cripple, I''ll make sure the other one doesn''t cause too much damage." Grobosh only nodded eagerly before jumping down from his insect mount. He preferred to fight on the ground because, in his own words, he didn''t want to risk Kral getting hurt. As if the carriage-sized, armored beetle was in danger of injury. Talgratha paused to watch the resulting clash, and couldn''t help but admire the skill of the one-armed man. Despite his impairment, he was still able to hold his own against a warrior as accomplished as Grobosh. A series of horrible screams brought her attention back to the main conflict. She whipped around just in time to see the second of the mounted humans launching a stream of fiery projectiles into her warriors. [A fire mage!] She thought in alarm. Judging from the strength of his attacks, he was probably only of the lower half of the first tier. Nevertheless, a mounted fire mage could devastate her warriors with impunity. She needed to eliminate this threat as soon as possible. Talgratha darted forward hoping to deliver a sneak attack against the mage while a group of her warriors, who had broken off from the general melee, charged him. All thoughts of strategy left her as the young mage stretched forth his hand an unleashed a blast of stingily bright yellow fire. It engulfed the leading orcs, leaving behind only charred husks. It had been a long time since she had seen the handiwork of fire magic up close. She had forgotten how utterly terrifying it could be. She could only numbly attempt a simple thrust at the young man who had already succeeded in burying his sword in an orc''s head. The mage almost preternaturally jerked to the side to avoid her blow, before whipping around to face her. They locked gaze, and for a moment Talgratha was distracted by the mage''s piercing golden eyes. Something about the eyes seemed almost mesmerizing, and she felt a strange possessive instinct surge within her. Rather than kill this young, upstart mage, she was going to claim him for herself. She was surprised once again when the man spoke to her in Orcish. "Wait! If continue to attack me, you''ll regret it!" He spoke fluently, as if he had been raised among the Ashborn. This was practically impossible for a young human. "You know our language? How? It is not something for you humans to know." "Never mind that. You should know by my earlier demonstration that I''m a powerful spell caster. I''m trying to control myself around my fellow humans, but if I feel my life is threatened I won''t hesitate to reduce this whole area to ash. If you leave right now, I will spare your lives." An obvious bluff, but not one that she could idly dismiss. If she lost any more of her warriors in this conflict it would harm her reputation among her clansmen, perhaps irreparably. That said, it also created an opportunity. She knew that her band would probably prove victorious should the fight continue. It wouldn''t take much longer for Grobosh to finish with the one-armed man, and he could easily break the shield wall. Assuming the mage wasn''t capable of more than he let on, she would win a costly victory. She could use the inevitability of the human''s defeat as a means to pressure the young man, and she felt confident in her ability to defeat him in one-on-one combat so long as magic wasn''t involved. If she could convince him to participate in a Kal''thelk, she could honorably claim him as a personal slave while sparing further casualties amongst her warriors. Bringing a promising young fire mage back, even a human one, would go a long way towards erasing the shame of so many losses in the first place. She issued her challenge and couldn''t help but smile as the young man reluctantly accepted. Now she only had to defeat him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Talgratha was on her knees, still dazed from the blow to her head a second ago. She had barely even seen the young mage''s attack before it smashed the helmet from her head. She could only stare dumbly down at the broken halves of her spear. The spear that she had received when she became a War Chieftain. She looked up into the strange, golden eyes of the man who had bested her. A confusing mix of emotions left her all but speechless. After of few moments of near-perfect silence, she gathered enough wits to numbly announce her defeat and ask the question that was burning inside her. "It seems you have won. What are you called, human?" Chapter 16: Im On a Wagon! Unsurprisingly, the merchants from the caravan asked Mike to continue escorting them to Wyrport, their eventual destination. Initially, they offered a modest fee, but Morris was able to talk them into a substantially higher rate by leveraging both Mike''s status as a magic-user and the fact that they had saved the caravan with a timely intervention. After moving down the road a bit to avoid any predators attracted by the smell of blood, they merchants set about setting up camp. The battle had caused some damage to the wagons, so they wouldn''t be able to leave until the following morning. Mike watched the bustle of activity from his vantage point on Barley. While he was still quite tired and sore, he was in theory a hired guard. He could see a good deal more of his surroundings from horseback and didn''t have to spend much energy to keep watch. Besides, he had grown fond of the unusually placid mare. She hadn''t spooked even when he had unleashed his fire magic in the middle of combat, which confused him. Judging from his knowledge of horse from his previous life, even well trained ones would still react with fear to things like a massive gout of flame right next to their heads. Mentally shrugging, he chalked it up to another weird aspect of the new world he was living in. He watched as a pair of young boys chased each other through the camp, play fighting with sticks. It seemed like the merchants were traveling with their extended families for whatever reason. Mike wasn''t really interested enough to question the arrangement, but watching children play after a day of real fighting warmed his heart. Morris walked up to him. "Sounds like we''ll make it to the town of Mayde in about two days, once we get moving. They''ll probably stop for a day or two to rest and resupply. From there it should only be a few more days of travel to Wyrport." "Sounds like we''ll be able to travel comfortably for the rest of the way, and even get paid for it. I might need to thank those orcs the next time I see them." "Well if you thank them monetarily, I think they''ll appreciate it. Compared to the Blood Tongues to the north and the Skull Takers to the northwest, the Ashborn are pretty amiable. They even have some treaties with the kingdom." [Who names these orc tribes? They sound like a bunch of death metal bands.] A thought suddenly occurred to Mike, "Do we need to report the situation with the orcs to.....I don''t know, the authorities or something?" "Mayde has a town mayor that reports to the local noble, a Baron Redmond if memory serves. We can report the incident to him. I think they also have an Adventurer''s Guild outpost there, so we might be able to collect a finder''s fee for the information depending on the branch officer." Mike felt his pulse rise rapidly in excitement. "They have an Adventurer''s Guild in this world?!" He had kind of been expecting it since his reincarnation, but this is the first he''d heard about it. "Yeah, they have branches in most decent sized towns and cities. Wait, this world?" Running roughshod over Morris puzzled inquiry, Mike launched an enthusiastic battery of questions. When he finally stopped to take a breath, Morris continued. "Yeah, I didn''t really get any of that, but I''ll explain a bit about the guild, and hopefully that will answer your questions. The organization we call the Adventurer''s Guild actually started as a knightly order about seven hundred years ago. It was called the Order of the Shield back then, and its main duty was to protect the people. They would travel from region to region, subjugating monsters and dangerous wildlife. However, the demand for their services quickly outstripped the resources allotted to them from the crown. With me so far?" Mike nodded. He could see where this was going. Morris continued, "So in order to keep doing their job, the Order''s first Grandmaster started collecting payment. They expanded swiftly and soon became the most powerful order, which inevitably caused some conflict with the other orders and the King, Bartholomew I, if I recall. Anyway, to make a long story short, the Order of the Shield ended up being disbanded and reformed as an independent guild. Over time they expanded across the known world, and started accepting commissions from clients to do everything from the exploration of ancient ruins to manual labor. As it stands today, the Guild is a multi-national organization which has largely been integrated into most civilized societies." "So they are basically a massive and complicated mercenary company?" "Sort of, but they also offer a couple other services. They provide a place to store and access money and other goods, usually for little to no fees. Additionally, since one of the guild masters a few hundred years ago managed to develop a cheap, reliable means of instantaneous, long-distance message sending, the Guild serves as the primary means of communication between settlements. If you are a member, you can also use the guild as a place to buy and sell materials and equipment." "Sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Are you a member?" Morris sighed, "I''m a member of the Order of the Wheel, remember? ...¡­ Or at least I was." His expression darkened slightly before he continued. "No self-respecting order would accept an adventurer unless they were fairly accomplished. Besides, while they will accept almost anyone, it pretty hard to make a living as an adventurer. Only the highly ranked and dangerous jobs really pay well, and if they are talented enough to reach a high rank in the Guild, they''d usually be better off joining another organization." "So they have ranks?" Mike asked eagerly. "Yeah, as far as I''m aware it goes from Rank 1 to Rank 10 based on skills and experience. Most adventurers are below Rank 5, and there are only a handful of people in the world at Rank 8 and 9. I think they only appoint Rank 10s in times of emergency or something." Mike decided that he would have to join the guild as soon as he was able. Even if it wasn''t the best option, he felt that his nerdy soul would rebel if he didn''t take this opportunity. A wife or daughter of one of the merchants, Mike wasn''t really sure which, called to let the pair know that dinner was ready. Mike found himself looking forward to the next couple days. Not only will he get to enjoy civilization after a week on the road, ''friendly'' barmaids included, but he can live the dream of becoming a professional adventurer. His future was looking bright. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cassandra ran through the rain, dragging her daughter, behind her. She dodged into a nearby ally and pushed Sera behind a barrel before pressing herself into a doorway. The sounds of fast moving footsteps echoed in the air as several hooded figures swept past the ally. The last stopped, peering into their direction. A faint sniffing could be heard, and Cassandra felt her heart grow cold with fear. The hooded figure took a step towards them, but a muffled shout from the distance caused it to stop, glance quickly in the direction it came from, before swiftly vanishing after the rest. Cassandra sighed with relief. She didn''t know how they had found the two of them, but the quiet life they had been leading up to this point was now over. She glanced over at her daughter, her eye''s piercing the darkness easily. The young girl was obviously terrified, but Cassandra could see the determination burning fiercely in her gaze. She regretted that circumstances had forced the fourteen year old to mature so quickly. Sera looked over at her mother, and whispered as quietly as she could, "Mother, we need to move. They could come back at any time." Cassandra nodded, already dreading the next step she knew she had to take. She crossed the ally and kneeled down in front of the girl. "Listen to me, Seraphina, I am going to need you to be brave. They can track me when they are this close. The rain will make it more difficult, but it''s just a matter of time." "What are you saying?" Tears started forming in Sera''s eyes. "We need to move separately for now. I can lead them away. Give you time to escape¡­." "No¡­Mom¡­" The young girl sobbed. Cassandra wrapped her daughter in a tight hug. "It''s alright, little one. I''ll distract them for a while, give them the slip, and meet back up with you at our meeting spot. Do you remember the one?" Tears streaming down her face, Sera nodded, "Yeah, that one shack by the ocean. The one where uncle Bergis goes on fishing trips to." Cassandra smiled. "That''s my girl. You should have enough money to get you there, if you are careful. Now, we don''t have any more time. Run down to the docks. Find a good hiding place and wait till morning. They are less effective in the sunlight. Once dawn breaks, get out of town as quickly as you can." Sera nodded again, the look of determination burning more fiercely. "I will. I''ll get there safely." Her expression faltered, a pleading look taking its place. "But, you have to promise to meet me there." "I will, little one. I promise." Cassandra did her best to keep face neutral as she lied to her daughter. "Now, you really must go." With one last long look at her mother, almost as if she could sense the finality of the parting, Sera left the ally. Cassandra watched her go, feeling her heart break. She knew that this was her daughter''s only chance at survival, but it tore her to pieces to have the last words they shared be lies. Every second she spent here was another for her pursuers to catch up, so she turned and left the other end of the ally. She would make them work to catch her, but she knew that they would ultimately succeed. Cassandra took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and started running. Chapter 17: To Adventure! Mike hefted the large rock with one hand. It was a little hard to tell, but he felt that it was a little easier than it should be considering the strength he had become accustomed to. He had been experimenting with the Minor Strength Enhancement skill in an effort to identify the amount of strength the skill provides. He was having some trouble finding a good starting point, until the skill ranked up. Although it was barely noticeable, he felt like the rock was a little lighter. Mike figured that increasing the rank in the skill improved his strength by approximately 5%, but he needed a more quantifiable method to know for sure. He sighed and dropped the rock by the roadside. Barley didn''t react and continued to placidly walk behind the wagon in front of her. The caravan should be reaching the town of Mayde this afternoon, but he found himself frustrated with the slow pace of the wagons. Knowing that he still had a lengthy journey from Mayde to Wyrport in the company of this caravan just made it that much worse. At least Morris seemed to be enjoying himself. He had started helping with meal preparation, and had immediately become popular for the high quality dishes that he was able to make with the limited ingredients available. Delicious food apparently could change hearts and minds, since Morris was quickly accepted by the members of the caravan. Mike on the other hand was always treated differently. The mercenaries interacted with him politely, but the merchants and their families treated were always a little uncomfortable when he was around. Evidently they feared his status as a Mage. He was unsure if this was because of the potential harm he could do, or if being a Mage gave him some form of social status. He would have to ask Morris the next time they were alone. There was a shout from the front of the caravan, "The town of Mayde is in sight!" Mike heard the people around him express joy and relief at the news. After another half hour of travel they finally arrived at the gates of Mayde. Mike was surprised at the size of the walls. Everything he had been told about the town suggested that it was only a minor stop on the way to the more civilized western portion of the country. However, the solid stone walls that surround the settlement, reaching at least 6m in height, suggested something in the line of a border fort. Thinking back to his first day in this world, he felt like he understood the purpose of these walls. [Considering the size of the wildlife in this world, it makes sense to have large fortifications. I do wonder how the farmers living outside of the wall deal with the issue.] As they had gotten closer to the town, he had seen increasing numbers of small farms. He wasn''t sure if the crops in this area were representative, but they all looked extraordinarily large and healthy. Approaching the gates, the caravan stopped at the end of a fairly short line and waited their turn to go through inspection. After a few minutes of waiting, it was their turn to enter. A pair of leather-clad guards carrying halberds stood by the entrance while and bored looking older heavyset man dressed in an official looking robe started questioning the caravan master and Ymra. "Let me see your merchant writs. What cargo are you carrying?" The man asked laconically. "We have a shipment of processed metal ingots from southern Ash Mountains." The caravan master, a man by the name of Hugh, that Mike hadn''t really gotten to know well, answered while handing over a stack of documents. Mike was busy examining the other people in the area. The majority of which were human, but he had seen a few that looked like dwarves and beastmen of various types. So focused was he, almost missed the glint of light visible in Hugh''s hand as he carefully slipped something to the gate official. After a short perusal, the official smiled and waved the caravan through. Mike couldn''t help but notice that he took the time to place whatever he had gotten from Hugh into an inner pocket of his robe. As they passed through the gate they were asked to pay a small entry fee. From the sounds of it, each person was required to pay one copper bale and each wagon was five. Luckily, as hired guards, Mike and Morris''s fees were covered by the caravan. On the other side, Mike was slightly shocked at what he saw. Despite being a small crossroads town, there were large crowds of people moving in almost every direction. Sturdy houses and buildings lined paved streets. Everywhere he looked, he felt bustle and energy that reminded him of the large cities he had visited during his first lifetime. Morris walked over to him, "They''re going to take the wagons and horses over to the coach house." He motioned to a collection of buildings situated near the gate, practically up against the wall. "They''ll be getting rooms at the inn there, but we are largely on our own when it comes to lodging. The caravan will be leaving in the morning three days from now, so we are free until then." He took out a small pouch and handed it to Mike. "Here''s our earnings for the last few days. It''s not much, but it should cover living expenses till we leave." Mike glanced inside and saw a mix of silver and copper coins. "Good enough I guess, I still have some of the Order''s money if we need it. So what''s next? I guess we need to find an inn?" "I know a place that I have stayed at in the past. The food''s not great, but the security and accommodations are." His eyes took on a mischievous glint. "That said, I''m going to recommend a different place tonight. It''s way too expensive to stay there long term, but I can promise you that one night will be well worth it." "Oh? Well, I''m looking forwards to it." Mike answered with a grin. "Don''t we need to report that whole orc incident? Should we do that first?" "Hugh is going to be reporting to the town mayor, so it should be covered. We can take the information to the Adventurer''s Guild outpost, and they may pay us for the trouble." Morris seemed ambivalent to the idea. "I''d like to go there first. I''m interested in joining the guild, and it wouldn''t hurt to get a little extra cash." Morris shrugged and agreed. Prior to leaving, Mike handed off Barley to one of the caravan members, to have her stabled with the rest of the horses. He led Mike through the town''s streets, stopping by briefly at a street vendor to grab a snack. Everywhere he looked, Mike was reminded of the fact that he was in a fantasy world. Everything from massive quadrupedal dinosaurs pulling carts, to street performers impressing crowds with magical illusions, to bizarre and exotic products for sale in the markets. After a while of walking, Morris led Mike into an unassuming brick building on the corner of two minor roads. A sign emblazoned with a pair of crossed swords in front of a silver kite shield, hung above the entrance. They entered into a small, dimly-lit room. A reception desk sat opposite the entrance, behind which rested skinny, almost malnourished-looking, young man. He glanced up from the book he was reading long enough to say in an unenthusiastic voice. "Welcome to the Adventurer''s Guild. How may we help you?" Seeing that Morris wasn''t really wishing to get involved, Mike stepped forward. "We''d like to report some information that the guild might appreciate. Also, I am interested in joining the guild." The young man blinked once, taking a strangely long time to do so. "In both cases you''ll need to see office manager. If you are able to read, please fill out this form and wait over there." He pointed to a long bench next to a doorway. "I will inform the manager of your presence." He stood up with a sigh, as if the effort required was a great burden on him, and slowly shuffled through the door. Mike shared a look with Morris before sitting down on the bench. He was trying to figure out how to fill out the form, since the young man had failed to give him any kind of writing utensil, when he heard a shout from upstairs. "What! I''m busy!" There was a brief pause. "He wants to join? Ugh, fine. Send him up." After a few moments, the skinny young man returned. "The manager will see you now." He gestured at the staircase beyond the doorway. Mike climb the stairs and found himself standing in a hallway lined with display cases. All the cases were empty save one that featured a large bovine-looking skull with three eye sockets. He walked to the door at the end of the hallway. Feeling slightly nervous, he knocked. A loud male voice answered, "Come in, come in. Congratulations on taking the first steps towards true Adventure!" Chapter 18: Information Situation Mike opened the door and stepped through, and was swiftly rendered speechless. "Welcome young man, to the Mayde branch of the Adventurer''s Guild. I am the Guildmaster here, Anton Barthelemus Unther, also known as the Earthen Terror." The man stood about 1.8m tall, and had clearly once been a true athlete, an impressive musculature still visible on his large frame. However, he had evidently let himself go in the intervening years. He looked to be in the latter half of his forties, with thinning dark brown hair. Judging from the disheveled look about him, he had dressed rather quickly in what Mike could only assume were his nice clothes. Cut mainly in reds and golds, it would have made for an impressive sight if not for the very obvious fact that he no longer fit in them. The tunic he was attempting to wear was evidently made for a smaller man, as evidenced by the protruding gut attempting to escape it. All of this almost distracted Mike from the conditions of the office. The room was dominated by an ornately carved desk situated before an extensively decorated fireplace. A number of expensive looking statuettes, trophies, and weapons rested on the mantle. The desk was comparatively clean with only a strange box-shaped device and a couple stacks of papers laying on it. A thick red rug serving to cover that corner of the rooms'' bare wooden floors. In contrast the other half of the room was almost completely bare. A simple wooden chair the only feature to break up the monotony. "Guildmaster? I think the guy downstairs said something about an office manager." "Don''t mind Don, he often plays jokes like that." The Guildmaster (?) waved his hand dismissively before gesturing towards the chair. "Please have a seat. I''ve heard that you have some information for us." Mike sat and explained the situation with the orcs. "Hmm, troubling." Anton murmured while stroking his chin. "And you are sure they are from the Ashborn?" "I don''t know for sure, but that is what their leader claimed." The older man paced back and forth in front of his desk. "I''ll have to send a report to the main office. Very well, I believe this information deserves a reward." He went behind his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out three silver coins before handing them to Mike. "I''m afraid the information itself is not particularly valuable to the Guild by itself, but has the potential to turn a profit in the future. As such, I can only give you three silver spears in payment." Mike took the money, not worried about being scammed, since it was basically free money for him. Anton continued, "Now, I''ve also heard that you are interested in joining the Adventurer''s Guild, is that true?" Mike nodded in response. "Haha, excellent, I think you''ll find the Guild has much to offer young and talented individuals such as yourself." Mike found himself wonder how the man was able to determine whether or not he was talented, but was interrupted by Anton''s continuation. "The enrollment fees are 2 silver. This covers both your guild mark and initial registration. You''ll start as a Rank 0 provisional adventurer until you complete you first request. Depending on your performance, you''ll promoted to a higher rank. Do you have any questions so far?" "What''s this about a guild mark?" Mike asked while returning two of the silver pieces he had gotten earlier. "A fair question," Anton answered while removing a softball sized sphere of black rock and placing it into a hemispherical groove in the strange box shaped device on the desk. He tapped the back of his left hand once, and a tattoo of the cross swords and shield Mike had seen on the sign outside appeared. "This is a guild mark. It serves as an identifier for all Guild members." He tapped it twice in quick succession, then held his arm out parallel to the floor. The mark started to glow with a soft light. A translucent, almost holographic screen was projected. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Name: Anton Barthelemus Unther Class: Warrior of the Earthen Realm Guild Rank: Rank 6 (Silver) Title: The Earthen Terror - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "It is used primarily when interacting with the guild to prove your identity. In many countries it can also function in the place of identification documentation." He tapped his mark once more, causing it fade and disappear from his hand. "Now, please place your left hand on the Marking Stone, I know it''s a terrible name, but the Mage who invented it had terrible naming sense." Mike touched the stone with his hand. It was strangely warm to the touch. He felt a strange tingle and the mark briefly appear on the back of his hand before disappearing. "Alright, well congratulations again. You are now a member of the Adventurer''s Guild. I am obliged by Guild policy to inform you of a few basic rules. You can inquire at any branch in regards to requests available to your rank. If you register as a party with two or more adventurers you can accept quests one rank higher than your average party rank. Until you reach Rank 5, you must complete at least one request every two months or risk losing your registration. Failure to complete a request after accepting it will incur a penalty fee of 10% of the original reward." Anton paused, much of his earlier excitement lost as he took on the persona of a tired bureaucrat. "Let''s see, what else. Ah yes, promotion. Until Rank 5, you will be promoted automatically upon completing a sufficient number of quests of the appropriate difficulty. To be promoted to Rank 2 from Rank 1 requires three successfully completed requests. Rank 3 requires four quests, Rank 4 requires 5, and so on. Only quests at or above your rank will count towards promotion. To be promoted to Rank 6 requires you to complete seven requests and pass and examination hosted at one of the national headquarters." He sat down heavily behind his desk. "If you have any additional questions, please see Don at the reception desk. Mike decided he had enough of the sweltering atmosphere and politely excused himself. He had a lot of information to digest and wanted to clear his mind before coming back here. He stopped in with Don to inquire about possible requests for a provisional adventurer. "We have one, if you''d like to look it over." The receptionist drawled while pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to Mike. Realizing that he was still holding the blank form from earlier, he exchanged it with the request description. Don glanced at the form briefly before adding it to a pile on his desk with no change of expression. Mike started reading through the request sheet. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Investigation of Dewey Glen Rank 2 Request Details: A mysterious rash of livestock deaths has plagued the village of Dewey Glen for nearly a month. The village council has requested that the Adventurer''s Guild look into the cause and if possible eliminate it. Completion: Identify the cause of the livestock deaths Reward: 2 Silver Bonus: Elimination of the cause of livestock deaths will lead yield an additional 2 silver as a reward. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seeing as he would get paid regardless of whether or not he actually fixed the problem, Mike decided to go ahead and accept the request. After signing his name in a ledger used to track open requests Mike joined Morris in leaving the tiny office. "Whew, I''m glad that''s done," Morris sighed. "Now we can focus on some much more interesting matters. Let me show you to my favorite place in Mayde." He took off a little too eagerly. After a few minutes of quickly walking through the complex network of streets, the duo arrived at an opulent looking tavern. The building was a full story taller than the ones around it. A pair of red painted double doors were thrown open revealing a thriving common room. Music, laughter, and the sounds of general revelry filled the air. Above the doorway hung a sign proudly stating ''The Fanciful Maiden.'' Below it was a very well done image of a scantily clad young woman embracing a well-endowed stallion. Morris led him up the stairs and through the door. They passed dangerous looking bouncer, who gave them a hard stare before returning to scanning the common room. All around them men from various walks of life were drinking and laughing with young women dressed in revealing, corseted dresses. It reminded Mike of the cabaret clubs he had seen in his past life. One of the women separated from the general crowd and approached them. Mike was vaguely aware of her blonde hair and heavy make-up, but he had trouble drawing his gaze from the massive pair of breasts that threatened to spill out of her dress. A small part of his mind realized that despite decades of memories, he was having trouble controlling the libido of his teenage body. "Hello boys," the woman purred in a sultry voice, "You can call me Jasmine. What can I do for you?" Morris grinned at the way his younger companion was enjoying himself already. "We''ll be taking two rooms for the night." He said while producing a trio of gold coins. "We''d like the royal treatment." Jasmine smiled enticingly while making the coins disappear somewhere into her dress with a motion Mike was unable to follow. "Right this way, milords." She grabbed Mike''s arm in a way that made sure he got to appreciate it. She flashed a quick arm signal to the surrounding crowd, which caused several other women to gather around. "Alright ladies, we''ve got a pair of fine, young gentlemen who are in need of relaxation. Let''s make sure they have a night they will never forget." Chapter 19: Something Wicked This Way Bright sunlight streaming in through the window finally woke Mike up around mid-morning. He extricated himself from the arms of Jasmine and another two women he didn''t recall meeting. His memories of last night were blurry once the wine was brought out. Hopefully, he didn''t make a fool of himself. He stood up and tried to locate his clothes and equipment. It was a bit of an ordeal, since garments were strewn across the room in a haphazard fashion. It was a pleasant surprise to wake up without a hangover, but Mike figured that it must be a product of a youthful body. He vaguely wondered if binge drinking as a teenager might impact his body''s development. After finally locating his pants, he was just about to try tracking down his boots, when a contented sigh from the bed interrupted him. He looked over to find Jasmine sitting up, unabashedly displaying her assets. She glanced over at Mike with a smile, "Morning hon. Last night was amazing. I haven''t seen someone with that kind of stamina before. You really wore us out." She stood and stretched, causing Mike heart to start pounding at the sight, before expertly locating her dress. Once clothed, she poked the two other women awake and had them get dressed as well, before sending them on their way. "OK hon, you can take your time getting ready. You don''t have to be out until this afternoon. Feel free to come on down to the common room when you are hungry. There should be breakfast¡­" She paused, glancing out the window. "Or at the very least lunch available." "Sure, that sounds good." Mike replied, finally locating his boots now that the rest of the clothes were gone. While he was distracted, Jasmine swept him into her embrace and planted a kiss on his lips. His mind froze mid-thought, completely unable to respond before she pulled away. "Be sure to stop by and see me the next time you are in town." She flashed a mischievous grin. "I''ll make sure to give you a good discount." Before Mike could process his thoughts enough to say anything she left. [Whew, the women in this world are something else. Guess I must have done alright last night.] A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he checked his [Status] only to sigh once he saw the new entries. His Minor Endurance Enhancement had ranked up again, and he had picked up a Basic Poison Resistance skill that had already reached Rank 2. He guessed that it must have stemmed from the amount he drank last night. However, it was the new secondary skill and title that really depressed him. Philanderer (Title) A true womanizer, you are famous for your exploits in the bedroom. Minor increase to charisma when interacting with members of the opposite sex. (Increased to moderate when equipped.) Moderate increase to performance during intimacy with members of the opposite sex. Minor increase to improvement of related skills. Advanced Lovemaking (Tier 2, Rank 3) The art of pleasing a partner during acts of physical intimacy. Provides users with an intuitive understanding of what steps to take to satisfy lovers. Moderate increase to Endurance during intimate acts. Rank 3 Effects: Casanova Aura Casanova Aura Named for the famous playboy who pioneered this ability. Users subconsciously project an aura that attracts and entices those who could conceivably be attracted to them. This has the opposite effect on those who would not be. Moderate increase to charisma when interacting with those whose orientation matches the users perceived gender. Minor decrease to charisma when interacting with all others. "How the hell is it already at Rank 3?! And what the hell is up with that title?!" Mike sat down on the bed and sighed. As much as he hated the implications of the skill and title, he figured that the effects could come in handy in the future. "With this, I should at least be popular with the ladies." He got up, finished dressing and gathering his belongings, and went to look for Morris. It took some doing, but he was able to locate and wake up the older man. Morris was clearly suffering from a terrible hangover. On a whim, Mike tried out his healing magic on the man. "Thanks, I really needed that." Morris grinned gratefully. "Mages really have it easier." After a quick exchange, they agreed to meet down in the common room shortly. The tavern was much quieter in the daytime. There were only a few simply dressed women tending to a handful of people apparently eating lunch. Mike noticed that as soon as he entered the room, the women started watching him carefully, in an almost predatory way. The male occupants noticed their change in demeanor and almost as a one glared at Mike with a degree of hostility. He could only sigh. [I guess I''ll have to start getting used to this, unless I can figure out a way to turn off passive skill effects.] He decided he''d have to look into that later. Mike and Morris found themselves a table and ordered food. It turned out to be a thick vegetable and meat stew with a chunk of dark bread. To Mike, who had spent most of the last month either eating trail rations or at a military-style chow hall, it was delicious. He ended up getting seconds and thoroughly polished both sets off. Sated, he consulted Morris regarding their plans for the next few days. "I have to complete this guild request sometime soon. According to Don, it shouldn''t be more than a few hour walk to get to this Dewey Glen. Assuming I can resolve the issue in a day, I should have more than enough time to make it back here before the caravan leaves." Morris nodded thoughtfully, before grinning. "Alright, I''m going with you, though. No need to thank me, just appreciate my benevolence." "Whatever, I have a feeling I''m going to end up saving you again, like I did with the orcs." Morris pointed at Mike with his spoon. "Saving me! I had that orc exactly where I wanted him. If anything, you and your duel interrupted me." Mike found himself smiling, "Yeah, yeah you were really on the verge of victory from your position on the ground, bleeding." "Exactly! I was luring him into a false sense of security." Mike laughed. "Alright, whatever you say. Should we start heading out? We probably need to make it there before dark." "Yeah we do. This area is pretty safe, but traveling at night is an invitation for disaster. I just need to swing by the local weapon smith and pick up a new primary weapon." After visiting an out of the way shop run by a large, angry looking man, the two of them exited the northern gate and started walking down the dirt road. Assuming they didn''t run into any difficulties, they should be able to make it to the village by early evening. [While livestock deaths isn''t a particularly exciting first quest, I suppose it is a start. I was kind of expecting to do something with herb gathering or goblins, but this works too.] Mike thought to himself as mentally prepared himself for the tasks at hand. [Either way, I can''t wait to get started on my first real adventure.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tillie sneaked through the barn door, easing it closed behind her. A few streams of red-colored light still illuminated the interior, but it would be pitch black soon. If her parents found out that she was still outside this late, she knew she would be in serious trouble. Ever since the animals around the village started dying, her father had forbidden her to leave the house at night. However, Martha, her favorite cow went into labor earlier that day, and should be giving birth soon. Ordinarily either her father or mother would stay with the cow and make sure it was a successful birth, but they were both away from home at the moment. Tillie''s mother was staying with her aunt, helping her recover from an illness. Her father was called to an emergency meeting at the town hall, and probably would not be back until the next morning. This left the young eight year old girl and her slightly older brother alone at the farm. Even though she knew that her parents would be angry, she couldn''t bear to leave Martha alone at this crucial time. Her brother, Will, failed to live up to his name. Ever since he had come back home from playing one day, claiming that he had seen a demon, he hadn''t left the house. No matter how hard she begged him, he refused to go with her to look after the cow. Mentally cursing him for a coward, she continued on into the barn. Tillie cautiously tip-toed to Martha''s stall, wondering if all the animals were asleep. She could barely make out the silhouette of the pregnant cow in the dim illumination. It was strangely quiet, and she started to get worried that there might be something wrong with her favorite farm animal. As she fumbled for the latch, a faint sulfuric scent, mingled with the coppery tang of blood, tickled her nose. Thoroughly worried now, she threw open the stall door and rushed inside. She immediately slipped on a puddle of something wet and fell face first towards the floor. Although she managed to catch herself, the lower half of her dress was soaked in the lukewarm liquid. Still on her knees she looked at her hands. There was just enough light left to show her that her hands were covered in a dark, viscous fluid. A terrible premonition occurred to her as she looked up at the disturbingly still form of Martha, only to fight a wave of nausea at the sight. Something had almost completely disemboweled the poor cow. Blood and viscera littered the stall, soaking into the straw bedding. When she noticed tiny decapitated head of Martha''s calf still resting inside her stomach, Tillie couldn''t fight it anymore. A stream of vomit overwhelmed the scream trying to work its way out of her lips, splattering into the pool of blood she was kneeling in. The icy cold grasp of primal fear gripped her, as her mind was filled with the need to get away. She heard a shuffle of movement above her, and froze halfway to her feet. With her heart pounding in her ears, she slowly looked up at the origin. A dark shape hung in the shadows of the barn''s rafters. Two horrible red eyes stared down at the girl. She tried to scream, but no sound would escape her fear-constricted throat. She could only watch as the dark shape swept down towards her. The last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her, was a gaping maw, filled with razor sharp teeth. Chapter 20: Bardic Knowledge {Baleaf Flower} Common Plant (Tier 1, Rank 0) A common sight in the grasslands of Almir, this white flower is famous for its distinctive aroma. It is frequently used in the Almiran fragrance industry. Known to have minor medicinal properties as an analgesic. Mike sighed as he used Inspect on yet another plant along the side of the road. He had managed to increase the skill to Rank 3 in the time they had been walking to Dewey Glen, but he was having a hard time moving past that point. It seemed like the only time he made any progress is when he was examining rare of valuable materials. The plants he could find along the road simply didn''t make that much of difference. [I wonder why this skill is so hard to level up. I originally thought it might be due to it being Tier 2, but my healing magic doesn''t seem to have the same problem.] He decided to rely on the closest thing to an expert he had access to at the moment. "Hey Morris, what''s the deal with the tier ratings in the skill system?" The older man blinked at him in surprise. "I''d almost forgotten you had an issue with your memories. The tier system is supposed to be common knowledge." He frowned for a moment, pondering how to explain it. "To really understand the reason for tiers, you need to know a little bit about how the system works." He paused, squaring himself up as if he were about to deliver an important message. "It is said that the sacred number is five." Mike tilted his head in confusion. Morris hastily explained, "Look there are five creator gods, five foundation elements, five high elements, and five tiers used to classify all things in the system. All living beings have a tier in accordance with their skills. All objects are assigned a tier by the system based on a number of factors. Almost all skills have a tier associated with them, based largely on the effect of the skill." There was a lot for Mike to process in that bunch, and he felt like he now had more questions than answers. He waited for the other man to continue. "Each tier is broken down into five ranks meaning that, essentially, there are 25 ranks within the system. Objects and skills both have a definitive rank associated with them, but living beings are more complicated. Typically, their rank is dependent upon the sum total ability provided by their skills. The more developed an individual''s skills are, the higher the Tier they fall into. That said, it should be mentioned that we don''t have access to all 25 ranks. Tiers one through four are considered the limit for mortals, while Tier 5 is the realm of the gods. " He held out his hand and started count down his fingers. "Tier 1 is composed of the weakest individuals and most common things in the system. It has been estimated that roughly half of the people and creatures living in this world fall into this category. Everything from a common rock to basic crafted goods also falls into this tier. To put it in perspective, prior to my injury I was a low Tier 2 individual, but now I''m a high Tier 1." "How do you know when your tier changes?" Mike asked, interrupting. "When you develop enough to become a Tier 2, the system will begin to display your tier ranking in your status." Mike checked his [Status], and saw Tier 2 prominently displayed under his class. He must have missed the last time he had looked. Hopefully, this promotion wasn''t a product of the skill he had picked up after his night at The Fanciful Maiden. "Anyway, creatures and objects in Tier 2 compose most of the rest of the world. The creatures are primarily the skilled and competent individuals that have not yet reached the realm of true experts. The objects in this tier are more valuable, more useful, or contain more energy depending on the objects nature." He put down another finger. "Tier 3 is the realm of the powerful. People like high-ranking adventurers, elite knights, and skilled magic users populate this tier. Typically, they compose less than 10% of all living beings in this world. Tier 3 objects are usually extremely valuable, or contain a great deal of magic." "Is there really such a large gap between tiers?" Mike asked. "Keep in mind, each tier is composed of multiple ranks. There is not a whole lot of difference between two ranks of the same tier, but there is a significant gap between Tier 2, Rank 5 and Tier 3, Rank 1. Most experts believe that this is mainly due to the tier ratings of skills. A low ranking Tier 3 skill is much more potent than a high ranking Tier 2 skill." Mike nodded in understanding. "So going by the rankings so far, Tier 4 is reserved for the paragons of mortal achievement, right?" Obviously a little annoyed in having his thunder stolen, Morris replied. "That is correct. Tier 4 is the realm in which people like the Archmage of Cadun, the High Guildmaster of the Adventurer''s Guild, the Sorceress Queen of Mirithia, and the Thief Lord are found. Most true dragons and other similarly powerful creatures carry this designation. Objects in Tier 4 are quite simply legendary due to their rarity or potency." Mike opened his mouth to ask more follow on questions, but was halted by a stern look from Morris. "Finally, as I mentioned before, Tier 5 is solely the realm of the gods. It is rumored that living beings that are able to achieve Tier 5 through their skills become a unique type of divine being, an Ascendant Mortal. Supposedly, the system grants these individuals a number of powerful benefits, including immortality, but there have been no recorded instances of someone achieving Tier 5 as a mortal." "It''s hard to imagine that no one has ever achieved it. Ranking up skills isn''t that hard." Morris clicked his tongue in a smug manner. "On the contrary, as the tier goes up, the amount of effort required to improve skills increases greatly. You could rank up hundreds of Tier 1 skills in the time it would take to improve one Tier 4 skill." "Speaking of which, would you mind explaining a bit about skills?" "Well, I have already explained the ranking system, but you should know by now that there are four primary categories of skills: Primary, Secondary, Passive, and Inherent. Primary usually refers to skills that require a great deal of focus and effort to improve. The system only provides a limited number of slots for primary skills, typically based on the individual''s class. This number can range from a handful to dozens depending on the nature of said class. Fighting styles, crafting skills, and most magical skills fall into this category." Judging from how pleased he was looking, Morris evidently enjoyed taking on the role of an instructor. Mike filed away this information in the event he needed to cheer the man up. "Secondary skills are mainly composed of skills that either support other primary skills, or provide some basic ability that doesn''t require a great deal of focus to master. They include things like running, basic fighting skills, cooking, musical ability, and the like." "Passive skills are ones that constantly produce an effect without any direct action from the user. Most of these are enhancement or resistance skills that work to improve your base attributes and tolerance for certain things." "Living beings have access to their inherent skills from birth, based on their race and bloodline. They account for some of the peculiar racial traits that can be seen in specific individuals. For instance, orcs have inherent skills that provide them greater than normal strength, while moon elves have a natural affinity for arcane magic as a result of theirs?" "So, what about humans?" "Humans are pretty much unique in that they have no basic inherent skills save those acquired from non-human bloodlines. In some cases, humans can access the inherent skills of their non-human ancestors. Now I know this sounds like humans are unlucky, but many scholars theorize that there is a compensation of sorts built into the system." "Oh?" "Supposedly humans are able to improve their skills faster than other races. It''s not a huge amount, but it does explain why a race of people that usually live less than a hundred years can still compete evenly with those whose lifespans are measured in millennia. Also, it''s said that there are a number of very powerful human-specific classes." Mike stopped him there. "Speaking of which, do you mind going into more detail about classes?" Morris nodded, "Much like inherent skills, living beings are born with a class. It''s said that the system assigns a class based on the potential of the child, but this is not to say that you are stuck with that class. So long as you meet the requirements for it, you can change class. This includes advanced classes that are basically more powerful versions of a previous class." "So what does a class do?" "A class is kind of like a person''s gateway in interacting with the system. It limits and guides what aspect of the system an individual has access to. Basically, it determines what skills you can learn and the number of primary skill slots you have access to. Classes also provide a number of bonuses and enhancements related to certain things. For instance, a Farmer would likely have bonuses to agricultural skills and an enhancement to endurance." Mike had suspected that his class was broken, but now he knew for sure. "If you don''t mind me asking, what''s your class?" Morris replied with a grin, "I should warn you, it''s usually considered impolite to ask about a person''s class unless they bring it up first. That said, it''s not something I''m bothered by." He drew himself up proudly, "I am currently a Bardic Knight. I was born as an Apprentice Bard and spent much of my childhood at the Bardic College in Almira. It wasn''t a bad life, now that I look back at it, but I was always looking for adventure, so when I was old enough to make my own decisions, I left. I joined the Order of the Wheel shortly afterwards in order to avoid starvation. Apparently, it was largely impossible to make a living as an unlicensed bard. After I trained for a few years, I was able to pick up my current class." "Cool, so does that mean you are good at music and storytelling and all that?" "Believe it or not, I used to be a fair hand at the lute, back when I had both hands." He laughed at his own awkward joke. "But seriously, I think we should be getting close to Dewey Glen." Mike looked around and noticed that the sky had grown dark while they were talking. "If memory serves me right, the village should be just over that hill. We should be able to see the lake it was built next to any minute now." Morris pointed ahead. [I guess being a know-it-all is just part of the package with bards.] Mike thought to himself as the pair continued to walk down the path. Chapter 21: Doubters Gonna Doubt From the top of the hill, Mike and Morris could see the village in the fading light. It was small, barely 20 buildings within a rudimentary palisade. Outlying farms dotted the surrounding countryside. During the short walk down from the top of the hill, Mike continued to ask Morris questions that the older man seemed more than willing to answer. "So you mentioned arcane magic. I''m assuming that is different from elemental magic?" "Indeed. There are several different kinds of magic available through the system, but in general we tend to classify them into five distinct categories based loosely on the source of the magical effect." [They really have a thing for the number five.] Mike thought to himself as Morris continued. "You should be familiar with Elemental Magic. It''s the most fundamental form of magic and the most easily learned. The system provides a bridge between the caster and the elements, allowing magic to be performed with only mana as a power source. Simply speaking, it is the most potent in terms of direct application, but due to the fact that casters have to specialize in specific elements in order to have a chance of reaching high-tier magic skills, practitioners of Elemental Magic often lack versatility." "The other four categories are Arcane, Divine, Pact, and Summoning. Divine magic skills are available to the followers of divine beings. In exchange for prayer and other form of offerings, practitioners of Divine Magic receive access to powerful magic based on the nature of the divinity that granted it. For instance, worshippers of Mea, the Goddess of the Sea, would likely develop abilities regarding water, weather, or the ocean." "Some might say there are a number of similarities between Divine and Pact Magic, but don''t mention that to the religious. Pact Magic arises from pacts formed with powerful beings. These beings can be anything from nature or elemental spirits, to demons or other entities from the Outer Realms. This type of magic often gets a bad rap, since demon cultists and the like can gain power from it by sacrificing innocents, but like any other form of magic, I would argue that it is more of a tool than anything else." "That just raises more questions." Mike started to say before Morris interrupted him. "Save all questions for the end of the lecture. Summoning Magic is a rare and unusual type of magic that allows practitioners to call beings from somewhere, typically one of the Outer Realms, and serve them. Beyond that, it is a hard category to define, as each individual practitioner has their own unique variation of Summoning Magic." "Arcane Magic is the most comprehensive of the group. Practitioners of Arcane Magic interact with mana directly and shape it to their will. In order to do so, they need to intricately understand all aspects of what they are trying to accomplish. Since this often requires a great deal of willpower and knowledge to perform well, Arcane Magic is often regarded as the highest form of magic. It is also the category where a number of otherwise uncategorized magic skills end up. For instance Illusion Magic, Mental Magic, Magic Item Crafting, and Force Magic are all considered part of Arcane Magic despite being separate skills." "So does Healing Magic fall in there too? "That''s a good question, since most scholars categorized healing as a function of the fifth fundamental element, Life. As such it typically falls in with Elemental Magic, but it is important to keep in mind that there is a vast number of skills within the system, so there will be some overlap. Things that can be done with one form of magic can usually be done with another, it''s just a matter of efficiency. For example, an Arcane Magic user could throw a fireball, but it would require more time and more mana than if that same person had used Fire Magic." By this point, the pair had nearly reached the gates of the village, if the flimsy looking wooden door could be called as such. It was closed, and no one could be seen nearby. Mike walked up and tried to open the door, but found it secured from the other side. He shouted, "Hello? Is there any one there? We''re from the Adventurer''s Guild, here to complete a request." After a few moments the door opened and a grey-haired man with a peg leg and an eye patch stepped out. "Adventurers are ya? It''s about time. We put in that request near a week ago." Mike was slightly disappointed he didn''t sound like a pirate. "Well, we''re here now, so¡­" The old man cut him off, "No time for that now, you best get moving. They''re having a meeting down at the tavern. You should head there first." "I was just going to ask that¡­.." The old man started motioning them along. "Hurry now. The sooner ya get there the sooner ya can deal with the problem." Sighing in resignation Mike led a chuckling Morris through the gate and towards the largest building in the small village. The image of a frothing mug on a hanging sign identified their destination. The pair stepped into the crowded, smoky common room. It looked like close to fifty people were crammed into a space better suited for half that number. At present it seemed that the group was in the middle of a heated debate. "We can''t just wait for help that may or may not ever come! Whatever is killing our animals is growing bolder each day. Pretty soon it''ll start coming for people." A middle-aged bearded man was in the middle of yelling. "And what exactly do you suggest we do, Randolph?" A matronly woman chimed in from the back. "I''ve seen what''s left of Ander''s goat. I wouldn''t want to meet whatever is capable of that." The man rounded on the woman angrily, "Don''t you see? The longer we wait, the more likely it is for that monster to go after a person. And it won''t be one of you who lives inside the walls. It will be one of us in the outlaying farms that becomes the first human victim. We have to do something. No matter how dangerous it is, if we attack it as a group we can at least drive it away." "No!" An ancient looking man cut in. Judging from the slightly higher quality of clothing, Mike figured he must be a village elder or something to that effect. "We do not know what this creature is. If we provoke it unnecessarily the consequences could be dire. It is best to leave this to the professionals. We have already petitioned the lord for his assistance and placed a request at the Adventurer''s Guild. They will know the proper way of handling this and will have the strength to do so." The bearded man named Randolph didn''t seem to be convinced however, "Brady, you and I both know that Baron Redmond won''t take action until it affects his tax revenue, and it''s still weeks until the next collection. The paltry sum we gave to the Adventurer''s Guild would only attract the lowest ranking and most inexperienced adventurers. We can''t depend on either of them." Mike decided that it was time to announce himself, since Morris seemed content to let the drama play out and the crowd hadn''t noticed them yet. "Um, excuse me! I''m here from the Adventurer''s Guild." He called while stepping further into the room, displaying his guild mark in order to speed up the process. All eyes turned to stare at the pair, looks of relief and hope quickly turned to disappointment when they beheld a man with one arm and a youth standing at the tavern entrance. "See! This is all our money bought us, a cripple and a child." Randolph exclaimed, setting off a smattering of murmurs from the crowd. Morris sighed at the crowd''s scorn before stepping up next to Mike. "Hm, you should know better than to judge by appearances. Before I was injured, I was a knight of the Order of the Wheel, second in command of the garrison at Fort Cayern. Mike here, despite his youth is already an accomplished mage and swordsman." He gestured to Mike, as if giving him the stage. Suddenly in the spotlight as the uncertain crowd stared at him, whispering to one another, Mike was at a loss. Looking out at the expectant faces he could only think to give a demonstration. He raised his right hand and summoned a ball of fire. He put a little too much mana into it from his nerves and it emerged nearly a meter in diameter, burning intensely. The flame created a brilliant light that caused onlookers to squint. Startled, Mike quickly cut off his mana supply, returning the room to its former darkness. The crowd gasped in response, much to Mike''s consternation. [I know I went a little overboard there, but it shouldn''t be so surprising. Don''t they all have access to Lifestyle Magic? How hard is it to move from sparks to fire? I guess magic is difficult for people in this world.] "Bah!" Randolph exclaimed. "So he can summon a little fire." That said, even he seemed subdued by the display. Mike felt himself flush in anger. It was one thing to doubt him, after all he was a newbie adventurer, but being completely dismissed by someone was starting to get on his nerves. "Listen here you..." He started before he was interrupted by a young boy bursting into the room. "Help! Help! You''ve got to save her! Please, he¡­." The boy tripped and fell. Judging from how out of breath he was, he had evidently run far to make it here. "Will? What''s going on?" Randolph came over, a worried expression on his face. The boy paused to take a couple deep breaths. "It got her, dad. The demon got Tillie." Chapter 22: Moonlit Walk Randolph swept towards the boy angrily, "What''s this about your sister? What happened?" "T-The cow, M-Martha." Will stammered, terror and guilt warring in his features. "She was giving birth, and Tillie wanted to be there. S-She asked me to go, but I¡­I couldn''t, not while it was still out there." He choked back a sob, "Hic¡­She went by herself, even though it was dark. I waited for her to come back, but she was taking so long. I couldn''t take it anymore, so I went to look for her and then I saw it coming out of the barn." The boy''s face went pale as he started talking in hushed tones. "I saw it, the same demon I saw by the lake. It had Tillie in its mouth. It saw me, a-and I couldn''t do anything. I couldn''t move, couldn''t breathe, I-I could only watch as took Tillie and flew away." He looked up at the adults surrounding him, profound despair torturing his features. "The demon got my sister and I couldn''t stop it." Tears started streaming down his face. Mike glanced over at Randolph, expecting him to do something to comfort his son, but saw the man''s face twisted in worry and indecision. He was constantly tensing as if to burst into action, but seemed to remain frozen. Morris was the one to break the silence. "You said this ''demon'' carried your sister while flying away?" He frowned as if in deep contemplation. The crying boy nodded in response. "What did the demon look like?" "It was big, the size of¡­..the size of a big horse. It was walking all hunched over, using its wings as a second set of legs. I think it was hairy, but I''m not sure. I couldn''t look away from those horrible red eyes¡­." Will trailed off into silence. Mike suddenly had a thought, "You said you''ve seen this thing before. Where was it?" "There''s a cave north of the fishing pier, in the side of the ridge. It''s hard to see unless you are right next to it. I saw it coming out of there." "You can''t take what he says seriously." Randolph spoke up finally. "Will has always been a big liar, talking about seeing fairies and spirits every time he comes back from playing in the woods. The thing is, he''s the only one who ever ''sees'' them." Will seemed to shrink under his father''s dismissal of his claims. Frankly, Randolph''s attitude was starting to piss Mike off. He was just about to start verbally attacking the man when Morris broke in. "I have a couple of ideas about what this creature could be, but I''m not sure. If my guess is right, the girl could still be alive, but it would only be a matter of time for that to change. Will claims to have witnessed the creature leaving a cave near the lake, has anyone else seen it?" The adults in the common room shuffled around nervously, but no one spoke. "Fine, then Will''s story is the only lead we have, and the only chance we have of saving the girl. Mike and I will handle the creature, but we will need someone to guide us to this cave. Does anyone know where it is?" Once again silence reigned in the common room, until Will''s quiet voice broke in. "I do. I''ll take you there." He stood while wiping his tears. Morris smiled sadly and nodded. "Hold on. If you are taking Will, I''m going to." Randolph announced, determination evident in his face. "I can''t let strangers be the ones to save my girl." "Alright, is there anyone else brave enough to step forward?" Mike asked the crowd in a soft voice that nevertheless seemed to permeate the room. His only answer was silence. No one was willing to meet his gaze, but most had the decency to look guilty about it. He shook his head before turning to the other three. "Let'' go. The sooner we can save her the better." The group left the inn. Will took the lead, directing them towards the northeastern shore of the small Clearwater Lake. Randolph followed closely behind him, tension and worry evident the way he held his shoulders. When they finally exited the town and had been traveling awhile, Morris held Mike back a bit, opening the distance between them and the other two. Before Mike could ask him about it, Morris spoke in a hushed tone. "You should know, that if I am right about the creature''s identity, we probably won''t be a match for it." "What do you mean?" Morris glanced at the pair ahead of them before continuing. "I think the creature might be a vargul. There are a couple of possibilities based on Will''s description, but based on its behavior this one fits best. Newly converted ones tend to run afoul of local human populations, as they have a tendency to prey upon livestock. They are fond of eating the inner organs of mammalian creatures, and will often spend a great deal of time hunting around isolated farming communities. Eventually, they will start eating humanoids, which will cause them to evolve." When he heard the name for the monster, he couldn''t help but picture a massive angry looking seagull. "So what''s this vargul thing like?" "Varguls are actually a type of lesser vampire. They are said to arise from newly converted vampires who are unable to control their more bestial side. They take on the form of a giant, vaguely humanoid bat, which would match Will''s description." There was a lot for Mike to process in that statement. [I guess vampires exist in this world too. I shouldn''t be surprised about it, after all they are a staple of fantasy literature.] "So, what? Do we need to find some garlic? Trap it outside until dawn, so it can be destroyed by the sun? Drive a wooden stake through its heart?" Morris looked at Mike in confusion. "What? No. Vampires are nocturnal, so they are less active during the day, but that hardly means they will be destroyed by sunlight. I suppose stabbing it in the heart with a piece of wood could help, but there should be easier ways to do it. I don''t even know what garlic has to do with anything." Mike shook his head. "Never mind. What can you tell me about this vargul?" "Well, much like other kinds of vampires they tend to have superhuman strength, agility, and endurance. They have fantastic night vision, and a sense of smell that few dogs could match. Their regenerative abilities are frankly top of the line, and anything short of fatal injuries will heal in short order. Thankfully, varguls lack most of the vampire''s magical abilities, and are not known for being particularly intelligent. Although, they make up for it with a tough hide, capable of repelling most weapons, a fear inducing gaze they use to paralyze their prey, and a mild form of magic resistance which renders most low rank magic ineffective." "That sounds horrifying. Why are we trying to fight it in its lair, at night no less?" "To be honest, even newborn varguls are high Tier 2 monsters that would require at least a party of Rank 5 adventurers to subdue. The only reason I think we stand a chance at all, is that they have one major weakness." Mike motioned him to go on, already suspecting that his bardic compatriot was merely pausing for dramatic effect. "Their weakness is fire. All vampires are more vulnerable to fire for some unknown reason. Vargul''s are supposedly even more vulnerable, to the point that fire mages like yourself could be considered their natural enemy." "So let me get this straight. Your plan to stop this inhumanly powerful monster that usually requires teams of veteran adventurers to subdue relies entirely on my ability to properly wield my fire magic? Magic, I might add, I''ve only used once in an actual combat situation." Morris finally broke into a grin. "More or less." He chuckled a bit at Mike''s subsequent glare. "You seem to be pretty lucky, so I figure it should work out alright." He returned to his serious expression again. "Besides, if it proves too strong for us, we can always give up on the girl, report in to the Adventurer''s Guild about the threat, and let them deal with it properly." Mike nodded in response, but felt deeply uncomfortable with the idea of abandoning a small child to such a monster. "I hope you two are done whispering among yourselves, because Will says we are getting close." Randolph called from up ahead. "Alright, where is this cave, son?" He continued once Mike and Morris had caught up. "It''s just up ahead. In the side of that ridge." The boy said while pointing. Mike squinted, but couldn''t see the cave in the dim moonlight, but the portion of the ridge line indicated did look a bit strange. Morris nodded and drew his sword before motioning to Mike to do likewise. "Alright the two of you stay behind us. We''ll get the monster''s attention while you look for an opportunity to save the girl." He turned to Mike, "When we get in there, I''ll take the front line, keep it occupied, while you blast it with as much fire as you can muster. Agreed?" Although he was a little unhappy with Morris taking the more dangerous role, Mike understood the strategy of the plan and nodded his assent. With Morris leading the way and Mike providing light in the form of a small ball of fire he discovered he could maintain without too much effort, the group entered into the dark cave. Chapter 23: Heroes Rise "Alright everyone stay quiet. If we are lucky the creature won''t know we are here until we get close." Morris whispered when the group reached the mouth of the cave. Mike glanced back at the two following them, to see how they were holding up. Will look terrified, but determined. Randolph was clearly working hard to control his emotions, but worry was still visible on his features. As the group entered through the mouth of the cave, Mike noticed long scrapes in the wall and floor. He tried to imagine the kind of creature that would have claws capable of leaving those kinds of marks. The air in the cave was cold and wet. It smelled stale, musty, with a faint hint of rotting meat that got stronger the farther they went. As a naturally formed cave there were several branching tunnels and narrow points, but the group was able to follow the obvious path left by the vargul as it forced itself through. Eventually the path they were following opened in a vast open cavern. The light of Mike''s fireball barely illuminated it reaches, but covered enough to show piles of decaying animal corpses and bones. The stench of rotting meat was almost overpowering, but for some reason Mike wasn''t bothered by it as much as he had expected. Will and Randolph were gagging, barely holding it together, so Morris motioned for them to stay at the entrance while the pair advanced further. There was no sign of the vargul. After a few moments scanning the cavern they spotted a huddled figure in corner. They hurried over to find a young girl in a tattered and blood-spattered dress trying to hide herself in a small alcove. "Hey there," Morris whispered. "We''re here to help. You father and brother are just back that way. Come on, we''ll take you to them." The girl shook her head, still hugging her knees. "I know you are frightened, but don''t worry we''ll get you out of here before it comes back." The girl looked up at them, terror evident in her features. She whispered, "No, you don''t understand. It hasn''t left yet." Mike heard the clatter of a loose stone above them. He felt the hairs raise on the back of his neck as he slowly lifted his head to look. Hanging from the ceiling was a massive dark form. Mike only had time to take note of a pair of bright red eyes and a mouthful of fangs before it was sweeping down at them. "Move!" Morris yelled as he pushed Mike to the side. The vargul let out a terrible screech as it smashed into the floor where the pair had been. Mike momentarily lost concentration on his ball of fire and it went out. In a panic he brought it forth again while scrambling to his feet. In his rush he once again put too much mana into it and a brilliant light flashed into existence in the dark cavern. The vargul hissed and squinted its eyes at flame, giving him a chance to examine it momentarily. The creature stood nearly 2m tall and probably weighed more than a fully grown horse. It resembled a giant bat, but its face was disturbingly human. It was covered in a fine black hair that was caked in gore and filth. A pair of massive, folded, membranous wings supported it like forelegs, two clawed hands digging into the stone floor of the cavern with terrifying ease. It had a grotesquely massive chest situated above a stunted looking lower body, two short legs were barely visible. Leaping into action, Morris attempted to slash his sword across the beast''s face, but the creature was too quick, and was able to shuffle back in time to dodge. It opened those horrible, red eyes fully and fixed its gaze on the pair of them. Suddenly, Mike felt paralyzed, fear crushing him completely. He could see the two red orbs as they slowly approached him. Something clicked within him, and the fear abated enough that he could move again. Not wasting any time, he called for a fireball and launched it at the vargul. It once again tried to dodge with superhuman agility, but couldn''t get out of the way completely as the fireball exploded against the creature''s left wing. It unleashed a horrible screech in pain as the fire scorched much of the appendage, before rushing at Mike in a rage. He tried to avoid the creatures rush, but was knocked aside anyway. He felt lines of pain cross his chest, and he could only assume he''d been injured. As he rolled through the detritus spread about the room, he tried to channel some mana into healing his injuries. With a thunderous screech, the creature launched itself into the air, chasing after him. Just before it was able to do so, Morris delivered a blow to its injured left foreleg, throwing its aim off. The vargul crashed into the ground next to the prone Mike, but nevertheless scrambled to get its claws into him. There was something almost instinctual in its single minded hate for him. Somehow, Mike had managed to maintain his grip on his sword, and after bashing up against the cavern wall tried to drive it into the beast. Fear seemed to lend his arm strength as it stabbed deeply into the vargul''s neck. It jerked back in response, tearing the sword from Mike''s grasp before he had a chance to pull it out. The creature reached around with its mouth and removed the weapon, flinging it away, the injury already healing. Mike felt a splash of wetness across his face and the coppery tang of blood entered his mouth, as the creature reared up to deliver him a terrifying blow. Summoning as much fire as he could manage, Mike unleashed a cone-shaped blast of flame directly onto the vargul''s head and torso. The fire rolled over the creature, causing it to utter an unearthly howl of pain. He poured almost every remaining ounce of mana into the attack, and managed to maintain the intensity for a full three seconds before he had to stop. Consciousness dimming, Mike struggled to stay awake as he beheld his handy work. The vargul had been utterly blackened from the head down to its chest. Scorched bone could be seen in several places and both eyes had shriveled in their sockets. The stench of burning meat filled the air as the creature collapsed to one side, twitched a few times, and then laid still. Mike sagged in relief. It had been a close one, but he had managed to pull it off. He glanced around the battlefield and located Morris. The older man had evidently been clipped by the vargul as it leaped at Mike. He had a gash above his right eye and was staring around dazedly. Seeing that he would probably recover given time, Mike went to check on Tillie. The girl had curled into a ball, too terrified to even make a move during the confrontation. "Hey, it''s alright now." He tried to say in his most comforting voice. "That thing can''t hurt you anymore." She looked up at him while blinking away tears. "It''s safe?" She asked plaintively. "Yeah, now let''s get you out of-" "Mike! Look out." He whirled at Morris''s shouted warning in time to see the vargul poised to attack. The skin of its head and neck was still damaged, but Mike could see it visibly healing. One red eye stared balefully from the blackened skull of a face. Before Mike could react, a wing swept at him from the side. The blow knocked the wind from him, and he was left reeling until he smashed into the cavern wall. He heard and felt a snap in his back before collapsing onto the ground in a heap. After catching his breath, Mike tried to stand, but to his horror, he realized that he couldn''t feel his legs, nor make them move. The vargul started moving towards him swiftly, stopping only long enough to swat an unsteady Morris out of the way. Tillie was screaming, her high pitched cries echoing around the room. Something about the girl''s cries seemed to annoy the creature, because it stopped and turned back around to her. Mike realized he was about to watch the monster kill a child without the power to do anything about it. He pounded his legs, willing them to move. [Come on! Move, Damn you!] The vargul snatched Tillie off the ground and raised her to its mouth. Mike could vaguely hear the cries of horror and dismay from her family in the tunnel. As he lay on the ground, he was reminded of all the time he spent powerless in his past life. All the times that world had kicked him down and trodden upon him. He had promised himself that his new life would be different, that he would take charge of his own destiny and live without regrets. But it seemed like he was once again doomed to die a miserable and pointless death. [No! I will not let it end like this!] Anger surged through him, hotter than ever before. A cry of pure unadulterated emotion escaped his lips. He felt something click within him, and suddenly incredible power seemed to flow through his body. A soft white light seemed to emanate from him, bathing his surroundings. At the corner of his eye as system message popped up. [Limit Break activated. Blood Collector activated. Analyzing sample. Vampiric Regeneration identified. Integrating bloodline in 3¡­.2¡­.1.] Not stopping to think about what just happened, Mike threw himself at the vargul. He blurred forward at an incredible speed. The creature dropped the girl it was about to eat and turned to meet him. At this point Mike was acting almost purely by instinct, so rather than making use of any of the skills he had available to him he delivered an uppercut to the creature''s jaw. To the surprise of everyone watching, the vargul was lifted off its feet and formed a parabola in the air before collapsing nearly ten meters away. Some deep part Mike knew he would have to finish the creature off before it had a chance to heal, so he started looking around for his sword. He gave up quickly, however, when the creature started to move. [Fine. If I cannot find my sword, then I will make one.] He concentrated on summoning flame to his hand and forced it to take on the shape of a long, hilt-less blade. Channeling the full measure of will into condensing the sword, it took on the appearance of a beam of white light, heat shimmering off of it in waves. Mike dimly felt the palm of his hand burning, but all of his attention was now focused on the vargul as it rose to its feet again and screeched its rage. The onlookers felt that it started to behave fearfully in the face of the glowing youth. In the blink of an eye, Mike had closed the distance. Utilizing the Roaring Flame stance of Almiran Swordsmanship, he leaped into the air to deliver a devastating overhead chop with his sword of burning light. The creature tried to raise a fore limb in defense, but sword cut through it like paper, continuing on through the vargul''s body until it had buried itself in the floor. The cavern was still, the only sound was the crackling of Mike''s flame sword. Slowly, the vargul split down the middle, the two halves of the creature falling to either side. Mike realized that he had won for sure this time, and breathed out a sigh of relief. As if that was a signal, a wave of weariness crashed over him and unconsciousness claimed him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In shadows of small tunnel leading from the cavern two figures watched the battle to its conclusion. One was large and broad, built like a warrior. The other appeared to be child sized. As the glowing youth collapsed after defeating the vargul, the smaller of the two laughed displaying a pair of prominent fangs. "Interesting. It seems that Gilbert proved useful after all. Even if he couldn''t complete his change successfully, at least he let us witness something like this." "What shall we do with them, my lady?" The larger one inquired. "Nothing for now, but keep an eye on the one that used Limit Break. He''s going to be important in the future. We''ll have to see how we can make use of him when the time comes." She eyed the youth hungrily. "Besides, I think he will be quite delicious with a little more¡­..seasoning. Anyway, we done what we came her to do. It''s time to return." The pair vanished into the darkness, leaving no trace behind. Chapter 24: By Gods Decree Barth walked placidly through the long, empty corridor leading up to the meeting room. He paused to brush an imaginary speck of dust from his immaculate black suit, before entering the chamber. For all the grand vastness of the circular chamber, that seemed to stretch endlessly towards a non-existent ceiling, it was a simple affair. Bare expanses of marble floors and columns were only broken by a simple, round, wooden table situated at its very center. Five high backed chairs were placed equidistant from each other around its circumference. The lack of furnishings would bother most butlers, but Barth was unconcerned. He knew that the divine beings who visited this location cared little for ceremony. Nonetheless, he felt duty bound to provide some refreshments, no matter how unneeded they were, before the meeting that was scheduled to occur. With an effort of will, delicate crystal wine glasses appeared before four of the five chairs, and filled themselves with a dark, rich wine. Trays of assorted pastries, fruits, and cheeses emerged from the bare surface of the table. Barth had wielded divine levels of control over this place ever since he had assumed his duties as Custodian of the House of Convergence, the neutral ground between the realms of the five creator deities. He had been chosen for this dubious honor by virtue of being the only Ascended Mortal to have achieved his status through a non-combat skill. In his mortal life, he had risen from humble origins to become the head butler of an ancient king. Despite the envy and scorn of his more nobly born peers, Barth devoted himself to the art of service, becoming a consummate professional of world-wide renown. His efforts were rewarded when he reached Tier 5 in his Service skill, and Ascended. After several lifetimes of serving in houses of the powerful, Barth was offered a position in the most powerful of all, the house of the creator gods themselves. He took up the mantle of godhood along with the godly aspects of Loyal Service, Professionalism, and Order, and was placed in charge of the House of Convergence. A decision he ultimately came to regret. The realm itself was not large, and maintaining it was not difficult, but no one had explained that once he became the Custodian he was trapped there, doomed to spend eternity wandering its empty halls. Most other men would have long ago broken down under the strain, but it would go against Barth''s nature to be anything less than a true professional. And so he whiled away millennia, doing his best to maintain the realm for the rare occasions in which the gods met. A subtle change in the air shook Barth from his reverie, and he chided himself for letting old memories get the best of him. With his masters soon arriving, he still had a few tasks left to accomplish. Fortunately, since today''s meeting was only between the five creator gods, there was no need for the elaborate preparations. He had just finished eradicating the last speck of cosmic dust from the furnishings when the first guest arrived. She entered the room boldly, trailing wisps of silky material from her long and elaborate white dress. An aura of piercing white light, capable of blindly mortal eyes with a glance, surrounded the goddess, making it difficult for even a fellow god like Barth to look directly at her. Despite that, he had taken pains to make sure to memorize her features, as is only appropriate for a servant. If he was forced to describe her, Barth could only bring to mind an exquisitely carved statue of the purest marble. Everything about her was white, from pearlescent skin to her long, silky hair, to her glowing, pure white eyes. She held herself with a regal elegance as she glided into the room. "Announcing Aminatrea, Goddess of the Sun, Creator of Ea, Member of the Council of the Five, Mother of Light, Mistress of the Skies, Sovereign of Fire." "Barth, we''ve talked about this. There is no need to announce me to the room if no one else is present." "As you say, Your Radiance, but it would be improper to say nothing at all upon your entrance. Besides, I have already abbreviated your titles extensively. I would be remiss in my duties if I treated you with any less respect." The goddess sighed while taking a seat at the table, "Very well, if you must." She took a sip from the glass before sighing again, this time in contentment. "Ah, you always prepare the best vintages here. I''ve had my servants back in Sol try to replicate it, but they''ve had little luck." A cheerful voice cut in, "That, dear Amina, is because your angels don''t understand taste like a mortal, or at least former mortal, does." Taking his cue Barth stated, "Announcing Mone and Mona, God and Goddess of the Moons, Creators of Ea, Members of the Council of Five, Twin Masters of Night, Weavers of Mystery, Reflections of Stilled Waters." An effeminate youth dressed in muted blues and greys could be seen sitting in the chair next to the goddess, with no indication of when or how he arrived. His pale skin shined in contrast with his deep black, shortly cut hair as he nodded his thanks to Barth. He snatched up a cream puff from one of the trays and took a bite before smiling mischievously at Aminatrea. "So tell us the truth. We''re here because your plans for that little hero boy of yours went awry, right?" The goddess of the sun gave her counterpart a scathing glare, which actually caused line of laser-like light to bore through the back of the chair Mone had been sitting in moments before. "Now now dear brother, that''s no way to treat a friend. Its been so long since our last meeting, it would be a shame to end it prematurely." A slightly higher pitched voice answered as the goddess of the moon strode around a nearby column before resuming the seat her twin had occupied, and that Barth had already repaired with a short mental command. She was licking the last bit of cream from her fingers. There was no obvious difference in appearance between the twins who were said to share the same corporeal form, but a subtle hint of femininity let onlookers know that there had been a change. "Once everyone else has arrived I will announce the reason for my visit, and not a second sooner." "Well then I guess its a good thing most of us are here." A deep, gravelly, female voice broke in. "Announcing Teun, Goddess of Ea, Creator of Ea, Member of the Council of Five, Mistress of the Earthen Realm, Ruler of All That Grows, Giver of Life." After a short pause Barth continued. "Announcing Lysande, God of the Stars, Creator of Ea, Member of the Council of Five, Lord of Magic, Master of the Unseen Library, Ruler of the Five Winds." The announced pair took their seats at the table. The first was a tall, curvaceous and muscular woman with skin the color of wet earth and hair like tangled strands of grass. She was clothed in a riotous blend of flowers, vines, and leaves which formed a chaotic sort of dress. One that left little to the imagination. Her every movement oozed with vitality and sensuality. The second of the pair was a slender-looking older man, dressed in blueish-grey robes. A pair of spectacles rested on his prominent nose above a well-trimmed grey beard. Once he had reached his chosen seat, he pulled a book from the sleeve of his robe and started perusing its contents. A casual observer would think he wasn''t paying attention, but those around the table knew he would see and hear everything that occurred without issue. "I suppose that just leaves Yilon. I wonder where...." The sun goddess was cut off by a sudden chill that permeated the room. Barth found himself shivering and had to exercise his immense willpower to hold still. Even after millennia of service, he had trouble controlling himself around this god. "Announcing Yilon, God of the Void, Creator of Ea, Member of the Council of Five, Master of Entropy, Manifestation of Oblivion, The Veil of Hidden Truths." A sphere of perfect black, about a meter in diameter, appeared in the last remaining chair. A raspy monotone voice issued from it, "This one has been here since the beginning. This one simply chose to remain silent until you finish your pleasantries." Mone, now in place of his sister, laughed. "Come on Yilly, you know we love your company. We don''t even mind the depressing atmosphere and your tendency to disintegrate things that come in contact with you." "Please remember, this one''s designation is Yilon. Additionally, what is the purpose of this meeting?" Aminatrea stood and faced the group. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I''m afraid that I have to announce that the Hero''s Destiny I had assigned to a mortal has been usurped by another." There was a brief moment of stunned silence, before Teun stood, planted her hands on the table and leaned forward in an aggressive manner. "How is that possible?! Did you screw up the bestowal process? Do you have any idea what an unvetted hero could do? The kind of damage they could cause? Especially now! Do you even know who took it?!" By this point she was shaking her fist at the subdued sun goddess. "I am aware of the dangers. But despite my best efforts I haven''t been able to locate the cause. The mantle was originally intended for a young, spirit-touched boy from a small village in central Almir. I had hoped he would have proven a powerful unifying force in the upcoming time of troubles. However, someone or something inherited the mantle before his destiny could fully mature." "Have you not tried to track the culprit?! Nothing on Ea should be able to escape your eyes during the day." Aminatrea frowned at this intimation. "Is your opinion of me so low? Of course I attempted it, but I failed in every attempt. The whole sequence of events leading up to the disappearance of the Hero''s Destiny is largely unreadable. I have sent my servants to investigate, but so far no information has been forthcoming." Teun returned to her seat and crossed her arm, still quite furious. "I can''t believe we trusted you to do this. I should have known better than to let a jumped up...." "A jumped up what?!" The sun goddess yelled while rising to her feat. Her aura increasing in intensity as heat flooded the room. With a snap, Lysande closed his book. "Come now, Teun, Aminatrea. That''s enough. There is a probable explanation for this event, after all." "Ah!" Mona exclaimed. "Your talking about that event about a month ago. The one where the Ancient One interfered in our world." "Indeed." The old man continued. "It is beyond me to question the actions of an Ancient One, but by analyzing the course of events following its intervention I can guess at the origin of our present woes." "Well, don''t keep us waiting." Teun replied hotly. He paused briefly, seemingly for dramatic effect. "I believe the Ancient One has introduced a Fate-Touched individual into our world." Aminatrea sat down and raised a hand to her chin in contemplation, "Of course! That would explain the disrupted destinies I had been seeing. I had thought they were merely a side effect of the intervention itself." She looked up, suddenly concerned. "But this means that we have a potentially powerful individual who is largely immune to all but the most direct of our actions. One who now has access to the Hero''s Destiny." "Obviously we need to track down this person, and crush them." Mone said with a vicious smile while taking a large bite out of an apple. "No being should be allowed to usurp the power of the gods." "This one feels that the proper course is observation. This one believes that interfering in the plans of an Ancient One is problematic. This one proposes that we locate and analyze the being first and reconvene to decide on an appropriate course of action." The dark orb seemed to hum in slight agitation at the prospect. "You make an excellent point." Mona replied, nodding sagely before looking around the table. "Please forgive my brother''s bloodthirst, it is most unseemly. You must understand that we haven''t truly fed in quite some time, and it makes us quite irritable." She set the apple back on the table, but a look of ravenous hunger could be seen briefly on her features. Barth felt himself shudder. Of all the gods, the twins terrified him the most. Their cults on Ea tended to be highly secretive, but that hadn''t stopped rumors of human sacrifice and dark, horrible rituals emerging from time to time. "I also agree with Yilon," Lysande cut in. "We would do best to try and track this Fate-Touched mortal and limit the damage caused by his presence." Aminatrea simply said. "Agreed." Teun sighed. "Fine, but if he or she or it destroys something I care about, I am going to hold you personally accountable, you overgrown fireball." The sun goddess frowned, but continued. "Then we are in agreement. We shall find this Fate-Touched individual and meet again to decide what to do at that time." With that each of the deities left the room in turn. Yilon was the last to leave, simply fading from existence without a sound, leaving Barth alone in the chamber. The old butler couldn''t help but smile while walking out and closing the door behind him. He wasn''t sure what the contents of the meeting foretold, but an instinct he had honed since his mortal life, one that had made him such an accomplished butler, told him that things were changing. He sensed that the stale state of affairs that had continued unabated for tens of thousands of years was about to end. An end that couldn''t come soon enough. Chapter 25: Newfound Strength Mike awoke in an unfamiliar bed with a splitting headache. [This is the second time this has happened. I really need to stop making a habit of it.] He started to stand, but immediately felt dizzy. [I must have really done a number on myself. Better rest for a while.] Not long after the door opened and Morris walked in. There was a bandage around his head, but he otherwise looked fine. "Ah, you''re awake. This was a lot faster than that time out in the woods, I think your mana regeneration is starting to get better. Anyway, we need to talk about what happened in the cave last night." "What do you mean?" "Well....that skill you used when you killed the vargul...it''s a little problematic." Mike thought back to the fight with the creature, and found his memory of the event a little blurry after he was thrown into the wall. [That''s right! I think my back was broken. How was I able to get up and finish that thing off?] Despite that, he couldn''t figure out what Morris was talking about. "What, do you mean the flame sword thing I did? I know it was probably impressive to look at, but I''m sure most fire mages could do something similar." "While that was an impressive display of mana control, it''s not what I''m talking about. You may not be aware, but you used the Limit Break skill to finish the beast off." The name triggered something in Mike''s memory.....well, something more than signature skill in the famous video game series. He vaguely recalled seeing a system message and looked at his [Status] and tried to take stock of all the changes that had occurred since last night. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 2 (Upper) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero (NEW) -------------- [Skills] -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 2) Basic Healing Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Inspect (Rank 3) Initiate Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 4) Basic Water Magic (Rank 2) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Blood Collector (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Running (Rank 2) Basic Evasion (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Spear Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Sword Fighting (Rank 4) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Riding (Rank 3) -------------- Passive Skills: Basic Fear Resistance (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Physiological Resistance (Rank 3) (EVOLVED) Basic Poison Resistance (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 2) (NEW) Minor Mana Enhancement (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Minor Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 2) (NEW) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Minor Agility Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Minor Strength Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Limit Break (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser (NEW) -------------- [Titles] - Hero - A chosen champion, blessed by one or more of the creator gods. You bear an epic destiny, and have been granted power to help see you through it. Moderate increase to Strength, Agility, Endurance, Mana, Willpower, and Charisma. Minor increase to the acquisition and improvement of skills. [Primary Skills] - Intermediate Fire Magic (Tier 2, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Fire magic allows the user to create and manipulate fire. It is characterized by powerful offense, but lacks fine damage control and defensive techniques. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Shaped Flame - Shaped Flame - Fire is inherently a type of energy without form. Intermediate Fire Mages learn to blur the line between matter and energy and temporarily produce fire with substance. Through an effort of will, the practitioner can shape this material fire. - Blood Collector (Tier 3, Rank 1) - The signature skill of the Blood Mage class, users of this skill can harness the latent potential of blood they consume. By sampling sufficiently powerful bloodlines, the user can acquire their inherent skills. Only one inherent skill can be acquired per skill rank. Once selected, the inherent skills cannot be changed. [Secondary Skills] - Intermediate Elemental Magic (Tier 2, Rank 1) - The second most fundamental form of Elemental Magic. Allows users to access magic skills for the four primary elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Additionally, allows access to magic skills for two of the high elements: light and dark. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Elemental Magic skills. Rank 1 Effect: Composite Elemental Magic - Composite Elemental Magic - Practitioners with two or more of the primary Elemental Magic skills of intermediate level or higher, are able to combine them to produce different forms of elemental magic. Air and water produce ice, air and fire produce lightning, air and earth produce sand, water and fire produce steam, water and earth produce mud, and fire and earth produce magma. [Passive Skills] - Basic Physiological Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 3) - You have developed the ability to control your body''s physiological responses to a limited degree. Provides minor resistance to the negative effects of physiological responses. - Basic Heat Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 2) - Frequent exposure to heat and fire has increased your body''s ability to handle high temperatures. Provides minor resistance to the negative effects of high temperatures. - Minor Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Tier 1, Rank 2) - By consistently emptying of your mana pool, you have trained your body to recover its mana faster. Minor increase to mana regeneration. - Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Through physical training the user has increased his/her body''s natural limits. Provides a moderate enhancement to Endurance. - Limit Break (Tier 4, Rank 1) - The signature skill of heroes. In times of intense emotional stress, the user can break through his/her innate limits providing a brief moment of incredible power. However, breaking one''s physical limitations comes with a price. While activated, large increase to all attributes. Higher ranks of skill increases both the attribute enhancement and the duration of the effect. Current duration: 1 min. Drawback: After effect ends, moderate decrease to all attributes for 24 hours. [Inherent Skills] - (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser (Tier 2) - (Acquired through Blood Collector) You have inherited some of the legendary regenerative powers of the vampire, allowing you to heal from virtually any non-fatal injury. By utilizing a requisite amount of mana, this skill can even regenerate lost body parts. Large increase to the healing speed of all ordinary injuries. Exposure to fire will slow or halt this process. - - - - - - - - - - - Mike felt a little giddy after seeing all the changes his [Status] had undergone. There was a lot to process when he had time, but he located the offending Limit Break skill and the title likely associated with it. Morris continued, seemingly oblivious to Mike''s overwhelmed state. "You probably don''t understand the full implications of being able to use that skill, with your memory issues and all, but check your [Status] if you haven''t already done so. Do you happen to have the Hero title?" Mike paused to consider for a moment. Even though he had come to trust the young man, he had no way of knowing what sort of effect sharing this information would have. Finally, he figured that since Morris was able to guess it already, lying about it now would serve little purpose. "Yes, it''s there." Morris sighed and took a seat on the simple wooden chair next to Mike''s bed. "Well that complicates issues. Being chosen as a Hero is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand you will be much stronger than peers and able to improve much faster. On the other, the rise of a Hero means that the gods have foreseen a time of troubles in the future. As a Hero, you are destined to stand against some great threat and protect the world. It will mean a lot of difficult battles. Not only that, but as soon as your identity as a Hero is exposed, you''ll become globally famous. Powerful factions will try to meet you and make use of you. The common populace will treat you like an object of worship, but still expect you to protect them from every danger. Those whose work is potentially threatened by your existence will try to have you killed." Mike wondered how his Fate-Touched skill would impact this whole destined to save the world thing. Judging from the description, he figured that nothing in this world could really influence his future besides his own actions. Morris continued. "So the way I figure it, you''re going to have to deal with your identity as a Hero eventually, but that time may be far off in the future. If we keep it a secret, at least you can enjoy a semi-normal life for the time being. I''ve gone ahead and made sure that Randolph, Will, and Tillie won''t say anything. Thankfully, they didn''t understand the significance of what they saw." Despite Morris''s glum outlook, Mike found it hard to be upset about the whole thing. Both the Hero title and the Limit Break skill seemed phenomenally useful, and it was entirely possible that he could avoid having to follow the path of a Hero. Worst case scenario, he''d have to save the world. While this didn''t exactly sound pleasant to him, he figured that there were worse fates than playing the hero. He nodded, "Yeah that sounds like a decent plan. At the very least it will give me some time to get situated in this world. Speaking of them, how are those three doing? Did they make it out alright?" "Besides you, no one was seriously injured. Randolph even volunteered to carry you out. Evidently your heroics while fighting the vargul left a good impression. They''re actually waiting downstairs for you to wake up. I think they wanted to thank you in person, if you feel up to it." "That''s a relief. I''m still a little weak, evidently the drawback from the Limit Break skill is in effect at the moment, but I think I can meet some people without too much trouble." "Fair enough," Morris said, while standing, "I''ll be right back." After a short wait, the door burst open and an excited Tillie rushed in. "Are you alright? You looked so weak when my dad was carrying you out...." She stopped in mid-sentence, blushing fiercely. Her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to say something but couldn''t. A pretty black haired woman who looked to be in her early thirties followed closely behind Tillie. Mike guessed she must be the girl''s mother. As soon as she saw Mike, she gasped slightly and started staring at Mike as well, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Oh, my." She sighed in a slightly amused voice. Will entered next, followed by his father. The boy seemed to sense the odd atmosphere in the room because he kept looking back and forth between Mike and his family. Finally Randolph coughed loudly, "Son, it might be best if you put a shirt on. I think you are distracting the womenfolk." Mike realized after glancing down that he was naked from the waist up. In the brief moment his thoughts were trying to catch up to the situation, he noted that his chest and arms had become a lot more muscular since arrival in this world. Although still relatively slender, especially considering his age, he now looked like a professional martial artist with his shirt off. "Haha," He chuckled nervously as he donned a loose fitting white shirt that Morris must have laid next to the bed. "Sorry, I just woke up." He thought he could hear a snicker from Morris in the hallway, and promised himself that he would get his friend back for this. Seeing that his wife and daughter were still in a strange state of mind, Randolph evidently decided that it would be best if he led the conversation. "No problem. We''re the ones intruding after all. We won''t keep you long. You haven''t met my wife Jess." Mike exchanged nods of greeting with her. The woman was smiling in manner that made him a little uncomfortable, but he tried to focus on Randolph''s next words. "I know the family wants to thank you for your actions, but first I have to apologize." He stepped up to the side of Mike''s bed, and bowed his head, a pained expression on his face. "I''m sorry I doubted you. Although you and your companion look young and inexperienced, you are brave and powerful adventurers. I will never forget the sight of you charging across that cavern to save my daughter from that monster. I can only hope that you will forgive me for making light of your abilities." Mike waved his hands in front of him, embarrassed by the man''s sudden formality. "There is nothing to forgive. I know Morris and I aren''t much to look at. Besides, I actually am a novice adventurer, so you weren''t wrong in your initial assessment." Randolph smiled gratefully, "Then let me be the first to thank you." He looked back into the hallway and motioned Morris in, "Both of you. If not for your efforts, my family would have been torn by tragedy. We are humble farmers and don''t have much to offer, but if you need anything, you merely have to name it." The rest of the family took turns thanking the pair. When it was Tillie''s turn, Jess had to push her forward. The girl was still blushing fiercely and couldn''t look Mike in the eyes. After a few moments of silence she managed to stammer, "T-T-Thank you for e-everything. C-Can you tell me your name?" Mike smiled gently at the embarrassed girl, "You can call me Mike." Tillie returned the smile nervously before running over to bury her face in her mother''s skirt. Jess ruffled the girl''s hair gently. With mixed emotions on his face, Randolph spoke up, "We should let you get your rest, since you are still recovering." He started to lead his family out of the room. "Make sure to come back and see us sometime." Jess said with a slightly smile as she was leaving, eliciting a concerned glance from her husband. Morris started walking out as well. "Better get used to that. All the heroes in the past were famously popular with the ladies." He paused for a moment. "Quite a few of them were also popular men, and not just the female ones now that I think about it. Anyway, I''ll make sure the village elder signs off on the completion of the request." [I guess that adds up, since charisma is one of the attributes improved by the Hero title.] Mike thought to himself as he got up to use the chamber pot. [I have a feeling that title combined with the Casanova Aura is going to cause me more trouble than any amount of world saving ever could.] He paused in the middle of doing his business, "What the hell?! It got bigger?!" Chapter 26: On the Road Again Once Morris had the requisite paperwork completed, and Mike felt strong enough for the walk back to town, the pair left the village. So long as they avoided any mishaps, they should be able to make it back to Mayde by later afternoon. "Almost forgot to mention. Here." Morris commented as they were a little ways down the road. He handed Mike a sack with a heavy round object the size of a child''s skull. "What is it?" Mike asked while peeking inside. "It''s the vargul''s heart." "Blergh! Why would you give me that?!" Morris laughed, "It''s the only really valuable component of the vargul. Much like other kinds of vampires, their bodies tend to break down after death, leaving only their heart which crystallizes. Vargul heart is a potent alchemical ingredient which can be used to make a number of products. Although the one we fought was probably a particularly young one, its heart should still net us somewhere in the region of 20-30 gold. That''d be enough to replace your weapons and armor." Mike glanced down at the sword he still wore at his side. The fight with the vargul had twisted it out of shape, to the point it barely fit back into the sheath. His leather armor that he had gotten from the Order was almost completely tattered beyond salvaging. So, with the exception of the bracers and greaves which were still functional, he sold the remaining scraps to the local leather worker. "We can get you something basic once we get to Mayde, but if you want to make it as an Adventurer, you were going to have to upgrade eventually anyway. Wyrport has some of the best markets in the country, so we should be able to find you some good stuff." "Fair enough. What do you want to do with your share?" Morris blinked, "No, no, no. This was your kill. I don''t mind taking half of the reward money for the request, since I certainly identified the threat, but I didn''t do anything to help kill it." "Look, as far as I''m concerned, we''re partners. If it wasn''t for your insight and knowledge, I wouldn''t have stood a chance against that monster. You contributed just as much as I did, so it''s only fair that we split the loot." Morris didn''t look convinced, so Mike continued. "I know you''ve been feeling a little useless since you lost your arm. I can''t imagine what it must be like to go through that, but if it wasn''t for your help and support I''d be lost. Your experience and knowledge and wisdom have made this trip easy¡­., well, easier than it would have been otherwise. You can offer so much more than the strength of your arm, and I for one am proud to call you my friend." The older man looked away, obviously a little overcome with emotion. Eventually he looked back. "Alright, you win. I''ll take your money, but I''m buying the first round when we get back to town." It was Mike''s turn to laugh, "Fair enough. Hey, if you want, I''d even be willing to let you cover another night at the Fanciful Maiden." "Don''t push it. Do I look like I''m made of money?" The pair chatted amicably about various things for the rest of the trip back. They made good time and were able to stop by the Adventurer''s Guild before it closed for the day. Don, the guild receptionist seemed surprised to see them. "I didn''t think you would survive. I guess congratulations are in order." Without changing his perpetually bored expression, he pulled a lever on the wall behind him. With a click, a banner unfurled from the ceiling emblazoned with ''Congratulations, New Adventurer!'' "The manager makes me do that for all the newbies who successfully complete their first request." He drawled. "Speaking of which, the manager needs to verify your placement." He got up and slowly shuffled into the corridor leading up to the manager/guildmaster''s office. After a short wait, Mike was invited to head upstairs. An exuberant Anton welcomed him into the office. "Don tells me you''ve completed your request. Do you happen to have the form with you?" Mike handed him the paper. "Hm, yes I see. Full marks from the client with a bonus thrown in too. You seem to have gone above and beyond this time my boy, well done." Mike wondered what other times he was talking about. He paused after reaching a particular point, and looked up at Mike in astonishment. "A Vargul?! You actually killed a vargul? In its lair? At night?" Mike nodded, but couldn''t get any words out before Anton replied, "Ridiculous! It would at least take a Rank 6 adventurer like myself to that. Do you have any proof?" Mike silently dumped the varugl heart on Anton''s desk. It sat there, glistening in the light, looking to all the world like a fist sized chunk of red crystal. One that vaguely resembled a human heart. The guild manager stared at it for a good minute, disbelief written on his features, before he sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking older than he did when Mike first walked in. He motioned for Mike to place the heart back into the sack while quietly muttering to himself. Mike barely caught the words, "Kids these days," and decided it wasn''t worth trying to listen closer. Anton continued to glance over the document for a few minutes before placing it on a pile on his desk. "It seems you have some talent as an adventurer, so I see no reason why you can''t start at Rank 3. It''s the highest rank I''m allowed to start you at, so don''t complain to me about it being too low." He murmured in a tired voice while rubbing his eyes, as if fighting a headache. "I''m fine with that." "Place your hand on the orb again, and I''ll update your rank." He said while setting up the strange box device on his desk. After completing the simple task, Anton unexpectedly livened up again. "Say, I don''t suppose you are looking to sell that heart? While this is only a branch office, so we don''t have access to the full material trading services of larger guild halls, I think I can work something out on my end. What do you say to five golden wrens for it?" Mike found himself at a loss for words at the blatant greed exhibited by the so called guildmaster. [Hopefully, he is not representative of the rest of the guild, otherwise I might have made a mistake in joining.] "A trusted acquaintance of mine told me I shouldn''t part with it for less than 30." "Bah, there''s no way that thing is worth 30, you would be lucky to get 10 for it in Wyrport. Fortunately, I happen to know a few alchemists who would pay well for a fresh sample. To celebrate your completed request, I can offer you 15 gold, which is about as much as I would make from selling it to them." "That''s a fine offer, but I wouldn''t want you to go through the trouble. After all, you''ve done so much to help me since I got here. Why don''t you point me in the direction of the alchemists, and I''ll meet them directly." "Grr, fine. I''ll give you 20 and not a coin more." Mike felt a familiar click inside of him. "Make it 25 and it''s a deal." Anton looked ready to throttle the young man, but finally relented and accepted the offer. "Now get out of here, you reprobate!" He said as he tossed a bag full of gold at Mike. The newly minted Rank 3 adventurer grinned and caught the bag, and after counting it out, went back downstairs. He remembered to pick up his request reward of four silver before he left. The pair briefly went shopping. They managed to find Mike a decent sword for 2 gold, but decided to wait until Wyrport to look for a good set of armor. As they head towards the inn for the night, Mike couldn''t help but feel optimistic. He had money in his pocket, a good friend by his side, and a life of adventure ahead of him. What could go wrong? - - - - - - - - - - - The shack looked empty, disuse evident in unkempt and decaying exterior. Bergis, the dwarf Seraphina had always called her uncle, had been missing for weeks, and she started to fear the worst. From her vantage in the wood line, it didn''t look like a trap, but she couldn''t be sure unless she got closer. She had finally managed to lose her tail outside of Goldspear. She hadn''t slept in days, but she knew that if she stopped for any length of time her pursuers would catch up. After conning her way into a merchant caravan heading down the coast, she disappeared in the middle of the night when it got close to her destination. Now she squatted next to a tree, watching the shack, and hoping against all hope that her mother would suddenly show up. Despite her skill, she was still only fourteen, and there was little she wouldn''t give to have her mother back. After a few hours of careful observation, she couldn''t find anything out of the ordinary. Finally, impatience got the best of her, and she cautiously made her way up to the shack. The door was hanging open revealing a torn apart interior. She was initially worried for her mother''s safety, but after looking things over, she decided that the vandalism must have occurred a long time ago. After a quick scan of the shacks contents, it became evident that nothing living resided within, so she checked the loose floorboard in the corner. Her mother had made sure she remembered it in the event they needed to pass messages. Under the board she found a letter, yellowed with age. She opened with trembling hands and began to read. My Dearest Sera, If you are reading this, then my efforts to evade the Cabal have failed. By now I am either captured or more probably, dead. I know- Seraphina had to stop. Tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes. Some part of her had known that it would be this way, but she had hoped otherwise. After a few minutes she regained enough control to continue reading. I know how hard this must be for you. I am sorry that I had to lie to you, but it was the only way for me to ensure your future. In all the future''s I have foreseen, there was never any hope for me. I was doomed from the start, so please don''t blame yourself. I am afraid that you don''t have time to grieve. In a short while the Cabal will catch up to you. I don''t know how, but they will. You only have one chance, one possible future where they don''t win. You must travel to the city of Wyrport. There you will meet a man with the power to save the world, or perhaps destroy it. One who wields Destiny like a weapon, yet remains unbound by it. You will have to guide him on his path, lest he be consumed in darkness. I know you can do this, Sera. You are stronger than I ever was. My only regret is that I won''t be able to watch you grow into amazing young woman I have seen in my dreams. Now go, before all hope is lost. Know that I will always love you, Mom Despite the dire warnings of the letter, Seraphina couldn''t help but sob uncontrollably for a few minutes, clutching the letter to her chest. It finally donned on her, that she was utterly alone in this world. She felt a crushing despair that threatened to overwhelm her. At that moment, she simply wanted to lay down and die. However, some fundamental part of her flared with anger. Anger at the Cabal for taking her mother, anger at the gods for allowing it to happen, anger at herself for not being able to stop, and even anger at her mother for lying to her. She stood and crumpled the letter in her fist, but couldn''t bring herself to throw it away. She stuff the mangled paper into her pocket and left the shack. By now the last of her tears had dried, revealing eyes filled with determination. She turned to the northwest, towards the city of Wyrport. She would find that man, and use his power to make the Cabal pay, to destroy their plans and lay waste to everything they held dear. Chapter 27: To Adventure! Again! Mike felt a chill run down his spine, and he quickly glanced around. Not seeing anything particularly concerning from his vantage atop Barley, he returned to examining the two secondary skills he had picked up recently. - Basic Haggling (Tier 1, Rank 1) - There is an art to making the perfect deal, and you have taken your first steps down the path of that art. Minor increase to charisma for the purposes of buying and selling goods or services. - Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Tier 1, Rank 2) - You have learned the proper method of controlling your breathing and coordinating your fingers to create music with wind instruments. Minor increase to system correction when playing a wind instrument. After much deliberation, he concluded that neither skill had any real combat application, with the possible exception of some kind of music-based magic, nor was it related to production in any way. He was forced to accept that the system had in-built skills that covered more than just fighting. He was not sure why this surprised him, since there were more than just warriors and mages living in this world, but he felt that it cheapened the whole process somehow if he could just acquire musical talent. He concluded that it was just another strange aspect of the new world he was living in. The first of the two new skills had popped up after his meeting with Anton, but the second had shown up recently. Mike had been learning how to play the flute after one of the young women in the caravan had offered to teach him. In an effort to stave off some of the advances he had been receiving from the females they had been traveling with, he had brought up the topic of music. Surprisingly several of the caravan members seemed well versed in musical instruments, so he randomly selected one to become his teacher. With a single night of practice he had already acquired the skill and increased its rank. He was once again reminded how much of a cheat his class was. They were scheduled to arrive in Wyrport today, and Mike was already able to notice some major changes in the surrounding landscape. Most prominently was the road, which had become paved with blocks of grey stone, and nearly twice as wide before he noticed. The plains they had been traveling through had given way to gently rolling hills. Small farms and ranches seemed to cover most of the countryside, and traffic had increased, with numerous carriages and wagons. Mike was surprised to see more than just horses being used as mounts and beasts of burden. Large, shaggy bovine animals that stood nearly 3m tall at the shoulder, giant lizards, a few varieties of herbivorous dinosaurs, and even horse-sized wolves could be seen moving down the road. One group of short yet solidly built humanoids, which Mike assumed were dwarves, was riding a metallic contraption that vaguely resembled a stripped down automotive. Judging from the way they were arguing with one another while the machine started belching black smoke and ground to a halt, they had not yet perfected the technology. Speaking of the people, Mike had mostly seen humans, typically dressed as peasants and commoners, going about their business. However, every now and then he''d see a dwarf, beastman, elf, and even a group of scaly, humanoid lizards. Seeing all of these different races moving along, side by side, got him thinking. "Hey, Morris. What sort of racial discrimination goes on around here?" The older man poked his head out of the back of a nearby wagon, a confused expression on his face. "Racial discrimination? Uh¡­. None, I guess. At least not officially." "Really?" "Well the Kingdom of Almir is somewhat unusual in that regard I suppose. We are a predominantly human nation, with only small populations of other races. Government policies are in place to protect most minorities, but they usually aren''t needed. The people of Almir tend to think highly of non-humans ever since the kingdom was saved by a multiracial coalition during the War of Ashes about two hundred years ago." Once again, Mike found himself with a slew of new questions, but refrained from asking them, vainly hoping that Morris would avoid entering another of his lengthy lectures. "That said, there is always some degree of tension, and isolated incidents of racial conflict are a fairly common occurrence in the larger cities. There are several scholars who point to ancestral conflicts during the Second Pyrathien Empire period¡­.." Mike sighed, already regretting asking his question. Ever since Dewey Glen, Morris seemed to have taken it as his sworn duty to educate Mike on the complexities of life in this world. He couldn''t count the number of times he''d have to feign interest as the bard lectured him for hours. Thankfully, they had just crested a hill giving them a view of the city. It was much larger than Mayde. In fact, Mike was hard pressed to really guess at the size of it. Thick walls, tens of meters high stretched for kilometers in each direction. They blocked off most of his view, but he could see the tops of several towers and spires in the late afternoon haze. A vast stretch of blue was visible behind the city. Mike guessed this was the famous Wyrmrest Lake. "Hey look. You can see the city." Morris paused in mid-lecture to glance around the side of the wagon. "Ah, yes. The second biggest city in Almir. Pretty impressive, right?" Mike nodded in response. Morris continued. "Not only is it located on several important trade routes, but it is one of the few cities with a full fledged dungeon located inside the city walls. This enables a steady supply of resources from the local adventurers. Which in turn, has led to the development of extensive crafting services in terms of magic items, weapons, and armor. In many ways it can be considered a paradise for adventurers." "Wait, run that by me again. A dungeon? As in a the type with dungeon cores, respawning monsters, and treasure chests?" Mike new that he had basically reincarnated into a novel plot line, but was astounded that such a convenient thing could exist in reality. "Well, yes something along those lines. If I recall, there is a beginner''s course in the Wyrport Adventurer''s Guild that takes you down to the dungeon. If you want to know more about it, that would be the best way." Mike made a mental note to do so as soon as he got to the guild. The caravan continued until it was close the walls, before splitting into one of five lines forming on the right side of the gargantuan gates. In a short period of time the Hugh, the caravan master, had negotiated with the gate guards for passage and the group passed through. With little thanks, and much under the breath muttering, Hugh paid Mike and Morris for their escort duties. After bidding farewell to the caravan members, the duo walked into the bustling city of Wyrport. "So, where to first?" Mike asked while leading Barley, the steadfast mare placidly following along with little to no encouragement. "Well, I''d suggest finding an inn first. Somewhere with a stable for your horse. Then I''m not too sure. You''ll probably want to stop by the Adventurer''s guild before heading down to one of the local markets to get yourself some gear. As for me, I plan on getting good and drunk tonight, before looking for work tomorrow." Mike sensed a despairing undertone in Morris''s words. "Do you want to join the Guild, too? We could form a party, adventure together." The other man sighed. "No, but thanks for the offer. Honestly, with your current abilities I''d likely just hold you back. No, it be better for the both of us if I settled down for a less adventurous lifestyle." Deciding to hold the discussion for a later time, Mike chose to remain silent. The pair found a respectable inn that charged reasonably for both rent and stabling. They paid two weeks in advance, coming to the mutual conclusion that a more permanent situation can be worked out by then. Morris led them with his unerring sense of direction to the local Adventurer''s Guild branch, all the while lecturing Mike on important details about how the guild functioned in this city. "This branch is actually one of two, but the one in the northern district deals more with wealthier clientele. They tend to have less work for lower ranking adventurers. They are also located closest to the dungeon entrance, so most of the delvers, as they are called, use this one." He was explaining as they walked towards a large, multi-floored building. It bore the Adventurer''s Guild seal in the form of a large, raised crest. A motley assortment of men and women of various races entered and exited through a set of double doors, seemingly permanently left open. Feeling a little nervous, Mike took his first steps into a real guild hall. The interior seemed to be laid out in three distinct sections. Directly to the front was a long countertop where lines of adventurers waited to talk to one of several receptionists. He noticed that almost universally these receptionists were attractive, young women and he mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Anton and Don back at the Mayde branch office had left him dreading the quality of guild personnel. To either side of the long countertop were four posting boards, for a total of eight. Judging from the number of adventurers looking over the contents of the posts, he suspected that these were requests. The left portion of the guild hall seemed dedicated to a series of shops. Armor, weapons, equipment, and even some potions and esoteric items were on display. One of the stores seemed to be a sort of turn-in location, as several adventurers carrying various materials waited to speak to the clerk behind another countertop. The right side of the hall was dominated by a large common room with several tables. Food and drink was plentifully visible on them. Rowdy adventurers, evidently set on enjoying themselves despite how early it was, were singing a merry drinking song. Mike paused to savor the environment. [Yes! This is what an Adventurer''s Guild should be.] "Excuse me, this hall is off limits to non-members. Unless you plan on joining you''ll have to leave." Mike was startled out of his revelry by a guard dressed in plate mail standing to one side of the doorway. He realized that all of the adventurer''s he had seen so far were prominently displaying their guild marks. "Ah, sorry about that. I''m actually already a member." He said while showing the guard his hand. The armored man nodded before turning towards Morris. Mike looked at him apologetically. "It''s alright. I''ll be waiting outside." The guard looked back at Mike. "Is this your first time here?" "Yes, actually. It''s my first time in the city. I wasn''t trying to cause any trouble." The guard chuckled, "No trouble, just guild policy. They had issues with non-members trying to take advantage of adventurers in the past. If it''s your first time here, I''d recommend checking in at the main desk. If you look, you''ll see that there are 16 lines, two for each rank." Mike noticed the numbers hanging from the ceiling. "Usually, you are expected to enter the line associated with your rank, but they are pretty flexible here, so if there isn''t any line you can go to any receptionist." "Thank you, mister." Mike replied gratefully. He had gotten used to low level hostility from other men, so the guard''s good treatment came as a surprise. "Please, call me Talin. I work as the door guard here, three days a week, so if you stay in town we''ll be seeing each other again. "Thanks again, Talin. I look forward to working with you." Mike stepped forward looking for his line at the desk. - - - - - - - - - - Talin continued to smile until the youth was a good distance away. He shuddered, a cold sweat still soaking him inside his armor. That boy couldn''t have been more than 14 or 15, but his aura terrified the veteran adventurer. He had a rare skill called Aura Sense that stemmed from his unusual class, Silent Sentinel. It allowed him to judge the relative strength people and creatures when he focused on them. Just now he had turned his attention on the young, newbie looking boy, long enough to get a glimpse at his aura. What he saw left Talin terrified. Aura Sense was different from other detection skills in that it not only measured the existing strength of the target, but was able to gauge the relative strength of the target''s soul. The newbie''s aura strength was terrifying in itself, seemingly coming in layers that varied from a high Tier 2 to a low Tier 4, but even that was nothing compared to the boy''s soul. Talin found it difficult to even describe, but the closest analogy he could come up with was a snake pit or an insect swarm. It felt like thousands, if not millions, of souls twisted and twining into a giant mass. The sheer force of their combined presence made him feel like a pebble next to a mountain. He was torn between the need to inform the guildmaster of this event and watch the terrifying youth. Much to his horror, while he was deliberating, he saw the young man get into an argument with a group of adventurers. Chapter 28: Adventuring 101 Mike located the Rank 3 section of the counter, saw that both windows had roughly similar lines, and picked one at random to stand in. He was contemplating what to ask about, when a massive hand, the size of a dinner plate landed on his shoulder. "I think you are lost, boy. This line is for Iron Ranked adventurers. Newbies like you belong in the beginner lines down there." A deep, rumbling voice growled from behind him. Mike looked down at the large, hairy hand and followed it up the attached arm into the face of a brutish looking man, seemingly built on a larger than normal scale. He stood roughly 2.5m tall and was built like a brick wall. Solid slabs of muscle could be seen bulging out of his simple linen shirt. Two other men of similar size and features were standing behind him. Judging from the similarity, Mike figured they must be related. If this trio were to show up in Mike''s old world, they could easily be mistaken for professional American Football players. "So you best be heading that way." For a brief moment, he considered his options. If he hadn''t fought a monstrous bat monster just a few days ago, he''d probably would have been intimidated by the display. As it was now, he was just a bit annoyed. [I know this is the standard plot line when the main character enters an Adventurer''s Guild, but I''d like to not stand out so much.] While he was deliberating, he saw the friendly guard, Talin, moving over quickly and decided that he would rather solve this issue peacefully. "Not to worry, fellow guild members. I''m actually Rank 3 as well." He said while prompting his guild mark to display his profile. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Name: Michael Rasmussen Class: (Hidden) Guild Rank: Rank 3 (Iron) Title: None - - - - - - - - - - - - - The giant of a man stared at the projected screen for a moment, before growling again and letting go of Mike''s shoulder. Mike was glad Morris finally showed him the way to hide his class. "My bad, thought you were a jumped-up newbie who didn''t know any better." The man broke into a vicious grin. "You got to watch out for them or they''ll do something stupid and get themselves killed." "Anyway, the name''s Berg, these are my brothers Garm and Telg." The other two nodded their greetings. "You can call me Mike." He figured that they seemed to appreciate single syllable names. Berg grinned again, "Well Mike, we''ll be seeing ya around." The trio left through the front door, passing by a relieved looking Talin. [I feel like I''m in the wrong genre of story somehow. None of the clich¨¦ plots I''ve encountered so far pan out the way they are supposed to.] Mike thought to himself while standing in line. After a short wait, Mike found himself standing in front of a pretty brunette receptionist who smiled cheerfully at him. "Welcome to the Wyrport Adventurer''s Guild. How can I help you?" "Ah, yes the door guard actually recommended that I come over here and check in. It''s my first time at this guild branch." Mike noticed a slight blush creep onto the woman''s face as his enhanced charisma went to work. "Well, are you familiar with basic guild procedures?" "To some extent, I completed a request in the past, but it was at a small branch office." "Fundamentally it should be similar. At this branch all requests of Rank 8 and below are posted on these boards. Adventurers and parties interested in a particular request register their acceptance of it here. Once complete, they check back in to receive their reward and update their guild ranking if necessary." "Seems straightforward enough." Mike answered with a grin. The woman giggled slightly before continuing, "If you look over to your left, you''ll see the guild sponsored stores where you can purchase equipment and sell materials you collect from monsters. To your right is the guild bar. The have regular events and competitions here, and local musicians frequently perform at night. If you need a place to stay in town, there is simple inn located on the next floor. You can inquire at the bar if you need it." The receptionist gestured to a familiar looking box-shaped device with a black colored stone mounted on it. "If you''d be so kind as to place your hand here, I''ll check you in and have you associated with our branch." Mike did so, and watched as his guild mark flashed once before returning to normal. The receptionist glanced down at a small display before continuing. "Since you''ve only completed one request so far, it''s recommended that you attend our orientation session where they explain the basics of adventuring in Wyrport. However, as a Rank 3 adventurer, you are already considered seasoned enough to skip it if you choose to." "No, that actually sounds good. When is the next session?" She smiled again, "You''re in luck. We''re actually having one tomorrow morning. Just come by then and ask one of the receptionists and they will be able to point you in the right direction." "Alright, thanks!" He said with a wave, before heading out the door. He''d kept Morris waiting long enough. "Your welcome. My name is Michelle, make sure to come back and see me again!" After rejoining Morris, the pair decided to head back to the inn to rest and recuperate. Mike decided that getting a decent set of equipment could wait until after he had gone through orientation. He planned to ask for recommendations from the instructors. The next morning Mike headed back to the guild, while Morris went on his way, job hunting. The guild was a little quieter in the early morning, but there was already a large number of adventurer''s lining up to take requests. Mike figured that the requests must be posted in the morning, so ambitious types probably got here first thing, in order to pick the best ones. After talking to a different receptionist, since he didn''t see Michelle this morning, Mike was directed through a nearby doorway. It led to a small waiting room lined with simple benches. Two young looking humans, a boy and a girl, were sitting next to each other on one side. Mike figured that they were siblings, maybe even twins, and were about the same age as him. They were both dressed in simple cloth armor. The boy was carrying a basic spear, while the girl had a short bow and some arrows. Since he hadn''t received any real directions, he took a seat across from them. They looked at him nervously, but otherwise remained silent. This suited Mike fine, and he leaned back against the wall and waited for the session to start. Over the next hour or so, four other participants filtered in. First was a tall, slender youth with long black hair that covered his eyes. He was dressed in simple work cloths, and if not for the multiple daggers he wore on his person, he could have been mistaken for a common laborer. Next was another pairing. This time, Mike was pleasantly surprised to see an elegant elf woman walk in first. She was pale skinned with silky blonde hair. A refined green tunic and skirt covered her slender frame, but she carried no obvious weapons. Behind her was a tall, armored figure in a closed-face helm. Not a speck of skin was visible. The elf spared a glance at Mike before taking a seat in the corner. The armored figure followed suit. The last to join was a friendly looking young man with brown dog ears. He was dressed in basic leather armor, and had a two-handed sword strapped to his back. He was also the first to break the silence of the room. "I hope I''m not too late. I overslept a bit and didn''t even get a chance to eat breakfast." He said with a grin. Before any of the people in the room could answer, a cold voice rang out from behind the beastman. "Do not be concerned, you are right on time. However, in the future you will want to start planning accordingly. Late adventurers are dead adventurers." Pushing past the befuddled youth was a short, stocky middle aged woman entered the room, and announced. "I am Philomena, some know me as the Shadow''s Sting. I am a Rank 5 adventurer, and the instructor of today''s class." She wore a chain mail shirt under a simple, black tunic. A pair of deadly looking axes were resting on her belt, and she carried a longbow in one hand. Numerous scars were visible on her face and shaven scalp. "You have come here in order to learn the vital skills necessary to survive in our line of work. If you pay attention now, and remember the lessons you learn in this session, it will increase your chance of living." She strode to the center of the room and took up a confident stance. "Today we will be entering the first layer of the Wyrport dungeon." Mike felt his heartbeat quicken in excitement and anticipation. "There are several things you will need to know, but first I''d like to have some idea of who we are working with. Starting with you," she motioned to the slender, black haired youth, "tell us your name, rank, and a brief description of your abilities." [Great. Self-introductions, I guess this world isn''t free of them either.] Mike thought regretfully, recalling painful experiences from his past life. Chapter 29: To Delve or Not to Delve The black-haired young man stood up and announced in a soft voice. "The name''s Devin, Rank 1, I''m good at sneaking and fighting with daggers." He plopped back down. The twins were up next, the boy stood first, while the girl tried to hide behind him. "My name is Lloyd, and this is my sister, Rita. We''re both Rank 1. I can use a spear pretty well, and my sister is a good shot with her bow." He looked around nervously for a second before sitting back down. The elf girl was the next to stand. She spoke in a quiet, almost emotionless voice. "Call me Tal. Rank 2." She gestured to the armored figure. "This is Mejimanethial, an earth spirit." "A pact mage?" Philomena broke in. "Take note class. Mages of any kind are a valuable commodity in the guild, and pact mage''s are second only to true summoner and healers in terms of demand." She turned to look at Tal, "I suspect that you will have a large number of party invitations once your abilities are known." Tal simply nodded in return, seemingly unconcerned, before sitting down again. Philomena continued, "Much like Summoners, Pact Mages are able to control spirits and otherworldly entities to fight for them. The only major difference is that pact mage''s tend to have fewer and less powerful servants, but are also able to use magic independent of their minions. If you get a chance to work with one in the future, consider yourself lucky." There was a brief moment of silence as she motioned to the next student. "I guess that means I''m up," the dog beastman said while jumping to his feet. "I''m Brenden, and although I''m only a Rank 1, I''m really close to getting Rank 2. You can leave the front line to me, because I''m sturdy and good with a sword." He announced proudly, a goofy grin plastered across his face. "Yes, thank you for that." The instructor commented dryly before looking over at Mike. Sighing, he stood and delivered the short speech he''d been mentally rehearsing. "My name is Michael, but you all can call me Mike. I''m Rank 3. In terms of combat skills, I usually use a combination of swordsmanship and elemental magic. I''m best at fire magic, but I can use water and healing as well." There was a brief silence in which all the other students simply stared at him. Even the elf started looking at him with interest, although Mike could have been imagining it. "So you are capable of using elemental healing?" Philomena pressed. "Yes..." Mike answered hesitantly. He wasn''t complete sure of the origins of his skill, but judging from the explanation on magic he had received from Morris, it likely fell under Elemental Magic. She frowned in consideration for a moment before considering, "As an Iron Ranked Adventurer, this course should be optional to you. Are you still interested in attending? While I won''t force you to, I can waive the tuition fee if you agree to provide healing services to the students free of charge for the duration of the session." Mike had planned on attending anyway, and hadn''t even known there was a tuition fee, so he readily agreed. "I''m new here, and I feel that the class could be beneficial, so I''d like to participate." "Very well. Class you should all consider yourselves lucky. Not only will you have a chance to watch a pact mage in action, but you can rely on an elemental healer for support." She started pacing around the room, in a full on lecture mode. "For those of you who are unaware, elemental healing is the rarest type of healing. While practitioners of the skill tend to lack the versatility of their Arcane, Divine, or Pact counterparts, no other mage can achieve the same feats of healing. Highly skilled elemental healers have been known to heal fatal wounds in seconds, cure deadly diseases and poisons, and even regenerate lost limbs." The majority of the group was now looking at Mike with something close to awe. "That''s so cool! Can you teach me?" Brenden asked enthusiastically. Philomena cut in sharply. "Not only is that likely impossible, since elemental healing is uncommon skill associated with only a few rare classes, but it would take far too much time even if you did have the talent to learn it." She looked at the now subdued beastman for a moment before continuing. "Now, if you will all follow me, we''ll start heading down to the dungeon. In the mean time I will explain a little bit about how the dungeon works." She opened another door on the opposite side of the one the all entered by and led the group down a long staircase, speaking all the while. "The Wyrport Dungeon was discovered underneath the city centuries ago. Many believe that the death of the Great Wyrm Tempestus in the area we now refer to as Wyrmrest Lake led to the creation of the dungeon as the Wyrm''s power suffused the region. Whether this is true or not, the dungeon nevertheless features a large number of draconically influenced monsters." As the group reached the bottom of the stairs, she led them through another hallway. "These same monsters are a large part of what drives the local economy, and dungeon delving adventurers play a major role in that. Now, how many of you are familiar with how dungeons work?" Tal was the only one to raise her hand. Philomena nodded before continuing. "Dungeons are essentially multilayered pocket dimensions that form in areas of concentrated mana. While each one is unique, they all follow a few basic rules." She held up three fingers and started counting them off. "First and foremost, each party or solo adventurer that enters through the dungeon portal will encounter a fresh, unexplored dungeon the first time they delve. Secondly, the progress you make exploring the dungeon is somehow tracked by the dungeon itself. Every time you clear a floor another portal appears, allowing delvers to jump right back into their exploration after leaving and returning. Thirdly, the creatures found in the dungeon are all magically created, lack basic intelligence, and leave concentrated mana cores behind. These mana cores are a valuable commodity used in the creation of magic items, so the guild is willing to purchase them for a reasonable price." The group arrived a large, locked door. Philomena opened it with an ornate-looking key without pausing her lecture. "There are a few other things to keep in mind. Monsters get stronger the deeper you go. Treasure chests with valuable items and materials appear seemingly at random. Every floor has some type of elite monster that delvers are required to defeat before they can advance to the next. In the event a delver is successful in clearing all floors of the dungeon, they are awarded a special item or unique skill. This probably all sounds a little too good to be true." She stopped and looked seriously at the group. "Well, it is. Some will tell you that dungeons are a blessing of the system, designed to help delvers become stronger." She paused, letting her gaze linger for a moment on Mike. "I''m here to tell you that dungeons are not your ally, and if you let your guard down while delving, it could mean the death of you or your party members." She made sure to look each student in the eye before continuing, directing them into a large chamber. A shimmering doorway of energy could be seen along one wall. Dozens of adventurers were entering and exiting this doorway seeming to travel to and from a large tunnel, which Mike figured was the main entrance. "Before we enter the dungeon, we will need to register as a party to avoid being split up. Thankfully dungeons recognize parties formed through the guild, so this is a relatively easy process. Simply form a circle and place your guild marked hands in the center." Mike rested his hand on top of Philomena''s and the rest of the group followed suit. The instructor announced, "Register party: Philomena''s Students." The guild marks on each of their hands flashed. "Now we are all considered part of the same party, so we will all arrive at the first floor of the dungeon together. As a veteran delver, I would ordinarily be starting much deeper, but, since the majority of the party is new to this dungeon, we will start at the beginning. When you are ready, follow me." She walked up to the glowing doorway and stepped through. Mike noticed that the rest of the group was feeling hesitant, so he decided to make the first move and followed the instructor. Passing though the portal felt like being enveloped in cold, silken sheets for a brief moment before he was on the other side. He found himself in a stone cavern. For some reason the walls themselves seemed to be emitting a faint light. It wasn''t quite enough light for him to be comfortable with it, but it was more than enough to see by. While he walked over to Philomena to wait for the rest of the group, he couldn''t help but marvel at a world in which such a convenient thing as dungeons occurred naturally. After a few minutes the rest of the group joined them. Mike noticed that the humans all looked nervous, while Tal remained aloof, and Brenden looked excited. "Welcome to the first layer of the Wyrport Dungeon. The goal of today''s exercise is to give you all some practical experience in fighting dungeon monsters, identify some common mistakes made by new delvers, and defeat the first floor boss. Are there any questions?" A panicked looking Lloyd raised his hand, "Are we really fighting the boss? Aren''t they a lot stronger than the rest of the monsters on the floor?" "That''s true, but don''t be concerned. I have defeated the first floor boss on numerous occasions, and I have every confidence that today will be no different." She motioned for the group to follow her. "The most common monsters on the first layer are kobolds. They look like a cross between a dog and a humanoid lizard, and are a little shorter than me. Most are skinny, and relatively weak. Typically, on this floor, they appear as single individuals, or at most, a pair. So, I want to see each of you take down a kobold before we move on to the boss. Devin, you''re up first." The dark haired boy nodded, and as Mike watched, he seemed to blur into the shadows becoming almost unnoticeable. Devin slid into the corridor ahead of them, and as soon as Philomena gave the go ahead the group followed. Chapter 30: See it Through The group followed the youth through the cavern tunnel until Philomena held up a hand to stop them. She pointed up ahead at a small crouched figure which seemed to be scratching at the ground, before having everyone settle down to watch. The creature looked more like an overgrown rat than anything else. It was a pale, pinkish color and had a long sinuous tail. With the exception of its long, lizard-like muzzle, it was almost exceptionally slender. Standing a little more than 1m tall when fully upright, Mike guessed the kobold weighed less than the average human child. Devin advanced cautiously, and it seemed like he might manage to sneak up on it without too much trouble, but at the last second, the kobold lifted its mouth, sniffed the air and spun on the youth. The youth lashed out with his dagger, seemingly in a panic and succeeded in opening a bloody gash across the creature''s throat. Devin looked on in apparent horror as the kobold wheezed feebly, collapsed and bled out on the tunnel floor. "Good work. You have some impressive stealth skill, but it doesn''t do anything to mask your sent." Philomena commented. "You should all take this under advisement. Kobolds have excellent senses of smell, so it''s frequently difficult to sneak up on them. Luckily, they are in general quite weak, so fighting them directly is usually a good answer." "Next up are the twins Lloyd and Rita. Seeing as you probably plan to adventure together, let me see your teamwork." Mike followed along as the members of the group each took on a kobold in their own way. The twins worked together to defeat their opponent. Lloyd providing a vanguard force, while Rita shot it with arrows from a distance. Tal simply ordered her spirit to attack. The bound armor charged forward swiftly and pulverized the kobold with a single punch. Brendon managed to cut his in two pieces with an overhead chop. It was soon to be Mike''s turn, but he was still lost in thought about the oddity of the situation. After the kobolds died, their bodies quickly dissolved, leaving behind small, red colored crystals. Philomena had called them mana cores. The dungeon itself bothered him a little more. It was strangely regular in nature, with a grid-like pattern and easily discernible rooms and hallways. [Honestly, this place has obviously been created by something intelligent. It reminds me of a video game, and a lazily made one at that.] He was interrupted from his thoughts by Philomena who was pointing towards another kobold. [Ah, she must want me to play along too. I guess I''ll just hit it with a fireball, they don''t seem too strong.] He lazily summoned a fireball in his hand and flung it into the general vicinity of the kobold, not really aiming. A protest could be seen forming on Philomena''s lips when an earthshaking explosion took place in the other room. A flash of light and a burst of wind swept over the group as his hastily made fireball leveled the room. After the dust and smoke cleared, the charred husk of the kobold could be seen still standing in the position it was in previously. [Whoops, I haven''t really messed around with my fire magic since it went up a tier and I picked up the Hero title. I guess it''s a lot more powerful now.] He walked forward and pulled the mana core out of the disintegrating corpse of the kobold. He glanced back at the rest of the group that was still standing, shocked, by the entrance. "Well are we going?" he said with feigned nonchalance. After all of the students had proven that they were capable of fighting the kobolds, Philomena had them start practicing group tactics as they advanced towards the boss room. Mike however, was left out since, in her words "You clearly don''t need any practice fighting enemies of this level. I wouldn''t be surprised if you end up surpassing me in rank in the future." So, quickly getting bored with watching their cautious advance, Mike started working on unlocking other forms of elemental magic. He had been trying off and on for the last month to get the skills for air and earth magic, but for whatever reason he was having a hard time doing so. He was attempting to force mana into the air in order to create wind, when a female voice cut in. "Stop forcing it. Air is more flexible than other elements. Try adding the smallest amount of mana you can, then letting it slowly build until it causes motion." Feeling that he was on to something, Mike closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to feel the strange tingling of mana in his body as he exercised his will upon it. Slowly, with as little force as he could manage, he brought it to the surface of his palm and directed it outwards. He could already feel the difference. His previous attempts had led him to feel that his mana was merely dispersing into the air without accomplishing anything. Now he could tell there was a steady build-up of pressure, as if he was about to break through something. Finally, after a seemingly long wait, it seemed to burst through some barrier. Mike opened his eyes and smiled at the results of his efforts. An invisible breeze was now circling his hand. It was a little different compared to creating water and fire. He could feel his mana continuously circulating around his hand rather than remaining static in one place. It was almost as if Air Magic couldn''t exist without some form of motion. He put aside the implications about the physics of this world for later consideration, and turned to offer gratitude to his advisor. "Thanks a lot. That tip really helped me." Mike said to Tal, as the elf watched his hand with some fascination. It was hard to tell, since her facial expression remained unchanged, but Mike thought see seemed excited for some reason. "You seem to have a natural affinity for elemental magic. It normally takes a lot trial and error to learn a new branch, but you managed it in a few minutes." She commented in a slightly more animated voice than usual. "Haha, well I''ve been working on Air Magic for a while, I just suddenly had a breakthrough now." "Hmmm¡­." Tal didn''t seem to fully believe him, but before she could make any additional comments Philomena interrupted. "I know you two are higher ranked than the rest, but that is no reason to drop your guard. Even a kobold could get in a lucky hit if you aren''t paying attention. If you want to be adventurers, you need to know that even the highest floors of a dungeon are dangerous, and even veterans can die of carelessness." She said, sounding genuinely angry for the first time since the class started. Mike realized that, even though this floor seemed pretty harmless, he had been taking it for granted that it would always be so. Even though it felt like a video game, he had to remind himself that he was here in reality, and could suffer real consequences if he screwed up. "Sorry about that Philomena. I''ll focus from now on." He said with a lowered head. Tal simply wandered to another section of the cavern, seemingly losing interest in the conversation. Philomena watched her go, before turning to Mike. "So long as you understand, its fine." Mike took a brief moment to check his [Status] to see is new skill, before concentrating on his surroundings. - Basic Air Magic (Tier 1, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Air magic allows the user to create and manipulate wind and air. It is characterized by its speed and constancy of motion, providing strong offensive power, mild defensive strength, and some utility. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. After the group had continued for another hour or so, Philomena halted the group in front a large set of seemingly wooden doors. "Beyond this point is the boss room for this level. In there you will find a kobold chieftain accompanied by a group of common kobolds." She paused to look each of the students in the eye. "Consider this your graduation test. If you can work together a group to defeat the monsters in this room, you can be considered official adventurers of the Wyrport Adventurer''s Guild." "Should I participate as well?" Mike asked. "Since you are already a Rank 3, I won''t force you. After all this is primarily optional for you. However, if you do choose to participate, I only ask that you refrain from using your fire magic." After a moment''s consideration, Mike agreed. He felt that coming this far without taking part in the final battle would be a waste. Besides this would give him a chance to work on some of his lower rank skills. "From this point on, I''m only going to help in emergencies. You''ve been practicing some group strategies, so you should have some idea of what role you should play in a fight against multiple opponents. Tal will be the party leader in the event you need direction. Mike, you will be an independent fighter, since you haven''t practiced with the group. Stick to the sidelines and look for an opportunity to hamper the enemy. Try to avoid interfering with them during the fight. Now get ready. As soon as the door opens, they''ll be coming at you." The group got into a loose formation and prepared themselves. Once she was sure they were in position, Philomena nodded to them and pushed on the door. It creaked open slowly, revealing a large room shrouded in a light mist. Once the door was fully open, the lead elements of the group burst into action, charging into the room. The rest swiftly followed. In mere moments they had reached the center only to find that they were alone. Chapter 31: Into the Depths "Where are they?" Lloyd asked, panic already creeping into his voice. "I can''t see them." Philomena''s authoritative voice cut in. "Stay calm. On rare occasions the floor boss will be switched with some other creature or group of creatures. Hold to your formation and keep an eye on your surroundings. There is bound to be something in here with us." Mike took stock of the room they were standing in. From what he could see, it much resembled the other rooms in the dungeon, only on a larger scale. The fine mist hanging in the air obscured most of their vision. It moved in sudden swirls periodically, leaving the other members of the party flinching at the strange shadows it created. Philomena continued her advice while moving to the front of the formation, drawing her twin axes from her belt. "This is clearly an unusual situation, so I''m taking charge. We need to advance further into the room, since we will not be able to return to the surface until the boss is defeated. Everyone stay close and stay behind me, and I''ll make sure you get through this." The group started slowly advancing further into the chamber. The only sounds Mike could hear was the groups footsteps echoing strangely in the fog. They continued in this way for what felt like an eternity, but was surely only a minute or so, before a voice broke the silence. "What''s this? A chest." Devin''s quiet mutter could be heard from the left side of the group, colored with an uncharacteristic level of excitement. "I think it might be a treasure chest." Philomena muttered to herself briefly, "A treasure chest? That makes no sense. Why would there be a treasure chest in a boss room? Unless...." She whirled on the party with sudden desperation. "Don''t touch it! Its a trap!" A fatal creak of wood was heard from Devin''s direction. "What? A trap? I didn''t...I mean, I couldn''t.... He was drowned out by a high-pitched whine of energy that vibrated through the room. A glowing magical circle, one that encompassed the entire chamber, formed under the groups feet. "Oh no...." Philomena uttered breathlessly. "Its a teleportation trap! Its going to separate us. Wherever it sends you, try to find a safe place to hide. I promise you all, I will come to find yo-" The rest of her words were cut off as the circle flashed blindingly, and Mike felt the now familiar sensations of translocation. When the glare finally dimmed, he opened his eyes, and immediately dodged to his left. Thanks in large part to his well developed evasion skill and high agility, he was narrowly able to avoid the blast of flame from a horse-sized, red-scaled lizard. He barely had time to orient himself, before the creature was charging at him, mouth agape. Thankfully he still had his sword out, so he slipped into a Flowing River stance, side-stepped the lizards attack, and brought his sword in an elegant overhead swing which connected with the back of its neck. Such a blow would ordinarily decapitate a lesser creature, but in this case, Mike''s blade only penetrated a hand''s breadth before stopping. This nevertheless proved sufficient to slay the lizard, and it had already started disintegrating before its body had completely stopped moving. Mike took a deep breath to calm himself before examining his surroundings. The layout of the dungeon had changed to some degree, the rough cavern walls had turned into a worked stone corridor that could have been seen inside a castle. This was slightly discomfiting, since the walls still produced some measure of light. Seeing as he was in some kind of hallway with only two directions to travel in, he randomly chose to go left. [That''s what they say to do in mazes, right? Always keep your left hand on the wall.] He stopped to pick up the mana core left by the lizard, which was about three times the size of the kobold one he had collected earlier, before heading down the corridor to the left. Mike''s felt himself getting a little worried, since he figure that the other students were likely having a hard time of it, given their abilities. [Tal and Philomena should be alright on their own, but I think the rest are going to be in trouble if they have to fight anything like that lizard.] He traveled down the corridor for a good five minutes without seeing anything. [Perhaps it was a mistake to take a left at the lizard.] He was thinking to himself when the corridor suddenly veered to the right. He followed along without really thinking about it and almost ran square into the back of a tall humanoid creature. Mike had time to examine it briefly as it turned to face him. The creature resembled an anthropomorphic lizard, similar to the lizardmen he had seen in Wyrport, but there were some fundamental differences. A sort of savage mindlessness seemed to be all that was present in its eyes. This creature lacked the appearance of intelligence, but still quickly maneuvered its cruel looking, barbed trident in an effort to skewer Mike. As he instinctively fell into the Flowing River stance and casually diverted the attack, he took note of its rough draconic features and its dark green, scaled hide. With a slightly clearer view, he could see three more of the lizard or dragon men behind the first, and decided that magic was the way to go in this case. Since he didn''t feel any particular danger from these enemies, and indeed he hadn''t felt any particular threat from anything he had fought in this dungeon so far, Mike thought it would be an excellent time to try out a new application of fire magic. He wanted to see if he could bring one of his favorite fantasy weapons to life. He concentrated a massive amount of raw mana into his palm, compressing and collecting it into a spherical shape the size of a softball. He could feel the raw energy struggling to break free, so with a small effort of will he released his hold on one small portion of his containment, aiming it in the direction of the lizardmen. The result was catastrophic. A thin beam of white-hot fire, a little more than a centimeter in diameter, speared forth from the sphere. It punched a hole in the leading lizardman''s torso. With a flick of his wrist, Mike directed the beam horizontally, sweeping the entire corridor. After about two seconds, the mana in his hand had been safely expended, and he released his mental hold, which only a minor burst of flame. The scent of charred meat filled the air, as the group of lizardmen stopped. Mike felt that the leading member of the group was even wearing surprised expression on its face, as it toppled forward, cleanly bisected at the waist. He could see the cross section of the humanoid lizard''s internal organs, seared by beam. Mike was slightly horrified by this new application of Fire Magic. He had only been attempting to create a magical version of a lightsaber, but had evidently failed in some key aspect. A moment of dizziness and fatigue nearly caused him to collapse before it receded. Apparently, he had used a massive amount of mana in his experiment. Luckily, it had been regenerating significantly faster ever since he fought the vargul, so in a minute or so he felt fine. [I''m going to have to hold off on any further experimentation with this attack until I''m in a safe location.] He collected the four golf ball sized mana cores and continued on his way. [Now that I think about it, canonical lightsabers used some kind of crystal as a focusing element. I''m might have to look into building some sort of apparatus to make it work.] Mike''s contemplations were interrupted by the distant sounds of combat further down the corridor. Not sure if his fellow classmates were part of it or not, he figured he should at least check it out, and broke into a run. This was the first time he had really taken off running since acquiring the Hero title. He had experienced the effects of his increased stats in other areas, and should have expected the difference, but he didn''t. After a few short steps he barely managed to avoid falling on his face, as his legs tried to move much faster than he anticipated. He took a few slow, exploratory paces, and tried to start jogging at a mild pace. Once he got used to it, he increased his speed until he was zipping down the corridor. [Wow, I''m moving pretty quickly. If I was back on Earth, I bet I could compete in the Olympics] Mike didn''t know it at the time, but he was already running at speeds close to 50km/h which would have broken a world record for the fastest foot speed. More impressive however was his endurance, which allowed him to maintain that speed for hundreds of meters with only moderate effort. As he passed through the hallway, he could feel the air grow warmer and more humid. He could distantly see a brightening at his destination, and after a few seconds he burst out into a large chamber. There was a thick, cloying mist in the room that, when combined with the stifling heat reminded Mike of a sauna. He quickly pinpointed the origins of the sounds of combat and moved in that direction. He found a heavily wounded Brenden attempting to stave off two of the fire-breathing lizards that Mike fight earlier. A third was quietly disintegrating a little distance away. There were extensive burns along his right side, and he was trying to wield his greatsword with his one good arm. Behind him, Mike could just make out the crumpled form of another humanoid figure, lying disturbingly still. Unsheathing his sword, he leapt into action. Chapter 32: Remember to Smile Brenden rushed around the corner, still struggling to pull his gauntlet on, and narrowly avoided running headfirst into a fruit stand. The elderly owner had just gotten up to shake an angry fist at him, when he was rounding the next bend, only to bump directly into a heavyset man in merchant''s garb. "Sorry, sorry. I''m in a bit of hurry." The youth exclaimed, already trying to find a way around the man''s large frame. The merchant made sure to confirm the contents of his purse, before snorting. "Hmph, street rats. The world would be better off without you." [Remember to smile.] "Sorry. Won''t let it happen again." He replied, smiling. "You better not." The corpulent man said, before leisurely swaggering down the street. Brenden burst back into a run as soon as the way was clear. He was still late and if he wanted to catch the beginner''s course at the guild he needed to run quickly. He had overslept again. It was a bad habit of his, that had earned him many beatings from his violent father. Then again, there wasn''t much that Brenden could do that didn''t infuriate his old man. "Don''t you look at me like that, boy." His father was apt to say right before he started beating Brenden. "You wipe that look off your face, right now." He would growl with bright, staring eyes. It was not until much later that Brenden recognized the expression as fear. His mother had died shortly after Brenden was born, her first and only child. His father apparently blamed him for the death. The man seemed constantly torn by abiding hatred, or even worse disgust, for his own offspring. The result of all this, was a lonely and unhappy childhood for the young Brenden, who was allowed the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, but little else. Once he was old enough, he was expected to earn his keep on the small family farm, a new form of misery for the child, as long hours of toil led to brutal beatings in the event of any small mistake. This cycle of work and abuse continued for many years until Brenden had reached the age of eleven, when an event changed his life. He still remembered the day vividly. He was walking back from a particularly hard day in the field, hoe over one shoulder, when his father had burst out of the house with a long piece of wood. One he like to call his ''discipline stick.'' The old man was furious with Brenden. The child had forgotten to properly close the simple wooden fence that served as a gate for the cows, and they had gotten loose as a result. His father had spent most of the afternoon chasing the errant bovines and planning his revenge on his offspring. Brenden looked at the undisguised rage and hate in his father''s face, and thought. [Here it is, he''s finally going to kill me.] A small voice somewhere deep inside him whispered, "You deserve it. You should have never been born. You are the reason your mother died." He felt a flash of rage that ignited suddenly, before becoming ice cold. Before he knew what he was doing, the boy was striding forward to meet his progenitor, hoe raised like an executioner''s axe. Brenden, now taken over by a strange, alien calm, took note of the sudden fear in his father''s eyes. The man stopped, and seemed to shrink back from his son, some instinct driven apology already on his lips, but by then the damage had long been done. The child brought the hoe down once, twice, thrice. The cold, unfeeling calm in Brenden''s heart broke like a dam, and a surging tidal wave of rage consumed him. Every beating, every insult and word of scorn, and especially the looks, those eyes that showed disgust every time he met them. All of it came back to him in his fury, and by the time the shaft of the hoe had broken, he could no longer recognize the body of his father. Brenden still isn''t sure how long he spent on that dust little farm, staring at the corpse, but by the time he forced himself to stand and begin walking into town, night had fallen and the flies were becoming a nuisance. The next few years passed in a blur, as the young beastman tried to eke out a life on the streets and in the fields. As a young farm boy with no experience in city living, his first few months were rough. For a while, tepid rainwater and refuse was his only sustenance. In time he learned the unwritten rules of the streets. Trust no one but yourself. Run and hide from those who are stronger than you. Take from those who are weaker than you. He earned a reputation for brutality and cruelty in the many minor conflicts which seemed to occur between the desperate and impoverished. The other children and even some adults would run at the sight of his cold, uncaring eyes. Eyes that would only grow colder when he needed to commit violence. Sometimes, he would find himself wondering why life was like this. What had forced him down this path? And then the dark, angry voice from deep inside him spoke. "Its you fault. You''re cursed. You were never supposed to be born. Its why your mother died, why your father hated you, why you are suffering now. You are a killer,.....a murderer." That voice never left him alone for long. Roughly about the time Brenden had reach the age of fourteen he had an encounter that would change his life forever. He had found an injured old man, lying in the gutter of a city he had never bothered to learn the name of. The man was bearded and dirty, with matted grey hair, wearing effectively nothing but rags. His pained breathing and sightless eyes spoke of one who was not long for this world. As was his habit at the time, Brenden started carefully, rifling the man''s pockets. He had run into a few of these dying vagrants on occasion and had learned to be careful of them. Despite their appearance, there was a lot of fight left in them. However, despite his best efforts, he couldn''t escape the lighting fast grasp of the dying man, nor the terrible strength in his grip. The man looked a Brenden with eyes half mad with pain, and did the most unthinkable thing. He smiled. Brenden was so shocked by this, that he momentarily stopped struggling, and was face down on the ground before he knew it, arm twisted behind him. He felt the hot, wet breath of the man on the back of his neck as his aggressor whispered into his ear. "You have some excellent eyes." He paused, as if considering something. "Do you want to be strong, boy? Do you want to take what this life has to offer, rather than begging for the scraps of refuse left to you? I can make that happen." And that was how Brenden met the man who became his master. Erin, as his named turned out to be, was once a famous duelist until he lost, and in the process lost the lower portion of his right leg. He was able to work as a swordsmanship instructor for a while, but became addicted to gambling. In time he ended up on the streets. Homeless, and friendless. After he had nursed the injured old man back to something resembling health, Erin began to teach Brenden swordsmanship, seeing in the young beastman a great deal of potential. "You have been blessed, Brenden. The Warrior class, while not rare, is a solid and dependable one that will provide you a great deal of benefit so long as you put in the effort. So why is it that you still can''t defend yourself properly after weeks of training." The old man harangued his charge still sprawled out on the ground. "I''m trying master, but you always attack when I''m not expecting it." Brenden said while getting up. "That''s the whole point, boy. Fighting, and dueling especially, is all in the mind. When your enemy is focused on you, everything you do becomes a means of influencing his behavior. A single gesture or facial expression at the right moment is often all it takes to decide the outcome of a duel." "I don''t really understand." Brenden grimaced. The old man took a swig from his jug, before continuing. "Try to think of it this way. Your face is grim and menacing. Like an unsheathed blade. This can be useful in certain circumstances, but wearing that sort of expression all the time can cause more problems than it solves. Build a mask to hide your true thoughts and intentions." Brenden simply listened attentively. "Try playing the fool. Smile and nod. Act as if you haven''t a thought in your head, and your enemies will underestimate you, think that you are incompetent. Use that against them." The old man''s face broke into a feral smile. "Remember to smile. Smile so that they don''t see the killer underneath." For some reason that lesson always stuck with him, long after the memory of that day had faded. This training continued until Brenden was 16, at which point his master declared. "I''ve taught you what I can for now. Come back once you get some experience." With little else he could do, Brenden joined the Adventurer''s guild and was able to advance to Rank 2 after a short delay. His sword skills proved sufficient to complete the basic subjugation quests necessary to advance. Lacking adequate options to continue practicing, he decided to travel to Wyrport and try his luck in their famous dungeon. Unfortunately his bad habit of oversleeping surfaced again. He entered the guild, sprinting past the protesting guards, asking for quick directions from a bewildered receptionist before running up to the waiting room door. Walking through it would be the next step on his path to true power. As he paused to catch a breath, he thought he could hear a quiet, serpentine voice whisper, "Murderer." For a moment, Brenden''s true face returned. The face of a man who killed his own father, who spent years on the street lying, stealing, and if necessary killing to survive. If someone was observing him at this time, they would be struck by the cold, emotionless eyes. With an effort of will, Brenden rebuilt his mask. He mentally chanted the mantra his master had taught him without meaning to. [Remember to smile. Remember to smile.] The young beastman opened the door and entered the room full of fellow newbie adventurer''s, an idiotic grin already plastered on his face. Chapter 33: Come With Me if You Want to Live When Philomena had yelled her warning, Brenden, who was standing closest to Devin, tried to grab him and pull him back. Somehow this had caused the two of them to teleport together once the trap went off. Luckily the pair had emerged in an empty chamber. They had initially argued about what to do. "The longer we wait here, the more likely we are to be attacked by some monster. I''m not sure how far down we were teleported, but it shouldn''t be more than a few floors. Considering how easy it was to fight the kobolds, this shouldn''t be too difficult." Devin claimed. "Yeah, but Philomena said to hide and wait for her." Brenden returned, internally conflicted about maintaining his guise in the face of this newbie''s idiocy. Not only had he tripped the trap that had gotten them in this mess in the first place, but he was seriously underestimating the increase in difficulty one dungeon floor could make. Devin''s face twisted into one of disgust. As the Rank 2 Adventurer, ordinarily Brenden would have been expected to take charge, but Devin dismissed the foolish looking beastman as more of a burden than anything else. "Look, is there anywhere to really hide around here? Lets at least try to find the others. That way we can defeat this level''s boss and leave the dungeon. Come on." The young human said while walking towards the nearest entrance. [I''ll take the useless fool with me. He should at least serve as a decent meat shield.] Brenden acquiesced reluctantly. [He does have a point, even if it is a misguided one. We can''t really hide here. I suppose I can let him lead. Hopefully, that way he''ll bear the brunt of the monsters'' attacks.] Unaware of their remarkably similar trains of thought, the pair wandered the dungeon for a good ten minutes before they encountered their first monsters on this level. A trio of large, red lizards occupied a steam filled room, and the two newbie adventurer''s were at a loss on how to deal with it. "Maybe there is another way around." Devin was whispering, although he seemed to lack conviction is his own assertion. "Maybe." Was all that Brenden was willing to say. [We walked straight here from an empty room with only one entrance. There were no other corridors or doorways along the way. Unless there is a secret passage at some point in the length of travel, we have no other option but to move past these lizards.] The monsters in question seemed quite content to remain in the room, and after a lengthy internal debate, Devin decided to break the deadlock. "Alright, here''s what we are going to do. I''m going to use my stealth to sneak past them. Once I''m clear, I will find the others and bring them back to help you. Just sit tight for now, and I''ll make sure to get you out of here." Brenden wasn''t surprised the other young man planned to abandon him. After all, Brenden would have done the same in similar circumstances, but he suspected the stealth skills of a Rank 1 adventurer would not be up to this particular task. However, he didn''t think Devin would listen to him. Lacking any other option, he simply nodded his acceptance of the plan. Devin revealed a quick malicious smile, before his neutral features returned. Without another word he slipped into the shadows and began moving into the room, skirting around its edges. Brenden readied his sword, knowing that the fool would likely drag him into the resulting conflict. If he was lucky, he could get a few good shots in before the lizards swarmed him, maybe enough to break through by force. Due to the way the room was laid out, Devin was forced to approach within 2m of one of the lizards in order to reach the other side. For a second Brenden thought he might actually get away with sneaking by them, but the closest lizards lifted its head, and started tasting the air, before turning in the adventurer''s direction. Devin tried to freeze, but the damage had already been done. The lizard sprinted forward before the youth had a chance to react. As it closed its jaws around his torso, Brenden could hear bone breaking. Devin tried to scream, but could only emit a sobbing wheeze. Taking advantage of the lizards'' distraction with their new prey, Brenden approached quietly. When the first lizard lifted Devin into the air and began to shake him like a dog, Brenden struck. He delivered a powerful blow to the spine of the closest lizard. An audible crack echoed around the room. As the wounded creature collapsed, the only unoccupied lizard turned to face him. Brenden braced himself for a charge, but it unexpectedly unleashed a burst of flame from its mouth. His combat-honed instincts allowed him to dive out of the way, but a large portion of his right side was still engulfed. Searing agony tore through him, as he dazedly tried to regain his feet. He barely managed to block as the lizard delivered a devastating tackle, catapulting the young beastman across the room. He knew he needed to get up if he wanted any chance of living through this experience. He tried to stagger to his feet, but his foot slipped on something wet and squishy. A quick glance told him that he ended up next to the crumpled form of Devin, blood and viscera creating treacherous footing. Seeing the two lizards approaching to finish him off, Brenden felt resigned. There didn''t seem to be any means of escape left to him, and with his injuries he didn''t think he could defeat one of the monsters, let alone two. [I guess this is it. F***, I should have slept in today.] As he raised his sword and delivered a couple of feeble slashes in an effort to keep the monsters at bay, Brenden couldn''t help but feel bitter with regret. [All that work, all that effort, everything I''ve done to survive, and I''m going to die here, because that idiot couldn''t control his greed.] There was a tinge of guilt at the thought. A quiet voice, deep in the back of his head whispered, "You let him die. These lizards are going to tear you apart just like him, and you deserve it. You are cursed." Brenden felt his throat constrict. His heart beat wildly. The lizards pressed forward, jaws open wide. "Murderer," The voice whispered. "You left him to be torn apart by beasts, and now you will share his fate." He shut his eyes and waited for the pain. A pain that never came. "How long are you going to stand there with your eyes closed?" A young masculine voice broke him out of his trance. Brenden opened his eyes and was overcome by what he saw. Mike stood nonchalantly beside the disintegrating corpses of the two lizards, a simple looking sword thrown over one shoulder. Both monsters had been decapitated with clean strokes. In that moment, the youth reminded Brenden of a mural he''d seen once in a city cathedral during his time on the streets. It depicted an ancient hero, who stood triumphantly over the corpse of a dangerous looking demon. At the time Brenden was struck by the sheer presence of the hero, the power. Mike stood in almost the exact same pose, missing only the fine weapons and armor. [He must have killed both of them in a second, no a fraction of second, and he did it in near perfect silence. Presumably without making use of his already terrifying fire magic. This.....this is a Rank 3 Adventurer? There was no way.] Brenden was filled with disbelief. "Okay, the staring is starting to get a bit creepy. Hm, I bet you''re in shock from those burns. Hold on, let me see if I can work on those." The youth said while approaching. Before Brenden could react, Mike had already pressed a glowing hand onto his chest. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The beastman was staring at him blankly for a good ten seconds before Mike thought about the possibility of shock. [Oh s***. This is no time to act cool.] He ran over and began channeling mana into Brenden''s burns, but for some reason was having trouble. He had to expend nearly five times the amount of mana that would normally be required for healing, but it was having little effect. [Maybe its hard to heal burns?] A familiar pop occurred deep within him, and suddenly the healing process got significant easier. Within a few minutes Brenden''s injuries had been completely healed. Mike sighed and stood up straight, since the beastman had fallen to his knees during the process. He glanced over at Devin, or what was left of him. It was quite obvious that no amount of healing magic would be able to fix this. The sight caused some disquiet in his heart. He had been treating this whole dungeon delve as a game, despite Philomena''s many warnings. It had all seemed so convenient, so easy compared to the other battles he fought, he didn''t take it seriously. But here was visceral proof that he was engaging in a dangerous profession. That people died playing this ''game.'' He shook himself out of his morbid thoughts. Now was not the time to deal with these feelings. He need to get himself and the rest of the surviving adventurers out. He glanced down at the beastman, who was staring numbly down at his injured hand. [Guess I need to be gentle with this one. Dealing with this kind of situation was bound to be traumatic. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brenden was staring at his hand. The one that was burned mere minutes ago. [How can one man wield both life and death with such proficiency? How is he this powerful?] "Hey." A soft voice broke his meandering thoughts. He looked up into the face of his savior. The youth was leaning over, offering a hand to the kneeling beastman. "Lets get you out of here." He said with a gentle smile. A genuine smile. Chapter 34: Reunited Mike dragged the young beastman to his feet. Something about Brenden''s eyes bothered him. The cold, emotionless stare reminded him a bit of the vargul with its fearsome gaze. Not wanting to wait any further under such a baleful glare, he hoped that getting out of the room would snap Brenden out of his funk and return him to his usual goofy self. "Can you walk? Your injuries should be more or less healed." A slightly dazed voice answered. "...Yes.....I...am fine." Brenden returned with a half-hearted smile. "Great, we should get moving. Hopefully the others won''t be too far away." Brenden merely nodded in return, his cold eyes never leaving him. [Alright, that''s starting to get a little creepy. I''m just going to start walking and hope he doesn''t do anything strange.] There were three doorways leading out of the room. Since both him and Brenden each used one enter, Mike decided to take the third. At the very least it should take them into area they hadn''t explored before. The pair traveled through the dungeon and encountered several monsters. The majority of this floor''s enemies seemed to be composed of the red lizards, with the occasional group of the draconic lizardmen popping up. Mike was able to handle the majority of these situations encounters without too much difficulty. In the case of multiple enemies, Brenden would help by taking on at least one. The brutal and efficient combat style of the beastman impressed Mike. Even though it was obvious that his skills weren''t particularly developed, Brenden seemed to have a great deal of experience in combat. They eventually worked their way into a large chamber, built like a castle throne room. At the far end stood a massive pair of ornate double doors. "That must be the way to the boss room for the floor. It doesn''t look like its guarded." Mike made to step into the room, but Brenden caught his sleeve. Mike turned to look at his compatriot questioningly. "Something''s not right. I smell an enemy, but I don''t see one." The beastman answered coldly. The disturbing calm had yet to leave him completely, but Mike had been seeing signs of his old personality returning. "What do you mean exactly?" "I think there is a monster hiding somewhere in this room." Mike turned to regard the chamber a second time. "Are you sure? I''m not really...." He stopped himself after catching a glimpse of motion from another corridor. Focusing on it, Mike saw Tal''s bound spirit, Mal (Mike couldn''t remember the spirit''s name) leading a small group composed of Tal herself, Lloyd, and Rita. As he watched, they cautiously entered the room, the battered looking spirit-bound armor leading the way. As quietly as he could, Mike tried to get their attention. Tal quickly noticed his antics and sent a questioning gaze his direction. Or at least Mike figured it was questioning, her expression really didn''t change. Mike slowly mouthed his message, "WATCH.....OUT....THERE.....IS....A...MONSTER....IN...THE....ROOM." By this point Lloyd and Rita had caught sight of him. The brother looked confused and answered with a simple. "What?" Mike grimaced and started mouthing his message again, when a powerful impact struck the center of the room, raising a cloud of dust. As the cloud settled, the adventurers began to see a large, malevolent shape. A massive 3m tall armored hulk stood. Judging from the red tail and shape of the helmet, Mike thought that this monster was similar to the lizardmen he had fought earlier, simply on a much larger scale. It wielded a giant, silver halberd in two gauntleted hands, launching a horizontal sweep at the leading members of Tal''s group. Tal grabbed the twins and hauled them back, while her bound spirit stepped forward to meet the blow. It summoned a large shield of stone, and hunkered down. The shield held for a second, before the halberd punched through, flinging the bound armor against the far wall. Mal collapsed into a heap, seeming to literally fall apart. By this point, Mike was already moving. He summoned a trio of minor fireballs and launched them at the creatures head, careful to control the force. They exploded on contact with the giant lizardman''s head, doing little more than slightly scorching its helmet, but Mike managed to grab its attention. He had to fall into a sliding dive to avoid another sweep of the halberd, and neatly skidded between the creature''s legs. Before the lizardman had a chance to turn, Mike rose and sliced into the back of its left knee, where the plate''s of the creature''s armor joined. Although the creature grunted in pain, Mike could tell that the wound wasn''t deep. He leapt back several paces to create some distance while considering his options. [I''m need to get through that armor if I want a chance of delivering a fatal blow.] While he was debating about unsealing his dangerous, laser sword technique he heard a melodic voice. Tal, wrapped inside the misty wings of an almost ethereal bird of prey, chanted a solemn verse. "Spirits of Air, whose kingdom is the sky, grant upon this one the blessing of your might. Cut the wind in thy anger. Unleash thy fury upon those who would transgress. [Bladed Gale]" The mist-like bird opened its beak and emitted a piercing cry, creating a howling cyclone of nearly invisible blades that hammered into the lizardman, cutting deep into its armor. It roared in pain and was forced back several steps, before tripping and landing on its side. Not missing his chance, Mike sprinted towards the wounded monster. He avoided the its thrashing tail, dodged the flailing legs, and jumped up on to the creature''s torso, using it as a spring board to leap high into the air. For a moment time seemed to slow. The armored lizardman, roaring in defiance from the ground, tried to bring its halberd to bear, but couldn''t make it in time. Mike''s sword flashed in the dim light of the dungeon. It fell like a thunderbolt, plunging deeply into the monster''s armored chest. As he landed, the sword snapped at the hilt, leaving the blade buried inside. The creature let out a pained gasp, one of its claws feebly grasping at it wound. Its reptilian eyes focused on Mike, and he felt a strange connection with the creature in its last moments. With a rattling wheeze the lizardman collapsed and started to disintegrate, armor and all. In a few short minutes, all that was left behind was a fist sized ruby-colored crystal. The misty bird-like form wrapping Tal slowly dispersed, and she staggered as if overcome by a sudden weakness. Mike jogged over to lend a hand, but she silently refused. Slowly, she made her way over to the broken form of her bound armor. The elf kneeled, picking up a piece of the shattered metal. While her face didn''t really change, Mike could detect a profound sorrow emanating from her. He decided that she needed some time to grieve, so he checked up on the rest of the group. Brendon had taken over for Tal, protecting the twin, so the trio had remained largely unscathed. Judging from Lloyd and Rita''s fearful faces, their journey up to this point had evidently been harsh. "You two doing alright? No injuries?" He questioned the pair. They merely shook their heads in response, too overwhelmed to even speak up. Mike nodded, and decided to wait for Tal to discuss their next step. In the meantime, Brenden grabbed the lizardman''s mana core and brought it over to Mike. "Thanks," He murmured, a little puzzled by the beastman''s behavior. Brenden nodded before trotting over to stand next to the twins. He was starting to regain a little of his former joviality, but eyes were still sharp and cold. Nevertheless, Lloyd and Rita seemed comforted by his presence. The whole affair reminded Mike of a solemn guard dog looking after small children. [Does that thought count as racist?, .... or speciest, I guess?] He thought to himself with some mild amusement, before turning to face Tal, who had finished her business. She was carefully handling a small, intricately carved rock. "Is that...?" Mike asked. "Yes. Mejimanethial''s spirit core." She replied flatly, evidently not wanting to discuss the matter. She placed it reverently into a belt pouch before focusing her gaze on Mike. "We''re on our own." Mike parsed her statement for a few moments before replying. "So, Philomena?" "Don''t know. She was holding back monsters. Told us to go. Haven''t seen her since." Her face remained neutral, but Mike detected a sense of regret. She glanced over at Brenden before questioning, "Devin?" "Dead." Rita gasped, and Lloyd looked sick. Silence descended on the room for a good minute. "Well, this is probably the boss room." Mike said absently, while looking at the large pair of double doors, lost in contemplation. The others waited patiently as he weighed his options. None of them had quite realized it consciously, but in the absence of their instructor, they had begun to treat Mike as the de-facto leader. "The way I see it, we have three basic options. One, we could backtrack and try to locate Philomena before we challenge the boss room. A Rank 5 adventurer would be a great help, but we have no guarantee that she is still alive." "W-We might run into other monsters while we are looking." Lloyd added hesitantly. Mike nodded before continuing. "That''s true, and we could end up wasting mana and stamina in the process. Our second option is to wait here, in the hopes that she will make her way back here." Tal shook her head. "Not safe to wait in a dungeon." "So, we are left with one other option, challenging the boss ourselves. While this is probably the most dangerous option in the short term, there will be no need to worry about supplies or wandering monsters. If we are successful, we can head back to the guild and see about mounting some kind of rescue mission." He waited, but no complaint emerged from the group. "So are we in agreement? Are you all willing to challenge this boss?" Tal simply nodded. Brenden just looked at Mike, without saying anything. The twins seemed uncertain, but after some quiet deliberation between the two of them, Lloyd stepped forward. "Let''s do it." "Alright, its decided. Lets talk strategy." Chapter 35: Taking On the Boss "First of all, I want to take stock of our resources." Mike began running through mental checklists. "Tal, I''m not really familiar with how Pact Magic works. Could you explain what your current capabilities are?" "Low on mana." She said hesitantly. "Without Mejimanethial, only Air Magic is available. Akiriti is contracted spirit, not bound one. She can''t help directly. Long preparation needed to do more." Not for the first time, Mike wondered at the elf''s odd manner of speech. It seemed to have gotten less fluent since the destruction of the bound armor, but he couldn''t tell if that was a result of the trauma or a sign of something else. He guessed from her description that Tal was able to use a limited amount of Air Magic in her current state, but wouldn''t be able to do much else. [I guess that a contract spirit is one that is providing some kind of intangible benefit, while a bound one is manifested directly.] "Do you only have the two spirits contracted?" She nodded in response. Mike sensed some bitter regret emanating from her features. Mike grimaced. He had been hoping that she would still have a few aces up her sleeve. It increasingly seemed like he would have to shoulder the majority of the coming conflict. "Any idea of what the boss for this floor is?" She shook her head ''no.'' "Brenden." The young beastman twitched noticeably at the sound of his name. "Are you still good to go?" He simply nodded as well, although a strange eagerness seemed to be leaking from behind his cold exterior. Mike glanced over at the twins, carefully taking in their building panic. [I''m going to have to be very careful with these two. They are close to the breaking point.] "Rita, how many arrows do you have left?" The girl jumped, and started looking around sheepishly after suddenly being made the center of attention. "I-I think I have a few left." She took a few seconds to count. "Six, I-I have s-six left." Mike took notice of her trembling hands as she was counting. He locked gazes with each of the twins in turn. "Alright, I have a plan for how we should tackle this thing. First, I need the two of you o understand something." The pair swallowed nervously almost at the same time. "This boss fight will probably be dangerous, and there is a very real chance that one or all of us will be seriously injured or killed. Everyone here lacks practical dungeon delving experience. Frankly we are all in over heads." Lloyd and Rita both looked stricken. Mike was amazed on how synchronized their reactions were. "However, I want you to know that I feel we have a good chance of getting through this, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you survive." They didn''t look convinced, some Mike finally came to a decision. [Sorry Kaya, I''m going to have use this for someone other than Morris.] He handed Lloyd a small, uncut crystal. "This is a salvation stone." Tal started, a look of surprise forming on her face.....or not, but she did seem to be more than a little interested in the crystal. Mike continued. "If you or your sister are in danger, and I can''t get to you, just crush this crystal and you will be protected by a shield of force." Lloyd stared, bug eyed, the stone. "Is this a-a magic....item?" He asked softly. Mike nodded, smiling at the way the younger adventurer handled the crystal like some kind of holy relic. He walked to the top of a short set of stairs leading up to the boss room, before turning around and addressing the group. Putting together what knowledge of group combat he''d picked up from the novels he''d read in his past life, and after considering the possibilities, he had decided on a course of action that would hopefully lead to success. "So here''s the strategy. Brenden you are the vanguard. We aren''t sure what the enemy is going to be or how many, so I need you to react quickly once we get inside. If we are fighting multiple enemies, try to keep as many as you can occupied while the rest of us eliminate them one by one. If there is only one boss, use hit and run tactics. Try to keep its attention on you, but avoid getting too deeply entangled with it." The beastman straightened in place. A feral grin shattering his icy countenance. Mike wasn''t sure, but he thought that this might have been the first real smile he''d seen from Brenden since they''d met, and it was giving him the creeps. "Tal, I want you to run rearguard support. Hit the enemies hard and fast and try to keep them off balance. Just watch out for Brenden and I." The elf nodded, determination evident, if only by Mike''s estimation. "Rita," The girl released a small squeak when her name was called. "I want you to stay back with Tal, and fire at targets of opportunity. Even if you are only distracting the boss, you can take some pressure off of the front line. Take your time, you only have six arrows, so make them count." Rita gulped nervously again, but looked a little less fearful than she did a minute ago. "Lloyd, I want you to protect the rear line, especially your sister. To the best of your ability, stop monsters from getting close to Rita and Tal, but try to protect yourself. You don''t have to kill any of them, just give the rest of the group time to eliminate the threat." "Right." The boy said more confidently than he obviously felt. Mike noticed that no one asked him where he would be in the formation. They evidently trusted him to act in their best interests. He gave the group one more thorough examination. In truth, Mike was not nearly as confident as he appeared. When he took charge of the newbie adventurers, he began to feel the weight of responsibility. The five of them were literally risking their lives following his plan. If something went wrong, he wasn''t sure if he would ever be able to forgive himself. After a few moments spent wracking his brain, trying to see if he had forgotten anything, he decided it was time. [Nothing for it, but to do it, I suppose.] He turned and faced the boss room doors. He raised one hand, waving the group to move forward, before placing that same hand on the right most door and pushed it open. The adventurers took their places around him, Brenden hopping up to stand next to him, a feral grin already locked in place. He looked.....eager, like predator during the hunt. [I swear this guy is bipolar. Whatever. He could think he was Napoleon, and I wouldn''t care so long as it got us out of here in one piece.] As soon as the door was open, the group sprung forward and entered the boss room. Apparently, the boss room sealed itself when delvers entered it, and it was not uncommon for some of a party to be stuck outside of the room during the fight. In order to prevent this from occurring, most adventuring parties would rush into a boss room at one time. Mike examined the chamber while the rest of the group got into formation. The worked stone of the previous section of the dungeon had given way to natural-looking cave walls. The adventurers stood in a vast, circular chamber so large, it dwarfed all the other dungeon rooms they had seen leading up to this point. At the very center of the room was a glowing pool of magma, roughly 30m across. Everyone was tensed, waiting for the fight to start, when a confused voice broke the silence. "Where''s the boss?" Lloyd asked. "It''s not another trapped room, right?" Mike was about to reply, when a strange rumbling cry echoed throughout the chamber. An oddly smooth and rounded head emerged from the pool in the center of room, gradually giving way to a long and slender reptilian body. Every part of the creature seemed to be composed of glowing lava. Much like many of the creatures Mike had seen in this world, it seemed to have been built on a larger scale, standing roughly 5m tall and nearly 20m longs. Two brighter patches near the top of its head evidently served as the monster''s eyes. They swept the room, before focusing on the adventurers. Another patch formed where a normal lizard would have a mouth. It seemed to stretch wide and another of those unusual cries was unleashed on the group. "What is that?!!" Lloyd cried. "Lava Salamander. Composite elemental of earth and fire. Recommend Water Magic." Tal answered, more succinctly than usual, already conjuring her spirit into existence behind her. "Duly noted." Mike answered while he summoned a sphere of water into his hand and directed it the monster. It splashed against the salamander, accomplishing little besides creating some steam. "Will need more." Tal called. "Yeah, I got that." Mike answered dryly. The salamander''s eyes narrowed as it focused on Mike. It stretched its mouth wide again, but this time its chest region seemed to inflate. Recognizing the approaching danger, he threw his left hand forward and quickly summoned a thick wall of water in front of the group. "Stay behind me!" He yelled, while cursing in his heart. [What is it with this place and fire breathing lizards?] He had to squint as a bright flash of light filled the room. His wall of water was quickly engulfed by a wash of fire, nearly evaporating it on contact. Seeing his rapidly dwindling protection, he fed more mana into the wall, but it seemed to be a losing battle. A cloud of steam erupted from the confrontation, and Mike could feel the flesh of his arm burning, the searing agony making it difficult to maintain his concentration. After what felt like an eternity, the flames abated. Mike released his water magic, and fell to his knees, cradling a now-blackened arm. He could distantly hear yelling. It sounded like someone was trying to call his name, but he couldn''t think over the intensity of the pain. He looked up, and saw the salamander charging directly at him, mouth still agape. Chapter 36: Of Flames Demise Mike could only watch as the monstrous fire lizard [or is it amphibian?] charged at him through the cloud of steam. Suddenly, he felt hands grasp him and toss him to his left. He rolled a few times and came to a stop. Brenden had managed to fling him out of the way at the last second, and was now engaging the salamander in quick hit and run attacks. Unfortunately, it looked as if his attacks were largely ineffective, since the beastman couldn''t stand the intense heat radiating off of the monster. Mike''s attention was stolen by an intense itching that now accompanied the agony of his burns. Looking back down at his arms, he got to watch the bizarre spectacle of skin growing across his charred limb. At the rate it was going, it should be fully healed in a matter of minutes, but he already felt the pain ebbing as his arm returned to its natural state. [Well, I guess they don''t call it legendary regeneration for nothing.] He commented mentally while thinking of the ability he had gained from the Blood Collector skill. He staggered to his feat, still a little unsteady, and grimly started moving to join the fray. So far, Brenden had succeed in keeping the salamander occupied without allowing himself to be injured, although it was clear that he was quickly tiring. As Mike watched, an arrow struck near the ''eye'' of the creature and simply bounced off. It seemed Rita was trying to help, but the monster took no notice of her efforts. Much more successful was Tal''s barrage of Air Magic. "Tear the wind asunder, and cleave they enemy in twain [Wind Blade]!" Transparent blades made of air sliced into the salamander, causing splashes of lava that fell from the creatures wounds like blood. It unleashed a howl of pain and rage, and charged at Tal, bent on destroying the offending pact mage. Brenden made an effort to halt its advance, but was summarily ignored. Lloyd and Rita were shouting at Tal, trying to get her to move. However, judging from the elf''s exhausted appearance and sluggish movements she had spent too much mana, and could no longer get out of the way in time. By this point, Mike''s arm had mostly healed, and his thoughts had become quite clear. In fact his pain had receded to a dull roar. Knowing that time was of the essence, Mike concentrated and tried to pull deeply from his mana, deeper than he ever had before. While he was doing so, he sensed something just beyond the reach of his will. Another source of power that seemed beyond him. With an effort he tried to drag some of it closer. Suddenly, he felt a surging tidal wave of power, pouring forth from the deepest reaches of his soul. He channeled it into his Water Magic, and briefly felt himself connect with something far greater than himself. Not fully understanding what was happening, he decided to go with the flow and embrace this newfound connection. Instantly, he found himself floating in an endless ocean. It was serene, tranquil as if for that one second all the world had come to a standstill. Suddenly a pulse of force, similar to a sonar ping, emitted from Mike''s body. He was still confusedly trying to figure out the origin of that force, when an answering ping reached him, one powerful enough to vibrate the entire realm. Suddenly he was back in the dungeon, facing the charging salamander. He had somehow appeared in front of Tal. Something seemed to be pressing against him, almost gently. Faintly he heard a cool sliver of a voice whisper in silken tones. "Ooopennnn ttthee wayyyy." Without quite understanding what he was doing, Mike relaxed every muscle in his body, and simply let go, unleashing the raging power seeking to break free from him. He felt a familiar breaking from deep within as his world turned blue. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "YOU HAVE TO MOVE!" The twins were screaming at her, but Tal could barely find the strength to remain standing, let alone run from the approaching monster. Akiriti had already sapped the majority of her mana, and was forced to return to the spirit realm. The Mist falcon''s obvious distress at the condition of her contractor was of some solace to the elf. [At least one being will morn my passing.] As she watched the charging salamander, time seemed to slow down for her. She could see the frantic young beastman yelling, trying to draw the monster''s attention. The twins were each trying to help in their own ways. Lloyd was running towards her, an arm outstretched. It was obvious that he wouldn''t be able to make it. Rita was unleashing arrow after arrow a the creature''s head, to little effect. Tal could see the look of despair on the girl''s face when she ran out. Mike was on one knee, struggling into a standing position. Tal could feel a terrifying amount of mana being channeled from the young man''s soul, but she could already tell that whatever powerful magic his was attempting would come too late. Despite the circumstances, Tal felt happy. Even though they barely knew each other, even though they came from different walks of life, here was a group people that were desperately trying to save her. [It seems I proved you wrong after all brother, there are people in this world who do not care about the nature of my burdens. I only regret that I will not live to show you how wrong you were.] She tried to smile, but the strictures of her contract with Mejimanethial made it impossible. [I wonder what my life would have been like, if I had chosen this path sooner. Perhaps I might have found comrades, or friends.] Her vision of the charging Lava Salamander was suddenly blocked by a broad shouldered back. She recognized Mike''s form, but his presence had become overwhelming. Simply standing next to him made her feel as if she was sinking to the bottom of the ocean. [Wha...? How did he.....?] A quiet voice chanted a spell, in a language that few, save the Elder Races still remembered. A spell that Tal did not recognize, nor fully understand, but nevertheless shook her to the core with its raw power. "Calm were the waters of my soul, still were the rapids of my heart. From time immemorial, I lay at rest. Tranquility is my boon." There was a pause as the building pressure of mana reached a crescendo. Mike struck a pose, one arm lifted in front of him, palm upraised, the other held low, curved in towards his body. Tal was overwhelmed by the implications of Mike''s spell. [Was he this powerful of a mage? This doesn''t seem possible for such a young human......Has.....Has he connected to the Elemental Source?] The young man had surprised her constantly today, but this was by far the most shocking thing yet. Mike shifted into a more aggressive pose, hands now clenched with his arms at his sides. The quiet voice rose in volume, channeling a primal fury that could no longer be contained. "Now a torrent rages through my being. My peace is at an end. My soul cries out in anger. All shall know my wrath. [Guardian''s Rage]." Mike raised his hands above his head, as if lifting an invisible load. The world turned silent, as a pool of water stretched out in front of Mike hands. A vertical pool. It swiftly grew to nearly 40m in height, to the point it was nearly touching the chamber''s ceiling. Tal thought it resembled a shimmering pane of glass. The salamander was backing away from the water, its body posture suggesting a fearful desperation. From the pool emerged a long and elegant set of jaws. Accompanying it was a horned and serpentine head, followed by a long, sinuous body. Shimmering blue and white and blue scales covered the creature''s majestic form, which stretched nearly a 150m in length. [A water dragon! He actually summoned a water dragon! That''s supposed to be a low Tier 4 spell at the very least. How is this possible?] The dragon coiled itself in mid-air and stared down at the trembling salamander with a predatory gaze. "Ritalshi, onmiyolu." Mike called softly [Please finish it, honorable one.] Tal mentally translated with some difficulty. It had been a long time since she learned ancient Draken. The dragon let out a sibilant hiss, before striking out with blinding speed. It caught the salamander in its jaws, as the elemental tried to flee back into its lava pool. With a simple crunch the boss monster that had been giving the party so much trouble was bitten in two. As the separate halves of the monster''s body fell away, already disintegrating, the dragon turned to regard its summoner. "Mitamishalm, onmiyolu. Jirktamintan amn pakiton." [My thanks, honorable one. You have given this one life.] The young man addressed the majestic creature while bowing in thanks. The dragon rumbled in a way that was almost cat-like. The vibrations of which seemed to excite the air itself in the chamber. It opened its mouth and spoke in a gentle, almost feminine voice. "Ashtolymanithe kolminth, undinekath. Heitomane gen tolonit jeniclat." [You are welcome water-touched. May we meet again in friendship.] Then as swiftly as it arrived, the dragon disappeared back through the vertical pool, which was now clearly some kind of portal. The pool quickly vanished, as if evaporating. The suffocating presence abated, and Mike turned around to face Tal, exhaustion evident in his face. There was so much for her to process, she hardly knew where to start. This strange young human just took everything she thought she knew about elemental magic and turned it on its head. "What? How?" She was having trouble forming the correct questions. [Gods Akiriti, why couldn''t you have asked for a more convenient sacrifice? This is making communication impossible.] Mike muttered quietly. "If possible, I''d like to ask the rest of you to keep this whole event to yourselves." His quiet determination, coupled with his display of power mere seconds ago, proved sufficient to cow the others, but Tal caught a glimpse of a well concealed emotion in Mike''s face. One that looked very much like shame. She realized that this young man must have waited to unleash power for a reason, one that evidently caused him emotional pain. That he would bear with that pain in order to save her, left Tal feeling humbled and guilty for her earlier thoughts. No living being becomes that powerful at such an early age without some consequences, some means of paying for it. Tal understood that better than anyone. She sensed in Mike a kindred spirit. [You must have some circumstances that you do not wish to explain to us. Burdens that only you can bear at this moment. Perhaps, in time, I will have earned your trust enough for you to share.] The elf resolved herself to befriend this powerful young man, and show him that he need not be alone. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [What just happened? AHHH, why was I using that cringey incantation? What kind of strange dance is that?] Mike cursed at himself. As soon as he let go of the power he was building up, he had lost control of his body, and was forced to watch himself act out a ridiculously embarrassing ritual. [Gahh, this is bringing back all my trauma from middle school!] After the power faded and he finally regained control of himself, he could only depend on the goodwill of his fellow adventurers to keep quiet about this. [Hopefully, this won''t spread around any. I would hate to have move now that I''ve settled in here in Wyrport.] He couldn''t bring himself to imagine the kind of nicknames that could arise from this event, and just hoped to wipe it from his memory. He completely failed to realize the significance of what he had just done. Chapter 37: Wrap Up Mike''s internal squirming was interrupted by the sounds of the boss room doors opening. A desperate looking Philomena burst into the chamber, axes at the ready. She ran up to the group, checking each of them for injuries, before looking around in a panicked manner. "Where''s Devin?" She asked plaintively, even though the pained expression on her face demonstrated that she knew the answer. "He didn''t make it." Mike answered softly. "We ended up fighting a trio of those lizards, and he was killed. Nearly died myself, but Mike was able to save me, just in time." Brenden added, a little more subdued than before. He wasn''t sure of it, but Mike still sensed a sort of manic energy radiating from the young beastman. Philomena seemed to age visibly at the news, despair evident in posture. She stared down at her hands, weighed down by her perceived failure. "I promised....." She trailed, before rallying slightly. "At the very least, all of you are alright." Her slightly relieved smile suddenly twists in anger. "Whose idea was it to challenge the boss by yourselves? Why didn''t you wait for me like I asked?" They entire group turned their eyes on Mike. "Well, you see....the thing was....." He was having a hard time coming up with a decent excuse. "The thing was what?" Philomena asked sharply, getting up into his face. Mike leaned back, a little overwhelmed by the ferocity of her rebuke. "Well, we didn''t know....if you were still alive." She blinked and stepped back. "Why would you think that?" "Tal told us how you sacrificed yourself, holding back a swarm of monsters. I figured that we had the option of waiting for you, trying to find you, or beating the boss and escaping the dungeon, and from there launching some kind of rescue mission." Philomena glared at Tal who simply shrugged in response. "Haaaa," She let out a deep sigh. "I hardly think those overgrown lizards posed any real threat to Rank 5, even if they were coming in droves. I told the three of them to head up the passage a bit and wait for me to finish them off. It would have been troublesome to defend them while fighting." "So you''re saying this is all a..." "A misunderstanding, yes. I arrived in the previous room just in time to see the doors of the boss room close. Do you have any idea how I felt knowing that my students, my students without any experience in dungeons, were trying take on the fourth floor boss without me?!" Mike could only shake his head. Philomena sighed again. "Well, it doesn''t matter I suppose. Let''s get this group out of here for now. Where did the dungeon boss die?" Mike pointed out the location, and the group walked over. A fist sized orange mana core was resting in the spot, and not too far away was a squarish metal container. "Huh, I thought it would have been bigger." Mike commented while examining the crystal. "Mana cores come in a variety of grades. For reasons that we don''t completely understand, they appear in one of the seven colors of visible light, from red to violet. Red cores are the weakest and contain the least amount of energy, while violet ones are considered the most powerful, although it has been theorized that other colors might exist. From there, the relative size of the core determines its power and thus its value." Mike nodded along, before switch his gaze to the box. "So, what do we do about that?" "I''m assuming it wasn''t here until you defeated the boss, is that correct?" Upon receiving an affirmative answer, she continued. "In that case it should be safe. Treasure chests that appear after a boss is defeated are almost never trapped, but it never hurts to have a trap expert examine it, should you happen to have one in your party." She squatted down and examined it carefully. "Well I''m no expert, but it looks safe to me. I''m going to try opening it." With a wave of her hand, she motioned the group to get behind her, as she used one of her axes to raise the lid of the chest in a direction away from anyone. When nothing in particular happened, she stepped forward to examine its contents. "Impressive. This kind of loot rarely shows up on these low level floors." She held up a cloak made of deep red colored leather. The exterior layer had faint scale patterned markings. Mike used Inspect. {Salamander''s Cloak} Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 4) A dungeon created item. Supposedly made from the skin of a salamander, this cloak protects its wearer from fire. Provides complete immunity from non-magical fire, and moderate resistance to the effects of magical fire. [That''s rather potent for a Tier 2 item. I am beginning to see why adventurer''s are so willing to risk their lives in dungeons. This cloak makes an entire elemental magic skill line significantly less useful.] Philomena continued her lecture. "Typically an adventuring party would do one of two things when finding a magic item like this. One, they could sell it and split the proceeds. A cloak like this could easy go for several hundred if not a thousand gold." The members of the group were astounded by the sheer magnitude of the wealth simply sitting in front of them. "Two, if a member of the party has need of the item, or has perform well during the dungeon crawl, the party may give that item to that adventurer. Depending on the nature of the party, that adventurer would then compensate the rest of the group out of the general proceeds of the delve or later finds." She paused to look around at the group. "Do you have an idea what you want to do?" Lloyd hesitantly raised his hand. "Mike was the one that beat it. Tal and Brenden helped, but Rita and I were really just a burden. So, I think the three of them should decide." He tightened his grip on his spear. Rita was looking down at the ground. "It should belong to Mike, Tal and I barely even wounded the creature." Brenden said with arms crossed. Tal simply nodded her agreement. Philomena shrugged and handed the cloak over to Mike, who promptly tried it on. [Wow, this is really comfortable. The material is soft and smooth, but really seems really durable. It also appears to keep me cool, since the heat of this room no longer bothers me.] "Well, I will take it, but on one condition. The rest of you have to split the proceeds of the boss''s core and this one." Mike said while producing the fist-sized red crystal from the giant lizardman in the previous room. "Agreed." Came a short and sweet reply from Tal. Philomena clapped once. "Now that''s settled, lets get you out of here." "How do we do that?" Lloyd asked. "Simple. Raise your guild marked hand into the air and say ''Home Portal Open." She said while demonstrating. Another swirling mass of energy popped into existence in the same spot that the salamander''s core was found. "In the future, if you want to descend to the next level, do the same, but say ''Descent Portal Open.'' Now come on, I want to see each of you go through this portal." One by one the party stepped into the vortex of energy and disappeared. Finally, only Mike and Philomena were left. By this point her strong exterior had faded, leaving a tired and despairing woman, staring forlornly back into the dungeon. He felt he needed to say something. "You know, we could go back in for his remains. Give him a proper funeral." "If you left him, then there won''t be anything left. Dungeon''s feed on the bodies of slain adventurer''s. Unless you collect their remains quickly, they will be absorbed." She answered in a flat emotionless voice. "Its something I know far too well." Mike was at a loss for words. Nothing he had experienced in either of his lives had prepared him to deal with this kind of situation. Thankfully, Philomena proved to be as resilient as she looked. "In truth, I need to thank you. Not only did you manage to protect the others, but you defeated a boss that would have been difficult even I had been there. Elementals like Lava Salamanders are like the natural enemy of pure warrior classes. I doubt I could have beaten it by myself, so it truly is quite an accomplishment for a Rank 3 adventurer. Even one with a ridiculous amount of magical power." She turned to look at him then. "I think you will achieve great things in the future. I can feel that you''ve grown even more powerful simply from this short trip into the dungeon. Given time, I fully expect that you will find your place among the great figures that will shape the future of this world." Mike felt his hairs raise, a strange feeling of foreboding washing over him. Philomena continued. "Just remember the lessons you have learned from this experience." And without another word she walked through portal. Mike took one last look around the chamber. [I asked for an eventful life, but I guess I didn''t really understand what that meant.] He rested his hands behind his head. [Oh well, I guess I can only try to make the best of it.] He briefly checked his [Status], and was once again astounded by the changes he saw, before turning and stepping through the portal. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 2 (High) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior (NEW) Undinekath (NEW) -------------- Skills -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 2) Intermediate Healing Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Inspect (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Initiate Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Air Magic (Rank 1) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Spear Fighting (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Riding (Rank 3) Basic Haggling (Rank 1) (NEW) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: Basic Fear Resistance (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Physiological Resistance (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Poison Resistance (Rank 3) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Minor Mana Enhancement (Rank 5) Minor Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 1) Minor Agility Enhancement (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Minor Strength Enhancement (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Limit Break (Rank 1) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- - Dungeon Challenger - You have challenged the dangers of a dungeon floor beyond your capacities. Despite this, you have emerged victorious. Minor increase to Endurance while inside a dungeon. Minor increase to the acquisition and improvement of skills inside a dungeon. - Undinekath - You achieved a true connection with the Elemental Source of Water. Whether achieved at a moment of breakthrough or by channeling a pure elemental force, you are now forever marked by this connection. You are favored both by water itself, and water elementals of all kinds. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Water Elemental Magic and charisma when interacting with water elementals. Allows air breathing creatures to breath underwater. - Intermediate Healing Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - An intermediate form of True Healing Magic. By channeling pure mana into the bodies of the injured, practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic can stimulate and supplement natural healing processes, allowing recipients to recover from virtually all forms of injury. Higher skill ranks allow for the healing of more severe injuries and lowers the overall mana cost of healing. Rank 1 Effects: Cleansing Wave - Cleansing Wave - Practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic can alter the life mana they use to heal injuries, allowing them to remove foreign entities and substances from their patients. Recipients are cleansed of all non-magical disease and poison. - Intermediate Water Magic (Tier 2, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Water magic allows the user to create and manipulate water. It is characterized by flexibility in both offense and defense, but lacks the overt power of other types of magic. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Adaptive Control - Adaptive Control - Water is fluid both in form and spirit. By utilizing this flexibility of purpose, Intermediate Water Mages learn to exercise their will over more than just water, gaining the ability to control almost all liquids to some extent. Substances that are more heavily associated with other elements are more difficult to control. - Athletics (Tier 2, Rank 1) - It is through constant training and practice that true athletes are born. Minor increase to Strength, Agility, and Endurance for the purpose of performing any demanding physical task. - Intermediate Evasion (Tier 2, Rank 1) - The art of not getting hit. Moderate increase to Agility when seeking to evade blows and potential hazards. Agility gain determined by skill rank. - Intermediate Sword Fighting (Tier 2, Rank 1) - A more advanced skill of the Sword Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using swords and other, similar weapons in combat. Minor system correction to the usage of swords in combat. Chapter 38: Seeds As soon as the group had exited the dungeon, they were escorted by guild personnel back to the guild house. Apparently, when a newbie class enters the dungeon, they have a specific time frame in which they are expected to return. Since this group not only took longer, but came back with one less person, they were hustled into a back room at the guild for a thorough examination and debriefing. When asked about the boss fight, the newbies maintained, as a united front, that Mike had delivered the final blow on the Lava Salamander. However, they were vague on specifics, only agreeing that the young man had used powerful water magic to do so. After an hour or so of light interrogation, Philomena brought them back to the guild''s front lobby. "Ordinarily this would be done with some ceremony, but considering the circumstances, I think we will have to dispense with them. As of now, you are all recognized as official adventurers of the Wyrport Adventurer''s Guild. From this point forward you can freely access the Wyrport Dungeon. May I be the first to congratulate you on this achievement." She smiled in a tired manner while giving her speech. Mike could still see some of the previous pain evident in her features. Under Philomena''s direction the group moved to the turn-in window and sold their collected mana cores. Even though Mike had ceded the two most valuable ones, the others he had picked up still netted him 18 gold and 3 silver. By this point, it was already late afternoon. The group had spent almost the entire day in the dungeon, and Mike was tired and hungry, so after saying his goodbyes to his fellow graduates, he decided to head back to the inn. He briefly stopped by the guild weapon shop to pick up two common steel longswords for 5 silver apiece. He was little sad to see some of the money he had earned leave him again. [I really need to stop breaking my weapons, or find one that is a little more durable. Replacing these things every time I go on a mission or delve is going to become expensive. Perhaps I need to focus more on my magic, at least that is free.] He looked at his status again, and still couldn''t believe how fast his skills were progressing. He recalled Morris mentioning that improving skills depended on a number of factors, but it was well recognized that life and death combat was the most effective method of growing stronger. While training and practice help, and are often the best way to work on new skills, fighting in battle was dramatically more effective. This seemed to be especially true in the case of hunting monsters. There were a number of theories about why this was the case, but most experts believe that when a person kills a monster, some of that monster''s essence is absorbed. Somehow, the System seemed able to convert this into skill improvement. It was the reason that so many of the highest Tier people in the world tended to be combat oriented classes. It made him feel like that month spent training with Albert would have been better spent hunting in the forest. [Oh well, at least I''m fully established in the guild, so finding opportunities to hone my skills against monsters should be relatively easy.] Mike entered the inn and, seeing Morris sitting by himself, collapsed into a seat next to him, resting his head on the table. "Ugh, I''m exhausted and starving. Morris old buddy, could you get some food and drink?" Morris looked up from a stack of papers he was reading through with a wry smile. "Hard day?" "Like you wouldn''t believe. The whole class got caught in a teleportation trap and we had to fight our way out of a lower dungeon floor." Mike''s face clouded over. "One of the other students died as a result." Morris motioned a waitress over. "Get my friend here some ale, and whatever your serving for dinner." He passed a handful of copper over as payment. He looked back at Mike. "Dungeon''s are dangerous places. Its not uncommon for veteran adventurers to lose their lives, let alone newbies. You shouldn''t blame yourself. You''re powerful, but not all problems can be solved with strength alone, and you can''t be everywhere at once." Mike started. Was he blaming himself? He didn''t think so, but he felt some guilt all the same. Devin''s death had cast a cloud over his whole experience in he dungeon, and continued to effect him even now. He wasn''t really sure why. He had witnessed the death of allies before, while fighting the Annihilates and in the caravan ambush. However, neither case had quite had the same effect. Almost as if reading his friend''s mind, Morris quietly reassured him. "I know you feel some pressure now that you''ve gained this power. You can accomplish so much now, that when you experience some kind of setback, it effects you more deeply. You have to remember, Mike, that you aren''t a god, you aren''t all powerful. Do what you can with what''s in front of you and trust in Fate to deal with the rest." Mike chuckled slightly at Morris''s mention of the force that got him killed in the first place, but his friend definitely had a point. He straightened in his seat. "Alright, I''ll try not to let it bother me." He grabbed the flagon of ale the waitress had brought. "But in the meantime let''s get drunk!" Morris laughed at that, before grabbing his own flagon. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brenden watched Mike leave the Adventurer''s Guild, and a cracked a feral grin. He had spent so much time wandering aimlessly, simply letting life direct his path. But that had all changed in the dungeon. Changed after watching a fellow newbie adventurer wield power that Brenden could barely comprehend. A newbie adventurer that could still make a genuine smile. For the first time since he''d killed his father, Brenden felt a strong passion, a desire that was lighting a fire in his heart. He read over the description of his new title again, thoughts still on the young man who made it possible. - Destined Rival - You have found your destined rival, the individual whose very existence spurs you to grow stronger, and Hitorius, God of Competition and Personal Growth has blessed you for it. Whether they are aware of it or not, you are destined to come into conflict with this person in your mutual quest for power. Moderate increase to the improvement of skills so long as your rival is perceived to be stronger than you. Minor increase to all attributes when in combat with your destined rival. [Just you wait Mike, I''m going to become stronger, and then I''m going to claim that smile of yours.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Talin stepped into the Guildmaster''s office, and addressed the back of the chair in which the Guildmaster sat. "Ma''am, the adventuring group containing the young man I mentioned previously has returned. They suffered a mishap. I''ve brought the report compiled by Philomena." After a few moments of silence, Talin asked. "Ma''am?" He listened closely and heard the sounds of rythmic breathing. Sighing, he took the report he had in hand and dropped it, loudly, on the desk. "Hrgk, wha...what?" A rough female voice sounded from behind the chair, before it spun to face him. "Ah, Talin, I was just in the middle of some deep meditation and I didn''t hear you come in." The speaker was a powerfully built woman with dusky skin, that looked to be in her late thirties. She was running a hand through her shoulder length, wavy red hair before adjusting the disorder state of her simple tunic and pants. She glanced up at Talin with her one good crimson-irised eye, the other was covered by a simple patch. A pale scar could be seen running across the bridge of her nose and behind the patch to end just above her right eyebrow. With her curvaceous figure, she could easily be called a beauty. At least those who didn''t know about her shameless personality might think so. Talin sighed again. "Ma''am, you still have a bit of drool on your chin." The Guildmaster wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before rising to her feet. "Haha, anyway, what brings you in today?" Ignoring the way she blatantly changed the subject, Talin continued. "I''ve brought you the report on the newbie class containing the young man I mentioned previously. I thought you might be interested to know they ran into some difficulties." "Bah, Talin you know I don''t have time to deal with these minor problems. This is precisely the reason I employ so many subordinates. Now if you excuse me, I''m late for an important meeting down at the pastry shop." [You only brought on so many staff members, so you wouldn''t have to work. If it wasn''t for your strength I''m sure the Head Guildmaster in Bergell would have kicked you out long ago.] "Before you go for another ''taste testing'' session, you may want to look this over. The boss room of the first floor had a teleportation trap, and the fourth floor boss they ended up defeating was a Lava Salamander." "Oh?" The Guildmaster asked with sudden interest. She quickly scanned the contents of the report. before breaking out into a wide grin. "Interesting. You said this Michael is the one with the composite soul?" Talin nodded, feeling a deep chill that had little to do with the weather. Andromeda, also known as the Crimson Disaster, Guildmaster of the Wyrport Adventurer''s Guild and one of the handful of Tier 4s on the continent laughed. "I''m going to have to make time to meet. Miren, get me my schedule!" "The one for guild inspections or the real one?" A female voice called from the other room. "My real one. I''m going to have to clear some time on it." "Well, if your are willing to reschedule or cancel your daily three hour naps, we should have plenty of-" "Lets not get hasty. I just need to see my d*** schedule!" Andromeda yelled while storming out of the room. Talin apologized in his heart to her unfortunate target. [She wouldn''t do anything too bad to a young adventurer, right?] Chapter 39: A Grey Day Off Mike awoke feeling refreshed. He had spent much of the last night trying to drink himself under the table, but unfortunately some combination of his attributes and his poison resistance skill made it virtually impossible. After he had worked his way through the majority of a barrel without achieving more than a mild buzz, he finally gave up. With some disgust, he noticed that his poison resistance skill had ranked up again. [At this rate its going, I''ll be virtually immune to alcohol in the near future. I really need to figure out how to turn off passive effects.] He couldn''t imagine the kind of trouble he could get into if his Casanova Aura advanced in some way. Standing, he did his daily routine of stretching he had picked up during his training with Albert. He had been slacking a bit recently, but the events of yesterday showed that he still had a long way to go. He glanced over at Morris''s side of the room and took note of the slightly snoring form in the bed. Mike snickered to himself while remembering the way his friend had tried to bow out early from the festivities. The older man had drunkenly tripped over his chair and stumbled into the waitress, who spilled a platter of drinks on the unfortunate bard. [Hopefully that doesn''t impact his job search. He mentioned yesterday that he hadn''t had much luck on that front. Better make sure to leave some money at the front desk to cover our expenses for the next few days.] Mike left a note for his hungover roommate stating that he had decided to spend the day exploring the city and doing some shopping for some armor. He threw on the Salamander''s Cloak, and grabbed one of his new swords, almost as an after thought. After eating a quick breakfast in the common room, he stepped out into the street. It was a beautiful and sunny morning, with a pleasant breeze bringing fresh air in from over the lake. Mike was truly grateful for Lifestyle Magic. He hated to imagine what a city of this size would smell like without it. He turned and started trying to navigate the confusing city streets towards the Market District, hoping to do some shopping with his newly earned money. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Not too far away, in a rundown pub without a name, but which is referred to as the Watering Hole by the locals, a skinny man dressed in grey clothes burst through the front door, and ran up to a table. Seated at it were three people dressed in similar looking grey clothes. The first was a shaven headed man with a closely trimmed grey beard. He was absently drinking from a flagon while leaning back in his chair. The second was a red haired, male dwarf. He currently had his heavily muscled arms crossed in front of his long and elaborately braided beard. The last was a young female cat beastman with light orange spiky hair in a boyish cut. Her clothes were more form fitting than the others, revealing a lithe and slender form. She was cleaning her nails with a dagger while periodically staring out the window. The skinny man addressed the grey beard first. "Boss, we just got word of a valuable target moving through our territory." The boss lowered his flagon. "Oh? What''s the details?" "A buddy of mine is a member of the Adventurer''s Guild. Well, I say a buddy, but its not like I would trust him with anything in particular, not like I would with fellow members of the Grey..." "Get to the point, Roger!" "Right! Well, anyway this buddy of mine said he heard about a little incident at the guild. Apparently, there was a group of newbies that got into some trouble down in the dungeon. They ended up on the fourth floor and had to defeat the boss to escape." "I''m failing to see the point Roger, you better be making it soon. I don''t care about whatever trash they picked up there." The boss issued a threat with menace in his voice. Nervously the skinny man continued. "Ye-Yeah. Well that''s the thing. One of them came out of the dungeon wearing a genuine Salamander''s Cloak. I had another buddy of mine, who works at the bank and has the Inspect skill, confirm it this morning when the newbie was traveling trough the market." The dwarf reacted to this news first. "A real Salamander''s Cloak? That would easily be worth a thousand gold, maybe more to some experienced adventurers looking to delve in the lower levels. If its really in the hands of a newbie adventurer, then its ripe for the picking." "Right?" Roger smiled. "That''s why the first thing I thought about was sharing the news with the boss." He evidently felt more relaxed now that the value of his information had been recognized. The eager look on his face showing his hope for a reward. The boss grimaced, and tossed over a silver coin. "If this information ends up panning out, I''ll replace it with a gold one. Now wait outside while I make some plans." Roger thanked him profusely before scampering out the door. Adrian, the current leader of the criminal organization simply known as the Grey, sighed. Not for the first time, he thought that the newer recruits were getting worse and worse. They had once been the most powerful of the Dark Guilds, as such organizations were colloquially called, in the city of Wyrport. Unfortunately, they had recently suffered a series of setbacks caused by a new player that seemingly wanted to carve out a chunk of Wyrport''s underworld for itself. Despite their best efforts, none of the Grey had been able to identify the origin or goals of this new power. When the group suddenly stopped their previously implacable advance, Adrian was content to lay low and rebuild. But for that he needed funds. "So Lorik, what do you think?" He said addressing the red haired dwarf. "Well, if we could get our hands on that cloak, the money would go along way to replenishing the treasury. As I''m sure you know, its only by selling some of our legitimate assets that we''ve been able to stay afloat as long as we have. This cloak would be a good stop gap measure, but we will need to reclaim some of our income sources soon or risk the guild dissolving." Adrian nodded. The Grey had historically been funded almost exclusively through protection money, gambling proceeds, and the occasion heist of valuable items or materials. They often held themselves as being better than their drug running, slave trading competitors. Now, with the majority of their client businesses and gambling houses taken over by that new organization, the Grey were in dire straights financially. Still he hesitated a bit before organizing a theft from the newbie. Stealing from adventurers, even newbies, was not something one entered into lightly. The Adventurer''s Guild was home to some of the most powerful people on the continent, not counting a few of the more successful knightly orders. Stealing from one of their members could lead to trouble the Grey couldn''t afford at this time. He looked over at Julia, the Grey''s most accomplished thief, while considering his options. Finally he made a decision. "Julia." The cat beastman''s ears twitched at the name, even though she continued to stare out the window. "I''m going to authorize this mission. Get some of the boys together and follow Roger to the target." She looked at him, sighed, and slumped onto the table. "Do I have to? I hardly think a measly thousand gold is worth the effort. I''d much rather take a nap." Adrian grimaced again. For all that she was a talented member of the Grey, sometimes her personality could infuriate him. "Yes you have to. The Grey needs this money now." "Fiiinnneee....." She exclaimed with an exaggerated amount of exasperation. He gritted his teeth at her antics. "Listen! This needs to be a clean job. No one can trace it back to us. We can''t afford the attention right now. If you can''t get it without the newbie noticing, then get him somewhere alone and eliminate him. There can''t be any witnesses." "Yeah, yeah. I know how it goes." She stood up and stretched, showing off her remarkably flexible body, before daintily stalking off. Adrian sighed again. He seemed to have been doing that a lot more frequently nowadays. Lorik glanced over at his old friend. "What''s the matter Adrian? I know this isn''t the way you''d like to do business, but this cloak could mean the difference between success and failure for the Grey. With it we could operate for a few more months, give ourselves some time to get our feet back under ourselves." "I know, but for some reason I can''t shake the feeling that I''m making a mistake. My head tells me its the right choice, but my gut is telling me the opposite." The boss looked at the doorway Julia had left through. "I just hope that nothing goes wrong." Chapter 40: A Lack of Public Order "I hardly think this is worth 8 gold, let alone 15. You see the stitching here? Its clearly second-rate work. I''m sure this thing would barely stand a hit before falling apart." Mike was saying while gesturing at suit of armor made from alchemically treated leather. Supposedly, it was much more durable than standard leather, while maintaining the same level of flexibility. The stingy armor merchant was shaking his head, clearly becoming increasingly infuriated with his customer. "Fine! I''ll give it to you for 12, and not a coin less!" "Tell you what," Mike muttered to the merchant in a conspiratorial manner. "Make it 10 gold and I won''t spread around that the ''Dragon Bone'' breastplate you have over there is really only made of Thunder Lizard bones. The merchant was speechless, mouth flapping soundlessly for a few seconds before his shoulders fell in resignation. "You are pure evil." He said while pushing the stack of armor with disdain. Mike dropped a stack of coins on the table and swept up his new purchase. "Oh, don''t be so dramatic. I''ll even throw in some professional advice. Free of charge." He glanced around, before pointing on a piled-up chain mail shirt. "That chain shirt, right there, is actually enchanted with an anti-rusting spell. Its only a minor effect, but it should allow you to sell it for three times what you are charging." The merchant blinked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure? How do you know?" "Let''s just say I have an eye for these things." He said while tapping his temple with a finger. "I see. Very well, you have my thanks." The merchant replied with a knowing smile. Mike turned and raised a hand acknowledgement. "Pleasure doing business with you." [And thanks for giving me the opportunity to level up my skills.] He had already spent much of the morning touring the market, inspecting everything of interest he''d seen. His Inspect and Basic Haggling had risen to Rank 5 and Rank 3 respectively. [I wonder what the tier-upped version of Inspect is going to be. Hopefully, I can use on other people. I''m getting a little tired of not being able to gauge how dangerous some individuals are. That''s like the trademark ability of every novel protagonist ever.] He wandered the district aimlessly, looking for lunch. He ended up getting a kind of spicy chicken salad like substance wrapped in something resembling a tortilla. Overall it was pretty good. [Now that I think about it, I''ve been in a lot of dangerous situations, but I''ve never gained any kind of sensory skill. In novels the MC always ends up with some kind of presence detection or hostili-] He suddenly noticed that someone in his near vicinity was directing hostility towards him. After looking at his [Status], he couldn''t help but wonder if the System had a sense of humor. - Detect Hostile Intent (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Users can perceive the hostile intentions focused on them, within a certain range. In order to be considered hostile, the individual in question must wish to harm the the user in some form, or cause some substantive loss to the user. Range and precision of the effect is determined by both the user''s Willpower and skill rank. Incredulous, he also noted that his Basic Poison Resistance had not only ranked up, but improved to Intermediate Poison Resistance. - Intermediate Poison Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Frequent exposure to harmful substances has increased you body''s ability to resist them. Provides moderate resistance to poison and poison based effects. [HOW?! HOW FAR WILL YOU GO TO PREVENT ME FROM GETTING A GOOD DRINK, SYSTEM?!] With some difficulty he managed to calm himself. He tried to ignore the cautious stares from passerbys, like he was acting insane, as they walked around him. After lowering the fist he had been shaking at the sky angrily, he face palmed. [This is starting to get ridiculous. Anyway, I guess I should figure out what is causing this skill to act up.] Walking through the market, he tried to remain casual, as he scanned his surroundings. Evidently he needed to improve the skill a bit, because he could only get a rough idea where the hostility was coming from. It seemed like there might be a handful of possible enemies, but he couldn''t be sure. [I need to lure them out. If they are actually hostile, they should try to attack me when I am alone.] Mike chose a likely looking alley and waited. It wasn''t long before he was surrounded by thugs. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I''m so going to kill that lucky bastard." Julia said through gritted teeth, ears pressed flat against her head. She had been trying to separate the newbie adventurer from his new cloak for nearly two hours at this point, but every attempt had failed. At first she had tried to grab it in passing through simple sleight of hand. An ordinary pickpocket would have had trouble removing a cloak from the newbie without him noticing, but Julia was was an expert. However, no matter how many times she tried, he always seemed to avoid it at the last second. Sometimes he would turn into a store at exactly the right moment, others he would bend down to pick something up or stop suddenly as a fast moving pedestrian cut him off. In one case, Julia almost had her hands on the cloak when a nearby window opened and dumped an entire bucket of water on her. That had really pissed her off. So much so, she resorted to one of her least favorite tactics, in an effort to subdue the young adventurer without a fight. After narrowly missing with several darts covered in a potent sedative, one of which ended up in the hindquarters of a particularly large horse which had subsequently caused a traffic jam, Julia was ready to tear the adventure apart with her bare hands. [I don''t care if I''m seen! I won''t be satisfied until I beat that cretin black and blue!] It was at this point that their quarry stopped in the middle of the road. A look of pure and unadulterated rage appeared on his features, and Julia was sure that he had noticed her underlings. Strangely the idea of it caused her heart to beat quicker. Fear shooting icy fingers up her spine. When the strange adventurer suddenly started shaking his fist at the sky, she relaxed. [This guy is crazy. That should make the next bit easier.] The newbie in question soon entered a nearby alley. Julia new this part of town very well, and she recognized that the foolish adventurer had entered into an isolated section of district. With a simple hand signal, she motioned her followers to surround the exit. She smiled. [Now I have you. Its unfortunate, but I''m going to have to take your life as well as your cloak.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike watched the two groups of thugs closed both exits of the deserted alley. There were two behind him and three in front of him. If he hadn''t already fought against much more terrifying odds, he would have been unsettled by being surrounded. A small, slender female thug wearing a hood and mask stepped forward. "Its your unlucky day, newbie. We''ve been after you all day, and if you had just let us take your Salamander''s Cloak we could have solved this the easy way, but no, you had to be obstinate. Drop your weapons and the cloak, and I might just let you live." Mike was confused. "So you''ve been trying to steal from me all day? I hadn''t even noticed." The leader of the thugs started shaking slightly at that. Mike wasn''t sure because of the mask, but he suspected that she was shaking with rage. She let out an inarticulate scream of fury."AAAAAAHHHH!!" She said while drawing a dagger and charging forward. "GET THE BASTARD!!" All five of the thugs charged at the same time. Mike briefly debated using magic, but felt that this would be an excellent time to work on some his more nonlethal skills. [Lets see how effective I can be in not killing them. Anyway, if I mess up, then it would be legitimate self-defense.] He cracked his knuckles and got to work. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Julia was charging the youth, dagger at the ready. As the fastest in the group, she would be the first to reach their target by a large margin. She knew that he was an adventurer, and therefore had some combat experience, but she felt confident that her group could take him down with ease. At least until he started moving. The newbie seemed to disappear, and a massive impact to her stomach knocked the wind out of her and blew her back several meters. Julia felt like she was hit by a horse. After rolling to stop, she painfully tried to get to her feet. [What in the hells is happening?" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Basic Unarmed Fighting (Tier 1, Rank1) - Whether learned in a street fight or at the knee of an experienced master, all unarmed fighters start with the basics. The most rudimentary skill of the Unarmed Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using their own bodies in combat. Mike grinned after watching the irritating thug leader being blown away. He had merely been trying to control his strength and deal a submission blow, but he picked up a new skill in the process. He turned to look at the thugs gathered around, obviously terrified by the his sudden display of strength and speed. Mike cracked his knuckles again. "Alright, its time you guys learned to pick your targets a little better." Chapter 41: Back Alley Brawl Julia coughed and gasped for breath. For the first time in years, she had been caught by surprise. The newbie adventurer''s blow almost knocked her out, but years of street fighting had earned her a comparatively high rank pain resistance skill. That said, she was still going to be incapacitated for a few minutes while she regained her breath. In the meantime she got a front row seat to watch the young adventurer take apart her followers with disturbing ease. At first, all four of them were too afraid to even move. The display of strength and speed quashed whatever courage they had mustered, and left them trembling in place, instinctively holding still as if to avoid the attention of a nearby predator. Then, one of the younger ones, Julia vaguely recalled that his name was Farin, leaped at the adventurer with his club. The wide, panicked eyes of the thug betraying his real motivation as fear. The adventurer simply leaned out of the way of the blow, allowing the club to harmlessly impact the dirt next to him. He executed two quick jabs, almost too fast for Julia to see, at Farin''s face and torso. The reckless thug''s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, clearly unconscious. At this point the other thugs understood the nature of their enemy, and chose two separate courses of action to pursue. Two of them decided to try their luck at the same time, while Roger, the organizer of this particular event, turned and sprinted out of the alley without a word. The two attacking thugs each armed with a dagger attempted to flank the newbie, but he was having none of it. As soon as they approached, he stepped forward towards one, casually knocked the thug''s weapon away, and delivered a front kick to the thug''s midsection. The adventurer apparently put too much force into the blow, because the unlucky thug was thrown clear across the alley, before impacting against a nearby wall, leaving a body shaped imprint. The newbie grimaced slightly, almost as if he hadn''t intended hit him quite so hard. At almost the exact same time he spun, narrowly avoiding a dagger in the kidneys from the remaining thug. With a flick of his wrist he chopped the back of the thug''s head, causing him to collapse on top of Farin. In the span of a few seconds, he had defeated three enforcers of the Grey, unarmed, without breaking a sweat. With a cold smile, the terrifying adventurer turned to face Julia, and she felt chills run down her spine. [I''m going to KILL Roger when I get a hold of him! There is no way this guy is a newbie adventurer.] By this point she had mostly caught her breath, but was still a little unsteady on her feet. Not quite ready to try anything else, and banking on the way the adventurer had been using nonlethal methods so far, she decided to give diplomacy a shot. She called out to the adventurer in a slightly wheezing voice. "So...It seems like we''ve got a bit of a case of mistaken identity here. This is really all a big misunderstanding." She gave a nervous smile forgetting entirely that she was still wearing a mask. "I don''t suppose you''d be willing to let me go?" She asked hopefully. "I promise I won''t bother you again." [I don''t think he is going to fall for it, but hopefully, I can buy enough time to recover and use my trump card.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike looked incredulously at the thug leader. [Does she really think that I would believe that she tried, on multiple occasions, to rob and/or kill me, all because of a case of mistaken identity? She specifically told me to drop the Salamander''s Cloak!] He snorted in derision. "You can''t expect me to believe that you went to such lengths, and didn''t take any measures to verify my identity at all." "No I suppose I can''t, although it was worth a try. Would you perhaps be willing to let me off in exchange for some....favors." She said in a sultry voice while stretching languorously. "You wouldn''t regret it." For a brief moment Mike''s mind blanked, his teenaged hormones overriding his adult mind, but he quickly snapped out of it thanks to his Physiological Resistance Skill. "You had me going there for a minute, but there is no way I''m going to trust you after you and your goons tried to kill me." He kicked the head of one of the said goons, who was slowly in the process of rising to his knees, to emphasize his point. "Well you can''t blame me for trying. Guess I''ll just have to do this the old fashioned way." She sighed lightly. "You probably should rethink-." Mike was forced to dodge a barely perceived blow to the face. The thug leader had suddenly disappeared and was attacking him before he could understand what was happening. He could barely see the thugs movements as a barrage of high speed attacks kept him constantly evading. In fact, the only aspect of his opponent that he could perceive clearly was her two vertically slitted pupils. After a few rounds spent dodging and blocking the thug''s attacks, Mike started to feel that he was getting the hang of this style of fighting. Pretty soon, he was trading blows hand-to-hand in a flurry of attack and defense. [It feels like I''m the main character of a martial arts film!] He thought, while knocking away another nearly invisible slash from his opponent''s dagger. He''d messed up the first few times he tried that, but the injuries had already healed. He noticed that the thug leader''s hood had fallen back in the confusion, and he caught glimpses of short orange hair and a pair of fairly large cat ears. [Ooh, a female cat beastman. I feel like she would have a lot of fans back in my old universe.] He hadn''t realized it yet, but he had already started enjoying this ''life or death'' fight, and was in an increasingly good mood. After exchanging a few more blows, a newly discovered instinct alerted him to the flaw in the thug leader''s defenses. Not wasting any time, he threw a kick which successfully connected with her right side, sending her careening into a nearby wall. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Julia cursed under her breath as she struggled to her feet for the second time. She''d managed to stall for enough time to activate her Atavism, but the disturbingly capable adventurer still managed to dodge her attacks, and even launch an effective counter attack. Atavism was a unique Inherent Skill that could only be acquired by beastmen. Unlike other Inherent Skills, it could rank up and was not available to beastmen from birth. It had to be unlocked by traumatic and life-threatening circumstances. Even then, Atavism users were rare. Most beastmen never managed to unlock the skill. It allowed the user to temporarily call on the strength of their more animalistic ancestors, granting a variety of benefits depending on the type of beastman using it. In her case, she gained enhanced agility, speed, senses, and to a lesser degree endurance. She also grew claws and developed slitted pupils which greatly reduced her ability to see in color, but gave her much greater night vision and kinetic vision. Julia had depended on the skill to serve as her ace in the hole. It required the user to be in an extended state of tension or emotional anxiety, often taking several minutes of fighting to reach the right peak. Once used she would have a short period of time, typically a few minutes, before the effect would wear off. Afterwards, she would suffer a rebound which would leave her largely helpless for the rest of the day. Never before had she failed to defeat an opponent once her Atavism activated. She was at a loss on how to proceed. [How can any human, especially one that young, keep up with a beastman during Atavism? Its so unfair! He hasn''t even drawn his sword!] Knowing that her effect would wear off soon, and the newbie adventurer was no closer to being defeated than when she started, Julia gave up on beating him. She stared at him defiantly, ready to accept defeat, but quickly noticed that he had an absent look on his face. She didn''t know what had happened to the adventurer, but she decided to seize the opportunity presented. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike watched the thug leader struggle to her feet. Her mask had slipped enough to let him get a glimpse at her face. If not for the slightly feral snarl currently twisting her features, Mike thought she would actually have been really cute, in a tomboyish sort of way. [She''s pretty close to my type. If she was a little less homicidal, she''d almost be perfect.] He let his thoughts drift back to her earlier offer, and found himself regretting that it was an obvious trap. Since he hadn''t really been taking things seriously up to this point, it wasn''t all that surprising that he lowered his guard at this critical moment. The thug leader pulled a small round object from a belt pouch and threw it against the ground in one swift motion. It burst on impact emitting a large, white cloud of smoke. Mike coughed a couple of times, and used Air Magic to clear the air. By the time he had done so his opponent had already disappeared. [Was that a real smoke bomb? I always thought they were more of a narrative device than anything else.] He looked around and realized he was still standing in an alley full of unconscious thugs. Not really sure how he would go about turning them into the authorities, he shrugged and decided to let them go. [All this exercise had made me a little hungry. I guess I''ll head back to the inn and get something to eat. I wonder what Morris is doing right about now?] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Julia staggered into the Watering Hole, utterly exhausted. Her Atavism had worn off shortly after she escaped the terrifying adventurer, and she was left to limp her way back. She glanced around quickly hoping to spot the spineless informant that had gotten her into the situation in the first place, but to no avail. Albert rose from his chair and came to meet her. "Julia? What happened? You look like shit." She responded with a glare, and made her way over to the bar, grabbing herself a bottle from behind the counter. Activating her Atavism took a lot out of her in a number of ways, and she usually ended up dehydrated because of it. Not that this particular course of action helped that in any way. Julia took a long swig before answering her boss''s question. "We got beat. That''s what happened. Roger''s information was bad." She limped over to a table and sat down, with Albert soon taking a seat opposite. "What do you mean bad? What happened?" "I don''t know who that guy was, but he wasn''t a newbie. That''s for sure." "What do you mean?" "The guy Roger wanted us to rob? He took down three of my guys in a few seconds, and then matched me blow for blow while I was using Atavism." "What? How is that possible. I haven''t heard of any major hitters coming into town lately." Julia was staring at the label of the bottle with a disgusted look, not really listening at this point. "The really irritating part was that he was holding back the whole time. He didn''t even draw his sword! Even when he was surrounded by armed enforcers!" Albert leaned back and let his follower vent, mind already trying to develop a plan for damage control. "If it hadn''t gotten distracted by something at the end, I''m not sure if I could have gotten away. Ugh! Its all so frustrating!" She threw the now empty bottle across the room where it smashed against the wall. Albert could sympathize. In his long career, he too had been at the mercy of powerful individuals. It was simply a consequence of the world they lived in. However, he didn''t really know how to comfort the girl, so he remained silent. After a few minutes she stood up angrily, a little bit of her old fire sparking to life. "I''m going to find that bastard Roger, and make him wish he was never born, and then I''m going to come back here and we are going to plan how to get this guy." "Well, I''m not too sur-" "No." She said sharply. "I need to get my revenge on him." Albert just sighed while rubbing his bald pate. It was hard to talk to her when she was like this. He just hoped that this wouldn''t bring any more problems to his benighted guild. Chapter 42: Business Venture Morris walked back into the inn common room, thoughts dark. He had been job hunting for two days now, and the only potential employer who offered to hire a washed up, crippled knight was a shipping company in need of basic manual labor. However, they didn''t make the offer in any manner that Morris could accept. The manager actually had the gall to offer him half the pay of other laborers because he ''could only do half the work.'' He gritted his teeth, silently cursing the lot of them. He had some money left from the generous severance pay the Order of the Wheel had given him, but he knew that if things didn''t change in the near future he would have to depend on Mike''s generosity, an idea that was tearing him up inside. After heading down to get breakfast, Morris had discovered that his young friend had ensured that their living and meal fees were covered for much of the foreseeable future. Mike had stumbled across a bevy of valuables in his short trip into the dungeon, and had evidently used some of his resulting earnings to pay the inn. It embarrassed Morris that a younger man, even one who made all kinds of difficult and impossible things look easy, was essentially taking care of him. [If things don''t change soon, I''m going to have to resort to desperate measures.] There were still a few people in this city he could call on for help, but he knew that any assistance he could get would come with some strings attached. "Hey, Morris! Over here!" A cheerful looking Mike called from one side of the room. It was a little after lunch, and he had evidently been sitting there for a while. Morris forced a smile while walking over to his friend, not wanting him to worry. "Hey Mike, how was your day off?" "Excellent! I picked up a new set of armor for a very reasonable price, tried some unusual food, and even got involved in a clich¨¦d scenario. It was great!" He answered with a grin. [Clich¨¦d scenario?] Mike had a tendency to say unusual things or use words that Morris had never heard of before. He had long learned to ignore the odd speaking habits of his friend, chocking it up to whatever traumatic event caused his memory issues. "Well it sounds like a productive day." "That it was. My only regret was that I kept finding things I wanted to buy, but didn''t have the money for." Morris frowned as a twinge of guilt shot through him. "Well, wasn''t that the reason you became an adventurer?" The younger man sighed and flopped his head and arms on the table. "Yeaahhh, but all the request I can take don''t really pay all that much. Dungeon delving is a little better, but it is really dangerous to do it alone. Until I find a decent party to work with, I''m going to hold off on going back in." He sighed again. "I just wish there was an easy way to make money that didn''t require much effort." Shaking his head at Mike''s antics, Morris replied. "You know, as a mage capable of healing magic, your services are very much in demand, especially for adventurers. I bet you, if you set up shop either in the Guild or outside of the dungeon, you''d make a killing. Mike stared at him for a good ten seconds. Morris could almost hear the mental gears turning, before his friend grabbed his head in apparent anguish. "Holy crap! Why didn''t I think of that?" He stood up suddenly. "I''m going to get started right now. Thanks, Morris." Morris just smiled and waved as his friend rushed out the door. [He''s always so exuberant. I wish I could enjoy life half as much as him.] Morris frowned again, now that he was alone. He ordered a drink and started contemplating his options. By the time he finished it, he''d come to a decision. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike was standing outside of the Guild, trying to figure out a good way of setting up some kind of stall to sell his healing services. After confirming with a slightly nervous looking Talin that it would be alright to set up shop in front of the Guild, he now had a new challenge to face. He ran here directly from the inn, but had not put any thought into how to advertise. [I suppose I could make a sign somehow, although I''m not too sure how common literacy is here. I''m also not too keen on standing here for long periods of time, so I''d like somewhere to sit. He created a mental list of tasks to accomplish in order to kick off his new business venture. First, he needed a location. Apparently, the area in front of the Adventurer''s Guild was a popular place for street vendors of all kinds. Eventually, he was able to carve out a little section for himself between a stall selling roasted meat skewers and a fortune teller''s tent. Second, he needed to create a sign to advertise. With a little bit of effort he managed to scrounge up the side of crate, and paint a message on one side using the additional effect of his Intermediate Water Magic and some reddish dirt. It read: Healing Services for Sale 3 Gold to treat any Injury 5 Gold to cure any non-magical poison or disease Satisfied with the crude signage, Mike bent himself to his third task. He at least wanted some kind of chair, so he didn''t have to stand for the rest of the afternoon. After that, some sort of shelter to shield him from the sun, and a work area would be the priority. He mentally reviewed his skills, but couldn''t think of anything that would help in this circumstance. [If I could learn Earth Magic, I should be able to create some permanent objects. I''ve seen a few novels where the main characters became famous for the way they build things using Earth Magic.] With sign in place, and nothing better to do than to wait for customers to approach, Mike decided to try his luck unlocking another skill. He was standing there, eyes closed, trying to figure out how spontaneously generate earth, when a familiar female voice interrupted. "Elemental Earth is by nature, static. Unlike other magic, you need a strong mind to control it. Feel the earth beneath you. How solid and unmoving it is. Bring that feeling to mind when channeling mana, then bend it to your will." Mike smiled lightly, and tried to concentrate on Tal''s guidance. He began to sense a connection with the ground underneath him. A sense of solidity encompassed him, and briefly, he felt connected to a vast, unchanging realm. With surprisingly little effort, he managed to create a handful of soil. His smile morphed into a grin as he dropped the clump of dirt, focused on the ground next to his feet and shaped himself a simple chair made of compacted earth. Unlike the other varieties of elemental magic, Earth Magic was simple. He just had to exercise his will to a sufficient degree, and the results would come naturally. He turned and looked at his advisor. "Thanks again. This is the second time you''ve given me timely advice. I''m going to have to buy you a meal or something." It was hard to tell, but Tal seemed a little taken aback by his suggestion, but still agreed.. "¡­..Very well. Sounds good. Let me know when." Mike noticed a new set of bound armor following in her wake. "Is that Mel¡­Mal¡­Mej¡­?" "Mejimanethial, yes. I remade the binding. It worked well." Mike felt that she was smiling. He also noticed that her strange verbal tick seemed less problematic when she was talking about magic. Mike grinned again. The elf seemed emotionless at first, but after paying a little attention, he could read her emotional state. Tal was studying his notice board curiously. "Healer now?" "Well, I''m taking a break from adventuring for a few days, but I still wanted to make some money. A friend of mine recommended that I try selling healing services, but I haven''t had much luck yet." He was speaking absently while mentally planning on the small structure he was going to build. "Little expensive. Also hard to believe from sign." He parsed that statement for a few seconds. "Hmm, I see what you mean, but I didn''t have a lot to work with when making a sign. As to price, how much do you think I should charge?" The elf tilted her head while deep in thought. "One and two?" She said hesitantly. "Well, alright." It was a steep reduction in price, but he figured she had her reasons. At that point there was a loud ''Oompf'' of expelled air from the street in front of them. Mike turned to look and say a heavily wounded young beastman, collapsed in front of his sign. He moved over to check on the individual, and as he got closer he recognized Brenden. [This is a regular class reunion] "Hey Brenden, you alright? What got you so tore up?" Mike called while activating his Healing Magic on the wounded man. There was a muted and pained reply, "Training." After a few moments of healing, Brenden was able to stand up, causing a general stir from the crowd that had formed around the pair. He looked over at Mike and gave him an feral, almost manic grin. "Good. I found you again, Mike. Let me tell you. I''m getting stronger every day. When I''m ready I going to fight you and prove once and for all who is better!" With this dramatic declaration he turned on his heel and started walking back towards the guild, but Mike caught his arm. The beastman looked at him questioningly. Mike held out his hand, palm up. "Three gold." "What?" Brenden looked completely confused. Mike pointed at his crudely made sign. "Healing injuries costs three gold." Brenden was struck speechless for a good minute, before turning bright red in embarrassment. He dug around in his belt pouch, produced two gold, and placed them in Mike''s hand. "I¡­. I''m a little short at the moment." He looked away, shamefully. "Uh¡­..Can I pay you back later?" "Tell you what, since we are old classmates, I''ll give you a one time, one gold discount." Mike said with a mischievous grin. Brenden nodded, ears flat against his head. "Thanks." He mumbled before slinking away. "Come again!" Mike waved to his retreating figure. Chapter 43: The Saint of West Street Mike turned back to Tal, feeling mightily pleased with himself, but he could tell that she disapproved a little by her body posture. [That was probably a little petty of me, but I couldn''t help myself] He thought while rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, what brings you here today?" Tal relaxed a bit. "Heading to dungeon. First floor. For training." She said while motioning to her bound armor. "Do you need someone to go with you?" Mike felt that if he had to delve with another person, he wouldn''t mind going with the pact mage. Tal shook her head. "Just clearing. Monsters reformed." "I see. Well, be careful." Mike guessed that meant that the monsters in the dungeon respawned after some time, meaning you could theoretically harvest them for mana cores indefinitely. She nodded and flashed an unseen smile¡­.maybe. "Remember. Owe meal." "I won''t forget. Let me get my bearings around this place and find somewhere good." Tal nodded again and stepped lightly away in the direction of the guild, the bound armor trailing in her wake. After she had disappeared from his sight, Mike suddenly remembered he had forgotten to ask about the chants she had used while in the dungeon. He face palmed again. [Oh well, I''ll just ask next time.] He walked back over to his makeshift stall and took a seat in his newly created chair. Unfortunately, it wasn''t particularly comfortable, and even after shaping it to be a bit more ergonomical, he still felt some discomfort. His control over Earth Magic was still a little rough, and he had difficulty with fine details. [I''m going to have to get a cushion or something if I want to keep doing this in the future.] As he was preparing to create the small shelter he had envisioned, he noticed that there was a crowd watching him, while muttering quietly to themselves. Mike sensed that the general mood of the crowd was nervous, but there seemed to be some strange energy passing through them. He observed the surrounding people, and noticed that none of them were willing to meet his gaze. He was just beginning to become discomfited by the whole thing when an old man limped out from group. The man was dressed in simple work clothes, and if Mike had to guess, he must have been close to 60 years old. While running a hand over his mostly bald scalp, he asked Mike. "Sir Mage, are you really a healer?" A sudden silence fell, the crowd seemed very interested in Mike''s next words. "Yes, I am." He answered simply. The man looked shocked and glanced down at the sign. "And this is all you are charging for your services?" "Yes¡­." Mike said a little hesitantly, he was starting to get a weird vibe from the group. The man quickly began digging in his pockets and produced a variety of coins and starting counting them. After a few seconds, his face fell. "I don''t have enough." The look of despair on the man''s face sparked Mike''s sympathy. "Well, how much do you have?" "Only 3 gold, 5 silvers, and 3 coppers." He said dejectedly. "I am assuming that you want to cure an illness, is that correct? What ails you?" "It''s not me, Sir Mage. It''s my wife. She''s come down with the Boneshivers, and we can''t afford the rates the temples are charging. I''m not sure if she will last much longer without some help." The unadulterated anguish the man expressed was almost enough to drive Mike to tears himself. [I feel like I have become a little bit of a softy since coming to this world.] He had a sense of foreboding, as if his decision in this case might dramatically impact his future. He briefly debated on the issue before finally deciding that, since he was already planning on changing his prices, he might as well charge the old man less. After all, healing an old women shouldn''t cause him any problems, right? "Well, I have some good news for you." The old man looked up, a spark of hope radiating from his eyes. "I was just about to change my prices on the advice of a good friend, but I haven''t yet gotten around to updating my sign." With a flick of his wrist he created a bit of water, washing the makeshift sign clean, then redirecting the mud tinted water into the new image he had in mind. He heard muted gasps from the crowd at his display of magical prowess. The sign now read: Healing Services for Sale 1 gold to heal any injury 2 gold to cure any illness or poison "So it looks like you do have enough money now." By this point the old man was crying. "Bless you sir, you''re a saint. A true saint." Mike once again felt that sense of foreboding. [I hope this is not going to cause me to gain another strange title. It''s already painful enough looking at my [Status].] "Now, now. I''m just a man getting paid to do a job. Why don''t you lead me to the poor woman, and we''ll see about what can be done for her." The old man led Mike through the confusing tangle of Wyrport''s streets, taking him into what he assumed to be the Craftsman''s district. The sounds of industry and labor filled the air. The scent of leather, steel, and sweat seemed to saturate the very walls of the buildings they passed by. Mike was enjoying his quasi-tour through a section of town he had not explored yet, but was starting to feel that this was a bit too much work for a single gold piece. [I''m going to have to establish a No House Call policy in the future, so I''m not traipsing across the city.] He also noticed that a large number of the people who had gathered around his stall had taken to following him from a distance. He wasn''t precisely sure what they wanted, but their high tension was setting him on edge. After a good half hour of walking, the old man directed Mike into a crowded tenement building and up to a sparsely furnished apartment. "She''s right in here, Sir Mage." He said while pulling the door open. "Mary. I''ve brought someone who will help you. I''ve brought a healer." As Mike entered the room, he saw the old man kneeling painfully next to a simple wooden bed. A pale and emaciated woman was lying there, shivering almost uncontrollably. Sweat stood out on her forehead, and it was clearly from the glazed and unfocused look in her eyes, that she was suffering from a terrible fever. He stepped over to the other side of the bed, and laid one hand on her forehead. With an effort of will he started channeling mana into the poor woman. A soft white glow suffused the room, and the old man watched with expectant eyes. Mike felt some resistance to his magic, almost as if the disease was trying to fight the intrusion of his mana, but he was able to swiftly crush it by adding a little more power. After a few seconds, the woman stopped shivering, her face regained some color, and her breathing grew easier, although she remained unconscious. Once he could no longer direct mana into the woman, a sign that he had done all he could at this time, he lifted his hand. The woman opened her eyes, blinked once and glanced around the room before settling her gaze on her husband. "Harold? What''s going on?" The old man, Harold as it turned out, burst into tears again. "Oh gods. I thought I was going to lose you, Mary." He looked up at Mike, eyes full of reverence and awe. "Thank you, Sir Mage. You are truly a saint." While he was glad to be able to do a little bit of good with his abilities, Mike was starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable with the whole situation. He decided it would be best to make a quick getaway before the man did something like swearing to become his follower. "We''ve been over this. I''m just a man getting paid to do a job. No more, no less. Speaking of payment, if you would be so kind as to hand me the agreed upon fee, I''ll be on my way. I''m sure the two of you have some catching up to do." "Oh, of course Sir Mage. You are probably very busy. I don''t want to hold you up any further." He said while fishing out the requisite coins. Mike nodded his thanks and headed back out of the building, hoping that he can put some distance between himself and the overly grateful man. He had managed to exit the building and cross the street, heading back towards the Adventure''s Guild when he heard Harold shouting from above. "Thank you again, Sir Mage! You saved my wife. I will never forget your generosity. You are a true saint!" [Argh! Why does he keep calling me that? Is he trying to give me a title? I better get out of here quick.] He waved at the old man, and started heading away again, but was quickly surrounded by a clamoring group of people. "Sir Mage. I have sister that can''t see. Can you help her?" "Sir Mage! My knees have been bad for years, can you do anything about them?" "Please, Sir Mage, my son has been coughing for weeks, and I''m worried it might be something serious." A chorus of voices threatened to overwhelm Mike. [Well, I guess I''ve done it now. Might as well make the best of it I suppose." "Alright, that''s enough! Form a line, and one at a time, I will listen to your problems." Chapter 44: Teamwork Is Dreamwork Mike collapsed onto his bed, too tired to even get undressed. He had been healing for nearly four hours by this point, and had utterly expended his mana reservoir, leaving himself only enough energy to get back to the inn. Morris looked over at his young friend with a bemused smile. "Busy first day?" "You have no idea. They just swarmed me non-stop." Mike buried his face in his blankets. "Heal my leg, help me with my back, cure my granny! They just wouldn''t leave me alone. I finally had to create a diversion with fire magic, and escape in the resulting confusion." "Did you at least make some decent money?" To answer his question, Mike dropped a small sack nearly overflowing with coins onto his bed. "Didn''t count it yet, but should be a couple hundred." Morris was stunned, he had severely underestimated Mike''s growth. Originally, he had intended his suggestion to provide Mike some perspective on how much effort was required to earn the kind of money he had previously been throwing around like it was nothing. However, it seems to have backfired. "Wha....What were you charging for your services?" He asked hesitantly. "One gold for healing, two for curing diseases or poisons." Mike answered absently, clearly in the process of falling asleep. "Tal recommended it." Morris jumped out of his seat and started pacing, clearly agitated. "Oh, this is bad. Who''s Tal? Nevermind, it doesn''t matter. This is bad. Alright, we need to work on damage control." "What''s wrong?" Mike asked, a little concerned at his friend''s response. "By only charging one gold to heal people, you are undercutting the temples. If it was done on a small scale, it shouldn''t have been a problem. Heal two or three people a day, and no one would care. But, a few hundred? You''re intruding into the business of some of the most powerful organizations in country." "Is there some kind of law against being an independent healer?" "Actually there are a few laws in place to encourage such behavior. The previous two monarchs of Almir have tried to introduce policies to stimulate trade by lowering the cost of magical services, but the temples and the Mage''s Guild have always prevented effective enforcement of the laws." Mike suddenly stood up excitedly. "There''s a Mage''s Guild? Where is it? How do you join?" "This is not the time for that!......But the Wyrport branch is located in the northwestern section of the city near the noble district. As for joining, its rather difficult. You have to have a recommendation from an existing member in good standing, and pass a rigorous ability and knowledge test." Morris couldn''t help his proclivity for sharing information. "Cool! I''ll have to check it out tomorrow!" "That would be a mistake, right now. The first thing we need to do is mitigate the damage you''ve done. If we can get you out of sight for a few days, then hopefully the temples will treat it as an isolated incident. You didn''t give them your name or anything did you?" "No...At least I don''t remember doing so." "Good." Morris finally stopped pacing. "Then this is what you do. Go to the guild early tomorrow and pick up a request that takes you outside of the city, it doesn''t matter what. Stay out for a few days, and by the time you get back, the event should have blown over." "Well that''s not an issue, but I have to ask, is it really that big of a problem?" Morris focused his gaze on Mike, "Don''t underestimate the reach of the temples. They have more power than you''d think, and they don''t take kindly to people threatening their income sources. Most even have small private armies, and that''s not counting the Order of the Scepter, who were specifically created to ''protect'' them." He sat down wearily. "Look, in general, the only accessible healing magic belongs to the followers and clergy of the gods. Elemental healers are fantastically rare, and Pact Mages tend to be discriminated against. As such, the various churches and religious groups that operate openly in Wyrport have a virtual monopoly on healing. Even the attention of the most inexperienced member of the clergy usually costs 10 gold or more, depending on the nature of the task. Curing diseases could cost as much as 50 or 100." [So Pact Mages are persecuted. I wonder why. Tal seems like a perfectly nice girl, even though she did give me some bad advice today.] He was a bit upset about that, especially after thinking of all the money he could have made. He sat back down and looked over at Morris. "Oh well, I''m sure if I lay low for awhile, it won''t be a problem." "I hope your right. Just try to find something to do away from Wyrport for a few days." "Sure, sounds like a plan. Now if you will excuse me, I''m late for an appointment with my bed." Morris sighed. It was clear that his friend was not taking the situation seriously, but at least he agreed to leave the city for awhile. So long as he avoided doing anything too crazy while he was out, the situation should blow over in a few days. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike woke up early the next day, and left as quietly as he could. He knew that Morris was worried about his situation, and he didn''t want to hear another lecture on reckless behavior. He quietly dressed in his new leather armor, belted on one of his swords, threw the Salamander''s Cloak over his shoulders, and grabbed his backpack. If he was going to be traveling for the next few days, he wanted to be prepared. After almost forgetting it again, he grabbed the Salvation Stone he had reclaimed from the twins after his first dungeon adventure. Thankfully there hadn''t been any need for them to use it. He was apparently too early for breakfast, but managed to coax some bread and cheese out of a sleepy cook. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon as he left the front door of the inn. Rarely had he been up this early, and he was surprised to still see a fair number of people moving about. [I was hoping for the streets to be a bit more deserted. Going to have to be careful not to get spotted. I really don''t want to deal with any more desperate customers.] He threw the hood of his cloak up and tried to stick to the emptier streets on his way to the guild. Luckily he was able to avoid being recognized. The guild was still fairly busy, even this early, and Mike had to weave through a fairly extensive crowd in order to get to the notice boards. Unfortunately, most of the notices had already been taken by the time he had arrived, and there was nothing that quite fit the bill. "Hm, I guess I need to get up even earlier in order to get decent requests. Man, adventurer''s sure are workaholics." He quietly muttered to himself why looking over the remainders. While he was contemplating what course of action to take, he couldn''t help but overhear a rather loud conversation going on nearby. "And I''m telling you, that this request is too much for us. We just got promoted to Rank 3, Philip, and now you want to drag us into this?!" A youthful female voice was yelling. "Relax Kate. I know it sounds dangerous, but Shy has been there before. He knows his way around, and has dealt with the bees in the past." An confident male voice answered back. "Besides, I just ranked up my Axe Fighting skill, so you can just sit back and watch me work." Mike glanced over at the arguing pair. "Oh, I''m not worried about Shy, he''s not stupid, unlike a certain ''party leader'' who always runs directly into the most dangerous situation he can find, and leaves the two of us to patch him up after the fact." The speaker was a young woman dressed in chain mail. Her short green hair was held back by a crimson headband. She was carrying a shield and short sword. [Still can''t believe the number of unusual hair colors in this world. From what I remember about human biology, green hair shouldn''t be possible. I have to ask Morris sometime if there is a reason for it.] "Come on, that happened one time! I''ve gotten much stronger since then. Back me up, Shy!" The speaker was a young man with brown hair tied back in a short ponytail. A breastplate covered the majority of his torso, and his legs and arms were clad in leather. A large, two-handed axe was hanging from his back. A third individual was standing nearby. This black haired fox beastman simply shrugged his shoulders with a rueful smile. He was dressed in purely leather armor, and carried a longbow on his back. His entire outfit was made of mottled browns and greens. Mike was sure that he would blend in quite well in a forested environment. "Argh, you never help me out when I need you. Listen, I know you think we aren''t ready, but if we don''t occasionally take some risks, we''ll never become big time adventurers." The brown haired man continued. "Can we at least see about recruiting another member? I would feel a lot better if we had one more person watching our backs. We''re stretched a little thin with three." The woman asked, obviously still a little peeved. "Fine...but you know its going to be hard to find a Rank 3 adventurer that would be willing to take on a multi-day request with a group of strangers?" [Well, it looks like my plot-based luck is still holding true. These three seem decent enough. At least, they have fairly good equipment.] Mike stepped over to the group. "Sorry, but I couldn''t help overhearing that you are looking for another member to take part in a request? I just so happen to be looking for a request myself." The trio looked him over suspiciously. The young man named Philip was particularly leery, especially when he noticed Kate blushing slightly when she saw Mike''s face. Mike could already see where this was going. [Curse you, Casanova Aura! You have to make my life difficult.] "I don''t know. I''m not sure about letting in some stranger." He said, distrust evident in his features. "Oh come on! You were literally just talking about how hard it would be to find someone. Now that one shows up, you get all moody about it." Kate smiled apologetically to Mike. "Sorry about that, he''s a bit of an idiot. We''d love to have you join our group." "Kate! We don''t even know what he''s capable of! How can you just let him in that easily?" "Oh alright. Would you mind introducing yourself first?" Mike smiled ruefully at the pair''s antics. He could clearly see the romantic tension between the two, but they apparently hadn''t realized it yet. "Fair enough. I''m Michael, but you can call me Mike. I''m also a Rank 3." He flashed his guild credentials so they could see he was telling the truth. "I''m skilled with the Almiran school of swordsmanship, and I can use a little fire magic." He had decided to keep the majority of his magical abilities to himself. His experiences yesterday taught him the dangers of being too open about them. Besides, he had been looking for an opportunity to practice his sword skills a bit. "Wow, a mage! And a fire one at that! This is going to make our mission so much easier." Kate replied excitedly. "Are you really going to trust some random guy that walked up to us?" Philip asked, a little desperately. "No, I''m going to trust a fellow Rank 3 adventurer to assist us in this request. What''s the matter with you? You''re being rude!" Philip looked at Shy, evidently hoping for some support, but the Fox beastman just gave a helpless shrug. He threw his hands up in disgust. "Fine, fine. We''ll take the complete stranger on our perilous mission." And with that he turned his back and started sulking. [Maybe my luck is that great after all.] Mike couldn''t help thinking. Chapter 45: Crawling in the Shadows A decrepit beggar, little more than a skin sack full of bones, was lying in a gutter near the northern gate of Wyrport. Any casual observer would likely assume that the beggar was on his last legs, both literally and physically, since his worm-eaten peg leg was just about to fall apart. A group of four adventurers left through the gate. The beggar, who for all intents and purposes had been simply staring into the distance, leapt up onto his one remaining foot. No sooner had he accomplished this somewhat impressive feat, before he was hobbling down a nearby alley. His path took him into the oldest and most decayed section of the city slums. He made his way into a simple and nondescript house. It was clearly abandoned, without even the usual squatters that such a building would acquire in this part of town. The beggar knew that no one would be in the house, none of the slum dwellers would have dared. He carefully descended a set of stairs leading down into the basement. It was nearly pitch black, but he moved with practiced ease over to a large metal door set into the wall. With a groan he pulled it open, release a dry and dusty odor from the room beyond. The beggar walked out into the largely empty chamber. Small, white ghost lights illuminated the room allowing him to navigate his way towards a large stone coffin resting upon a raised dais. He kneeled at the foot of the coffin, and began muttering with fanatical devotion. "Master, I''ve been keeping watch as you requested. The Hero has left the city in the company of three other adventurers." There was a sepulchral gasp, and one clawed hand gripped the side of the coffin. The skin was grey and dry. It carried with it the dusty and chilling scent of an old grave. A wheezing ancient voice issued from the confines of the coffin. "Good.....good...Find....Brutus....have...him.....retrieve.....the....Hero." The crazed beggar grinned with manic delight. "As you wish, Master. This humble servant will fulfill your wishes." "Give...me....your.....blood....I...need...to.....contact...the.....Mistress." "Of course, Master." The beggar produced a knife and placed it against his arm. Several scars, some of which were still in the process of healing covered the limb. With practiced ease, the beggar cut another line into his flesh before hanging it over the coffin. The grey, corpse-like hand grabbed his arm, dragging into down into the depths of the coffin. Horrifying sucking sounds filled the air, as the beggar''s face twisted into rictus of ecstasy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hundreds of kilometers away, in the town of Mayde, a large man covered in muscles that had long ago run to fat, entered into his favorite tavern. He lumbered over to the bar and sat down, while glaring at the other patrons. Wisely, they decided to call it a day early and soon the tavern was deserted. "I thought we talked about this, Anton. You really need to stop scaring off my customers." A large, bald, and mustachioed man, who was standing behind the bar, spoke while casually wiping down a mug. His tone suggested that he didn''t have any real expectation of persuading his patron. "Eh, a pox on them! I need a drink, and I don''t want an audience while I do it. Got to live up to my reputation." The guildmaster (office manager) of the Mayde branch office of the Adventurer''s Guild dismissed the concerns of his friend. James, the tavern owner, was a former party member of Anton''s, and ever since the group had broken up, Anton had been coming here to drink. At first it had been friendly, but in recent years, Anton had increasingly become bitter and angry, jealous of others success, even while he went through the motions of running the Mayde branch. In time he had been reduced to a shadow of his former self. James saw the process, but could do little to slow the decline of his friend. At the very least he could try to make sure that Anton drank in moderation. He sighed, while pouring his old friend a mug of his favorite ale. "Don''t you think its a little early to start this?" "Pah, a few drinks never hurt anyone." Anton replied cheerily. After an hour or so, James was running low on ale. "Alright Anton, I need to go run and grab another cask from the cellar. Keep an eye on the bar for me." Anton raised his mug in response, before quaffing the rest of its contents. James sighed again, and left through the back door. At almost the same time, a cloaked figure with its hood up entered through the front. It took a seat next to Anton, and a strangely hollow voice of an indeterminate gender issued forth. "So this is the legendary Earthen Terror. It sad to see such powerful individual languishing in this backwater town." Anton glared at the newcomer, a little too drunk to fully understand the oddness of the situation. "I don''t know who you are stranger, but you better be carefully how talk to me." "Of course, of course. I haven''t introduced myself yet. You can call me Grimm. I''m a big fan of yours. I just thought it was a shame that you''ve never gotten the recognition you so rightly deserved." Anton huffed. "Well you got that right. Its a damn shame, is what it is." He went to take another swig of his drink, but he''d forgotten that he''d already emptied it. He tossed the mug angrily, and Grimm with a serious stare. "So, what is it that you want? I can''t imagine that you just came here to talk over old triumphs." Grimm raised its hands in a placating gesture. "I represent an organization that is looking to bring in some....new blood, so to speak. We want powerful individuals, ones with the skills and experience to handle all kinds of situations." "Huh, then you haven''t really been keeping up with me. Ever since my knee injury, I''m a shadow of my former self." Anton replied huskily, eyes staring into an unseen distance. He lost most of left knee joint in a particularly bad encounter with a chimera. He was able to have the majority of the wound healed, but he had never been able to bend it properly since. This caused him to walk with an awkward lurch. Additionally, he had almost rendered himself destitute in order to pay for the treatment he had received. The combination of factors had led to his retirement from active adventuring. "Ah, but you see, that''s the crux of my argument. We can offer you," Grimm leaned conspiratorially, making sure to enunciate his next words, "full...recovery." Anton looked shocked. He new very well the kind of price he would need to pay to have a divine caster treat his injury. Even as an active Rank 6 adventurer, that kind of money was out of reach. "Really?" He whispered, almost daring to hope. "Of course, such a thing is a simple matter for our organization. Indeed, we can even offer a few special items that will greatly increase your strength. Join us, and I can guarantee that you will soon be a match for any Rank 8 adventurer." Anton looked interested, but he retained enough of his sense to recognize the offer for what it was, a deal with the devil. "And what would your organization want from me in return for these gifts?" "We are planning a little event in the near future. Help us with it, and we can get you exactly what you want. As soon as its over, you are welcome to walk away with everything." It sounded far too good to be true, but he couldn''t help being tempted. Anton pictured what his life would be like on its current path, a washed up shell of a man, quietly wasting away in this backwater. If he could change that, alter that grim fate, what would he be willing to give? His honor? His soul? He was suddenly reminded of a blood-red crystalline heart, and the newbie adventurer that brought it to him. He could still picture the look of disdain from that upstart. Rage coursed through him. Rage at the newbie, at his own destiny. Anton clenched a fist and spoke in a low, rough voice. "Tell me more." It was impossible for the office manager to tell, but at that moment, Grimm smiled for the first time in a very long while. After all, it had just gotten exactly what it wanted. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike sneezed. He had been getting weird reactions from his Detect Hostile Intent skill all morning, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Philip, who was providing a near-constant source of hostile intent, was still complaining, off and on, about Mike. It had proven highly distracting, but he still caught flashes of intent that seemed both intense and distant. He hoped the skill wasn''t malfunctioning somehow. "I still can''t believe that you are saddling us with an unknown quantity on this potentially dangerous mission." Philip was saying, for about the fifth time since they had left the city. "Would you give it a rest! I can''t stand any more complaining. The decision has been made. DEAL WITH IT!" Kate had finally had enough of Philip''s whining and snapped at him. Philip responded by getting moody and silent, but everyone could tell he was going to start up again soon. Mike decided that it would be best to head this off before it evolved into a fight. "So...perhaps you can give me a little more information regarding this mission I''ve signed up for?" The trio exchanged glances, and then started explaining. Chapter 46: Tall Grass is Dangerous.....Apparently The group of four adventurers, Mike included, were walking down a well-trodden road leading to the west along the edge of the Wyrmrest Lake. Kate cleared her throat before beginning her explanation of the request. "Alright, our mission is relatively simple. We have to travel to the Palmeray Forest, a small region inside the Ash Foothills. The Palmeray Bees, a rare species of giant bee, make their home there. We need to collect two jars of Palmeray honey to complete the request, but there is one special stipulation. While we can kill any of the other bees, we can''t harm the queen." "Why is that?" Mike asked, genuinely curious. Philip cut in on this, evidently keen on showing his knowledge. "Its so the species isn''t wiped out. The drones are replaceable, but the queen isn''t. Kill her and the hive will die out." Kate continued, glaring at Philip for the interruption. "The honey is a potent alchemical reagent with a number of uses, so it can be considered quite valuable. Since the bees in question are extremely rare, the Adventurer''s Guild only occasionally approves requests to harvest it." "Hm, makes sense." Mike was forced to conclude. He was surprised to see an effort at conservation in this world, especially in the case of a group of monsters Then again it was a rare species, that produced a valuable commodity. Kate and Philip started another minor argument about which fork in the road they needed to take, but Mike tuned it out. It turned out both were wrong, but luckily Shy was able to stop them before they got lost. [I wonder if anyone has tried to domesticate the Palmeray Bees.] He briefly considered trying his hand at giant beekeeping before dismissing the thought. [It would probably be too much work. I can''t even imagine how much food a giant bee would need, let alone an entire colony.] "So these bees," Mike started, interrupting another iteration of the argument. "How dangerous are they?" Kate broke off in mid yell to continue her lecture, much to Philip''s annoyance. "Well, they tend to be about the size of a large dog, weigh about 50 kg, and are mostly dangerous because of their stingers. Not only are they an effective weapon, but they administer a fairly substantial dose of poison. One sting is not usually enough to kill a full grown human, but multiple stings can be fatal. Most of the drones are considered mid Tier 1, but there is a larger and more dangerous variety called soldiers, which are typically low Tier 2s." [Sounds like they will only really be dangerous to me in large numbers, but so long as I conserve my mana, I shouldn''t have anything to worry about.] "This is what makes the mission particularly dangerous. The drones can be lethal in groups, but one-on-one, a Rank 3 adventurer should be able to take them out. If we run into any soldiers, we will need to be careful and work as a team." She directed this last part to Philip, who only sniffed in response. [Sounds like adventurers at my rank are supposed to be high Tier 1s, for the most part.] He was suddenly alerted to a swarm of hostile presences that had surrounded the group. They were slowly creeping closer, so they must have just entered in range of his Detect Hostile Intent Skill. "Everyone try to remain calm. We are completely surrounded. Don''t make any sudden moves, but get ready to fight." Mike said in a calm and quiet voice while slowly drawing his sword. "What are you on about now?" Philip turned to face him, leaving his back exposed to the surrounding tall grass. "There is nothing-." At this point a reptilian creature sprang out of the surrounding grass, talons fully extended, ready to tear into the unsuspecting young man. A high-pitched screech seemed to signal the rest of the creatures, who moved with pack-like coordination. [A velociraptor? No its way too big, nearly 2m by the look of it, but the skull doesn''t look quite right to be a deinonychus, and there aren''t any feathers. Must be another quasi-mutant based off of the deinonychus.] Mike''s analytical mind was observing the creature, while his body was taking action. Philip was turning to face the monster, already knowing that it would be too late. He could only feel the chill of approaching death, when a bright flash of metal pierced the dinosaur''s chest, neatly impaling its heart. The blow managed to knock the creature off course, causing it to sail harmlessly by. Kate was the first of the other three to react, drawing her own sword and turning to face the surrounding grass. "Plains Stalkers!" She yelled while bracing her shield as another of the monsters crashed into her. Shy quickly drew a pair of long curved knives and got into position, forming a loose square. He dodged the first enemy, while delivering a pair of high speed slashes which left the dinosaur rolling on the ground, mewling in pain. This continued until another slash ended the creature''s suffering. Philip was able to gather his wits quickly enough to pull out his axe just before another of the plains stalkers launched itself at him. He was able to shield the majority of his body with the weapon, but still took a few cuts from scrabbling claws. With a roar he hurled the creature back into the grass, and ready himself to fight. The adventurers could only watch in dismay as more and more of the plains stalkers emerged from the grass. Mike counted up to thirty of the monsters before he gave up, there were probably even more still hiding. They were evidently being cautious after losing three of their number, but it was clear that it was only a matter of time before they swarmed the four humanoids. [I could use fire magic here, but it would likely ignite the surrounding grass. I don''t really want to be responsible for starting a wild fire.] He was still debating about simply accepting any ecological damage as a necessary cost for survival, when he remembered one of his oldest skills that he had largely neglected up to this point. Lowering his sword his stepped out from the little group. "What are you doing?!" Philip hissed. "Trying a possible solution." By this point Mike had gained the attention of the majority of the plains stalkers. They were fixing bright, predatory eyes on him, but their body posture suggested that they didn''t quite know how to respond to his actions. He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate mana in his voice. With a strangely large amount of effort, he was able to speak with a deep resonant voice that seemed to carry far across the plains. "LEAVE!" He commanded. "You will find naught but death here. Leave now, and I will spare you." For one brief moment, the whole area was still. The plains stalkers had frozen in place at Mike''s powerful message. The adventurers were too stunned to react. The insects that had been creating an incessant drone all morning, went quiet. Even the wind died, leaving that small patch of road utterly silent. Then, almost as if they had decided that it wasn''t worth the effort, the plains stalkers drew back into the grass, vanishing from sight. A few seconds later the wind and sound returned, seemingly louder after their brief absence. Mike cleaned and sheathed his sword, before walking over to the monster he had killed. He crouched down and lackadaisically poked it with a finger, before turning to look at the other three. "So, is there anything valuable about these guys? I guess they can always be used as meat, but I suspect they don''t taste particularly good." He considered it for a second. "Then again, they might taste like chicken. I''m going to have to try this." "Wha.....wait, wait, wait. I''m going to need a bit of an explanation. How in the hells did you get them to leave just by yelling at them?" Kate asked, a little panicky. "Would you believe me if I told that I''m just very persuasive, and those monsters simply listened to reason?" He replied with a small smile. Kate glared at him. "No! I''m not quite sure how you did it, but it felt like you used some kind of verbal magic. Convinced them to leave simply with your words. I''ve never heard of anything like that." Mike sighed. "Isn''t it considered bad manners to ask another adventurer to reveal his trump cards? Aren''t I allowed to have some secrets?" He wasn''t sure how rare Communication Magic was, so he felt hesitant to reveal that aspect of his skill set. Kate was quiet for a moment. "While it is true that its considered taboo to try and force an adventurer to reveal their secrets, you have to understand where we are coming from." Shy nodded his agreement. Philip, still looking a bit shaken from his near death experience, added his commentary. "Whatever you used was dangerously close to Mental Magic, and if that''s the case, I don''t want you anywhere near our group." "Alright, fair enough. In my defense, I do know Fire Magic. I just left out some of my other abilities. I''ve had some issues with overexposure in the past, and I was hoping to avoid drawing too much attention to myself." Mike sighed, looking around at the trio. He was tired of having to lie about or hide his abilities. He understood the reason for it, but it nevertheless made him feel guilty. Deciding to come clean, at least to a certain degree, Mike spoke with some resignation in his voice. "I have a rare skill that allows me to communicate, to some extent, with any living being. When you saw me simply tell the plains stalkers to leave, that was really all I was doing. I just enhanced my voice with some mana to make it more persuasive." "Still sounds a bit like Mental Magic to me." Philip said while rubbing the back of his head. "But you did save my life back there, and probably saved the entire party while you were at it, so that''s good enough for me. Just don''t try to manipulate any of our minds, or I will make you regret it!" Mike smiled. [It looks like this guy isn''t so bad after all. He understands how to be grateful, even if he is a brat about it.] Kate looked solemn as she spoke her piece. "I understand that you probably have a lot of secrets you don''t want to share with a bunch of strangers, but we do need to have a good estimate of your capabilities going forward. I''m not asking you to reveal anything sensitive, but could you at least tell us what Tier you are in?" Mike didn''t see any harm in it. Tiers seemed to be vague enough that sharing it didn''t really give anything away. After glancing at his [Status] and seeing a few changes he would have to investigate later, he gave his answer. "Looks like I''m now a low Tier 3, not sure when that happened." He said while shrugging, not really thinking too much about it. The other three were speechless, stunned into silence. Then, all at once, they yelled the same thing. """What?!!""" Chapter 47: Ghost Stories Mike looked at the group, slightly confused. "What?" [Wait a second. Did Shy just say something too? I thought he was mute.] Kate had her hands raised, fingers grasping, like she wanted to start strangling him, but was hesitant to do so. "Don''t you get?! A Rank 3 adventurer should be a high Tier 1 or low Tier 2 at best. If you are Tier 3, you should be a Rank 6. At least! What in the hells are you doing working a Rank 3 mission?!" Mike rubbed his ear. Her screaming was starting to hurt a little. "Hey! I just joined recently. Technically this is only my second request. Really, you could still consider me a newbie." "That just raises more questions!" She said while throwing her hands into the air, before slumping down dejectedly. "Whatever, I''m just going to have to accept it, I guess. Perhaps its better this way. A Tier 3 should make this mission easy." Philip grimaced slightly, shook his head, and finally sighed while glancing at Mike. "Look, you have to understand, this flies in the face of everything we know about how guild ranks work." He rubbed the back of his head before continuing, "But you''ve already proven yourself useful, so if you don''t want to explain any more, I won''t ask you to." Mike was impressed. Philip was more mature than he gave him credit for. Mike stepped forward and clasped hands with him. "Thanks, Philip. That means a lot." "I''m not saying I trust you just yet, but I''m willing to work with you to complete this request." "Fair enough." Philip leaned in closer and whispered in a voice low enough that the others wouldn''t be able to hear. "However, you stay away from Kate. As her long time friend, I can''t let her associate with shady figures like you." [Well, maybe not that mature.] Mike just smiled ruefully in response. Kate clapped her hands. "Alright, now that''s settled lets get a move on. We can make it to a good camping spot by nightfall if we hurry. I know a good place." "Are you really planning on taking the road through the valley? That will take us hours out of the way!" Philip replied almost immediately. "Oh, and I suppose you want to take the cliff route?" "Yes!" Kate leaned forward, hands on hips, "Do you even remember the last time we tried that route? You were picking briars out of your a** for weeks!" "I told you, it was slippery because of the rain!" Mike chuckled at their bickering while he followed Shy. The quiet fox beastman started walking, placid smile in place. He obviously had quite a bit of experience with the duo''s fighting, and it no longer bothered him. Kate and Philip ended up following soon after, still in mid argument. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The group spent the rest of the day, and much of the following one traveling. Mike enjoyed the strange camaraderie of the three. It was clear that, even though they fought like cats and dogs, Kate and Philip cared a great deal for each other. Shy seemed to act like their protective older sibling, making sure that the fighting never got too serious, and taking care of the little things that the pair forgot in the midst of their conflicts. Mike realized that this was precisely what he was missing. [Maybe I need to look into joining a party officially once I get back.] He broke of his reverie when he sensed a change. The air seemed different all of a sudden. It almost looked hazy,.....or ash-laden. The landscape and sky had taken on a grey pallor, and the normal sounds of the plains became strangely soft and muted. He started to feel dizzy. Evidently noticing the look on his face, Kate offered an explanation. "This must be your first time near the Ashmourne. Everyone has a similar reaction at first. Its such a dramatic difference, and you can never really see it coming." "Wha-What is it?" Mike felt deeply uncomfortable with his surroundings. "Don''t worry. The disorientation will pass in a few minutes. You''ll get used to it faster next time." Kate said sympathetically while patting his back. "You haven''t heard of the Day of Ashes?" Mike shook his head, feeling a little nauseous now. "Hmm. Well, there used to be a powerful dwarven nation on the other side of those mountains. I believe it was called the Kingdom of Thorivanti." She pointed at the jagged gray mountain range they had been walking towards for the last few days. Mike stood up straight again, starting to feel better. "That was really fast. You must have some pretty impressive endurance." There was a hint of curiosity in her voice, which caused Philip to frown in disapproval. "Anyway, its said that these dwarves were gifted artificers, capable of creating miracles with their technology. For a long time it was a flourishing capital of industry and civilization, but then the Day of Ashes happened." She paused before waving her hand in the direction of the mountains. Her features bearing the excitement of telling a good story. "About 270 years ago, some kind of event took place. Most people aren''t really sure what happened, but most accounts agree that there was a bright flash of light, like a second sun had appeared, just over the mountains. Then came a noise, a groan like the world itself was in pain. With the sound came a cloud of ashes that blanketed the entire central continent for a full year. It took a few months for the Almirans to recover sufficiently to launch an expedition, but once they did, they were shocked by what they found." She paused again or dramatic effect, clearly enjoying this. Both Mike and Philip frowned. She pouted. "You were supposed to say ''What did they find, Kate?'' Anyway, the once lush plains of Thorivanti had been devastated. The cities were in ruins, buildings twisted and warped as if exposed to a great heat. Not a single living thing could be seen anywhere. It was like every creature, plant, and insect had simply evaporated." After another dramatic breath, she continued. "The explorer sent back reports that said, although they never saw a living being, sometimes they could hear strange moaning voices in the wind. Voices that were said to whisper dark secrets. It was about two weeks into the expedition that the first people started disappearing." "The strange thing was, judging from their tracks, it seemed they just walked out into the barren fields and simply vanished. After nearly half of his crew went missing, the leader of the expedition called off the exploration and tried to return to Almir. Its not clear what happened after that, but only one of nearly 200 explorers made it back alive, and even he soon died." She spoke softly, causing her listeners to lean forward to hear properly. "Right up to the end of his life, he refused talk about what he had gone through. Its said that a few days after he returned, he was found hanging from the rafters in his room. The walls of the room were covered in scrawled words, all saying one thing. ''The voices in the wind still speak to me.''" Mike felt a shiver run down his spine. He could almost hear a soft, whispering voice scratching at the edge of his consciousness, before Kate concluded her story. "Ever since The Day of Ashes, the area around the old dwarven nation has been covered in a supernatural cloud of ashy dust. Even on this side of the mountains, we are still touched by its effects." "No other expeditions have been launched in the place they now call the Ashmourne, and the only beings willing to make their home in the mountains are the orc tribes, desperate miners, and a few dangerous cults of madmen and demon worshipers. It is truly a realm of the cursed and the lost." She lowered her hands and took a mock bow. [Kate seems to be the type to enjoy horror stories. Perhaps I should tell her a few from my old world.] "So, remind me. Why are we heading into this horrible place?" Mike couldn''t help but ask. Philip chimed in, "She''s exaggerating a little. The Ash foothills are generally considered fine to travel through and live in, if a bit unsettling. You don''t usually have to worry until you pass through the mountains themselves, and enter the plain on the other side." He pointed to a patch of trees in the near distance. "The Palmeray Bees we are looking for only exist in this one small region. Otherwise, I can promise you that we wouldn''t willingly get so close." He shivered. "I can''t imagine having to live here. I don''t know how the miners in the mountain towns can stand it. Anyway, it looks like we won''t be able to make it today, so I think we should set up camp here. I don''t like sleeping to close to the Ashmourne if I can help it. It gives me strange dreams." The other two agreed, so Mike follow suit. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Night evidently came quickly in the Ash Foothills, changing from a murky twilight to pitch black in a matter of minutes. Not quite tired enough to sleep, Mike decided to pass the time with an activity he enjoyed in his previous life. "Hey, Kate. You love scary stories, right?" He asked. "I wouldn''t say I love them...." She said while twiddling her fingers. Shy was nodding his head enthusiastically behind her. "Well, let me know if you''ve heard this one." Mike made himself comfortable, glancing around at the others over the fire. "It all started with a girl named Sadako....." Chapter 48: The Bee Whisperer Morris raised his hood and left the inn. It was late, and the streets were mostly deserted, but he didn''t want to risk anyone recognizing him. Mike had been gone for a few days, and he probably wouldn''t be back in the near future, but already, people were beginning to ask questions and make connections. The Saint of West Street, as they were calling him, had become a major topic of discussion. The strange and generous mage that was able to treat injuries and cure illnesses that confounded other healers, and would do so for a fraction of the price, had attracted all kinds of attention from the major powers in the city. It was clear to Morris that he greatly underestimated the effect of Mike''s brief foray into the healing industry. If things kept going the way they were, it wouldn''t be long before some organizations started beating down their doors, trying to find out more about the mysterious figure. Morris knew that it was only a matter of time before someone tied Mike and the Saint together. In order to shelter his young friend from the coming storm of consequences, he needed to find allies. Unfortunately, Morris had cut most of his former ties when he joined the Order of the Wheel. He had already left a message for those few people who might still be willing to help him. However, they were part of the criminal underworld of Wyrport. Any aid they could provide would, by necessity, be unofficial. Morris knew that they would need allies in the highest echelons of society in order to make it out unscathed. So, in order to help his friend, Morris resigned himself to do the one thing he had sworn never to do. He was going home. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A pitiless morning sun woke the sleeping adventurers. Daylight came as quickly as night in the Ash Foothills, and a chorus of groans welcomed the new day. Shy, who had been on last watch, chuckled quietly at the suffering of his fellow party members. Philip sat up, bleary-eyed and fixed an accusing glare on Mike. The bags under his eyes betrayed a sleepless night. "Thanks for the nightmares, jackass. That one about the hook-handed man will keep me up at night for the next week, at least." Kat laughed. "You''re such a coward when it comes to scary stories. I, for one, had a great time last night. I especially enjoyed the one about the ghost that comes out of a mirror if you call her name three times. You''ll have to tell me more tonight, Mike." Philip stood shaking his head. "No way. I''ve heard quite enough for one trip." Mike snickered while packing away his bedroll. He''d slept decently, but had awoken to disturbing, half-remembered remnants of a dream. With a quick shake of his head, he dismissed his concerns. Hopefully, the group would be done long before nightfall, and would be able to camp in a less depressing location. After conducting their morning preparations and eating a quick breakfast made primarily of scavenged food and trail rations, the group resumed traveling. It only took them a few short hours to reach the edge of the Palmeray Forest. Mike was amazed at the size of the trees. They resembled the redwoods he had seen in his past life, only dark and twisted. Much like everything seemed to be, this close to the Ashmourne, the entire forest came in muted shades of grey. The ground, the underbrush, and even the bark and leaves of the trees seemed drained of their natural colors. With unspoken agreement the group entered the tree line cautiously. Still feeling slightly upbeat despite the depressing atmosphere, Mike felt the need to voice a question he had been holding in. "So, why do they call it the Palmeray Forest?" "Ah, well it''s pretty simple. The two explorers that discovered the forest, and the strange variety of bees that made their home here, were called Palmer and Ray. Naturally they combined their own names to create the name for their discoveries." Kate replied, matter-of-factually. "That was a lot less interesting than I expected." "I know, right? You''d think with this kind of atmosphere, there would be something more to the story, but it''s all just so disappointing." "I did hear that when they first reported their findings, Ray actually tried to have it called the Raypalmer Forest, but everyone more or less decided that Palmeray sounded better." Philip added. Mike chuckled. It seemed like vanity was a cross-dimensional trait. They had been walking for about 30 minutes before Shy held up a hand, signally the group to stop. He motioned forward with two fingers. At the location Shy indicated, Mike saw two gigantic insects clinging to the side of one of the massive grey trees. They vaguely resembled honey bees from earth, but were colored in the characteristic greys of this region. They strangely elongated limbs, making them seem more graceful than he was used to. The group braced for combat, but Mike surprised them all by simply walking forward. "Are you really doing this again?" Philip whispered sharply as Mike passed by. "Trust me." As Mike approached, the bees started buzzing angrily. For some reason, Mike could understand their challenge. Proficiency in the strange insectoid language of buzzes, body postures, and scents flooded into his mind. With a soft, yet strangely resonant voice, he spoke to the bees. "Calm yourselves. We mean no harm. Please, lead us to your hive, so we might converse with your queen." The bees quieted, indicating to Mike an acceptance of his suggestion. Without any prompting they took off and started slowly flying deeper into the woods. Mike waved the rest of the group forward and started following the giant insects. Evidently, having an escort was all that was necessary to allow the adventurers to pass unmolested. Dozens of the giant bees were visible, flying with almost manic activity throughout the forest, but their group was largely ignored. "So, what is the plan, exactly?" Kate asked nervously, trying to keep her eyes on all of the bees, but ultimately failing due to their sheer number. "I''m going to walk in, and politely ask for them to give us some honey." Mike responded simply. He was a little worried at first, since he wasn''t sure if his Communication Magic would work on insects, but he was now feeling confident. Kate and Philip were left speechless at the sheer brazen simplicity of his plan. Shy merely shook his head, evidently resigned to ride out the adventure regardless of its direction. "You think that will work?" Kate asked. If anyone else had told her that he planned on negotiating with a colony of giant insect monsters, she would have called him crazy, but with Mike it almost seemed believable. "I hope so, but be prepared to fight your way out, just in case." Mike replied with a wink. This left the rest of the group unsettled, jumping every time one of the bees got too close. Eventually however, they were able to fall into a sort of numb acceptance, resigning themselves to whatever may happen. Mike noticed that several of the giant insects were hovering around equally giant grey flowers that were growing from the branches of the gargantuan trees. They resembled sunflowers with numerous petals arranged around the circumference of a dark grey circular depression. He could see the bees entered there and left with clumps of a sticky grey substance attached to their limbs. [This must be the source of the honey that the bees produce. I wonder what grey honey tastes like.] The escorting bees soon reached their destination. With a simple message of acknowledgement, they departed. The four adventurers were left in front of a massive, dying tree. Much of its central trunk had been hollowed out and then re-covered with a waxy grey plaster, making it clear that this was the Palmeray Bees'' hive. Unfortunately, it was also nearly 20m off the ground. "I''m not sure what I was expecting, but this is problematic." Mike mumbled more to himself than anyone else, before turning to address the group. "Did you have any plan to get into the hive once you got here?" Philip shrugged. "Honestly, after getting this far, I have to admit that we were very much unprepared for this whole mission." Kate cuffed him in the back of the head. "That''s what I was trying to tell you! We aren''t ready for this kind of mission." "Ow. Hey, you all agreed to it. It''s not like I forced anyone to participate." Philip tried to defend himself feebly. Kate threw up her hands in disgust. "Oh my gods! You are unbelievable!" Mike signaled one of the nearby bees. "Would you mind staying with my comrades and making sure they aren''t considered intruders?" He asked, once again utilizing his strangely resonant voice. The bee hummed a note of acquiescence and landed next to the group, focusing on them with its compound eyes. Philip stared at the bee nervously. "Mike, what are you trying to do?" "I have an idea for how to get up there, but I suspect that the rest of you wouldn''t want to follow me. So I''m going to go in alone, collect the honey, and be back here before you know it." He said in as reassuring of voice as he could manage. "I''m not sure if I like this plan." Philip replied, clearly worried about being separated from the only person who was able to convince the bees they weren''t a threat. Shy undercut his leader''s worries by handing Mike a pair of large glass jars with simple cork stoppers. Mike nodded his thanks before motioning to a group of nearby bees. "Could you give me a lift up to the hive entrance, I need to see the queen." Two of the bees grabbed onto his shoulders, while another two caught onto his legs. With a little bit of effort the group took off, carrying Mike up towards the hive. He couldn''t help grinning at the trio of astonished adventurers left standing on the ground. Chapter 49: You Can Never Really Go Home Morris approached the Graveston family mansion, stopping in a shadowed alley way. It had been nearly three years since he had left here, swearing never to return. He paused in the alley across the street, reevaluating his options. Did he really want to do this? Did he have any other options? Any other avenues that he could explore? [This is really the only choice I can make. Nothing short of sponsorship from a major noble family will protect Mike from the temples at this point. I hope he forgives me for acting in his name] Morris felt his stomach twist at another possibility. [Gods, I hope they don''t use this as an excuse to drag him into their political games.] After a few minutes of indecision, Morris finally resigned himself. There were no other options. Without help, Mike was doomed to either disappear into the bowels of some shadowy organization, or become a pawn for some more powerful group. At least this way, he could bear the majority of the price himself. Taking a deep breath, he stepped away from the alley and approached the gates. A guard quickly stepped forward to meet him, evidently long aware of his presence. Morris would expect no less from the sentinels in charge of his family''s security. "Halt! State your identity and business at the house of Count Graveston." A firm and confident voice issued from the guard. [If I recall, there should be two more hidden somewhere. I have no idea where that might be, but they probably have me in their sights already.] "Hello, Gerald. Please tell my father, that Morris Graveston has returned and would like to speak with him." He said while throwing back his hood. The guard gasped slightly at the revelation. "My apologies, young master. I did not recognize you." He made a hand signal to the hidden guards, evidently indicating the status of their visitor. Gerald stepped forward and gripped Morris''s hand. "I must say, you are a sight for sore eyes, young master. I was sure that you were done with this place the last time you left." Morris smiled wearily, "I thought so too, but the gods seem to have something else planned for me. I wouldn''t be here if it wasn''t a life or death situation." The old guard nodded gravely. "Understood. If you don''t mind waiting inside the guard house, I''ll let the manor staff know of your arrival." Gerald led him into a small outbuilding next to the estate''s walls. Morris stepped inside and nodded to the two other guards sitting at a nearby table. "Francis, John. Good to see you." "Likewise, young master." Francis, a large bear of a man stood and embraced him. A bittersweet pang of emotion emerged from Morris''s heart. The manor guards had been true friends during his turbulent childhood, and it truly was good to see them. As Francis stepped back, John came forward and slapped Morris on one shoulder. "Didn''t think I''d see you again. Figured you''d go out and do great things somewhere." The already thin and dark-haired man had become even thinner in Morris''s absence, to the point of emaciation. Morris grimaced internally, he was already getting tired of answering questions about his supposed vow of never returning. "Some things have come up, John. Things that I''ll need father''s help with." The mood in the room grew darker, as the trio lapsed into silence. This continued for a few minutes until Gerald returned with an old, mustachioed man dressed as a butler. "Young Master Morris...." The old man started tearing up, so he removed a handkerchief from a pocket and began dabbing his eyes. "Theodore? I thought they fired you when I left." Morris asked, astonished. "The Count almost did, but your sister interceded," "How is Josephine? She has not replied to any of the letters I''ve sent." He felt the old, familiar pain of rejection again. Theodore wrung his hands, hesitant to answer. "It''s not that she hasn''t replied, but more that she hasn''t received them. The Count ordered all letters from you to be burnt as soon as they arrived." Morris felt a flash of rage, and a deep-seated hatred. He knew he shouldn''t be surprised, the old bastard could be petty in his vengeance, but he had underestimated the Count''s cruelty. "I see...¡­very well. It is far past time that we talked face to face, anyway. Take me to him Theodore." Traveling the extensive grounds, through the front door, and past a series of familiar rooms, Morris was hit by a wave of nostalgia. For all that he hated his time here, this was the house he grew up in. Some part of him always recognized this as home. Theodore led him up to the door of his father''s study, and turned to regard him. "Are you ready, young master?" "As ready as I will ever be." Morris replied, his stomach already squirming with anxiety. He pushed open the door and entered. The tidy and well-appointed study was lit by a combination of an elaborate fireplace and several glowstone lamps. Rows of packed bookshelves, the priceless collection of the Graveston family, lined the walls. Paintings from famed artists provided tasteful counterpoints to the matching leather furniture. However, none of the understated opulence entered Morris''s sight. He was too focused on the slender man sitting beyond a refined, dark-wooded desk. His father had looked much the same as Morris remembered, save, perhaps, for a little more grey in his immaculately maintained goatee. A tailored maroon tunic clothed the man''s frame. Count Graveston set his quill down, three tidy stacks of documents and an inkwell were the only other items on his desk. He fixed Morris with one of the cold and dismissive stares that had so intimidated him as a child. "So you have returned, at last." "Yes." The younger Graveston replied. "Let me guess why you are here. You are too stubborn to come back, even in the face of your¡­..infirmity." Morris gripped the stub of his severed limb unconsciously. The Count''s cold voice continued. "Neither are you here to return to your old place in the family. We both know you long ago forsook that, and even the looming threat of poverty would not drive you back here." He stood and walked in front of his desk, arms behind his back. "No, you are here for something, or should I say, someone else. A newfound friend who has been making a few too many waves, and is now facing some serious consequences." "How long have you been keeping tabs on me?" Morris croaked, mouth dry. "Do you honestly think I would let one of my children go so easily?" "From the very beginning?" He whispered, mind reeling at the implications. The Count didn''t bother answering. "Now, Morris. You know me, I don''t do anything for free. You want to save your friend from the consequences of his actions, you will have to compensate me for it." Morris hung his shoulders in defeat, "What do you want?" He asked, huskily. Count Graveston walked sedately over to a bookshelf and examined the spines of books for a moment before answering. "What I want is simple. I want you to return to the family, once again take up the family name, and fulfill your noble obligations." Morris blinked, not expecting this in the least. The last time they had spoken, his father had made it clear that if he left, Morris would never be welcomed back into the fold. "Why? What changed?" His father glanced at him, and for a brief moment Morris thought he saw a deep sorrow, before the Count returned his gaze to the bookshelf. "Your brothers are dead. Henrik''s ship was lost in the Crystal Sea on its way to Bergell a little more than a year ago. Robert fell from a balcony and died before we could summon a skilled enough healer to save him." Morris was stunned. This wasn''t a scenario he had planned for. "The....They''re both...dead?" "My sources have suggested that both events were orchestrated, but I have yet to identify the offending party." If Morris had been paying more attention he might have seen his father''s whitening knuckles, as he clenched his fist tightly. "And Josephine?" He asked shakily. "There have been a few attempts. Luckily, our enemies don''t seem to consider her particularly valuable. I suppose we have her condition to thank for that." Morris felt his stomach churn. "Why....Why wasn''t I told? You could''ve sent a message?" "What? And risk them coming after my last son? No, it was better to let them believe I had completely forsaken you. At least until I was ready to bring you back. The actions of this friend of yours has forced both of our hands it seems." The Count turned suddenly to Morris. "In any event, I now find myself in need of an heir. The branch families have been growing restless, and while they don''t present a real threat, I would rather spend my resources in other areas. At the same time, those fools in the capital are stirring up trouble with Tennundi again. When the king issues a call to arms, the Graveston family needs to be represented." The younger man''s shoulders were trembling with barely controlled emotion. "So that''s it? You threw me away so easily before, but now that you are out of options, you want me back?!" Morris''s voice rose in volume until it thundered in the quite room. "I AM NOT YOUR PAWN, FATHER!" The Count frowned. "I had hoped your time outside would have taught you a little bit about the ways of the world, but you have disappointed me once again." He returned his seat behind the desk, and resuming his work, "No matter, though. Either you accept my terms, or your friend will find himself in very difficult situation. The choice is yours." Morris raged in his heart. It was this! This casual dismissal of his every thought and feeling, that so infuriated him about his father. It was as if nothing he did mattered. As if Morris himself didn''t matter. He was just another piece to be laid on the board, another step in the master plan of Count Graveston. For a moment, he almost left. The old emotional scars, buried for so long, had burst open once more. However, with a titanic effort of will, he controlled himself. For all that he was loathe to admit it, his father was right. He thought once more of his energetic young friend, and the way he had offered Morris a hand during the darkest period of his life. The way Mike had offered trust and friendship without asking for anything in return. He knew what he needed to do. "I accept your terms." A resigned, weary voice issued forth from Morris''s mouth. The corner of the Count''s mouth inched upwards in something resembling a smirk, the closest thing to a smile he had displayed since seeing his estranged son. "Maybe there is some hope for you after all." Chapter 50: Laughing Matters "I believe I can fly~ I believe I can touch-" *Angry buzzing* "Alright, alright. I''ll get going. Geez, everyone''s a critic." Mike said while clambering down onto the edge of the hole leading into the hive. He waved at the departing bees. "Thanks for the ride." Hands on his hips, he looked into the confusing maze of grey honeycomb. "Welp, better get started on this." Mike started climbing his way deeper in the hive. A number of drones passed by, but ignored him. Evidently, some message had been passed regarding his presence. He tried to follow the traffic, assuming that they must be going somewhere important. He stopped by a chamber that seemed to contain to bees'' larva. They were wriggling mounds light grey flesh, with bulbous heads. Kind of cute in a horrifying, nightmare inducing way. This particular room was guarded by a larger and much more fearsome looking bee. It was nearly twice the size of the others and moved with a sort of aggressive energy. It hummed a warning noise at him. Mike figured that this was one of the soldier bees, and decided he didn''t really need to see anymore. After another lengthy climb he eventually reached a large, open chamber. At its center was a huge bee, dwarfing even the soldier bees that were clinging to the chamber''s walls. Its lower body was subsumed by a gigantic abdomen. As Mike watched, another of the grayish larva emerged from the end of the organ. [Ah, the miracle of birth.] He approached the Queen Bee, stopping only when the soldiers started to make threatening maneuvers. The Queen questioned Mike''s presence in the bees'' quasi-language. "I am here to collect some honey." He held up the two jars. "Just enough to fill these. I''d be willing to trade if there is something you need." There was a note of rejection from the surrounding bees, the soldiers seemed particularly aggressive in their refusal. The Queen called for silence. She focused her multi-faceted gaze on Mike, as if evaluating him. The Queen engaged in a lengthy, almost speech, where she identified a threat to the hive. Apparently some kind of bear-like monster had been attacking on a regular basis. The bees managed to drive it away each time, but at enormous cost. In exchange for the honey, she wanted Mike to defeat this monster. [I guess bears in this world like honey, too.] He thought to himself, feeling slightly odd about the whole situation. "Very well, we will help you in this matter." At Mike''s agreement the Queen issued a quick command. Two drones flew up to Mike, took the jars from him, and flew off. A short while later, they returned carrying the jars filled with a strangely luminescent grey honey. [Wow, that doesn''t look appetizing at all. Why is it glowing? Is it radioactive?] Another thought occurred to him. [Wait, how did they manage to open the jar, and then put the cork back in?] He stared at the two drones willing them to explain themselves, but they merely dropped off their cargo and flew away. "Fine, keep your secrets." He placed the jars into his backpack. Looking around, he kind of halfway expected some sort of send-off, but the bees just returned to their previous activities, largely ignoring him. Sighing, he turned around and started working his way back to the entrance. He wasn''t sure what he was expecting from insects, but he still felt a little disappointed. After several minutes of climbing, squeezing, and scrambling he made it outside. Looking down at the forest floor, he figured that this was the perfect time to try out something he''d always thought was really cool. He dropped out of the hive, hitting the ground on one knee and one hand, a classic superhero landing. Shortly afterwards he collapsed over on to his side. [Oh my God! I think I shattered my kneecaps! How do they make it look so easy in the movies?] A few minutes of regeneration later, he stood up and faced the other three adventurers, who had gathered around while he was in agonizing pain. "Are you alright?" Kate asked with a degree of concern. She''d heard a clear crunch of bone on Mike''s landing, but he seemed to be fine now. "Couldn''t be better." Mike clapped his hands together and excitedly asked the group. "So, I have some good news, and I have some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" The trio looked at each other, before Philip spoke. "What''s the good news?" Mike pulled the two jars of glowing honey from his bag and handed them over. "Negotiations were successful. "Alright! See I told you we could do it." Philip threw a fist up into the air in celebration. "YOU didn''t do anything, idiot!" Kate yelled before speaking in a softer tone. "Thank you, Mike. If you hadn''t joined our group, we would have failed in this request long ago." "Well, don''t thank me just yet, I haven''t told you the bad news." "What''s the bad news?" Anxiety was now visible in two out of the three. Shy continued to look unconcerned. "I may have agreed to help the bees out with a little problem they''ve been having. You know, as payment for the honey." Suspicion replaced anxiety, as Kate continued her line of questioning, a little more emphatically. "What problem?" "So, apparently there is this bear monster..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike was running through the woods, laughing hysterically. "Would you shut up already?! We''re going to die, and it''s all your fault!" Philip yelled from his position off to one side. "I''m sorry.....I''m sorry." Mike squeezed out between bouts of laughter. "This world is just so ridiculous sometimes, and I can''t help but laugh." It hadn''t proved difficult to locate the ''bear'' monster. A path of destruction through the woods made for an easy trail to follow. They had eventually caught up to the beast as it was attempting to uproot a small, relatively speaking, tree. The beast was a mound of matted brown fur. When they first approached it was still crouched next to the base of the tree leaving only a broad back and stubby legs visible, but stood and whirled on them. At that point, it was all Mike could do to control his laughter. At nearly 30m tall, the bear should have been awe-inspiring, but due to some unfortunate quirks of its anatomy, it could only be called ridiculous. Its head was comically oversized and round. It rested, without any visible neck interfering, directly on an equally round body. Short, stubby limbs bore the creature''s intense weight. It looked almost exactly like a giant teddy bear. A giant teddy bear with blood-shot eyes, a mouthful of yellowed fangs, and a set of wicked looking claws. Mike controlled his mirth long enough to begin negotiations. It was his hope that he could talk his way out of this situation again. "So, we''re here to ask you to leave the bees alone." He called to the bear, who promptly responded with a thunderous roar. Mike wiped off a bit of spittle that had landed on him. "Are you sure you won''t reconsider?" Another roar was the only response. "Hmm." He turned to face the other three, "So, I have some good news and some bad news." "Run!" Kate yelled, as the bear started charging. The group of adventurers took off into the woods, leading the monster on a merry chase. Thankfully, the bear''s short legs and awkward rolling gait allowed them to maintain their distance. Philip, who by this point was starting to run out of breath wheezed. "Why don''t you do something? You''re Tier 3, right?" Mike glanced back at the oncoming bear, and had to stifle another round of giggles. "I can''t¡­.it''s too ridiculous...those arms." He started laughing again. Both of them momentarily lapsed into silence as Shy, who had moved a bit ahead of them, suddenly jumped into the air, spun, and fired two arrows at the monster with lightning speed and preternatural skill, but, unfortunately with little effect. Both arrows failed to penetrate the bear''s thick hide. He nevertheless landed and resumed running without any visible effort. Mike started applauding the athletic feat. "That''s really impressive. If I had tried that, I would have fallen flat on my face. Not that I''m particularly good with a bow anyway." Shy gave him a helpless smile. "WOULD YOU ALL STOP FOOLING AROUND AND DO SOMETHING!" Kate screamed. As the one with the heaviest gear, she had started falling behind the rest of the group. She looked behind and saw how close the gaping maw of the beast was getting, let out a little ''eep!'', and started running faster. "DAMN YOU, MIKE. IF I DIE HERE, I''M HAUNTING YOU!" "Haaa¡­" Mike let out one last sigh of amusement. "Alright, alright. I understand." He spun around and started running back towards the bear. With a flick of his wrist he flung a trio of small fireballs at the creature''s head. They exploded with fiery intensity, causing the monster to roar in pain, and Kate to yell as the shockwave picked her up and threw her a few paces forward. As the beast started toppling backwards, head still wreathed in smoke, Mike ran up its body until he was about where its neck should be. He summoned a blade of concentrated fire, 5m in length, and with a single swing decapitated the beast. Mike rode the falling torso of the monster down, not wanting to repeat his earlier mistake, then gently hopped off once it had crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact. [Now that I think about it, this style of Fire Magic is pretty close to a lightsaber. Still doesn''t feel quite right though. I wonder if I can add in some kind of air magic to make the right sound effects.] He dusted off his shoulders a bit, and turned to regard the rest of the group who were staring at him, too shocked by the display to react just yet. "See, nothing to worry about." Chapter 51: Limits "Pretty impressive, right?" Mike asked, smug grin already firmly in place. "Why in the hells didn''t you do that sooner?!" Kate complained. "Yeah, you should have just handled it that way from the start. It would have saved us a whole of lot running." Philip grumbled angrily. "But, but....." Mike was stuttering. He looked plaintively at Shy, who pointedly avoided his gaze. A depressed Mike followed after the other three, as they started heading back to town. They eventually forgave him, but he quickly noticed that they treated him with a bit more deference than before. [I suppose it is one thing know I''m a Tier 3, and quite another to see me in action. Hopefully I didn''t scare them. The last thing I want to do is freak them out.] The next few days passed slowly. What conversation occurred was stilted, lacking the easy flow that had been there previously. When the group stopped to camp for the night before getting to Wyrport, Mike felt he had to do something. He tried to break the ice, figuring that a question regarding the request would get them talking. "So, I guess that''s all there is to the mission. How much was the reward anyway?" His clumsy attempt at conversation seemed to have the opposite effect. There was a brief silence before Philip answered. "Look, I know that we really didn''t do much to help on this mission. So I''ll be the first to say it." He glanced around at his fellow party members, seeing acknowledgment in their faces. "The reward is yours. We did nothing to earn it. In fact I think we were more of a hindrance than anything. " Mike was stunned, he had not been expecting this. He looked at Kate and Shy, seeing firm determination. "Come on, guys. Don''t be like that. We can split money, or hell, you can have it all." "We''re adventurers! Not charity cases. We take what we earn. I appreciate your sentiments Mike, but we''ve decided." Kate and Shy stood silently by showing their support for Philip''s statement. Mike felt a pang of rejection. Even though they were being polite, Mike could feel a distance forming, separating him from them. It was something he had not experienced since he came to this world. "I see.....Well, if that is what you have decided, I won''t fight you on it." Mike replied softly, with a bit more emotion then he intended. Kate seemed to soften at that. "Look, Mike. We''re really grateful for all that you''ve done for us during this mission. We were in over our heads, and you joining made it possible for us to succeed, but it was clear from the beginning that you didn''t need us." "That''s right." Philip interjected. "Its pretty obvious that you''re much stronger than a Rank 3 adventurer. It might be best for you to find a party that you can rely on. As it is, we''re just a burden." All three of them looked ashamed, but even though they were couching it in polite terms, Mike could recognize a rejection when he saw one. "Ah, well that makes sense I suppose." He said while standing, an obviously fake grin already in place. "Now if you excuse me, nature calls." Without another word he walked away from the campfire, out into the night. Kate raised a hand, as if to stop him, but after a second lowered it, remorse clear on her face. A look shared by the other two members left by the campfire. Mike found a small hill with a good sized rock, and took a seat, staring up at the stars. [What am I doing? I''ve lived for almost thirty years, more or less in solitude. I should be used to this.] In an effort to distract himself from his heartache, he decided to examine the changes to his [Status.] He had been putting it off for reasons he hadn''t fully understood. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (Low) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing (NEW) -------------- Skills -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Healing Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Inspect (Rank 5) Initiate Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 5) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 1) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 2) Basic Air Magic (Rank 2) Basic Earth Magic (Rank 1) (NEW) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 1) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 1) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Spear Fighting (Rank 4) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 1) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 2) Basic Riding (Rank 3) Basic Haggling (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Basic Unarmed Fighting (Rank 3) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: Basic Fear Resistance (Rank 5) Basic Physiological Resistance (Rank 4) Intermediate Poison Resistance (Rank 2) (TIER UP) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 3) Minor Mana Enhancement (Rank 5) Minor Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 1) Minor Agility Enhancement (Rank 5) Minor Strength Enhancement (Rank 5) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 2) (NEW) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- Titles: - Saint of Healing - You have been recognized as a divinely blessed individual in regards to healing. Whether by your deeds, or merely your reputation, word of your holiness has spread. Moderate increase to Charisma when interacting with those of a properly aligned religion. (Only applies when active.) Moderate increase to the effectiveness of healing. Skills: Primary Skills: - Communication Magic (Tier 3, Rank 3) - A branch of magic derived from the Words of Creation, Communication Magic embodies the ability of living beings to exchange information with one another. Practitioners are granted an increased ability to communicate with other beings. Masters of this form of magic can use language to influence the world itself. Rank 3 Effects: Beast Speech, Lexicon - Beast Speech - Practitioners of Communication Magic master the strange and subtle method of communication used by creatures of the natural world. Allows users to communicate with living beings that have no discernible language or lack the mental capacity to do so. Such communication is by nature limited, but the general intent of messages can be shared in both directions. - Lexicon - No method of communication is barred to masters of Communication Magic, and this includes the written word. Allows users to understand and use any written language. - Intermediate Healing Magic (Tier 3, Rank 3) - An intermediate form of True Healing Magic. By channeling pure mana into the bodies of the injured, practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic can stimulate and supplement natural healing processes, allowing recipients to recover from virtually all forms of injury. Higher skill ranks allow for the healing of more severe injuries and lowers the overall mana cost of healing. Rank 3 Effects: Scour the Past - Scour the Past - Practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic learn how to manipulate the tissues of the creatures they are healing, returning them to their original form. Allows the user to return scar tissue to its original state, and cure conditions of the organs that would ordinarily never heal. Cannot be used to completely regenerate body parts. - Basic Earth Magic (Tier 1, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Earth magic allows the user to create and manipulate earth and stone. It is characterized by its permanence and durability, providing the most effective defensive techniques of the four basic elements. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Secondary Skills: - Basic Unarmed Fighting (Tier 1, Rank 3) - Whether learned in a street fight or at the knee of an experienced master, all unarmed fighters start with the basics. The most rudimentary skill of the Unarmed Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using their own bodies in combat. Passive Skills: - Intermediate Poison Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 2) - Frequent exposure to harmful substances has increased you body''s ability to resist them. Provides moderate resistance to poison and poison based effects. -------------- "A saint, huh?" He couldn''t help but chuckle a little at the way the system gave him titles seemingly at a whim. Although he was more than a little pissed off to see that his Poison Resistance Skill had ranked up again. [Honestly! How? Is the frigging air poisonous?!] After calming himself down again, he spent a long time remembering the things he had seen and done since he had reincarnated here. While there were a lot of dangers, challenges, and a fair amount of heartache, he didn''t regret it. He liked to believe he had done some good with his second chance at life. After a while he stood and stretched, starting to feel better. So what if they didn''t want to accept him now that they knew of his abilities? It was unfortunate, since he had grown fond of the trio and their amusing dynamic, but sometimes that was the way of things. "I guess all I can do now is move forward." He murmured to himself. A deep, powerful voice answered. "Wise sentiments. The future is the only path open to mortals, after all." Mike whirled to face the source of the voice, sword already drawn and in hand. He hadn''t heard anyone approach and his Detect Hostile Intent skill hadn''t activated. A tall and broad shouldered man stood in the grass barely 3m away, face obscured by the hood of his cloak. He wore simple clothes, but carried an ornate metal staff made of a lustrous metal that shined brilliantly in the moonlight. The corded sinews of his thickly muscled arms bunched as he laid the staff across one shoulder. The man raised his empty hand, gesturing for Mike to wait. "Before you let your fear control you, let us talk." "What do you want?" Mike asked warily, not lowering his guard in the least. Something about the man was leaving him deeply unsettled. "You can call me Brutus. You don''t need to introduce yourself, Mike. I am already aware of who you are." A chill started creeping up Mike''s back. "I have been charged by my master to bring the Hero before him. Regardless of the means necessary to do so." Mike tightened his grip on his sword at the word ''Hero.'' "I don''t know what you''re talking about, I''m just an adventurer." "There is no point in lying, your identity has long been known to us. I am offering you the chance to come with me peaceably. Should you refuse, I will have to render you incapable of further refusals." The calm and steady tone of the man, while he was issuing threats, caused the hairs on the back of Mike''s neck to raise. "No, I don''t think I am going to be going anywhere with you." The man shrugged, as if the decision didn''t really bother him. "So be it." Not wanting to give Brutus a chance, Mike launched his attack first. He summoned a blade of flame in his left hand, closed the distance between the two in the blink of an eye, and delivered a powerful overhead chop. The flamed blade collided with the man''s staff, as he raised it to block, and shattered. Mike could only stare dumbly as the fragments of his spell dissipated. Before he could recover, the staff rammed into his left side, crushing his arm and ribs. The force of the blow threw him tens of meters. When he finally rolled to a stop, and started the arduous process of standing up again, he was shocked to see the man already waiting for him at his destination. "An interesting use of Fire Magic, but ultimately useless against me." Brutus was calmly intoning as he waited for Mike to struggle back to his feet. "Just give up, it will make this much easier on you." Mike pulled hard on his mana, and directed a powerful blast of flame in his opponents direction. The night was lit with blinding flash as hundreds of meters of the grasslands were bathed in intense fire. When the glare faded, Brutus had disappeared. "Now you are just wasting mana in desperate attacks. Is this truly all there is to a Hero? I had hoped for more." A voice called from behind him. "Oh, I''ll give you more, you bastard!" Mike turned and launched himself at the man, falling into the Roaring Flame stance and delivering a blistering series of attacks with his sword. His sword cut through the air with such speed and ferocity that it almost seemed to scream. However, the man effortless parried or dodged his blows, even after Mike felt the familiar sensation of breaking through to a new Tier. Mike''s flow was interrupted when Brutus caught his sword with one hand. With a simple motion, the he snapped the blade in half. A foot to the midsection prevented Mike from doing anything else, driving the air from his lungs and flinging him another ten meters away. "Not bad, but your are still quite. Its clear that you are used to brute forcing your way through challenges. Like you''ve been relying on destiny or luck to clear a path for you. Its a shame. I sense a great deal of wasted potential in you." Brutus was starting to monologue as he walked closer. Mike forced himself up into a kneeling position. After emptying his stomach contents, he started working his way back onto his feet. [Damn, this guy hits like a truck. Now would be a great time for you to activate a Limit Break, System!] "Mike! Are you alright?" Philips voice could be heard nearby. "Hmm, I hate interruptions, especially from weaklings." Brutus said while turning to face the newcomers. Mike felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. The trio of adventurers were about to get tangled in something beyond their abilities. "NO! GET OUT OF HERE! YOU''RE NO MATCH FOR HIM!" He yelled hoarsely, but the warning came far too late. Brutus blurred before reappearing in front of the three. Shy reacted first, bringing his twin daggers forward in a lightning fast attack, only to be swatted away with ease. Philip followed the arc of the fox''s beastman flight with his eyes, leaving himself exposed to the staff''s back swing. His axe was knocked from his hands with such force that it snapped his forearms like twigs. With bulging eyes he stared down at his broken arms, already screaming by time he had fallen to his knees. Kate managed to block the first attack aimed her way. As the staff crumpled her shield and her left arm, she even succeeded in delivering a counterattack which barely scratched Brutus''s cheek. A line of blood appeared on Brutus''s otherwise uninjured face. The man smiled then, revealing a pair of long canines. "It looks like you have a bit of potential. Too bad you picked the wrong opponent." Brutus drove a spear hand into Kate''s midsection, punching a hole in her torso and lifting her off the ground. She hung there, staring in disbelief at the arm that was impaling her, before he slung her onto the ground near Philip. "KATE!" A cry of pure anguish rent the night. Philip crawled over to her on his broken arms. "No....nonononono, don''t do this! Kate!" Mike could hear her wet, gasping breaths. Breaths that were growing steadily weaker. [Damn it! Not again! I will not let this happen again! ACTIVATE LIMIT BREAK YOU F****** SYSTEM!] A brilliant burst of white light illuminated the night, as a system message finally popped up in Mike''s vision. [Limit Break activated. Hidden Skill !@&!!%^&@**(!@ activated.] Chapter 52: Limitless "Ah, the famous Limit Break of the Hero. I was wondering when you''d activate it." Another system message flashed in front of Mike. [Battle Trance activated.] Mike''s fury cooled, and he found himself a dispassionate observer to the events that followed, unable to control his body. The expansive white aura surrounding Mike contracted down to a single glowing point, at the center of his forehead. [What is this?] Mike found himself wondering, although in the strangely emotionless state, he really couldn''t bother to care. "This is new. A special skill perhaps? Hopefully you can make this a little more interesting." Brutus sounded amused by the turn of events. [Analyzing Host data...] [Warning. Insufficient energy] [Analyzing Host soul data...] [Soul Efficiency at 4.2%, Composite soul detected, Initiating soul compression.] Mike felt a strange pressure throughout his entire being. Like he was being crushed by an immense weight. He sensed something deep within himself igniting, and a tidal wave of power exploded out from his soul. More power than he had ever felt before. Summoning the dragon in the dungeon could barely compare. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brutus was watching Mike, waiting for his next move, when a titanic presence descended over the plains. The two remaining adventurers immediately lost consciousness. Brutus proved a little more resilient, however. [I haven''t felt a presence like this since I stood in front Dark Lord all those years ago. I don''t know where this child is summoning this power from, but this quite the trump card.] He felt an excitement that had long been deprived to him. Ever since he had entered Tier 4 nearly a thousand years ago, the vampire had almost never faced a challenge. The sheer awe-inspiring weight of the Hero''s presence awoke his long forgotten blood lust. Finally. After all these years, he was going to have a good fight. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Analyzing Host soul data.....] [Soul Efficiency at 38%, Energy reserves sufficient] [Adding Administrator Rights] [Initiating Time Pause] The world turned grey, as every movement, save the continual scrolling system messages, cease. [Unlocking Analyze Skill] [Analyzing Hostile] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brutus Stormborn Race: High Vampire Age: 3562 Class: War God Tier: 4 (Mid) Title: Lord of War -------------- Skills -------------- Primary Skills: True Rage of the War God (Rank 5) Grandmaster Way of the Empty Fist (Rank 4) Master Mana Reinforcement (Rank 5) Grandmaster Staff of the War God (Rank 5) Soul of the Devourer (Rank 3) Adamant Form of the Unbending (Rank 4) True Warrior''s Will (Rank 5) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) True Evasion (Rank 4) True Staff Fighting (Rank 5) True Unarmed Fighting (Rank 4) Master Sword Fighting (Rank 3) Master Spear Fighting (Rank 1) Advanced Archery (Rank 3) Advanced Riding (Rank 1) Intermediate Persuasion (Rank 2) Intermediate Haggling (Rank 1) Intermediate Artistic Skill (Sculpting) (Rank 3) Basic Cooking (Rank 3) Basic Musical Performance (String Instrument) (Rank 3) -------------- Passive Skills: True Fear Resistance (Rank 5) True Heat Resistance (Rank 3) Extreme Endurance Enhancement (Rank 5) Extreme Agility Enhancement (Rank 5) Large Strength Enhancement (Rank 5) Moderated Speed Enhancement (Rank 2) Detect Presence (Rank 3) -------------- Inherent Skills: True Vampiric Regeneration Vampiric Form Undead Constitution Chosen of the Devourer -------------- [Enemy Threat Level: A-6] [Analyzing Host battle data.....] [Unlocking Extreme Physical Enhancement, Unlocking Extreme Mana Enhancement, Unlocking True Unarmed Combat, Unlocking True Elemental Magic, Unlocking True Air Magic, Unlocking True Fire Magic] [Terminating Time Pause] [Initiating Enhancement Magic: Speed] [Initiating Combat] The world resumed its normal motion, and Mike was already moving. He vanished from sight, leaving a crater in the ground behind him. Brutus was barely able to react. If not for his millennia of experience, he would have been helpless in the front of the sudden offensive. He activated all of his defensive skills, and dumped as much mana as he could into them, hoping to weather the storm. A virtually imperceptible kick slammed into Brutus''s blocking staff. The enchanted mythril weapon, designed specifically to withstand the vampire''s strength, gave way almost immediately, practically disintegrating. The blow caved in Brutus''s chest, broke his spine, and sent him hurtling into the sky like he was fired from a cannon. [Wow, I didn''t know I could do all this...Wait, is this even really me anymore?] With a quick activation of Air Magic, Mike flew after his opponent, a sonic boom sounding as he broke the sound barrier. Before Brutus had even fully registered the blow that had sent him flying, Mike grabbed him by the head, and with a magic induced spin flung him back towards the ground. Brutus impacted with force of a meteorite, creating an explosion of dirt hundreds of meter in diameter. By this point the Brutus''s physical form had largely been crushed beyond recognition. However, he hadn''t survived for three millennia for nothing. Knowing that he only had a second or two before the Hero came to finish him off, he activated his Unique Skill: Soul of the Devourer. In a visibly expanding wave, every plant, insect, and animal within a kilometer weakened and died. Orbs of white energy formed and flew towards the vampire merging with his form. He recovered almost immediately, and rose to his feet stronger than before. "What now, Hero?! Surely you aren''t done with just that?!" He was filled with a self-destructive impulse to push this confrontation to its climax. [Warning! Hostile''s Unique Skill has 78% chance of effecting host within 2m] [Recommend engaging in ranged combat] Mike raised a finger into the air, before swinging it down towards Brutus. A wall of air, dozens of meters in diameter and visible only for the way it displaced the cloud of dust that had formed after Brutus''s fall, slammed into the vampire before he had a chance to react. He was crushed into the ground by the force of the blow, as another, deeper crater was formed within the first. [Locating Hostile.....] Another wall of air formed next to Mike, blocking a chunk of earth which was hurled up at him. Brutus, now some distance away from his point of impact was standing, once again recovered. "I could keep this up for days, Hero! How much longer will your skill last?!" He called with a taunting voice. [Simulating current battle outcome...] [Chance of Host victory at 56%] [Analyzing...] [Unlocking Time Magic] [Unlocking High Speed Chanting] Mike opened his mouth and a blur of noise issued forth. After a second of this he stated in a cold, emotionless voice, "Prison of Time." Suddenly Brutus couldn''t move. He could''t react, he couldn''t talk, he couldn''t even use his skills that required only will to activate. The only thing the Hero''s terrifying spell allowed him to do was watch as his end approached. Another garbled sound emerged from Mike''s mouth, this time for nearly 5 full seconds. He raised a hand into the air, and completed the spell. "Vengeful Fist of the Heavens." The sky clouded over in an instant, crackling lightning illuminating the scene. Then the portion of the clouds directly above Brutus parted. For one brief moment, perceptible only to the caster and his unfortunate victim, the vampire was enveloped in a column of bright light. [Ahhh, so this is the taste of defeat. I had forgotten...How nostalgic.] The vampire had time for one last thought before a pillar of lightning, dozens of meters accross engulfed him and much of the surrounding scenery. So intense was the light and sound that observers hundreds of kilometers away feared it was the coming of the apocalypse. The very walls of Wyrport shook under the assault of the thunder, and the guards posted there would later say that it looked as if the fist of an angry god had smote the very land itself. This night would come to be known as the Night of Wrath. Mike looked down at the smoking hole that was once Brutus. [Holy crap! That was awesome! I''m going to have to learn how to do that.] Some of his feelings were starting to return to him, but he wasn''t sure if that was a good thing. Another system message flashed across his eyes. [Battle concluded] [Initiating shutdown procedures] [Wait! Hold on! The others are still in trouble!] [Analyzing....] [Unlocking Advanced Healing Magic] [Secondary effect: Pierce the Veil acquired] Mike flew down to the other adventurers and used a gentle application of Air Magic to gather them together. With a wave of his hand, Shy and Philip''s injuries were healed. Mike could hear the bones of the unfortunate party leader''s forearms snapping back into place. He turned his attention to Kate. It was clear, even to Mike''s untrained eye, that whatever spark of life that had existed shortly before, was now extinguished. If not for his forcibly calmed condition, Mike might have lost it then. [F***!....Even.... Even with all this power, I couldn''t save her.] Mike''s body, still under the influence of whatever force was controlling him, stepped forward and laid a hand on Kate''s corpse. A massive amount of mana, greater even than the amount used for his destructive lightning spell, surged forth from his soul. He whispered another sped up chant, as a white glow began to spread out from his body. After nearly a minute the air was vibrating with invisible, barely controlled energy. With a calm, almost gentle voice, Mike finished the chant. "Return That Which was Taken." With that simple intonation the massive swell of power that had been accumulating poured forth into Kate''s stilled form. As darkness returned once again to the plains, a loud gasp could be heard. Mike felt like crying as he watched once dead adventurer taking slow and steady breaths. She was alive! Before he had a chance to react, a series of system messages blocked his view. [Warning! Energy levels critical] [Terminating action] [Returning host to baseline parameters] [@$&-*"@$/+& now on cooldown] [Wait, what?] The glowing spot on Mike''s forehead faded and suddenly he was in control of his body again. He felt drained, but didn''t seem to be suffering the usual after effects of using Limit Break. He glanced around at the devastated landscape and the still unconscious forms of his traveling companions. "Well, s***." Chapter 53: Making Waves "Javier, I have loved you since the day we met, but there is something I must confess." "What is it, Isabella? Our love is strong enough to withstand anything!" "I....have been unfaithful." (Gasp) "Who?! Tell me who!" "I didn''t know, I thought he was you!" "You mean..." (Door slams open) "Yes! It was I, Ramon! Your twin brother!" "How could you?!" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Selenica, Goddess of Gates, Travel, and Reincarnation was on the edge of her floating throne made of polished silver. Her gaze was focused on a screen hovering in midair, featuring a pair of identical and darkly handsome men staring daggers at each other. As the show, "Lies of my Heart" went to commercial, she couldn''t help dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief she conjured into being. "Earthlings always make the best shows. I hope that Javier forgives Isabella. They make such a cute couple." The sudden piercing wail of an alarm klaxon interrupted a balding man on the screen attempting to sell used cars for ''crazy'' prices. Selenica was so startled she fell out of her throne. She stood quickly, and blew an errant wisp of hair out of her face, before calling forth another screen. Long lines of data appeared and started scrolling. After a few seconds scanning the goddess frowned. "A quasi-divine soul descended on Ea? I thought there weren''t any Ascensions planned for this century." Another alarm started sounding, this one more shrill than the other. Selenica waved a hand to mute it in annoyance, while summoning another screen. Her eyes widened when she read the contents. "Someone disrupted the cycle of reincarnation?! There shouldn''t be any Tier 5 healers at all right now! Crap! Its going to take me ages to fix all these errors." An image of a goofy man with an unusual soul flashed into her mind, and with a sinking sensation she started hunting information on him. Unfortunately for the her, his encounter with Fate had left him largely invisible to most forms of tracking, even for the goddess who had blessed him. However, she was able to pick up bits and pieces of his path through other sources, and it became increasingly evident that the man was at the center of whatever had occurred in Ea. Somehow, in a matter of minutes, he managed to disrupt the complex network of souls that made up the cycle of reincarnation in this section of the multiverse. Ordinarily, the status of one soul wouldn''t have made much of a difference, but the goddess had been slacking lately, letting a number of issues crop up. Resolving them would have been a simple fix, but the disruption set off a chain reaction that would require a great deal of intense effort to solve. For the typically indolent goddess, it was the height of indignities. Selenica''s aura flared red, and she clenched a shaking fist. "Michael Rasmussen, you blockhead! I''m going to get you for this. Just you wait!" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Archmage was experimenting when the event occurred. His seniority in Mage''s Guild had long ago precluded him from such menial tasks as teaching, so he had a wealth of time to be put towards his research. He had been experimenting with a new form of magic he had discovered, almost by accident. The system had labeled it Technomancy, which defied both the conventional classification of magic skills and the Archmage''s own understanding of the way magic worked. As far as he could tell, this new skill could only be used in conjunction with devices of great complexity. He''d had some luck with a few of his more intricate magical designs, but he had not yet figured out the exact purpose of this magic. When the quasi-divine soul descended, he was immediately sensed it. "Ascension?!....No, it doesn''t feel quite right." He had a sudden epiphany and sent a mental communication to his homunculus, who had been standing by in the Observatory ever since he had detected the strange surge of energy in the central continent. [Yan! Power up the Observatory an initiate scanning procedure 132. I will be there shortly.] [As you wish, Master.] Came the reply. The Archmage cast a quick spell with an omitted chant, rose into the air, and started flying through the corridors of his tower. Various papers, furnishings, and a few slow-moving apprentices were scattered in his wake as he made his way to the top floor. Another disturbance, thousands of kilometers away triggered the Archmage''s senses, albeit to a much lesser degree. [That felt like Tier 4 spell with almost enough power to push it into Tier 5. What''s going on?] [Master, there are readings of a high Tier 4 lightning composite elemental spell being used on the central continent near the city of Wyrport. For some reason I can''t lock onto the origin.] [Switch to manual scanning! There has to be-] Yet another disturbance, of even greater power than before interrupted his message. [Master! The machine is overloading! What should I do?] The Archmage grimaced, another lead lost due to the imperfections of his designs. [Forcibly disconnect the lattice from the tower''s power system!] [The Observatory is powering down now, but Master the last readings...they are.....] [A Tier 5 spell, I presume?] [That''s correct, Master. We weren''t able to gather any information about nature of the spell, however.] [Very well. Continue the shutdown sequence, and I will be there soon.] He landed, and started walking normally, no longer in a hurry to arrive. An apprentice, that had been cringing in the corridor seconds ago, stared after him in some amazement. [It seems that there is a newly Ascended Mortal already making waves....Or at the very least someone capable of wielding the power of an Ascended. Nothing in our earlier predictions had included this possibility. I will have to start making plans according.] As he rounded an corner and started walking down the hallway leading to the Observatory, he frowned again. [Hopefully whoever it is will stop causing all these disturbances. Its starting to get expensive for me.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The corpse of a peg-legged beggar lay cooling in one corner of the basement crypt, a blissful smile frozen on his face. A robed and decrepit figure stood hunched over the body, a goblet full of blood clutched in its dry gray claws. It was speaking in hushed tones. "My lady. Brutus has been slain. We have failed you." The echoing voice of a mature and confident woman issued forth from the goblet. "Indeed. You have failed me. Who told you to take the Hero by force? Your actions have set back our plans by months, if not years." "How was I to know that a high Tier 4 caster would interfere?! Brutus would have been able to defeat the Hero with ease without the intruder. I was merely trying to make the most expedient choice at the time." The creature''s voice had risen in pitch, anger and fear evident. "Brutus was a valuable and loyal servant, one that had served the clan well for millennia, and your thoughtlessness brought about his needless sacrifice. I entrusted him to you in order to ensure our mission in Wyrport continued uninterrupted, yet not only have you caused his death, but you have failed in your larger task. This transgression demands punishment." The clawed hands of the robed figure trembled. "No...no, give me another chance. I swear I will make it up to you, my lady!" "Tsk-tsk, Menaphus. Is this the way the Butcher of Ulam faces his end? I had expected better." With a sibilant voice, the woman continued. "I''m taking back the gift that was given." The robed figure dropped the goblet in horror, backing away. It looked down at its grey hands, which were already beginning to desiccate and crumble. "No.....NOOOOOoooooo!" Silence fell in the basement, as a cloud of dust began to settle on the pile of dark black robes lying empty on the floor. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seraphina awoke with a start, sitting up straight in bed. She glanced around the small bedroom in the darkness, wondering if perhaps the rowdy patrons of the inn below had wakened her again. There was a sudden flash of light, flooding through the window, illuminating the room as if it were midday. She squinted in response, utterly bewildered and was almost knocked out of bed by a roaring wave of sound which seemed to shake the very foundations of the building. [What''s happening?!] She thought as she rushed over to the window. At first there was nothing, but soon a soft white glow could be seen over the city walls to the north. She briefly had a delusion that a star must have fallen from the sky. A pain shot through her head, causing her to double up on the floor, as an image bore its way into her mind. A dark, smoke wreathed being was standing upon a mountain of corpses. There was something so profoundly terrible about this creature. Even after witnessing all of the petty cruelties and injustices that humanoids inflicted on one another, nothing had prepared her for this being. It was evil. Pure evil. There was no other way to describe it. Most of its features were hidden, but Sera caught flashes of ebon skin, curved horns, and blood coated claws. However, it was the eyes that made her skin crawl. Two pure white holes stared from the depths of the perpetual gloom. Sera realized that they were focused upon another figure, one she had failed to notice with the all-consuming presence of the entity. A young man stood at the base of the corpse mountain, looking with defiance at the evil creature. His hand was clutching a sword made of light. Looking at him, Sera felt the terror, which had been gripping her, ease. For some reason this young man''s presence reassured her. Strangely the man''s features were as obscured at the creature''s. A sort of blurring haze prevented her from getting a close look. However, she was able to notice one last thing before the vision ended and she awoke on the floor of her room, knees hurting from where she had scraped them in her fall. "Eyes of gold...." She whispered quietly looking up towards the ceiling. "You were right, mother." Chapter 54: Another Step After much deliberation, Mike decided that it would probably be best to move the other three adventurers to a safer location. He wasn''t sure what sort of attention the light show he put on might bring, but he didn''t want to risk them getting caught up even further in this mess. Of course that was easier said than done. He first had to carry them to a new location, which he manged by creating a rudimentary sled using Earth Magic. It had proven crude, but effective. After relocating the trio a spot a kilometer or so away, he returned to retrieve the group''s gear. In their initial rush to come to his aid, they had left the majority of their gear behind, which had subsequently been involved in his confrontation with Brutus. As a result, most of the equipment they had brought with them had been destroyed. Miraculously, Shy''s pack had been thrown clear, only ending up mildly scorched. After confirming that the two jars of honey had survived, he heaved a sigh. "Well, at the very least we can still turn in the request. That is, if they still want to have anything to do with me after this." He felt taunting, needling anxiety creep into the back of his mind at the thought of having to face them after this travesty. With a heavy heart he walked back, and with some surprise he noticed that Shy had woken up and was tending to the other two. "Ah, your awake." Mike murmured lamely, still not mentally prepared for what was to come. Shy glanced over at him calmly, "Yes, I just woke up. It is good that the others remain asleep for now, we have much to discuss." Mike was shocked. With the exception of one particular incident, he had not heard the fox beastman speak. "Eh?" Was all he could muster. Shy smiled sympathetically. "I did not remain conscious long after being defeated by that staff wielding aggressor, but it was long enough to see enough to see both of my party members seriously injured. One fatally so." "Ah, yes. That did happen...." "It was also long enough for me to see a certain characteristic skill, before the weight of a powerful presence spiritually crushed me into oblivion." "You saw that, did you?" Mike was starting to doubt his communication abilities. "Indeed. You do not need to explain, as I have surmised your identity from the several clues you''ve let slip up to this point." He stood then, facing Mike boldly. "Not only have you saved my life, but the lives of my companions as well. As such it would be the greatest of ingratitudes to reveal your secret, exposed as it was for our benefit. I swear to you that no word of your identity will pass these lips of mine." Mike smiled at the insinuation. "I believe you. I know how good you are at keeping quiet." Shy gave a small chuckle. "Quite. I only hope that someday, when the time comes for you to reveal yourself to the world, and lead it to overcome the challenges you were meant to face, you will allow me to be of some service." Mike could only nod in response. A moment of quiet understanding was shared between them. "What about the other two? What should we tell them?" "I suggest that we keep what we discussed to ourselves. As for how to explain our situation, I would recommend that you tell them that a powerful expert assisted us in our most dire circumstances. It is probably the most believable excuse we can muster. Perhaps you could claim some relation, such as a family member or mentor. This hypothetical expert defeated our enemy in a destructive battle, then used a skill to heal us of our injuries." "Would that work?" Mike couldn''t help but think that Shy was quite devious. [A gifted and powerful mentor could explain the imbalance between my strength and my relative inexperience, as well.] "I believe Philip would accept it with a little prompting, but Kate would likely doubt the story. She has ever been the more intelligent of the pair. However, I believe that we can forestall the majority of her suspicions long enough to turn in the request and go our separate ways." "That sounds like a decent enough plan, considering the circumstances." Mike pondered, hand clasping his chin. He fixed his gaze on the beastman. "There is a great deal more to you than meets the eye." "I am but a simple adventurer." Shy replied with a mysterious smile. Mike nodded, expecting the response. He decided to change tactics. "So, who are these two to you?" The beastman stared off into the distance grimly, momentarily appearing much older than he was. "A long time ago, my soul was saved by them. They did not intend to help, yet their actions were my salvation nonetheless. I have served as their companion and guardian ever since, as a means of repaying them." He looked down at the sleeping pair, and the hard lines of his face softened. "I still owe them everything." Mike kept his silence, not wanting to break the solemn mood. In time Philip and Kate awoke. Shy''s planned explanation served to answer the majority of their questions, but it was clear to Mike that Kate still held her doubts. After extracting a promise to keep the events of the night a secret, he led the group towards Wyrport. Dawn was soon approaching, and none of them felt like remaining out in the plains for longer than they had to. [I suppose this will be sufficient for now. Might have to lay low for awhile after this, just in case.] Mike hoped vainly that the city''s inhabitants had not witnessed the fight, but by the time they reached the northern gate, it had become clear that he was out of luck. Traffic at the gate was lower than usual, but the few merchants, farmers, and travelers present were all fearfully talking about the same thing. Rumors abounded about the origin and purpose of the terrifying blast of lightning and the brilliant glow that appeared afterwards. It only got worse once they had entered the city. By the time the group had made it back to the guild and turned the request in, they had heard nearly every possible explanation. A dirty and ragged man, dressed in soiled robes, claimed it was the gods'' vengeance made manifest, He claimed that only by rejecting sins of civilization could humanity save itself. This did not stop him from taking a long swig from a potent smelling jug, once the group had passed. An affluent merchant tried to deny anything supernatural occurred, saying that it was merely the product of some unusually powerful lightning. A worried housewife was repeating a rumor that dragons had been seen fighting in the sky last night, and the events were caused by their conflict. On and on it went, making it quite obvious that, while virtually everyone in the city had witnessed it, or at least claimed to do so, no one was really sure about what had happened. Mike felt some relief knowing that, at the very least, there was nothing to really tie them to the catastrophic light show. The group turned in the request and received the paltry reward of 12 gold. It hardly seemed worth it, considering all the danger they had faced leading up to that point. After collecting the money Mike turned to the three, and took in their battered clothes, damaged equipment, and missing gear. He knew what he had to do, but he wasn''t sure how to manage it. Finally he decided to broach the subject. "I know what we said back in the plains, but I think we should split the reward." He cut off Philip and Kate''s protests with a quick gesture. "This is not the time to be prideful. You''ve lost the majority of your adventuring equipment, and what little you still have is in need of repair. You are only in this predicament because you got wrapped up in my mess, so the least I can do is share the reward evenly." Kate looked at him a little uncertainly. "I don''t know..." Shy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and flashed a reassuring smile. Philip, who was the original instigator of the plan to give Mike the entirety of the reward, was looking at her with a pleading gaze. She reluctantly agreed, although she made sure to spare a few scathing words for Philip. Mike divvied out the coins into four even stacks of three, and after pocketing his share, prepared to leave. Just as they were about to go their separate ways, Kate pulled him aside. "I don''t know what happened last night, but I do know you are lying about all of us being saved by your mysterious mentor ''Ricardo the Magnificent.'' It might have been enough to fool Philip, but not me." Mike gulped. He hadn''t thought to give his hypothetical mentor a name until they had asked for one. ''Ricardo'' was the product of his panicked mind grasping for anything resembling a name. For some reason he''d been thinking about soap operas at the time. Kate leaned forward a bit and continued. "That said, I believe you saved us. Saved me, even when I thought I was done for." She placed a hand on her midsection, where the hole Brutus had rent in her armor was still visible. Thankfully, Lifestyle Magic had proved sufficient clean up the blood. "I know it was you that brought me back. I don''t know how I know, but I do." She looked up at him then. "If you don''t want to explain, I won''t force you to. I''m sure you have secrets you can''t reveal." Mike glanced away, feeling a little embarrassed. "All I ask, is that you don''t think too badly of us for the situation that took place before we all almost died. I still think that you should go and find party members closer to you in strength, but I hope that we can be friends." "I''d like that." Mike said gently. She grinned back. "Maybe you''ll even trust me someday." Before he had a chance to respond, she walked away, rejoining a jealous looking Philip and an impassive Shy. With an exchanging of waves, the trio departed. [I don''t think I''ll ever understand women, no matter how many lives I live.] With a shrug he walked back to the inn, lost in thought. [Three. I''ve been saved by a convenient increase in strength on three separate occasions. I don''t know if I''m like a novel protagonist with some kind of plot armor, but I don''t think I can keep relying on it forever. I need to get stronger.] He clenched a fist. He resolved to consult Morris on the matter as soon as he got back. Mike was so deep in his thoughts, he completely missed the thin man, dressed in gray, who slipped into a nearby alley after noticing him. Had Mike been paying attention, he might have recognized the figure of Roger, as the thug was running away. Chapter 55: What Am I Doing? Morris was not at the in inn when Mike got back. It was still only a little after lunch. With nothing better to do, he sat on his bed, still deep in thought. He glanced at his [Status] briefly and saw that his skills had returned to what they were prior to the strange skill''s activation, with two noted exceptions. His Almiran Swordsmanship had risen a tier to Journeyman. Unfortunately there didn''t seem to be any additional effects. It was the other entry, however, that caught his attention. His Intermediate Healing Magic had advanced all the way to Rank 5, and had picked up another effect. Rank 5 Effects: Return to Origin -Return to Origin - Practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic gain instinctive understanding of the way living things function, grow, and heal. They can use this knowledge to overcome the usual hurdles in the healing process, allowing them to heal injuries above and beyond what is normally possible. Allows the user to replace lost body parts, regenerate lost limbs, and cure even congenital defects. Cannot be used to reverse the effects of aging. Mike couldn''t wait to try this on Morris once the other man had returned. He had been feeling guilty about the not being able to help his friend with his injury, despite the progress he had made with his healing skills. Now he finally felt he could do something to pay Morris back. After this brief moment of excitement, his thoughts returned to the predicament he found himself in. There were powerful people out there who knew his identity, and where to find him. And they apparently wanted to capture him for some purpose. Mike didn''t want to imagine the reach of an organization or individual who had a fighter like Brutus at their beck and call. Hopefully Tier 4 warriors were rare enough that they couldn''t afford to send another one after him. The most terrifying aspect of this situation was that he didn''t realy know who they were, what they wanted, or even how they came to know his identity in the first place. He could reasonably assume that they were vampires based on Brutus''s race, but he didn''t know what that meant. Were vampires a dangerous monster, like in the legends of his old world? Or were they considered as another race of beings like elves or dwarves. He didn''t know, and had never thought to find out. [I''m not strong enough. I don''t know enough. I have been living my life in a carefree manner ever since I reincarnated here. Even when my life and the lives of others were in danger, I couldn''t bring myself to believe that all of this was real, with real consequences.] He had been thinking of this world and everything in it as some kind of story or game. Trusting in the blessings he had been given, Mike had simply gone with the flow, rarely seeking to do more than simply figure out what new thing to check out. He had willfully become a passive observer in his own life. He never stopped to think what effect his choices might have had. Who might get hurt in the process. Mental images flashed across his mind. Morris clutching his severed arm. Devin lying in a shattered pile. A broken Philip trying desperately to cradle Kate with his useless limbs, as she died in front of him. Sighing, he held his head in his hands. [What am I doing?] It was clear that he couldn''t continue like this. Mike started quietly muttering to himself. "If I am to live in this world, I will need to take responsibility for what I do, and what I set in motion. If I am to be the Hero that everyone seems to think I am destined to be, I can''t simply keep going with the flow." He stood, and the volume of his voice rose with him. "Alright, from here on out, I''m going to be better than before. I will become stronger. I will become smarter. And I will not let anyone else get hurt because of me!" "Oy! Shut up already! Some of us are trying to sleep!" A rude voice came through the wall. "Oops. Sorry!" Mike called, before remembering that it was still early afternoon. "Hey, wait a minute..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Morris traveled through the Merchant District on his way to the slums. He had to admit, his father was every bit a crafty as his reputation made him out to be. Even though the events of the Night of Wrath had largely distracted the populace, with one simple maneuver, Count Graveston had solved the problem that had been plaguing Morris for days. As far as he could tell, Morris''s father had only sent a single quickly written message, but before a day had passed, the issue had been largely resolved. A young and gifted member of the Church of Teun had come forward publicly to claim responsibility for the Saint of West Street incident. Supposedly, this young man had traveled the city in disguise, healing for a fraction of the normal price, as a means of training himself while inspiring worship of the gods. Morris reluctantly admired the move. In one fell swoop, not only did his father clear Mike of suspicion, but ensured that the temples were now happy with the current state of affairs. After all, they got a great deal of free publicity from the exchange. Add to that a ''Saint'' that could be trotted out to support whatever decision the temple elders made, and their really wasn''t a downside for them. It simply impressed Morris that his father had sufficient pull with the temples to make such a thing happen. For all that he hated the man, it was hard not to respect his abilities. The Serpent, as the Count was called quietly behind his back, was renowned as a skilled politician and master of intrigue. There were even some rumors that he served as the King''s spymaster, at least in this region of the Kingdom. [And all it took to get his help, was to sacrifice my freedom.] Morris grimaced at the errant thought. He''d live with the consequences of this decision. After all he had value to his father as the sole remain heir. Surely, this time things would be different. Wouldn''t they? He had been given a month to put his affairs in order, before fully returning to the family. Morris suspected that there were other factors in play that kept his father from immediately enlisting him in whatever plot was underway. Regardless, he was now on his way to meet up with the old friends he''d reached out to in his desperation. [If I am to be sent to war as some sort of token representative of the family, Mike will need all the help he can get. He will need some allies, even if they are criminals.] The friends he sought out now couldn''t be considered the best of company. Indeed, they were pretty much a gang. However, among the various groups that vied for power in Wyrport, this one was probably the closest to honorable that Morris had seen. After leaving his family three years ago, Morris had quickly become destitute. Without an official license from the Bardic College, it was largely impossible to make a living with the skills he had. At least legally. Morris still remembered the first time he had been approached for a job. He had been chased out of the small town square in the poor section of town for the third time, and was seriously debating giving up and going back to his family, when a man had approached him with tempting promises and silver in hand. At first it had all been so easy. Morris would serve as a simple distraction, drawing a crowd with his performance, and the other man would pick their pockets. Then it evolved into picking their pockets himself. Before he knew it, Morris had become a inner member of one of the criminal gangs that moved in the shadows of Wyrport. Thanks to his skills and knowledge, he excelled on this new path. In the short span of a year, he had risen to a position of prominence within the gang. The leader was even grooming Morris to become his successor. If not for a particular incident, he might have taken over and become the boss himself. Morris shook his head, clearing away the distracting memories. He needed to focus on the upcoming meeting. He had intentionally worn old, ragged clothes, not wanting to gather the attention of the local thieves and beggars. There was a long dagger hidden in his waistband, just in case. Eventually he arrived at his destination. [I haven''t talked to them since I left Wyrport almost two years ago. I''m surprised they were willing to meet with me after all the harsh words.] He briefly considered the possibility of this being some sort of trap. It would be out of character for the group, but a lot can change in two years. Quashing his fears, he firmed his resolve and entered the tavern with no clear name. The one known to the locals as The Watering Hole. The common room was full of tense looking men and women in grey clothing. As Morris entered, silence descended. Every eye turned to watch him as he self-consciously walked up the bar. Morris''s instincts were screaming at him, but he knew that if he left now, it wouldn''t be long before he was tracked down by the Grey. There was no other path but to continue forward. "I''m here to see Adrian." Morris spoke to the bartender with more confidence than he felt. The scarred and stern faced man answered with a thumb hooked back towards a doorway. "Back through there. He''s expecting you." Morris took a deep breath before opening the door and entering. Adrian was standing next to a table. Something that looked disturbingly like a strangely flattened body, was lying on top of it, covered by a sheet. Lorik was sitting in the corner, head propped up on one hand, looking quite worn out. Julia was pacing along the back wall, her tail flipping with agitation. At the sound of the door, Adrian looked up and smiled wearily. "Morris, lad. I would say that it is good to see you, but you''ve come at a bad time." Morris felt a hint of unease at his old mentor''s words. "What do you mean?" Adrian pulled the sheet from the table, revealing a burnt husk of a man. What ever had killed him had not been gentle. It looked as if his innards had burst into flame, cooking the poor soul from the inside out. Recoiling, Morris couldn''t help but exclaim, "Ugh! What is this? What happened?" Adrian just focused a tired gaze at him. "War, lad. War happened." Chapter 56: Its Elementary "What happened to him?" Morris asked gravely. He was trying hard not to be sick, but the scent of charred meat was filling the air. "That''s what we were hoping you could tell us. Far as we know, he got stabbed in the gut during a fight. Nasty injury, but nothing that should have been fatal. Few minutes later, however, the wound burst into flame. The fire continued to spread until he died, and for a while afterwards." Adrian answered succinctly. Morris''s old curiosity surfaced. He had an idea about the origin of the man''s curious death, but wasn''t sure as of yet. "Did anyone try to douse or smother the flames?" "They did, but no amount of water or dirt was able to halt the spread." "Who stabbed him?" Adrian glance around the room. "That''s the thing, we aren''t too sure of their identity." "What do you mean?" "Few months ago, some of the minor gangs started having trouble with a strangers intruding on their territories. At first they seemed to be probing their defenses, but soon they were tearing through the Wyrport underworld like a rat through cheese." Adrian walked over to the table and replaced the sheet, evidently sick of looking at the devastated corpse. "In about a week, they owned half the city, and had the major gangs on the run, The Grey included. There was an alliance of sorts, more out of necessity than anything else, which led to major battle down near the docks. The gangs of Wyrport against the intruders." Morris waited patiently for his old mentor to finish. Adrian looked down at his hands, seeming to age significantly. "We lost. Badly." "Why?" The old man looked up for a second, then back down at his hands. "Honestly? We were outmatched. No one wanted to believe it, but the intruders were stronger than us in almost every way possible." "So, better organized? Better equipped? Better trained?" "Oh, that was a part of it too, but the true fact of the matter was those intruders.....well they weren''t human, or even really humanoid. At least not anymore." He shuddered slightly. "Sure, they looked like people. They stood on two legs, wore clothes, carried weapons, but that was about it. Their foot soldiers fought like demons, with no care for their own lives. They didn''t seem to feel pain or remorse. It usually took more than five of us to take down one of them, and even then it was a close thing." Lorik broke in. "We''re lucky there weren''t too many of them at the time. Like Adrian says, we lost, but we hurt them in the process. Whatever their aim was, they stopped expanding after the fight, and the Dark Guilds were left to lick their wounds and try to rebuild." Julia sniffed dismissively, before settling down on a nearby crate. "Don''t call them something like Dark Guilds, they don''t deserve the title." "Did you try to go to the authorities?" Morris couldn''t help but ask. A derisive sneer emanated from Julia. "Do you think we didn''t try? When the fighting reached the point of involving civilians, we tried to go to the guards for help, but they didn''t want any part of it. I don''t know if they were being paid off or just cowards, but we''ve gotten no help from any official corner since the intruders started attacking." "I see¡­" Morris found it hard to believe that people like his father had no idea that something like this was going on. He had a sudden, almost nonsensical thought, that what was happening here was tied to his brothers'' deaths, somehow. There was no reason for him to suspect a connection, but for some reason the idea was hard to shake. Lorik continued. "We''ve had something like peace for the last couple months, but that seems to be coming to an end. They''re up to something, but we haven''t been able to figure out what." Adrian took over the conversation again. "Whatever happened last night has them buzzing with activity. We''ve been watching them, and it''s been nothing but silence for weeks, but all of a sudden they''re moving goods and people all over the place. They''ve also gotten more violent in the defense of their territory." "You mean¡­." Morris gestured meaningfully towards the corpse on the table. Adrian nodded, "He was part of a crew of three that were tasked with watching a particular warehouse near the docks. They were jumped right after shift change. He was the only one to survive¡­..at least at first." Morris nodded already lost in thought. The eidetic techniques he had learned at Bardic College were effective, but required a fair amount of concentration to make use of. "This man was poisoned." The other three people in the room looked at him incredulously. "So, our guy burned alive from the inside because of poison?" Julia asked sarcastically. "Exactly. I suspect that the blade used to inflict the initial injury was specially designed to deliver a rare kind of poison." "Oh?" Adrian asked, intrigued. He had seen Morris acting like this before, and it had always led to new insights. That analytical mind of his had often saved members of the Grey from the law or rival gangs. "Have you ever heard of the Inferno Wasp?" Morris asked without expecting a real answer. "They are a nasty species of semi-elemental insects that are known for their deadly poison delivered by sting. Victims are literal roasted from the inside out as the venom ignites the body''s tissues while spreading through the bloodstream. The resulting flames are suspected to be supernatural, and cannot be halted by ordinary water." "That sounds like the culprit." Adrian said with a weary smile. "The problem is that it''s pretty hard to get a hold of Inferno Wasp venom, and even harder to handle, since it will ignite after coming in contact with the air. Even when harvested properly, the venom will lose its potency quickly. The shelf-life is generally held to be 2-3 months depending on environmental conditions. This can increase to 6 months if vacuum sealed. Since the creatures can only be found in two specific locations, we can further narrow down their identity." Morris was now pacing back and forth slowly, a look of intense concentration on his face, muttering almost to himself. By this point Julia and Lorik were watching the spectacle with slightly open mouths. Adrian was grinning. It was good to see Morris back in action. "The Inferno Wasp can be considered an invasive species to this realm, but can only survive briefly outside of intensely hot environments. Barring the use of high level Space Magic, this leaves one possibility on this plane. The Lava Fields across the sea to the southwest. However, this would create rather extensive logistical issues in terms of both storage and transport. Unless this organization is making use of this particular poison for ideological reasons, it''s prudent to believe that they have a more convenient source." "And what would that be?" Adrian prompted a little further information. "Inferno Wasps are native to Vilkoloz, fifth sphere of Unadari, and one of the outer realms controlled by the Demon Lords. A powerful enough summoner could, in theory, provide an organization with a virtually limitless supply of the poison, but that would likely be a waste of resources. Its much more likely that your phantom organization has access to a semi-permanent connection to one of the outer realms." "So what does all that mean for us?" Adrian asked apprehensively. Morris looked up, exhaustion creeping into his expression. "It means that your enemy is a demon cult, they have the means to flood this city with demons and outer planar monsters, and they''re very close to achieving what they want." "Why do you say that?" "Because they have already stopped trying to hide what they are. Only someone confident in their victory would leave so obvious of a clue about their identity." [Obvious to you maybe.] Adrian couldn''t help but think. At that moment there was a commotion at the door. A young man dressed in the grey clothes of the gang burst into the room. "Adrian! They''re moving. The intruders are attacking." "Julia, get a message to the rest of the Dark Guilds, we''ll need everyone to resist what''s coming! Lorik, open the armory and start equipping the men." Adrian immediately started issuing orders. "Now Justin, where are they attacking? How many?" "That''s just it." The young man said. "It''s not just us, they are attacking the entire city! And it''s not just the intruders. They''ve brought monsters into the city. They''re¡­they''re killing everyone." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - When it became obvious that Morris would be out until late, Mike decided to head back to the Guild to scan potential requests. He expected that any path he chose to become stronger and more educated about the world at large would require money, and lots of it. While requests of his current level didn''t pay very well, at the very least he could start building towards the next rank. He briefly debated trying to flee the country. After all he didn''t know how the vampire organization had found him, but he suspected that several hundred kilometers and a few oceans help prevent further encounters. However, he suspected that any group that had access to a mid-Tier 4 fighter likely had international influence. Lacking a better option, he needed to either find a powerful patron, who could shield him from the machinations of the vampires, or become strong enough to protect himself. Moving to another country would only delay both options for him. Besides he wanted to talk with Morris before making any big decisions. His friend always seemed to have some good advice to offer when Mike was making a decision. While he walked towards the Guild, he absently tried to practice his Air Magic, creating small gusts of wind around the street. He still remembered the feeling of flying during the activation of that Hidden Skill, and he longed to recreate it under his own power, but his Tier 1 capabilities allowed for nowhere near the level of fine control necessary to achieve flight. The best he could manage was to fling himself in a direction with a sudden gust, and hope he didn''t land on anything too pointy. He was so focused on his practice that he almost didn''t notice a strange reaction from his Detect Hostile Intent skill. It didn''t quite seem like the kind of reaction he would receive from a true enemy, and indeed felt kind of mingled with a sort of feeling he''d usually gotten from his friends and close acquaintances when the skill triggered. He stopped and started scanning for this ''frenemy'' of his, and met the gaze of a familiar dog beastman. Brenden marched up to him with another of his feral grins, pointed a finger at Mike''s face, and proclaimed. "Michael Rasmussen. I challenge you to a duel!" Mike could only look at the other man in confusion. "Why?" This seemed to take the wind out of the beastman''s sails. He clearly hadn''t planned on his motivations being questioned. "Well¡­I¡­uh. It''s¡­uh¡­to see who''s stronger of course." "Pass." Mike started walking around Brenden. "Wait! Wait, you can''t just say no!" He exclaimed after jumping in front of Mike again. "Why not?" "Because¡­..because that''s not the way it''s supposed to work." Mike felt like this was going to be a headache any way he went about it. "Fine. Let''s just get this over with. Chapter 57: Underground Rumble "So, where do we do this?" Mike asked. "I''m assuming that we can''t just start fighting in the middle of the street. Brenden looked at him a little uncertainly, "I think there is a service at the Guild." Reluctantly, Mike followed the beastman into the building and up to the front desk. Unfortunately, the Guild was busy, and all of the receptionists had long lines waiting in front of them. He was slightly amused by his current circumstances. [Never thought I''d be waiting in line to fight a duel. This is really a novel experience.] While the pair was waiting, a familiar elf walked up and asked them curiously, "Working together?" Mike looked over at Tal, and shook his head. "This guy challenged me to a duel, although I''m guessing it''s going to be more of a spar than anything else." Brenden turned around angrily, "It''s not a spar! It''s a destined battle for supremacy. We can finally determine which of us is stronger." Tal and Mike looked at the beastman like he had lost his mind. Tal tilted her head, questioningly, "Unclear?" "Of course it is!" Brenden asserted, seemingly insulted. Tal looked glanced between the two for a while before looking back at Brenden. "Don''t get hurt." "...." Brenden was speechless for a second, before flushing angrily, "I''LL HAVE YOU KN-" "EXCUSE ME!" A call came from behind him. Unbeknownst to the three adventurers, they had already reached the counter. A slightly annoyed receptionist was tapping her fingernails impatiently behind it. "If you want to chat, I would recommend getting out of line. We have a lot of business to conduct today." Brenden hurried forward, bowing his head apologetically. "Sorry about that, wasn''t paying attention. We''d like to hold a duel. I was told that there is a location in the Guild for such things?" The receptionist sighed. "Do you want an official duel or just a sparring session? I will warn you that an official duel requires the written permission of the Guildmaster and the Captain of the Wyrport Guard. Do you happen to have it?" Brenden quietly shook his head, not willing to speak. Throughout the receptionist''s speech, both his ears and his tail had been steadily lowering, and now he looked thoroughly dejected. The receptionist sighed again, muttering ''newbies'' under her breath. "I have the requisite forms on hand, but I can tell you right now, unless you have a legitimate grievance, they won''t approve it." The beastman hung his head, now firmly defeated. The young man''s obvious distress struck a chord in the receptionist, her expression of exasperation morphing into one of mild pity. "A sparring session, on the other hand, only requires that you reserve a portion of the training floor for the duration. I happen to know that there should be more than enough space available right now." Brenden perked up. Mike noticed that his tail was actually wagging a little bit. "That will work!" The beastman exclaimed. The receptionist nodded, had him fill out a few sheets of paper, and directed him to the location of the training floor. After completing these tasks, Brenden turned around. "Now, Mike, let us begin our duel-" "Spar." The receptionist called without looking up. "...Fine. Spar, then. Let us begin our spar!" Mike chuckled, "Lead the way." Tal pulled on his sleeve as he was about to start walking. "Can watch?" "Sure. I don''t see why not." Mike said while shrugging. They followed Brenden to a lower floor of the Guild. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Talin was forced to slam the door to the Guildmaster''s office loudly in order to wake her up this time. Apparently, it had proven sufficient to startle her to the point she nearly fell out of her chair. "Ah, Talin. Good to see you again. What brings you up here?" She asked while stretching languorously. "Ma''am, I''ve been trying to get ahold of you since this morning. You requested that I tell you when Michael Rasmussen returned from his request." "Hmm, that doesn''t sound like me, but I''ll take your word for it. Who is this Mitchel again?" "Michael, ma''am." Talin exhaled in exasperation. Not for the first time he questioned the sanity of the Guild''s promotion methods, which let such a woman be in charge of a major branch. "He is the man you''ve tasked me with keeping an eye on, the one with the unusual soul." "Ah, right. I remember now. What did I want from him again?" Talin felt like slamming his head against the table, but knew it would be counterproductive. "To meet him ma''am. He''s currently on the training floor, in the midst of a spar with another adventurer." "Alright. I suppose I have some time, so I''ll go check him out. Talin, do be a dear and grab me a few of those sandwiches from that place down the street. I think I would like a snack while watching the events." "As you wish ma''am." He said while leaving. He had already started planning on the logistics of the request, since the Guildmaster''s idea of a ''few'' was usually sufficient to feed a small army. [I think there was a wheelbarrow out back....] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The training floor turned out to be a vast open floor in the Guild''s basement. Towering support pillars bore the weight of a ceiling dozens of meters overhead. Large crystals glowing with a soft white light provided the illumination for the complex. In the center of the room sat a miniature coliseum. Rows of audience seats surrounded a combat ring nearly hundred meters in diameter, sunken into the floor. It was currently empty. 12 smaller, and square shaped areas surrounded this central complex. Mike could see a few groups occupying them. Occasional shouts and clashes of metal on metal could be heard. Brenden led the group over to a bored looking guild official, sitting behind a desk. The man glanced at his reservation confirmation and directed them to one of the smaller areas in a corner. Mike was a little surprised to see that they were left to their own devices. Evidently, labelling it as a spar, meant that they didn''t need some form of Guild supervision. Soon Brenden and Mike were facing each other in the training yard. Tal was standing behind a low stone wall, which served as the boundary. Mike could tell that she was excited, and fully expected to hear some monotone cheering in the near future. "Since this is a spar, should we set some limitations? Perhaps until the first blood?" Mike suggested. "It won''t be my victory unless you admit that I am stronger than you!" Brenden said drawing his greatsword. "Now get ready to face the full power of my new class!" Mike sighed and drew his own sword. "So should I just keep fighting until you give up, or..." He trailed off as he saw the changes that Brenden was undergoing. The beastman was emitting a terrifying amount of bloodthirst, triggering Mike''s Detect Hostile Intent to an extreme level. As he watched, Brenden''s eyes turned red and his face twisted into an insane rictus of fury. He heard a quiet comment from Tal. "Berserker. Careful." Brenden blurred forward and swept his sword at Mike with a ferocious howl. Mike narrowly side stepped the blow, but judging from the crater it made in the ground, the beastman''s strength had increased dramatically. [Looks a bit like some form of temporary enhancement skill. A little a like Limit Break, but it seems to cost you your rationality.] Mike tried to use Inspect, just on the off chance that he could glean some information about Brenden''s condition. Surprisingly, he felt the familiar sensation of a skill increasing in Tier as a block of information appeared in his vision. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brenden Race: Dog Beastman/Unknown Age: 17 Class: Raging Warrior Title: Destined Rival - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike felt like dancing in joy. Finally he could at least see some useful information when he inspected people. His celebration was interrupted by another attack from Brenden. This time it was swiftly followed by a flurry of other attacks Mike was forced to dodge and parry. Judging from the way Brenden''s sword cut the air, Mike really didn''t want to get caught by one of the blows. He fell into the Flowing River stance and immediately redirected a massive overhead chop in the ground. So great was the force of the blow, that Brenden''s sword was stuck there, buried deep in the rocky floor. He strained to remove it, leaving himself open to Mike''s counterattack. A powerful kick to the solar plexus sent Brenden flying across the training field. He landed hard, but was up on his feet again shortly. "You''ve been disarmed. Do you want to call it, now?" Mike asked, carefully eye his opponent''s body posture. Brenden''s only response was a growl as he threw himself forward recklessly. If anything, he seemed to be moving faster now that he was unarmed. Sighing, Mike sheathed his sword, grabbed one of Brenden''s outstretched arms and executed a textbook shoulder throw. Once again, Brenden landed hard on the ground. This process continued several times, and Mike was starting to get fed up, when something changed. Brenden was back on his feet from another throw, but rather than charging he was gritting his teeth, literally shaking with rage. Mike thought he saw a hint of tears in his eyes. "Hey, man¡­..let''s call this a draw. We can quit at any time." Brenden''s only answer was a scream of inarticulate fury, loud and piercing. As he screamed, his body changed. His face elongated, taking on a lupine appearance. His armor practically exploded off of him, as his form rapidly expanded, coarse black hair now covering a set of rippling muscles. Arms ending in razor sharp claws were held at the ready. Eyes still gripped in with berserk fury stared at Mike, as the beastman tensed his legs, ready to pounce. [Holy shit! Did he just turn into a werewolf?! That''s awesome!] Brenden now stood close to 2m in height, and bristled with a sort of feral strength and vitality that seemed to shock the onlookers. [Wait¡­] Mike glanced around, and noticed there was now a large crowd watching his fight. Several of them seemed to be taking bets. [Don''t just watch! Clearly this isn''t a normal spar anymore!] Mike mentally cursed the onlookers. Brenden unleashed another howl, before leaping at him, claws outstretched. Chapter 58: Rivalry Mike dodged out of the way of the werewolf''s attack. Even though the blow was faster and significantly more powerful, Mike found himself contemplating nomenclature. [Is he really a werewolf, or more of a weredog? He did have that unidentified component to his race, so maybe he''s some kind of werewolfhound?] Despite his inner thoughts, Mike was under a lot of pressure. Whatever transformation Brenden was using, had dramatically enhanced his physical abilities. Compared to Brutus, he still had a long way to go, but Mike was definitely having a hard time of it. Mike slipped a little on loose gravel. Patches of it had formed after repeated high intensity blows. Slightly off balance, he couldn''t get out of the way of a backhand swing. He managed to guard with his arms, but was still flung against the training area wall. Cracks formed on the wall''s surface, and Mike tasted blood in his mouth. [Alright, this had gone on long enough.] He thought to himself, as he channeled mana into his surroundings. He created an amorphous lump of clear water, which quickly grew to nearly 3m in diameter. With an effort of will, he shaped them into two, long, pseudopod like tentacles. Brenden stopped his barrage of attacks, and now was growling warily, seemingly waiting for Mike to act. Mike brought his hands forward, and the two water tentacles moved along with them. He whipped one horizontally towards the beastman, at waist level. Brenden responded by jumping over it, just in time to get hit by the second which slapped him back down into the ground, creating a small, werewolf shaped crater. In seconds Brenden was back on his feet again, already moving. He no longer carried himself with the frenzied energy of earlier, and his eyes, now returned to their normal brown color, were once again full of intelligence. [I guess whatever berserk effect he had has worn off. He shouldn''t have the same strength, but I think he''ll be fighting smarter.] As if to demonstrate Mike''s appraisal, Brenden immediately started sprinting in a zig-zag pattern, making it difficult for him to target the beastman with one of the water tentacles. He passed by his still firmly embedded sword, and with a combination of momentum and raw strength, wrenched it from the ground. Mike whipped both tentacles at him, but two quick cuts from Brenden''s sword severed them. A small amount of concentration was all that was required to reform the appendages, but in that brief opening, Brenden launched himself forward, preparing to deliver a diagonal slash on Mike''s torso. For a moment, time seemed to slow down for Mike. He could probably evade the attack, but that would simply prolong this fight. It had already gone on far longer than he intended. A decisive blow was necessary, so while still maintaining his concentration on his water magic, he raised a hand and summoned a powerful gale, directed at the beastman. The aerial Brenden had no means of evade, and was flung even higher into the air. Mike whipped the water tentacles forward, wrapped them around his opponent, and whipped him down, against the ground. Another crater was formed in the training ring floor. Using the tentacles to hold him there, Mike directed the surrounding earth to enveloped Brenden, forming a hard ball of stone around him. The beastman struggled, trying to break free, but Mike had made sure to pack the earth as densely as possible. Brenden may have been strong in his current form, but without any leverage, it was proving impossible for him to escape. Soon, the animalistic transformation wore off, leaving a battered and weary Brenden in his standard appearance, still trapped in the ball of stone. Excited applause arose from the crowd. Calls of ''That was awesome!'' Good Fight!'' Better luck next time, kid!'' could be heard amongst the noise. Brenden looked a little shocked, evidently he had not expected this kind of reaction from the other adventurers. Mike walked over to the trapped beastman. "What do you say? Want to call it here?" Brenden sighed, "Alright, I admit it. You are stronger than me. It''s my loss." Mike frowned, and with a slight flexing of his will, released his Earth Magic. Brenden nearly collapsed, evidently still exhausted from whatever skills he was using. Before he fell, Mike caught one of his hands. He directed some healing magic into Brenden while pulling him into a standing position. After a few seconds, the beastman had sufficient strength to stand on his own. [Apparently healing magic can be used to treat whatever drawback or side effect occurs after using those enhancement techniques. I wonder if it can be used to restore stamina. That could be insanely broken if used correctly.] He paused. [Now that I think about it, I haven''t really been physically tired since getting the Vampiric Regeneration skill.] He filed away that thought for another time, and gave Brenden a friendly slap on the shoulder. "That was a good fight. I can''t believe how strong you''ve gotten so quickly. If I''m not careful, you''ll definitely get me next time." Brenden stared at him, open mouthed. "Next time?" "Well, yeah. I assumed you wouldn''t be satisfied with these results, so I fully expect to be doing this again when you feel ready for it. That''s what rivals are for, right? Got to warn you, though. I''ll be getting stronger, too, so you''d better be ready." Brenden glanced down at the hand that Mike was still clasping, before looking back up. A series of emotions flashed across his face, before settling into an energetic grin. "Don''t worry, I''ll be ready. Next time, it will be me pulling you up off the ground." "We''ll see about that." Mike said, returning Brenden''s grin. A warm and mature female voice interrupted their interaction. "Ah, two young warriors, bonding on the field of battle. You''re right Talin, this was worth seeing. By the way, which one of you is Mitchel?" "Michael, ma''am." "Right, right. Michael. Yes, which one of you is Michael?" The authoritative voice was originating from a red-haired woman with an eye patch. Judging from the way the surrounding adventurers made way for the woman, she was obviously someone important. He stepped forward, "I''m Michael." As the woman turned the full force of her attention on him, Mike felt a slight surge of fear. Something about this woman was setting him on edge. She reminded him of Brutus, although her aura seemed more ferocious and volatile. She hopped into the ring and approached the pair, glancing appraisingly at Brenden before returning her gaze to Mike. Talin reluctantly followed her, a slightly queasy look on his face. "I have to say, you''re rather impressive for a Rank 3. Mixing magic and martial arts is not something that many can accomplish. With a little bit of practice, and a fair amount of mentorship, you''d be a force to be reckoned with in the future." She pondered for a few moments, as if deliberating on something. Mike was starting to feel uncomfortable being under such scrutiny. "You''re not bad looking either. So, how about it, want to become one of mine?" "Uh¡­" Mike wasn''t really sure how to respond to that, but he noticed Talin, who was standing slightly behind and slightly to the left of the woman, frantically shaking his head and mouthing ''NO.'' "That sounds like a tempting offer, but I''m going to have to pass." He decided to trust the guard. The woman shrugged, "Well, let me know if you change your mind. Now, if you aren''t too tired, I''d like to have a little taste of your combat abilities." "Honestly, I''m a little tired, and I really need to be getting-" "Good to hear. Let''s get started." The woman''s aura intensified immensely, as she fell into a combat stance. A shiver of fear went down Mike''s spine, his instincts were screaming at him to get away. However, before either party had a chance to move, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the basement. "Another time, I suppose." The woman said while turning towards the stairs leading back up into the main guild hall. With quick, easy motions she started running in that direction. Talin hurried after her. Suddenly, the guild mark of every single person in the basement started flashing, as a young guild official ran up to the crowd around the training yard. "Don''t you all hear the alarm? We have an Emergency Request! That means every adventurer needs to report to guild hall for assignment." The adventurers started moving quickly towards the stairs. Mike could see other groups streaming in from other portions of the Guild basement. He pumped a little bit more mana into Brenden to ensure he could move. "Come on. Let''s go check this out." He said to Brenden and Tal, who had remained behind to wait for them. The trio headed back up to the main guild hall, only to be directed out into the square. They joined a growing crowd of adventurers who were milling about. The mood was grim, and the piercing noise of the alarm continued, making conversation largely impossible. After a few minutes of waiting the alarm cut out, and a sudden silence descended. A guild official stood on the steps leading up to the entrance, holding a metal rod. He started speaking into it, and his voice reverberated around the square. "An emergency request has been issued by Count Graveston. All adventurers are required to participate. The city is under attack, and we are being asked to defend it." Chapter 59: Controlled Chaos Screaming filled the air of Wyrport, as the last vestiges of sunlight started disappearing from the western horizon. The city came under attack from an enemy already inside of its walls. All at once, demons, monsters, and heavily cloaked humanoids burst from their hiding places and started roaming the streets killing anyone and everyone they came across. Like a tidal wave of savagery, the unholy horde swept the city leaving nothing but death in its wake. Pockets of resistance formed, periodically, around groups of skilled fighters, but soon were overrun when one of the more powerful demons or monsters joined the fray. By the end of the first hour after dusk, almost the entirety of the northern half of Wyrport had fallen to the invaders. A majority of the inhabitants from that section of town were able to evacuate in time, as a series of alarms triggered almost immediately after the outbreak of hostilities, but there were still hundreds of deaths. The tide of horrors were stymied on only two fronts. The Mage''s guild, by virtue its powerful barrier and cadre of dangerous spell casters, and the Wyrport Chapter House of the Order of the Shield. The knights had been successfully holding out against the horde in large part due to the reinforced structure they resided in. The original grandmaster of the Order had made it a rule that any chapter house of the Order of the Shield should be a fortification unto itself, regardless of where it was erected. As a result, the Wyrport chapter was now entrenched in a miniature fort, complete with manned walls, a reinforced gate, and sentry towers. That this particular fort was located inside of a rather upscale residential district, had been a hotly debated topic for many years, at least until demons started showing up in the elaborate gardens of the fortress''s neighbors. Captain Richard Treston was shouting orders as the demons massed for yet another assault. He had taken part in every skirmish since the fall of night, and was starting to grow fatigued. Things hadn''t been too bad, all things considered, until a breach was formed in the compounds outer walls. Some sort of bulbous frog-shaped demon, that he didn''t recognize, had exploded after ramming into the wall. The resulting blast had taken out a handful of his men, but much more worryingly it had blown a hole nearly 5m wide. Ever since, the Order members had to hold a defensive line against increasingly numerous enemies. His soldiers were primarily made up of the footmen. Strong and disciplined, but they lacked the experience needed to tangle with demons for long periods of time. A handful of order knights provided a potent reserve force. Unfortunately, the majority of the Order''s knights had been on mission when the attack came. "Push them back!" The captain yelled as a swarm of lesser demons and a few of the strange, cloaked figures launched another assault. The demons themselves were rarely an issue. A vast majority of the horrors from the other realm belonged to the Kal class, the lowest class of demon. They were often used a cannon fodder by their more powerful superiors. While their forms varied greatly, anything from an undulating mound of greasy flesh, to a grotesque amalgamation of animal parts, to things that vaguely resembled humanoids. Regardless, they were normally weaker than the average human, and virtually unintelligent. They relied on swarm tactics and never ending tenacity to overcome their opponents. Far more dangerous were the cloaked figures who tended to skirt the battle until they saw an opportune moment to strike. They were stronger and faster than the majority of his soldiers, but a concerted effort by a few knights had manged to bring a couple of them down. Between attacks, Captain Treston had time to investigate the identity of their enemies, and was sickened by what he learned. The cloaked figure each bore signs of strange demonic corruption. The taint was different in each of the three corpses they were able to recover. One was a middle aged man who seemed to be growing scales. Another was a youth with pronounced horns and a pair of fangs. The last was woman whose only visible deformity was a pair of serpent eyes. He had seen such things before, but only in small clans of demon worshipers. Those unfortunate creatures lacked the strength and durability of these cloaked figures. With a ringing crash, he based a demon in the shape of a spider with a dog''s head with his shield, dashing it against the ground, before he finished it off with a blow from his mace. Another demon that looked like a ball of malformed baby arms jumped at him. Before he had a chance to respond, the demon sprouted a feathered bolt and fell to the wayside. Thankfully, a few of the civilians they had let into the chapter house knew how to work a crossbow. Most of those were barely able to hit the broadside of a barn, but a handful turned out to be crack marksman. "Push them back!" Captain Treston called again. "Teach this scum what happens when you cross the Order of the Shield!" For all his fervor, the captain knew that they couldn''t keep this up. If they didn''t receive some aid in the near future, they were all done for. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A ship rocked in the dark harbor. Nothing really distinguished it from the others docked nearby, but it was the only one that seemed to be free from the violence that had erupted in Wyrport. Indeed, with the exception of the captain''s cabin, no life of any kind remained on the ship. Inside this bare, unadorned chamber sat two figures. The first was a strangely hunched and grotesquely bulbous figure, hunched over a table. It was grumbling in a croaking, high-pitched voice, as it gripped the table with an scorpion-like claw. The object of its focus was an ornate map seemingly done as a highly detailed oil painting. It showed the streets and buildings of Wyrport, as well as blobs of various colors. A careful observer would notice that he blobs seemed to be moving slowly across the surface of the canvas. As a group of red dots launched themselves at a line formed of green blobs, only to be thrown back, the figure couldn''t help but release groan of frustration. "Your letting your anger show, Garl." A sharp feminine voice called from a corner of the room. The voice''s owner was a short, slender woman that could have been mistaken for any of the thousands of other humans in the city, if it wasn''t for her mouthful of shark-like teeth, and her soulless black eyes that seemed to devour whatever light approached them. "It seems that Count Graveston was able to suss out some of our plans. It matters not, we will still prove victorious." The hunched figure replied. The woman laughed, showing off rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Perhaps, but then again perhaps not." "What are you implying?" "Simply, that it seems you have underestimated the count. You told me that killing his offspring would be sufficient to give him pause, distract him both with familial instability and his own grief. Yet, he was still able to foresee our attack, and plan to counter it." "Perhaps I have underestimated him, but again it matters not. The portals are open, and a near inexhaustible supply of troops are at our command. Soon we will claim the souls of this city''s inhabitants, and accomplish our task." It raised its claws into the air, as if in exultation. The move revealed its pale and chitinous underbelly. From it emerged a pair of emaciated and grasping humanoid arms, that seemed to reach out for some succor before being covered by the creature''s bulk once more. "We''ll see." The woman scoffed. "What steps have you taken to counter the Crimson Disaster? You should know that any plan of yours will be hard to put into place until she has been contained." Garl emitted a strange chittering that vaguely resembled laughter. "That woman is indeed capable of disrupting our plans. However, we only have to keep her occupied until our task in this city is complete. Hunzar has summoned a pair high-ranking demons, ones that even the Crimson Disaster will take time to defeat. Once the demon prince has been called, I doubt even a Tier 4 would stand a chance." With a slam, the door to the cabin opened and a tall figure dressed in black leathers strode in. His head was shaved bald, showing a maze of scars. His face was set in an eternal grin, thanks in large part to the complete removal of the flesh of his cheeks. As he approached the table, the Annihilate priest fixed a baleful stare at Garl. "Take care, beast. That is the one true God you are speaking of. Once he descends, this world will be cleansed, and only the faithful will be spared. Fail to use his appropriate title again, and I will cut out whatever functions as your tongue. Alliance or no." "Spoken like a true fanatic." The horror said with another of its chittering laughs. "Fear not, friend Smiler. I pay my respects to your lord, it would be foolish to do otherwise." The priest sniffed in disdain, but remained silent. The as of yet unnamed woman, leaned over the map. "I see that the majority of your followers are in place. Are you ready? You''ll play a critical role in the coming ceremony." "I was made for this moment." A rapt expression formed on his face. "Soon I will bathe in the glory that is Annhilus." The woman started, pointing to a purple dot on the map. "I''ve got some good news, Garl. Looks like an old acquaintance has shown herself." He hurried over in excitement. "The oracle child? Here? I thought she had surely fled the country after we lost her in Gold Spear. Quickly, send out a team of the chosen to retrieve her." The hunched figure started rubbing its claws together in a disturbingly human gesture of greed, already counting the rewards it would earn for this. Chapter 60: To the Front Lines Seraphina threw her cloak down in disgust. She had been wandering the streets of Wyrport for days now, and was quickly growing frustrated. She had hoped that her vision from last night was a sign of things changing. However, she had spent the entire day looking for the golden-eyed man only to end up dirty, foot sore, and tired. "If that bastard doesn''t show up soon, I''m going to-" A sharp, stabbing headache interrupted her rant, as a series of images forecd themselves into her head. -Sera lying in a pool of blood. Vision fading. Darkness closing in, as shadowy figures surrounded her. -Sera strapped to a table, a horrifying creature with the body of a man and the head of a spider wheeled a tray full of sharp implements into her view. It spoke in a terrible, throaty hiss. "Let''s begin, shall we?" -Sera crouched in a burning building. Acrid smoke burning her lungs, as she tried frantically, desperately to get away. A hand the size of a wagon burst through a nearby wall and grabbed her with bone crushing force, dragging her out into the open air and towards a horrible lamprey-like maw. Her last sight was the broken and dismembered bodies of the creature''s previous victims, stuck between in pointed teeth. She was on her knees, hugging herself and gasping for air. For a moment her mind was filled with animalistic terror. The instinctive need to get away, as quickly as possible, coarsed through her very being. With a shudder, she controlled herself, and prepared herself for the next step. The visions were all personal in nature, but there was an underlying sensation of tragedy that made her believe that the events were far grander than her individual drama. Something was coming. That much was certain. She wasn''t sure what exactly, but it was clear that unless she acted carefully, death would be the least of her concerns. Time was of the essence, but if she took action without thinking it through, it would end badly for her. She recognized the building in her last vision, as the inn she was currently staying in, so simply hiding didn''t seem to be an option. At this point, her best bet seemed to be finding a safe place to ride out whatever tragedy was about to occur. A few places came to mind. The mage''s guild would probably be the safest place in the city. Between their powerful spell casters and the permanent portal to their Almiran headquarters in the capital, nothing short of a grand catastrophe would threaten them. However, they were also famous for haughtiness and lack of concern for the plight of the non-magical masses. She suspected that they wouldn''t even allow her into their sanctum, unless she revealed her bloodline. But if she did that, she would probably be dragged into the bowels of the guild, never to be seen again. Sera decided that she would save that option as a last resort. Another possibility was the chapter houses of some of the more powerful knightly orders. While she had no love for the Orders, they would be some of the few organizations actually prepared for the coming tragedy. Long years of fighting monsters, orcs, and raiders from Tennundi had sharpened their martial prowess. Yet, Sera felt that whatever was coming would prove too much for even the most accomplished of knights. She would need to seek out another option. Any government facilities were out. Not only would the be packed with panicked civilians, but the authorities wouldn''t be able to assign enough resources to their protection while simultaneously dealing with whatever menace was coming. The temples were a possibility, but she dismissed it. While each of the five major churches and the multitude of lesser chapels were more than capable of defending themselves, the Temple District was located in the southwest. Basically on the other side of the city from her. Fleeing the city itself was an option, as the eastern gate was not too far from her inn, but Sera felt that such an action would not save her. Some inkling of foresight told her that her best chance was still in the city. Finally she decided to flee towards the Adventurer''s Guild in the southern portion of the city. She reasoned that the northern branch would be too sparsely manned to provide much of a defense. Besides, she had visited the square in front of the southern branch on several occasions in her wanderings, and was familiar with the area. A screeching alarm sounded from somewhere nearby, interrupting her thoughts. She could hear the distant echos of similar alarms going off in other parts of the city. For a moment she was too stunned to respond, but the panicked voices of the other patrons of the inn broke her from her trance. She quickly gathered together what belongings she could easily carry, and left the inn, joining the surging crowd of civilians as they milled about in confusion. A guard was shouting over the noise, "TO THE SOUTH! EVACUATE TO THE S-" His voice was cut off in a sickening gurgle, as the entire top half of his body was removed in a single bite. A massive panther-like monster stood behind the guard''s toppling legs. It was covered in dark red scales, the color of congealed blood. Its jaws were elongated, give the creature an almost crocodilian grin. Instead of eyes, it had two, long tentacle-like feelers emerging from the top of its head. The feelers waved in the air, as the monster turned its non-gaze towards the crowd. The brief moment of silence that had descended with the creature''s arrival was broken by screaming as the panicked civilians did everything in their power to escape. The monster jogged over, almost causally, and started tearing into the fleeing people. A swarm of smaller horrors followed in it''s wake. Sera ran then, fighting her way through the crowd. [Don''t fall over. Whatever you do, don''t fall.] She knew that if she lost her footing in these circumstances, she would be trampled and left for dead, as the terrified stampede of humanity sought escape. She fled into an alleyway, momentarily breaking free from the suffocating press. Thankfully, it led to a familiar street, that would take her down towards the southern branch of the Adventurer''s Guild. She felt a chill creep down her spine. Something was watching her. From above. Sera looked up, but couldn''t see anything of note. Still, the feeling remained. Deciding that she didn''t have time to worry about it, she hurried on her way, only dimly taking note of the quiet drone of insect wings flying overhead. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The milling adventurers were given a quick rundown of the circumstances. Mike was not surprised to learn that demons existed in this world, but the idea of hordes of these malformed lesser demons disturbed him a little. He could tell by the faces of the other adventurers nearby, that they were also feeling uncertain. They had joined the guild for the economic prospects, but few had thought about what sort of civic responsibilities entailed thereafter. With quick and efficient commands the guild official had broken off the adventurers in groups by rank. Rank 1s were told to remain at the guild hall to defend it and provide support for the wounded and civilians they were expecting to arrive. Rank 2, 3, and 4 adventurers made up the bulk of the Guild''s forces. As such they were directed to defend the major thoroughfares on the eastern half of the city. Apparently, the Wyrport guard and the Graveston house soldiers would be working on the western half. The majority of rank 5 and 6 adventurers would work as a mobile strike force, to begin pushing back against the invaders. The remaining ones would serve as commanders for the defense forces. The handful of rank 7s and 8s currently in the city, would lead the strike force, and provide it with a core of heavy fire power. Two would be held back to be used as a sort of reserve team, to shore up any issues in the defense forces. The guildmaster, a rank 9 herself, would be operating independently. As Mike headed to his assigned spot along with Tal and Brenden, he couldn''t help but wonder at the strangely organized nature of the whole event. It would be one thing, if the Guild ran drills on this sort of scenario, but after talking with a few of the other adventurers, it became clear that while emergency request did happen every so often, it rarely went this smoothly. [Evidently someone in the Guild, or perhaps in the local government had been expecting this. Hopefully that means that there are forces working to halt this invasion.] He was feeling a little out of his depth. Despite the fact that he had acquired the Hero title, defending an entire city seemed far beyond his capabilities. He could only hope that whoever was in charge knew what they were doing. James (a.k.a. The Defender of Severn''s Moore), the rank 6 who had been placed in charge of the roughly 80 adventurers that made up the group Mike was a part of, waved for a halt. The lithe man, looking to be in his early forties, readied a longbow while directing the adventurers into a defensive formation at the crossroads they had been told to defend. "Anyone skilled with a bow or magic, come over here. The rest of you, find whatever cover you can, and make a barricade across the road there." He said while pointing. "Leave a gap in the middle for now, we''ll have refugees coming through for a while yet." Indeed, scrambling groups of civilians had been passing through the intersection on a semi-regular basis. Their abject terror only further dampened the mood among the adventurers. Mike and Tal joined a collection of about 15 people surrounding James. He surveyed the crew briefly before pointing again with his free hand. "I want mages to stay here. The rest of you, come with me." He then proceeded to place the archers in the surrounding buildings to provide covering fire for the adventurers battling below. Mike was surprised to learn that he and Tal were left with just one other person. [Are mages really that rare? I know that I have a number of advantages when it comes to picking up skills, but it couldn''t be that hard to learn.] Unfortunately Mike had yet to understand the value of spell casters in this world. True magic skills could only be acquired from a relatively small number of classes. There were a fair number that gave some magic-like skills, but true spell casting was relatively rare. While it was not uncommon for some adventurers to have access to magic skills, the vast majority of potential mages ended up in either the Mage''s Guild, one of the Temples, or one of the knightly orders that were a bit more magically inclined. The few that remained often found service in noble houses or in craftsman guilds. As a result, people capable of using magic of any kind were a rare sight in both the Adventurer''s Guild, and the kingdom in general. The third adventurer, in their little collection, was a thin, older man, probably in his fifties. He had a mix of gray and black hair that had all but vanished from his scalp. Dressed in elaborate dark purple robes, embroidered with silver, and sporting a long wispy beard, he was one pointy hat away from being a stereotypical wizard. This mage remained aloof from the pair of younger adventurers, studiously avoiding interacting with them while waiting for James to return. Mike took some time to consider their position. They were on the eastern Fringe of the defensive line, supposedly far from the worst of the fighting. As a result, his group was mostly composed of rank 2s. This worried him a little. [Why do I get the feeling, that this is going to be a whole lot more difficult than the guild is planning for?] Chapter 61: Encountered (Finally) While they were waiting, Mike remembered to ask Tal a question that he''d kept forgetting. "I''ve been meaning to ask. What is the meaning behind the chants you use prior to activating your magic?" He asked the elf. A derisive snort emanated from the other mage, as if he couldn''t believe that someone could ask that kind of a question. He quickly returned to ''ignoring'' them. Tal tilted her head, a little confused herself. "Chants improve spellcasting. Focus mana. Increase efficiency. Create known outcomes. But take time. Didn''t know?" Mike rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Honestly, no. I usually just channel some mana, and mentally command it to do whatever I need." Tal looked shocked, although casual observers would have a hard time telling. The mage scoffed, no longer able to help himself. "Unless you had truly fantastic mana reserves, practicing magic in such a way would leave you exhausted after a few spells. It''s wasteful and unnecessary. Where did you learn to use magic?" "I''m self-taught." The mage sighed, "No wonder. Alright, I''ll be giving you a free lesson on the nature of chanting as it pertains to spell casting, because I can''t stand to see the uneducated." He cleared his throat. "A large part of properly learning to control magic is the memorization and usage of chants. Even the most powerful casters, with access to skills like Chant Omission, still make use of mental chants. The only time free casting, as your method is called, is useful is when one needs to achieve a result they do not have a chant for." Although the man was being a bit of a prick about it, this kind of information was something that Mike had not heard before. After dealing with Morris on several occasions when he was in instructor mode, Mike could handle listening to the self-important mage. The way he was giving his lecture reminded Mike of an arrogant teacher, but there was something compelling about the way he expounded on the finer points of magical theory. Even Tal seemed to be paying close attention. The man continued. "There are a number of factors that influence the efficacy of chanting, not the least of which is the kind of magic being practiced. For elemental magic, which I presume you use?" He paused long enough for Mike to nod. "Elemental magic is more instinctual than other branches. For elementalists, a chant is a tool to improve the spellcraft. In other branches, such as Arcane, chants are necessary to produce magic at all." Mike felt like he should be taking notes. "Now the most important aspect of chanting is the language used to issue the chant. Depending on the type of magic-" "Now is not the time for a lecture." James broke in. "We will have enemies on us in less than five minutes, and I need a quick rundown of your individual capacities so I know where to place you." He pointed to Mike first. "What can you do?" Knowing that whatever was coming would likely require all of his skill to overcome, he decided to reveal the majority of his abilities now. "I''m an Elemental mage. I can use all four of the basic elements, but I''m at Intermediate Level in water and fire. I can also using elemental healing magic." The lecturing mage simply stared at Mike, a look of disbelief clear on his face. James was slightly taken aback, but evidently felt that now was not the time to question the absurdity of the youth''s statement. "So you can use mid-tier fire magic? How much damage could you do, if you let loose?" Mike thought the question over, and realized he didn''t have a clear answer. The closest he had come to really letting loose was during his fight against Brutus. Judging from the amount of damage he had done prior to the activation of the Hidden Skill, he estimated that he could devastate a kilometer square or so without too much difficulty. "I''m not certain, since I''ve never had the opportunity, but I could probably destroy a few city blocks if I tried." The mage interjected. "There is no way that a spell caster this young, without any formal training or understanding of chants, could unleash that kind of power." Mike shrugged, not really caring what the mage thought. "Believe it or don''t." He looked over at James, "If you put me on the front lines, I can probably do the most damage." James hesitated, obviously deliberating whether or not to trust Mike''s word. Finally, he nodded his assent, and turned to the other two. "Well?" Tal stepped forward. "Pact Mage. Three contracts. Earth, Air, Ghost. Best as support." Mike finally realized that the bound armor that he had grown used to seeing following Tal around, was currently absent. James nodded again. "Place yourself behind the center. You''ll have free range to maneuver where you are needed." He turned to the man dressed as a mage, expectantly. "Victor Malmis, former faculty member of the Arcane College of Toluthin University in Gildusi. I am well versed in several-" James cut him off. "I don''t need to know your life history, just tell me what you can do in combat." Rather miffed, Victor answered shortly. "I can use arcane magic to create bolts of energy, shields, and move objects." The group leader thought for a moment. "Alright, I''m going to put you with our largest group of archers. Do what you can to shield them from hostile fire." "Well, that''s a bit of a waste of my skills, I might be better utilized in a more supervisory-" He was cut off again, this time by one of the archers placed in a nearby building. "We got incoming! One Tir class and a swarm of Kal class demons on their way. Civilians are in our line of fire." Mike hurried over to the makeshift barricade, leaving the group leader to sort out Victor. Taking a spot near Brenden, he scanned the area. He could see a dozen or so people desperately running from the oncoming demonic horde. A massive red scaled feline-looking thing was casually slaughtering the stragglers. "Hold the line! If we break formation we''ll be overrun." James called from his position. Mike gritted his teeth. People were dying right in front of him, again, and he couldn''t just stand by and watch it happen. Not if he had the power to change it. He was tensing himself, preparing to leap out into the fray, when he met the gaze of one of the civilians. She was young, probably around his age, and pretty in a sort of ethereal way. The hood of her cloak had fallen in her press to escape revealing long silver hair, streaming behind her as she ran. The contrast between her pale skin and cold, blue eyes brought to mind a frozen stream in the depth of winter. For a second, he could only stare. He felt some strange connection with the woman, as if she was someone he was once familiar with. The woman broke eye contact first, her face contorting into a spasm of agony as she collapsed, rolling to a halt. She got to her knees, obviously in pain, and glanced back at the approaching horde of demons. Mike could see it, when she resigned herself to her fate. With a blast of Air Magic Mike threw himself forward at a blistering pace, suddenly desperate to save the woman. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sera ran. Her lungs burned, her legs felt like lead, but still she ran. She had no other choice. Fear, deep and visceral, pulsed through her veins. Never before, even when hiding from the Cabal, had she been so utterly terrified. Sera knew that if she could just stay ahead of the demons for a little while longer, the protection of the Adventurer''s Guild would be close at hand. At least so she hoped. For all she knew the entire city could have been overrun by this point, and she was merely running towards a slightly delayed death. Thankfully her prayers were answered. She rounded a corner, and saw a makeshift barricade formed in the streets. An eclectic mix of grim and well-armed people that could only be adventurers stood behind it. With the end in sight, she was able squeeze just a little more energy out of her tired body, picking up the pace in the final stretch. She kept her eyes fixed on the barricade, focusing on it and the safety it represented. This let her see when another figure joined the group at the center of the fortification. It was the flash of gold that really caught her attention. She found herself meeting the intense gaze of a young man with golden eyes. He was handsome, in a way that could be called rugged if he was a little older. His short brown hair, and sun-tanned skin gave him a sort of solid, earthy feeling. [This is it! The destined meeting!] All she had to do, was make it to the barricade, and whatever her mother foresaw, whatever path that she was meant to follow, would finally start. She was only a few hundred meters from both safety and the object of her mission in this city. Of course, it was precisely at this time, that another pair of visions saw fit to push their way into her mind. - A vertical scar in the very fabric of the world birthed a stream of horrors. A twisted mockery of a man laughed maniacally from within a glowing circle of magic. The very souls of the slain city folk streamed into the formation, widening the scar. Suddenly a massive clawed arm, wreathed in black smoke reached through the opening. She gasped for breath, and struggled to her knees. [Of course I had to have a vision now! I spent months waiting from some sort of guidance, and now I can''t get them to stop!] She knew she had to get moving, to get away, but she lacked the strength to even stand. Her visions had always taken a lot out of her, and this was the first time she had one in the middle of running for her life. She was frankly exhausted. With a titanic effort, she managed to turn and face her pursuers. At the very least, she wanted to stare her death in the face. The red scaled demon loped forward, elongated jaws salivating, seemingly in anticipation. In these last few moments, her fear had left her. All that remained was resignation and regret. [Well mom, it looks like I failed after all. I''m sorry that your sacrifice was in vain. I was close, so very close. That gold-eyed bastard is just over there, but he may as well be an ocean away.] Sera suppressed a sob. In truth, failing her mother hurt her the most. As the jaws of the demon closed in around her, she had time to feel the hot wet breath of the creature, smell the carrion stench that emanated from its maw. With a bizarre noise that reminded her of a single beat of a large drum, the demon was launched into the air, as a 3m tall pillar of stone suddenly appeared from beneath it. The sheer incongruity of what just happened left her completely flabbergasted. In a daze she followed the creature''s path through the air with her eyes. As it reached the peak of its arc, a sudden flash of light could be seen from behind it. With a quiet sizzle, the beast separated into two halves, making way for a small figure, which promptly crashed into the ground directly in front of Sera. It was the golden-eyed man! He straightened into a standing position, facing the wave of lesser demons, and flexed his right hand. Sera felt the temperature in the street rise quickly, as an intensely bright ball of fire appeared in the man''s hand. With a gesture, he pushed the ball forward, unleashing a tidal wave of flame that engulfed the entire roadway in a roaring inferno. Even though he was shielding her from the worst of the heat, she still felt like she was sitting inside a furnace. It was hard to breath, and a few of her hairs began to ignite. Thankfully, after a few seconds he dropped his hand, causing the flame to abate. From her vantage directly behind him, Sera could see that nothing remained of the demon horde save charred piles of corpses. The buildings on either side of the road had been scorched by the intense heat, but seemed to have suffered little actual damage. The man turned then, and offered her a hand, the same hand he''d used to annihilate the demons. "Are you alright? Can you walk?" For a moment Sera was overwhelmed with emotion, but quickly composed herself. Now was not the time for an emotional response. After all, her next words would set the tone for her future interactions with the man. She needed to choose them carefully. She smiled, looked the man in the eyes, and said. "Well it''s about damn time!" Chapter 62: Fortify Thine Heart [AHHH! Why did I say that?!] Sera had been trying to play it coy, wanting to establish a good first impression. However, some combination of the stress of her near death experience, and relief due to her sudden salvation, had caused her to speak impatiently. The man frowned at that. "Hey! I came over here as quickly as I could. In case you hadn''t noticed, I literally flew here." She grabbed his arm and pulled herself into a standing position, before placing her hands firmly on her hips. "Yeah, and I was almost eaten by that big can demon thing! If you had been even a second later, I''d be dead! I saw you over at the barricade, you could''ve gotten moving a lot faster if you wanted to!" [GAH! Why am I acting like this?! He''s going to hate me!] The man was at a loss for words. "Well, I was going to, but¡­.I saw, er...I felt¡­" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his head, and looking embarrassed. [Good, he''s no longer angry. Now I just need to sincerely thank him for saving me, and we can start fresh.] She folded her arms haughtily, "Hmph, at least you did save me, even if you were almost late. So I guess I should thank you." (Mental facepalm) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mike had briefly glanced around to ensure that the other surviving civilians were able to get to safety, before offering a hand to the silver-haired woman. That was when the trouble started. He was a little confused by the woman''s actions. Most people would be happy to be alive, but she had immediately started complaining. Some part of him was already regretting saving her. [Maybe it''s a strange stress reaction. She couldn''t really be a tsundere, right?] He had never been particularly fond of the trope, finding the concept more annoying than attractive. He preferred less emotionally scarring romantic interests. She had brought up a good point, though. If he hadn''t been staring at her distractedly, he could have rescued her faster. That moment of hesitation could''ve have meant the difference between life and death. [Just this morning I promised myself that I would do better, and I almost messed up again.] The realization had left him feeling guilty and a little embarrassed. [Maybe she does have a reason to complain. Although she doesn''t need to be so hostile about it.] She finally, reluctantly thanked him, blushing slightly as she did. He found himself staring at her again. Her furrowed brow, and the tinge of red in her cheeks softened her icy features. While not quite a traditional beauty, the woman could definitely turn a few heads. She was clearly embarrassed herself, and the obvious disconnect between her feelings and her actions amused Mike. [Hmm, I can kind of see why some people might like this sort of thing.] A call from the barricade saved them from further awkward interactions. "Quit flirting you two! You''ve got demons coming in behind you. Get back to the barricade!" Mike snapped a quick glance behind him, saw another swarm of horrors already clawing over the disintegrating bodies of their fellows. He looked at the silver-haired woman. Despite her actions, he could tell she was on the verge of exhaustion. "Can you run?" She grimaced, "Maybe....but I don''t really trust my legs right now." "No choice, then." He replied, getting himself ready. "Huh?" Mike scooped the woman up into a classic princess carry. She was surprisingly light. "What are you doing?! Let me go!" Her face flushed fully this time in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. [She''s awfully feisty for someone who''s supposedly exhausted.] "Hold on tight, this is going to be a bit rough." He said while preparing his mana. "What do you meEEEEEEE!!'' Her question morphed into a scream as a blast of wind lifted the pair into the air. This was a particularly complicated use of Air Magic, especially since he was still at the basic level in terms of skill. Not only did Mike need to use small jets of air to correct their travel path, but he need to accurately direct a cushioning force to guarantee their safe landing. This was all made more difficult when the woman started grabbing him in terror and screaming non-stop. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The woman was clinging to his neck, head buried in his shoulder. A small part of his mind took notice of the sweet floral scent of her hair. The rest of him was starting to panic a little. They were coming in way too fast, and he could see adventurer''s scattering out of the way below. [Guess I''ll just have to try it.] He firmed his will, and started directing powerful air currents down, at a slight angle. He hoped to stall both their forward momentum and slow their descent. Fortunately, he felt the familiar internal click as his skill ranked up, making the whole process easier. Nevertheless, he still landed hard on his feet, causing lines of pain to shoot from his legs all the way to his back. Thankfully, they faded quickly. "Alright, we should be good now." He said in as comforting of a voice as he could manage. The woman finally stopped screaming. She lifted her head, looked around at the watching adventurers, and realized that she was still clinging tightly to Mike''s neck in way that could easily be mistaken for intimacy. Mike could actually watch the progress of the flush of red that crept up her face. She immediately started struggling in his arms. "Let me go, you brute!" Mike set her down carefully, and took a few steps back to avoid her swinging fists. She was breathing heavily and still red with embarrassment. Her hair, mussed by both the wind of their flight and her following struggles, had settled into a comical, tangled mess. Looking at her, Mike chuckled. He couldn''t help himself. She looked ridiculous. This only further irritated the woman. Clenching her hands into tight fists, she narrowed her eyes in fury. "WHY YOU-" It was at this point that James stepped in. "Now''s not the time for that." He paused for a moment and muttered quietly to himself. "I''ve been saying that way too much today." The veteran adventurer turned to Mike. "I guess you weren''t lying about your abilities. I''m not sure why you are still so low ranking in the Guild, but we should consider ourselves fortunate that you are here. That attack you used before, the one that unleashed that cone of flame. Could you do it again?" Mike considered for second. All told, he still had about two thirds of his mana available, but the missing portion was swiftly regenerating. "I can probably do something similar, three or four more times, perhaps more if we don''t care too much about collateral damage." There was a collective gasp from the surrounding crowd, and Mike heard a quiet, "That''s preposterous," from a familiar sounding voice. James nodded gravely. "Alright, you are our trump card then. If we start to get overrun, I want you to clear the area in front of the barricade to give us time to regroup. Wait until I give the signal to do so. For right now, try to rest and regain your mana." With that he turned and started issuing orders to the surrounding adventurers. They quickly returned to their assigned locations, and settled in to wait for the demons. Even though they looked ready, Mike could tell that the majority of them were scared. It was easy to forget that the people guarding this road with him were primarily young and inexperienced newbies who had only recently joined the Guild. Now they were being forced to stand and face horrifying monsters. That they were able and willing to do it at all, was quite inspiring. Mike looked around to find a good vantage for the battle and noticed that the woman he had rescued was still nearby, looking a little miffed about something. At some point in the intervening time, she had fixed her unruly hair. "You should follow the rest of the civilians to the Guild. This place is about to become a battlefield and we can''t spare the people to protect you." While he was speaking, Victor approached, an odd look on his face. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but couldn''t quite manage to get it out before he was interrupted. "Not so fast! I have business with you!" The silver-haired woman glared at Mike, completely ignoring the mage. "Look, I''m sorry that you had a rough time of things up to this point, and I shouldn''t have laughed at you, but you really should leave. It''s dangerous here" Victor tried to cut in again, "Um, excuse me...." "Listen, you big idiot! We don''t have time to sit around and wait for the demons to give up. They won''t. If someone....no, if we don''t go and put an end to this, everyone in the city will be killed. Hells, the world itself could be at risk." "Ah, hello? I really think you should...." Victor tried again. "What are you talking about?" The woman averted her gaze, for the first time looking uncertain. "I''m not sure if I should be telling you this..." Victor finally jumped in between them, directly interrupting their conversation this time. "I don''t mean to intrude.....No that''s a lie, I have to intrude. You both need to direct your attention over there, immediately." Mike followed his pointing finger and saw a larger demon moving amongst the others. Larger was a bit of an understatement, because the vaguely humanoid creature was the size of a building, and monstrously fat. The very ground shook with each of its ponderous steps, jiggling its flabby flesh. Pale gray, corpse-like skin was stretched tight over a near bursting stomach, but its head was the most horrifying aspect. Small beady eyes squinted out from above a giant lamprey mouth. As Mike watched, the creature bent over slightly, scooped a few of the lesser demons up with a big, meaty hand, and tossed them into it''s revolting maw. "Well, that''s disturbing. I suppose we should deal with that first?" He asked the woman. As he looked back to her, he noticed that she was staring fixedly at the creature''s mouth, trembling slightly. "Yes," she said in a husky voice, "we definitely need to deal with that first." Chapter 63: The Tables Have Turned In the captain''s cabin of a quiet ship in the harbor of Wyrport, three monsters in human guise sat around a table. Garl clutched the table in excitement, staring intensely from the hood of his robe at the map. On it, a wave of red dots, stretched out in a line, approached a single purple one. "Looks like the team of chosen will be unnecessary." The shark-toothed woman commented absentmindedly. To all appearances, she held no real interest in the moving colors on the map. The misshapen figure glanced over at her before returning its attention to the map. "Indeed. It would be good to take her alive, but simply removing her from the field will improve our overall chances of success." The Anhilite Priest, known simply as Smiler, scoffed wetly, "What can one little girl do against the might of a true god? Our success is all but guaranteed." Without taking his ''eyes'' off of the map, Garl replied. "Do not underestimate the power of a natural born Oracle. Powerful ones can change the course of history for entire countries with a well placed word or action. Even though our target is still immature, her foresight could lead our enemies to victory. Besides, our leader has made it a priority to capture or kill them whenever we encounter them." He gurgled a little, as if clearing his throat. "The presence of an Oracle was one of the two factors that our leader predicted could lead to our failure, here. The other was a potential intervention by the Court of Night. Since, the Lord of War was killed by some unknown Rank 4 caster, their involvement was deemed unlikely at this time." The woman shrugged, "I still think it was a bit hasty to enact our plan so quickly after he was defeated. After all, it was entirely possible that whoever killed that vampire could become involved in this as well." "It was agreed that the potential benefits outweighed the risks. Now, if we just remove the Oracle from the equation¡­." It was then that something unusual happened on the map. The purple dot stopped, and was quickly approached by a large red dot. Right before the dots intermingled, a green speck shot past, seemingly eliminating the red dot. Soon afterwards, the trailing line of red disappeared in a fast moving wave. "What?! What happened?" Garl screamed hoarsely. The shark-toothed woman chuckled slightly. "It seems you were right about Oracles. This one appears to have gone straight to a person capable of defending her." As they watched, the green and purple dot traveled back behind the green defensively line at a high rate of speed. As soon as they crossed it, they disappeared from the map. Garl growled in rage and stood up quickly, toppling over the table and the map. He set about wrecking much of the nearby furniture, while the other two watched him warily. Smiler turned to the woman, "What does it mean when those dots vanish from the map?" "Usually, it means that the life form it represents has died, or been rendered incapable of independent movement. However, this map is not omniscient. It can only track signals from creatures within the range of its synchronized servitors." She received a blank look. "Put simply, they moved out of our range of detection." Garl finished his path of destruction, and after visibly calming himself down, walked over, righted the table, and resumed where he left off. "It''s no matter, the chosen will take care of it." He said with conviction. Although, to the other two people in the room, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Alright, now that we have decided what to prioritize, the better questions would be how to go about dealing with that monstrosity." Mike pondered while placing a hand on his chin. Victor raised a hand, "I actually have an idea of that." Mike, the silver-haired woman, and Tal who had wandered over after he landed, all turned to look at the mage expectantly. He continued, "After watching you in action, I can tell that you have an almost inhuman quantity of mana. So much so, I can only assume that you have several skills or titles that contribute to your overall Mana attribute." "What are you trying to say?" Mike asked, trying to steer the conversation away from his skills and more towards a practical solution. "Why, if we arm you with a decent chant, your magic should be more than capable of dealing with these demons, even the Mali''kalith." Mike gave him a blank look, "The what now?" "The Mali''kalith, more commonly known as a Greater Gluttony Demon. It is ranked in the Yon class primarily due to its size and durability. I very much doubt that anyone here besides you could do much damage to the thing. Thankfully, gluttony demons are known to be both slow and stupid, so we should have ample time to teach you a proper chant." Tal pulled Mike''s sleeve. "Should do it. Strong." Mike nodded his thanks for her positive appraisal, "Works for me. What do I need to do?" At little ways away, Mike heard James give a command to the archers. "Once they get in range, fire at will. Focus on the lesser demons, you won''t be able to do much to the big one." "Chanting, although complex beyond measure due to near infinite permutations of language, is fundamentally simple. Think of it as a formula. Put forth the necessary mana along with the correct chant and a known outcome is produced. Typically mages spend much of their early years simply memorizing...." Mike could hear the sounds of battle starting, the rattling of arrows leaving bows became constant. Inhuman screams rent the air. Thankfully the Gluttony Demon was still far away. "Victor! Focus! We don''t have time for a lecture!" Mike said with urgency. "Right, right. Unfortunately, I don''t know many elemental chants, but with your mana I believe even a simple fireball will be an instrument of destruction. Now listen carefully, and repeat after me." He drew himself up, and spoke from deep within. "I let thee free. Dance in your fleeting brilliance, and sing in your eternal fury, [Fireball]. If you put forth enough mana, and give it direction, the chant should do its work." [Seems easy enough.] Mike lifted a hand, pointed at the approaching demons, and started muttering under his breath. "I let thee free. Dance in your fleeting brilliance...." Victor was still lecturing while he was doing so. "Now it is very important to pronounce every syllable correctly. I know chants sound like a string of nonsense, but even the slightest mistake can..." "....eternal fury, [Fireball]. Hm, what?" Mike asked Victor distractedly while a small ball of fire formed in his hand and was launched towards the demons, almost of its own accord. The flame zipped over the barricade and traveled past the first few dozen of the lesser demons. The fighting seemed to halt as virtually every person stopped what they were doing to watch it, both adventurer and demon alike. After it reached the middle of the intersection, it seemed to disappear. For a brief moment, Mike thought the spell must have failed. There was a sudden burst of blinding light. A concussive blast of air knocked most of the adventurer''s off their feat, as a wave of heat and dust swept over the barricade. Charred demon bits rained down on the prone defenders. Mike got back to his feet, ears ringing. After a few moments his hearing returned, and he felt clearheaded enough to survey his surroundings. There was a cloud of dust hanging over the area, but it had already cleared sufficiently to show that everything in the intersection, including the intersection itself had been obliterated. A crater almost 30m in diameter was the only thing that remained. Rubbing his head, Mike looked around at the others, and was met by blank, open-mouthed stares. He smiled in what he hoped was an apologetic manner, "Hehe, whoops." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "HAHAHAHAHA-" The thunderous crack of an explosion from the eastern side of town interrupted Andromeda''s cruel laughter. She had been facing a pair of greater demons, although she wasn''t knowledgeable enough to say what kind. They had been roughly 4m in height from their cloven-hoofed feet, to the top of the curled horns emerging from their vaguely humanoid heads. Mottled black and red skin covered thickly muscled limbs, and pairs of membranous wings emerged from their backs. Between their abyssal-forged battleaxes that could cleave through normal metal like paper, and their ability to wield Advanced Fire and Darkness Elemental Magic, even a single one of these demons could easily destroy a small city. They lasted about three minutes against The Crimson Disaster. The demons had initially managed to land a few sneak attacks, and it looked as if they might present a real challenge for the Rank 9 adventurer, but that was until she finished Synergizing with her summon, an Elder Oni. From then on the demons didn''t stand a chance at all. Andromeda dropped the demon arm she had torn from one of her attackers onto the roof of the half-ruined building. She had already finished beating its owner into a bloody paste with it. Light from distant fires glistened off the pair of long, black horns that currently grew from her forehead, as she stared in the direction the explosion had come. "Looks like someone is having fun over there. Too bad I can''t join them." She sighed dramatically. "Oh well, better start getting to the bottom of this mess. I''m going to have to make them regret messing with my city." She grinned maniacally, before jumping to another rooftop. Chapter 64: A Right Good Stone The stunned silence continued for a few moments, before spontaneous cheers broke out from adventurers around the barricade. It seemed that the type of people attracted to a career in adventuring were also the type to enjoy explosions. Mike wasn''t surprised. James finally recovered enough to try and wrangle the rowdy crowd back into the semblance of a fighting force. "Get your acts together you jumped up bastards! There are plenty more demons on their way." He walked over to Mike. "That was an impressive display of magic, son, but I would appreciate it if you kept your explosions farther away from the rest of us. You got dangerously close to injuring some of the defenders." "Sorry about that, wasn''t expecting it to be quite that powerful." Mike answered sheepishly. "No matter, that big one is still on its way," he said while shooting a glance over at the ponderously moving Gluttony Demon. "Do you anything that might be able to take it out? The small fries aren''t much of an issue, but we would need siege weaponry to really hurt that thing." "Not sure, that fireball spell seems effective, but I don''t know if it will do much to a thing that size." He looked over at Victor, "Do you know any other chants that might be more effective against a single, large target?" "How did you¡­..Why...." The older mage was still floored. "What''s the matter?" Mike asked, slightly concerned. "Don''t you understand what you just did?! You perfectly repeated a chant without a single error in pronunciation. That should be impossible. The majority of chant languages weren''t even designed for the human tongue!" The mage looked like he was about to breakdown. "What''s the big deal? It''s not like it is hard. I just have to repeat what you say. Although I will admit, you seemed to have a bit of an accent. I tried to mimic it, but I''m not sure if I quite got it right." The mage stuttered for a few seconds. "Th-that..D-Do you...Do you actually understand the chant?" Mike was starting to suspect he had made a mistake. "The words are a little flowery, but the meaning was more or less understandable." "Understandable¡­.." Victor clutched his head, as if the very foundations of his existence had been challenged. "Have a breakdown later, we need to deal with that demon, and quickly." James said while shaking the distraught mage. Victor spoke in a quiet and distracted voice, "I do know one for an earth spell, it creates spears of hardened rock. Ordinarily, it would not be sufficient to kill that kind of demon, but this guy," he shot a slightly depressed look at Mike, "could probably pull it off." "Tell me the chant." The mage cleared his throat, "From the depths of Eon, I call thee. Break the bonds of earthy shackles and fly true, [Stone Javelin}." "Sounds easy enough," This elicited a pained whimper from the mage. "I''ll give it a try." He stepped up to the barricade and focused his gaze on the approaching demon. The other adventurers made space for him. Mike felt a little bit of discomfort at the way they were looking at him. Expressions of mingled awe and fear were the most common, but many looked at him with a sort of child-like hope. He was starting to feel a great deal of pressure to perform. [Alright, just take it nice and easy.] He started building mana, feeding it into the spell. "From the depths of Eon, I call thee. Break the ancient bonds of earthly shackles and fly true, [Stone Javelin]." [Wait, that didn''t sound right. Did I add a word?] He felt that mana drain from him as a long pointed stone formed in the air next to him. It was nearly 3m in length, with a glassy finish that shone dimly with reflected fire light. It stayed poised, hovering in mid-air, a menacing instrument of death. Mike felt an odd mental pressure, as if something was waiting for his permission to be released. He focused on the Gluttony Demon, and with a thought, unleashed his spell. The spear of stone started to vibrate slightly, a high-pitched whine sounded and quickly increased in volume. Mike thought it sounded a lot like a rocket about to take off. With a loud ''THUMPF'' the spear suddenly shot out, speeding across the intersection in less than a second. A squelching noise and a deep, rumbling roar of pain rent the night air as a small fountain of blood poured out from the massive demon. The attack had proven devastating, as a basketball-sized hole had been formed, all the way through the demon. Another round of cheering sounded from the nearby adventurers, but it swiftly died down. The wound of the Gluttony Demon closed almost as quickly as it formed. It scooped up another handful of lesser demons, threw them into its mouth, and resumed its ponderous travel. "Well that didn''t work." Mike muttered to himself. "You need to take its head." Brenden''s quiet voice startled him. He hadn''t heard the beastman approach. "What?!...I mean, what?" "Its head. You need to kill it in one blow or it will just keep regenerating." Mike looked at him. "You know something about these kinds of demons?" He gave Mike a comradely smile. "Nah, but regeneration skills like yours are fairly common. I did some research in order to be able to defeat you. Every guide I read suggested that removing the head or destroying the heart is the best way to deal with regenerators." Mike found himself very disturbed by the idea that his ''rival'' had not only recognized the nature of his self-healing abilities, but had researched methods of overcoming them. Brenden evidently noticed the look he was receiving, because he hastily replied. "That was a couple of days ago. I was in a bad place back then, so don''t worry too much about it. I''m going to defeat you honestly next time, regeneration or no." "Ha, good luck with that. As you can see from my earlier displays, I have already reached another level of potency in my magic. Do you think you stand a chance now?" Mike answered with his own grin. "Some potency. You blew up a few minor demons, and barely made a scratch on the big one." "You call punching a half meter hole through the things gut, a scratch?" "Boys. Focus. Demon approaching." Tal interposed herself between them. Mike noticed that the silver-haired woman had followed her over, but was hanging back, a little uncertainly. He brought himself back to the task at hand. "You''re right Tal. We need to focus." After a few seconds of thinking, "I can try aiming for its head, but I''m not confident about it accurately from this distance. I haven''t had much practice with this kind of magic, so I''ll need to get closer to hit a target that small." "We could hit it hard, keep it reeling, and leave you an opening to deliver the killing blow." Brenden suggested. "Forgetting small demons." Tall pointed out. "She''s right again. If we leave this barricade, we''ll have to deal with that swarm of lesser demons. I can clear them out with a few well-placed spells, but I''m not too confident about controlling the explosive radius, so we can''t be close to the Gluttony Demon when I do." Another voice broke in. "Why not let it get closer. The adventurers here on the barricade can keep the lesser demons busy, especially if you blast them a few times to keep their numbers low. Once the Gluttony Demon has reached the intersection, you can use earth magic to trap it in place and seal its movements." The silver-haired woman moved to take a place in the circle, "From there, it should be a simple matter to kill it." Mike sensed the stirrings of some unseen force, as if something was building, but the feeling was gone before he had a chance to really examine it. "Like it. Can seal movements." Tal replied, breaking Mike out of his reverie. "Alright we''ll go with that plan." He started giving out orders without even realizing it. "Brenden, we''ll need you to cover the casters while we concentrate. Make sure none of the lesser demons get close." The beastman nodded in response, showing an easy and confident smile. "Tal, I want you to wait until the Gluttony demon has reached the center of the intersection before you activate your magic. It''s got to be fast. We can''t give it a chance to get in close." "Will do." The elf replied. Mike turned to the silver-haired woman, and realized that he didn''t know her name. He was trying to come up with a tactful way of asking when she saved him the trouble. She grimaced as if fighting some inner battle, before sighing slightly. "My name is Seraphina, but you can call me Sera. Don''t forget it." "Michael," He said, gesturing to himself, "But I go by Mike. Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." He extended a hand to shake, hoping that his voice sounded at least neutral, if not friendly. Sera looked at the hand curiously, as if she wasn''t sure what to make of the gesture, before placing her own in his. Trying not to notice how soft it felt, he gripped her hand, gave it a single shake, and let it go. "Good, now that we are acquainted, Sera, I would like you to stay behind and¡­" "No." She said simply and arrogantly. "I''m staying right beside you until this is all over." Mike felt his blood pressure rise, he was sure a vein was pulsing in his forehead. "Look, I''m just trying to make sure that you''re safe." "I know that, but I''m not going anywhere." Mike sighed, deciding that it was not worth fighting over. "Fine, just try to stay close." "I hadn''t planned on doing otherwise." She answered haughtily. He couldn''t help but to sigh again, as he settled in to wait for the demons to get closer. [That big one is really taking his time. We could probably get away from it by simply walking quickly in another direction.] He thought, while observing the ponderous steps of the creature. [Why do I feel like I''m forgetting something?] Chapter 65: The Fall of Sin Approximately 100 kilometers north of Wyrport, Robert, the trader, was looking for a good place to set up camp. He had been heading along the inland route to the northwest, looking to skirt Wyrmrest Lake on his way to the capital. Ordinarily he would have stopped much sooner, but the sounds of explosions and screaming carried from the city on the cool night breeze, had encouraged him to press on a little longer. He had been travelling this particular route for many years, and rarely had any issues with monsters or bandits. As such, he often travelled alone, with only his old pack horse, Trevor, to keep him company. He was just beginning to pull off the road to shelter under one of the uncommon trees in this grassland, when it exploded. Robert was thrown from his cart as a rain of wood splinters cascaded down around him. Trevor, as a full-blooded Borvani horse, a fact that Robert expounded upon whenever the horse came up in conversation, remained unimpressed. He passively waited for his master to finish rolling around on the ground, slowly chewing a bit of grass he''d snuck almost an hour ago. Robert stood up hesitantly, and approached the crater where the tree once stood. Sticking from the ground was a massive spear, nearly 3m in length. It had a glassy finish, as if it were made from a volcanic rock. A mottled pattern of dark red was etched into the shaft of the spear, glowing with an ominous light. Robert had no idea where the weapon had come from, or really what its nature was, but seeing it resting there in all of its brooding might, only one thing came to mind. "JACKPOT! I''m going to be rich!" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [This is going to really bother me. What am I forgetting?] Mike was thinking to himself. [Oh well, I''ll worry about it after we take down this demon.] Lesser demons had begun entering the intersection again, this time pouring towards the barricade from all three directions. He heard James''s shouted orders directing the archers to resume their covering fire. Judging from the motion of the Gluttony Demon, it would also reach the intersection in approximately one minute. Deciding that now was a good time to launch another Fireball, Mike began the chant. "I let thee free¡­." As he was concentrating, he dimly noticed a few oddly shaped demons in the crowd, acting strangely. "WATCH OUT!" An impact to his side sent Mike sprawling as several barbed spines shot through the air his head was occupying. He looked down at Sera, who had fallen over on top of him. "Whew, thanks. That would have been really painful." She blushed and looked away while climbing off of him. "It''s nothing. I owed you for earlier anyway." Mike peeked over the barricade, trying to locate the origin of the spines, and nearly received another one to the face for his efforts. From what he was able to determine, there were three large, quadrupedal demons lurking within the crowd. He didn''t get a good look, but it seemed like they were covered in porcupine-like quills, only facing forwards instead of backwards. "What are those things?" He asked, more to himself than anything. Tal, who had been forced to take shelter as well, answered, "Spiker Demons. Shoots spikes." "Thank you, Tal, for that illuminating information." He said sarcastically. She puffed her cheeks out in the closest thing to a facial expression he''d ever seen on her. "Very agile. Resistant to fire. Need caution." "Hmm," he muttered to himself, trying to weigh his options. Brenden neatly dissected a lesser demon in the shape of an oversized caterpillar with a set of bird wings. "What''s the plan?" "Well, they won''t let me get a chant off, and I can''t just incinerate the area due to their fire resistance." He glanced over at Tal and Brenden. "I''m going to try something a little different, can you draw their attention for a bit?" They nodded, engaged in a quick whispered conversation, and burst into action. Brenden hopped over the barricade, and began running alongside it while yelling like a madman. [What the hell is he doing?] Mike thought while placing a hand on the ground and concentrating. Their plan became clear, when the Spiker Demons started focusing on him, launching barrages of spikes at the swiftly moving beastman. Brenden engaged in an impressive display of agility, simultaneously slaughtering any of the lesser demons that approached, while dodging and weaving around the flying spikes. However, he couldn''t keep it up for long, and after one particularly close call, he was left off balance, with another wave of the deadly projectiles incoming. Just when it looked like the heroic youth would be skewered by the barrage, a wall of earth sprang up in front of him. Tal had run parallel to Brenden''s path, staying hidden behind the barricade while preparing the chant for a simple defensive spell when it became necessary. The Spiker Demons, clearly upset by the sudden reversal, launched long streams of spikes into the wall, destroying it piecemeal. Brenden looked unconcerned, despite the growing danger, and the reason soon became evident. "Alright, get back!" Mike called as finished pumping mana into the ground below the intersection. The beastman responded by back flipping over the barricade. [Has he gotten more agile since we fought? He''s not even using any enhancement techniques.] Mike will his magic into action. The hand touching the ground clenched, as if grasping something. With a grunt of effort he wrenched it upwards. With a groan of distressed earth, the ground immediately in front of the barricade erupted, high into the air. It formed a temporary cliff that spanned the entire intersection. Unfortunate lesser demons fell from its top, landing with bone crushing force in the pit that had taken shape in the wake of Mike''s magic. With increasing velocity, the ledge started to fall away from the barricade. Observers could now see that he had torn loose a portion of the intersection, forcing it to collapse on the rest like the cover of an opened book. A thunderous crash sounded as the raised section of earth collapsed back onto the other half of the crossroads, creating a cloud of dust in the process. With the exception of those few demons who managed to flee back into one of the surrounding streets, the entire wave had been buried under tons of earth. A stunned silence descended. Mike sucked in his breath. That had taken a lot more mana than he had been expecting. Evidently, he needed to work on his skills before trying to do something like this again. Brenden slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "That was great! As expected of my rival. You''re making this whole thing easy." [Has he gotten stronger too?] Mike found himself thinking, while rubbing his now aching shoulder. "Focus. Gluttony Demon. Almost here." Tal cut in. "Right, we stick with the plan¡­." Mike paused as he considered the altered battlefield. His actions had created a mound of dirt on one side of the intersection and a pit on the other. The original plan was predicated on the assumption that the Gluttony Demon would be in the deepest portion of the intersection prior to trapping it. Now, they would have to let the demon approach much closer in order to definitively halt its movements. "We''ll just have to be flexible. Brenden, if it gets too close, try to get its attention. Keep it from tearing into the barricade. Tal, as soon as you think it''s appropriate, do what you can to seal its movements. I''ll be ready to deliver the final blow. Any questions...¡­....Good." With an earthshaking roar, the demon crested the small mound on the north side of the intersection. This close to it, the adventurers on the barricade could see the bits of runny viscera that dribbled down its chin. Its stench of rotten meat combined with unwashed human filth was nearly overpowering. Mike was forced to continue watching its progress through watering eyes. Before it started down into the pit in front of the barricade, it paused, slowly examining the defenders. [Come on, move you big tub of lard!] Some long forgotten fragment of intellect seemed to awaken, and the demon developed a rudimentary plan to deal with it''s puny enemies. It sucked in a deep breath, expanding its round, fleshy midsection. Mike felt a sudden flash of alarm. Not sure of what the creature had planned, but fearing the worst, he quickly threw his mana into the ground. A tall wall of rock formed in front of the barricade, and just in time. The demon vomited a long stream of viscous green liquid at the adventurers, and only the sudden imposition of the wall saved them from being sprayed with it. The fluid hissed and smoked against the stone. A few drops that made it around the hastily made defense fell among the adventurers, eliciting curses and screams of pain. "Why do demons have to be so f****** horrifying?!" Mike yelled as a few drops fell on him as well, burning small, painful holes in his skin. As soon as the demon''s attack had finished, Mike concentrated his will, took an exaggerated step forward, and punched toward the demon with his right hand. The crumbling remains of the wall exploded in a hail of rock shards, peppering the Gluttony Demon. It was largely unharmed by the attack, save for a lucky chunk of stone that pegged it in the eye. The demon roared in pain, reeling from the sudden injury. "Now Tal!" Mike called, unnecessarily it seemed. "¡­.mired in the depths, [Quicksand]." Suddenly the ground beneath the demon turned into an unstable patch of swiftly shifting sand. It lost its balance, and with characteristic slowness began falling into the pit. Mike wasn''t willing to let this opportunity pass, but he lacked a good vantage from which to deal the final blow. Knowing that he had to make this next attack count, he pulled deep from his mana reserves. He began to recite the chant for the Stone Javelin spell. "From the depths of Eon, I call to thee. Break free from the ancient bonds of thy earthly shackles and fly true¡­.." [Wait, was that how it went? Whatever. Close enough.] Before finishing the chant, he redirected some of his mana into his air magic, creating a powerful blast to throw him above the fallen demon. He pointed a hand down, drawing a bead on the beast''s head. "[Stone Javelin]!" This time the spear looked more like the mast of a ship, easily 10m long and close to a meter in diameter, with a wicked, barbed tip. It didn''t hum, but roared as it descended on the demon like the wrath of a vengeful deity. The entire top half of the beast disappeared with the sheer force of the blow, as the spear buried itself into the ground, vanishing into the depths of the earth. An earsplitting crack sounded as the bedrock fractured under the assault, small fissures forming around the new crater. A sudden wave of familiar weariness passed through Mike. [Whew, it''s been awhile since I''ve been this low on mana.] With a fair amount of effort he directed himself back towards the ground, and landed, a little harder than he meant to. "Augh, my knees. Why always the knees?" After a few moments, he was able to stand straight. Stretching a little, he glanced around, only to be met with a thunderous wave of cheers from the surrounding adventurers. Chapter 66: Severance "Fall back! Fall back!" Morris yelled at the bedraggled remains of the force he''d salvaged from the chaos. They were a disparate group pulled from several different gangs, some of which were known enemies. Now they were working together to survive. At the start of the retreat they had numbered close to 300, but now, less than a third of them remained. What had started as a underworld gang war had evolved into a full on battle, and their demon enemies were sparing no one. Initially, the allied Dark Guilds had been able to hold their territories, although at great cost. The Kal class demons were horrifying and numerous, but they weren''t a serious threat so long as the thugs maintained their formations. However, that changed as soon as higher classes of demons arrived. Suddenly, they were taking heavy casualties from all fronts. Entire gangs were overrun in short order. A few if the more prosaic leaders began to pull their men out, but it was too late. More demons poured in from other portions of the city, cutting off their retreat. Morris managed to rally a small number of the combatants, and led them to the northeast, picking up other survivors as they went. So far they had managed to avoid annihilation, but it had been a close thing. Adrian and Lorik had disappeared in the confusion, and he hadn''t seen Julia since she''d left to spread the word if the attack. He hoped that they were alright, but it was a slight hope. As he watched, another of his men fell beneath the press of demons, a gaunt, skeletal figure clad in nothing but mottled grey-green skin casually reaching down and easily tearing off the thug''s head. Morris gritted his teeth, hacking at the hollow faced creature with his sword. It recoiled with a hiss, but suffered little in the way of injuries. "Morris! There''s some kind of castle up ahead!" One of the things called He glanced up, seeing the battlements of a fort. [What the hells? Why is there a castle in the middle of a residential district?] A moment later his mind caught up. [The Order if the Shield!] "Head to the fort! Take shelter there!" Hopefully, the Order was not yet overrun. --------------------------------------------------------- James walked over, smiling, and clapped Mike on the back. "Well done, lad. I''ve known a few mages in my day, and I can say with certainty that I''ve only known a handful that could display that kind of raw power." "Thanks, but it was a team effort." Mike turned to look at Tal and Brenden. They had definitely been a great help throughout the fight. Sera, the odd, silver-haired woman was standing a little ways from them, an urgent look on her face. "Can I speak with you...alone?" She asked plaintively. Mike shrugged, "Can it wait? We''re still in the middle of a battle." "Its important, and I''m not sure how much longer it can wait." He sighed, "Alright, so long as we don''t go too far." After traveling a little ways down the road, Mike turned to her. "That should be far enough. So what did you want to talk about?" "There are things I need to tell you, things that I don''t think you''ll believe at first." She was twisting her hands, clearly uncomfortable. "Go on." She paused, as if trying to find the right words. "I''m what''s known as an Oracle. We carry an ancient bloodline that connects us on a fundamental level with Destiny." Mike used appraise to verify her statements. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seraphina Aquilus Race: Human (Oracle) Age: 15 Class: Oracle Tier: 1 Title: First Born of the Aquiline -------------- [I''m going to have to start using this skill more often. It doesn''t give a lot of information, but every bit helps.] With a grimace, she looked down at her hands, and forced them to remain still. "It lets us see the future to a certain extent, and influence it. I''ve heard stories of skilled Oracles who could peer through hundreds of possible futures to find the most favorable outcome, but I am much more limited." "As interesting as this all is, I assume that you have a point?" He asked mildly. She glared at him, "I was told by a very powerful member of my bloodline, that I need to provide guidance to you, lest you fall to darkness." Mike studied her. It seemed like she was telling the truth, but he sensed that she was holding something back. He kept his silence, face neutral, golden eyes staring. Sera faltered at that gaze, looking away. "I also saw something about what''s happening to this city. What will happen if someone doesn''t put a stop to it." "Oh?" "I saw-" She suddenly doubled over in pain, hands clasped to her head. Mike caught her in his arms. "What''s the matter?" She opened her eyes in shock. "Oh no." Looking up at Mike with a mixture of fear and horror, she croaked "Help." A sudden surge of hostile intent alerted Mike, but it was already too late. There was a squelch, and he felt warm liquid hit the skin of his face and hands. A barbed metal point was sticking out of Sera''s abdomen. With a click it opened a grappling hook like head, and before he had a chance to react, the woman was ripped from his arms, hurtling through the air and into a nearby alley. Mike''s anger surged, and he launched himself after the Oracle, in time to see her crash into a heap on the alley floor, before being dragged up the side of one the buildings by a long metal chain emerging from the spear-like weapon that had impaled her. He followed after, jumping back and forth between the buildings, feet leaving broken masonry in his wake. His mana had recovered a little, but he was still dangerously low on it. The analytical portion of his mind determined that since she didn''t appear to be losing a great deal of blood, the injury likely didn''t damage the abdominal aorta or any other major blood vessels. So, despite how disturbing such an injury was, she wasn''t likely to die from it in the near future. As such, it was tactically sound to preserve his mana for an appropriate moment. The rest of him was just pissed. [If you think I''m going to let you steal that girl right out of my arms, you''ve got another thing coming! Especially after all the work I had to do to save her in the first place!] As soon as he felt the responses from his Detect Hostile Intent, his sword was in his hand. Three cloaked figures descended from the rooftop. Mike expected weapons, but with the figures attacked him with a variety of warped appendages. The first had a long, stinger-tipped tentacle in the place of his right arm. The face beneath the hood was lit by crazed eyes, and a fanged mouth that extended down the right side of his neck, making him look like a melting wax sculpture. The second had no arms or head at all, but its torso split open to reveal three separate toothy maws, dripping purple saliva. The last looked to be a cockroach from the neck down, with wickedly barbed claws at the end of each of its six limbs. Its head was that of a beautiful female elf that could have been quiet charming if it weren''t for the two antennae growing from her eye sockets. A trio of nightmare inducing horrors. Had Mike found himself facing them in the dark alley even a few hours ago, it might have been enough to give him pause. Now, having fought a literal horde of demonic monstrosities, it was becoming tedious. He narrowly dodged the stinger arm of the melting man, grabbing the rubbery tentacle and dragging him closer. He jammed his sword into the gaping mouth, leveraging it until the creature had been nearly decapitated. With a twist of his wrist, he pulled the body out of the way, bracing his leg against the wall for his next jump. Before becoming airborne again, he threw his sword at the beast with three mouths, impaling it between two of them. He jumped, and as it screeched in pain, he grasped its leg and flung it at the third creature with enough force to smash them both against the wall. He collided with the duo, forcibly driving the sword through both monsters and into the brick wall behind them. The rancid sickening smell of their fetid bodily fluids disgusted him, as he punched himself a handhold for leverage, grasped the hilt of the sword, and swept it out horizontally. Not bothering to watch as the horrors fell to the ground with a wet ''thud,'' he pulled himself up onto the rooftop. He found himself facing a trio of warriors clad in dark full plate armor. They stood around 2m in height. With the exception of the weapons they carried, they looked identical. One had a large, two-handed sword. Another, a glaive shaped like the head of a serpent. The last was carrying something that resembled a harpoon gun in one hand, and a spear-like object that was still impaling the bloodied Oracle in the other. A long-handled war hammer was strapped to his back. As Mike landed on the roof, they turned to face him, showing no visible signs of humanity from the black depths of their closed-faced helms. The one wielding the two-handed sword stepped forward, barring his way. With a voice that seemed to resonate hollowly from the dark suit of armor, it spoke. "Another mortal begging for death, and this one appears to be a welp. Will we ever be done with them? They seem to emerge from every crack like vermin." He paused for a second, taking in the blood on Mike''s sword. "I do believe this welp has killed our cadre of Warped Ones. I was starting to wonder what they were doing." The one carrying Sera replied, "They were weak. Finish him quickly, we must return to the council." Mike gritted his teeth. He was starting to get tired of people underestimating him because of his appearance. He launched himself at the trio, fully confident in his skills, but had to quickly redirect his motion into a dodge. With a skidding headlong slide, he slammed into a pair of crates, shattering them. [If I hadn''t dodged just then I would have been split in two. Who are these people?] The sword wielding one raised a casual voice of surprise. "Oh? It seems I missed. Was it an accident?" Mike grimaced as he got to his feet. This was going to be more challenging than he originally thought. Chapter 67: The Dichotomy of an Effervescent Moment Despite being large and heavily armored, the warrior wielding the two-handed sword was ridiculously fast. So much so that it reminded Mike of a fully enhanced Brenden, but with significantly more skill. If he hadn''t dodged in a desperate way, the sword would have struck him before he had the chance to respond. The warrior rested his weapon on one shoulder in a cocky manner. "I do believe this rat actually dodged my strike. How about that?" "Stop playing around and finish the brat, Keld." The one holding Sera said, apparently the leader of the trio. The Oracle was still hanging from the impaling spear, unmoving. It looked like the injuries she''d sustained had rendered her unconscious. "Yeah, yeah. I''m getting to it. It''s not like you''ll be dying of old age or anything." The warrior named Keld answered with a laugh, eliciting a growl from the leader. Without any preamble he strode forward calmly, looking to all the world as if he were just casually walking down the street. Once he got close to Mike, his arms blurred into a diagonal slash. Mike quickly fell into a Flowing River stance, and redirected the blow down and to his right, allowing his opponents blade to bury itself in the tile of the rooftop. Even with such a maneuver, the sheer force of the blow jarred his arm. He lowered his center of gravity, spinning in close to the warrior and shoving him with his shoulder, before directing a stab at Keld''s eyes, about the only portion of the helmet that looked vulnerable. The armored warrior simply leaned back, allowing the thrust to skitter across the side of his helmet, before grasping Mike''s sword arm in one of his hands and flinging the young adventurer across the rooftop. Mike slid across the tiles, and rolled to his feet ready to fend off whatever follow-up attack was coming, but Keld hadn''t moved yet. He resumed the cocky stance of his, with his sword resting on one shoulder. "Hey boss, this guy''s pretty good. Do you think he''s some famous knight or something?" He asked in a jaunty mood while pointing with his free hand. The leader sighed. "Joran, help the fool out. If we wait for him to finish, we will be here all night." The glaive wielder nodded silently, before launching himself at Mike in vicious rush. "Hey! This was supposed to be my kill!" Keld yelled as the other armored warrior passed. Mike was forced to defend with all of his skill as Joran attacked with blistering speed. Minor injuries started appearing over his limbs, the glaive punching through his alchemically treated leather armor like it was nothing. [Seriously, why do I bother wearing any armor? It doesn''t seem to do anything for me.] Joran finished his rush with a horizontal sweep that Mike was forced to block, sending him skidding across the rooftop again. Only his quick reflexes allowed him to stop before he flew over the edge, He grabbed onto the ledge long enough to halt his momentum, before pulling himself back up. The armored warriors were patiently waiting for him again. Mike was a little confused by this tactic. The leader of the trio kept hinting at a pressing time deadline, but they allowed him to ready himself every time they attacked. [Some sort of honorable demon cultists?] A sudden wave of dizziness overtook Mike, causing him to fall to one knee. [What happened? Did I lose too much blood?] He glanced down at his injuries to see that they had already healed, but his veins were turning black around where the wounds had been. Kald broke into a burst of laughter. "HAHAHAHA, how do you like Joran''s glaive, Serpent''s Kiss? Every blow delivers a deadly poison that will dissolve from the inside. Now die in misery." "Poison?" Mike said with growing horror. He quickly checked his [Status] only to be overcome with a existential depression. The (Rank 4) next to his Intermediate Poison Resistance skill was like a blazing insult from the System. As he watched the number ticked up to (Rank 5). A vein started throbbing in his forehead, as the dark lines of poison vanished from his limbs. "I was angry before, but now...now its personal." He muttered darkly. [Screw preserving my mana. I''m going to DESTROY these M************!] He mentally examined one of the new additions to his [Status] while preparing the mana to make use of it. --------------- - Intermediate Elemental Magic (Tier 2, Rank 3) - Rank 2 Effect: Enhancement Magic - Enhancement Magic - Skilled practitioners of Elemental Magic learn to mimic the enhancement spells of other branches of magic, allowing them to temporarily increase attributes. The attribute enhanced varies based on the type of magic used. -------------- He summoned his mana and poured it into his body, using fire as his element of choice. A roaring aura of flame burst forth from him, swirling and hissing in an angry manner, before condensing into his limbs. He felt the snap of his internal limitations as his strength increased drastically. A soft orange glow started emerging from his skin wherever exposed, as the air around him shimmered in a heat haze. "Watch out! He''s a mage!" The leader called while readying himself, drawing his war hammer with one hand. Mike sprinted forward, sword at the ready. He could already feel the drain on his mana. As powerful as he seemed to be at the moment, he knew he had to end this fight quickly. Throwing himself forward while falling into the Roaring Flame stance, he noticed his already enhanced strength increase further. Putting off that investigation for later, he launched his attack. Both Joran and Keld were ready for him, weapons held warily in front of themselves. Mike feinted towards Keld before sweeping towards the glaive wielder. He flicked his sword up at the weapon before the armored warrior had a chance to react. The goal of this maneuver was to push the haft out of the way while knocking Joran off balance. However, it was much more effective than he originally intended. The glaive flew through the air before embedding itself in a nearby chimney. The warrior himself was nearly pushed over by the force of the blow. "What the-" Keld started saying. Mike didn''t waste the opportunity, grasping the hilt of his sword firmly in both hands, he brought it down on the breastplate of Joran''s armor. With a ringing crash, two things occurred. First, the chest piece cracked under the weight of the blow, causing a spray of thick black fluid. The warrior soundlessly started to fall backwards. Second, the blade of Mike''s sword snapped near the base. [Another one! I really need to find myself a really solid weapon.] Thinking quickly, Mike dropped the now useless sword hilt, brought his hands together, and delivered a double axe handle to the damaged portion of Joran''s armor. The resulting force cratered the surface of the roof, actually punching a hole that the prone form of the armored warrior fell through. It was only with quick reflexes that Mike was able to avoid a similar fate. [Thank you pro wrestling.] He had little time to recover his balance, before he was forced to dive under the swinging head of the war hammer. The leader of the trio had finally stepped in. Mike could see the limp form of Sera where she was dropped in one corner of the rooftop. Jumping over the newly formed hole in the rooftop, he bought himself a few moments to contemplate a plan. Knowing that he couldn''t maintain this level of combat for long, he decided to seek out the best chance of success. Mike pulled some of the last dregs of his mana, forcing a combination of Fire and Water together into its composite element of steam. A cloud of hot water vapor exploded from him, covering the rooftop in a nearly impenetrable fog. Mike whirled, moving as quickly as he could, and scooped up the Oracle''s nearly lifeless body. With a quick application of Fire Magic, he severed the chain from the spear-like device. Vision starting to grow dim from a lack of mana, he threw Sera over one shoulder, and jumped off the building. Luckily it was only a few stories tall, so when he landed, assisted by a small blast of Air Magic, the resulting injuries were minor. The glow from his enhancement faded, and he nearly stumbled from the sudden change in strength. "S***, he''s getting away." The leader cried. "Cut him off, Keld!" Mike heard a loud thud behind him, and not bothering to look, started sprinting back towards the barricade. He didn''t think the adventurers would be able to stand against these enemies, but sheer numbers might dissuade them from pursuit. He rounded the corner of the alley he was in, and spotted a handful of adventurers on the main thoroughfare, among them were Tal and Brenden. They appeared to be searching for him, and reacted when he came into view. "Help!" he called while running to them. "We got company!" He felt the rapidly approaching enemy through his Detect Hostile Intent skill, and was in the process of looking back, ready to start avoiding the attack, when a howling blast of wind rushed by, intercepting the sword wielding warrior and forcing him back. Tal, hair whipping in the storm created by her contracted spirit, raised her hand and issued another quick chant. "Tear the wind asunder, and cleave thy enemy in twain, [Wind Blade]!" Three nearly invisible rends in air itself flew after Keld, who had yet to fully regain his balance. With preternatural skill he actually cleaved two of them apart, somehow cancelling the magic with his sword. The last impacted his shoulder guard, leaving a deep scratch, but little else. The group of adventurers circled protectively around Mike and his charge. Brenden spared him a quick glance while keeping his attention towards the armored warrior. "We were wondering where you got off to. Looks like you found yourself some more trouble." He looked over at Sera, and asked, surprisingly indifferent, "She dead?" "Not if I can help it." Mike replied, already pulling on his reserves of mana to stabilize the wounded girl while he removed the spear. Thankfully, it seems his mana recovery rate had improved in the intervening time, giving him a small, but significant amount. "Hold them off for a minute or two if you can." Brenden looked over at the pair of tall, armored warriors, a little hesitantly. His instincts were telling him that these two were incredibly dangerous. It got even worse when the door to a nearby building burst open and a third, albeit wounded and unarmed, joined them. He grinned savagely, already feeling the building rage coursing through his veins as he activated his skill. Hells with it, he wasn''t going to let these guys scare him. "Don''t blame me if I end up taking care of them before you''re done." He said in a voice thick with bloodlust, as he readied his sword. Chapter 68: Things are Heating Up Brenden slid forward to take the vanguard. Tal fell in behind him, and the other three adventurers spread themselves out in a semi-circle between the two. With a start, Mike realized he recognized the them. They were the three muscle-bound adventurers that had spoken out to him on his first day in Wyrport, the ones that thought he was getting in the wrong line. He had almost forgotten how tall they were, dwarfing even the armored warriors he''d been fighting. They were fully kitted out for battle, dressed in a sort of opalescent, chitinous full plate that looked to have been fabricated out of the exoskeleton of some giant insect. All three of them were carrying massive double-sided battleaxes. The sight of them reminded Mike of a certain video game about hunting monsters. The one in the center, Mike thought his name was Ice or Glacier¡­..or was it something to do with hamburgers? Anyway, the tallest of the group, by a few centimeters anyway, smirked down at Mike in what might have been a reassuring manner in a different man. "Don''t you worry, Mike, we''ll take care of these lugs. You just focus on taking care of the little lady." He said, while stooping over in an awkward manner due to the height difference, to pat him on the shoulder. "You''ve done enough so far." Mike just nodded his thanks, already focusing his full attention on healing the wounded Oracle. He was going to have to remove the spear carefully to avoid damaging her internal organs any further. With another quick application of Fire Magic, he severed the odd grappling hook portion, before slowly removing the shaft of the spear. He would need all of his concentration to avoid causing any issues. At about this time, Brenden howled a war cry, already deep in his berserker rage and hurled himself at the leader of the armored warriors. The three large adventurers quickly moved to support him. The leader moved to face Keld, while the other two ganged up on Joran, evidently seeking to remove the injured opponent from the battle quickly. Tal began muttering another chant. Mike couldn''t quite hear it, but some instinct of his let him know that it was a form of Earth Magic. The leader of the armored warriors called a quick series of commands, while blocking the furious rush of Brenden''s attacks with apparent ease. "Keld, deal with that big fool and move to neutralize that elf caster before she has a chance to cause us trouble. I''ll help out Joran as soon as I teach this puppy some manners." "If you say so, Boss Nash." Keld replied wearily, before muttering under his breath, "Man, he never lets me have any fun. It''s always Keld kill this, finish them off faster¡­" He knocked away the first attack from the large adventurer, seemingly without too much trouble, before launching a sweeping strike at the giant''s side. With a crashing impact the blow forced the man back a step, but he remained upright and seemingly uninjured. "You''ll have to do better than that to get Berg, of the Mountain''s Fury, to move." [Berg! That was his name. Now I remember.] Mike had finished removing the spear, and was now concentrating on closing the injury, while repairing any overt trauma to Sera''s internal organs. Since, the Healing Magic skill handled most of this automatically, he had some focus to spare on watching the fight. For the most part the adventurer''s seemed to be holding their own. Joran had been forced to fight defensively against the pair assailing him. He had been relying on his superior speed and strength, but the pair was used to working together, and their teamwork was making up for the difference. Only Brenden seemed to be having trouble, as his experienced opponent repeatedly took advantage of the young adventurer''s unfocused rage. Trapping Brenden''s sword with the haft of his weapon, the warrior named Nash grabbed the beastman''s head and slammed an armored knee into his face, sending him reeling. Nash lifted his war hammer, preparing to deliver a crushing attacking on the adventurer, when a spike of stone shot from the ground, threatening to impale him. Nash was narrowly able to avoid the full brunt of Tal''s spell, but a thin line was carved in his armor. Black fluid trickled from the scar. "Damn it, Keld! What''s taking so long?" "Working on it Boss! This guy''s armor is pretty impressive. I think it might be made from Shield Beetle Chitin." The warrior replied jauntily, revealing that he was still not taking the battle seriously. Nash growled in reply. While blocking another headlong rush from the still raging Brenden, he yelled at his subordinate. "Keld! Use your gods-damned Bestowal already!" "Alright, alright. Relax. It''s not like these guys are actually a challenge." The arrogant warrior turned towards Berg. "Well, you heard the boss. I''ve got to cut this short. When you get to the afterlife be sure to let them know that Keld, Thirteenth Sword of the Chosen, sent you there." A sudden pressure was emitted from the warrior as a dark, squirming rune appeared on his armor. Its appearance defied explanation or observation, and those who witnessed it each saw a different image. With a crackling pop, Keld vanished, only to reappear behind Berg. The armored warrior was already in the midst of a powerful overhead swing, that sundered the adventurer''s armor and cut deep into his back. Berg grunted in pain, whirling to face his foe again, but much like before, Keld simply teleported behind the adventurer, sword at the ready. "This always feels a little unfair," he said as he brought his weapon down, "but I do so enjoy it when they struggle-" His blow was intercepted and redirected by a spear made of hardened stone. Keld barely had time to register the sudden change, before a powerful impact struck the side of his helmet, sending him rolling. Mike landed lightly on his feet after successfully completing his roundhouse kick. With efficient movements, he readied his newly formed spear. He shot a quick glance back at Sera''s unmoving form, before focusing on the battle at hand. The Oracle was still unconscious, but was no longer in danger of dying from her injuries. Berg nodded his thanks. The wound on his back was worse than he was willing to admit, but he was fighting through the pain. A stream hollow laughter sounded from Keld, "Hahahaha, I was not expecting that. Good job. Of course, now I have to destroy you, so no hard feelings, eh?" He vanished with another pop, and Mike instinctively rolled to his left, barely avoiding the heavy sword that traveled through the space he had just occupied. He tried to counterattack but the armored warrior had already moved again, forcing Mike to make another desperate dodge. There was a roaring sound of breaking earth and shrieking metal. Mike was dimly aware that Tal had cast another spell, evidently turning the tide in the other fight. So much so, that it called for a change of tactics. Nash''s voice broke through the sounds of combat. "Keld! You useless piece of excrement! GO DEAL WITH THAT CASTER!" "Fine, fine. If you insist, boss," came the carefree response. With a sinking sensation in his gut, Mike turned and started moving. Perhaps it was because of the adrenaline coursing through his veins, or maybe it was just that he had gotten used to Keld''s strange teleportation, but time seemed to slow down for Mike. He was able to watch as the warrior materialized, bit by bit, behind Tal. His sword poised to for a killing strike. Mike knew he wouldn''t be able to get over there in time, so he made use of a trump card he had been saving for an opportune moment. With an effort of will, he once again summoned forth a raging flame, and quickly redirected into his body. With a single step, he brought his arm forward in blur, flinging the earthen spear at fantastic speeds. Ordinarily this would have been an untenable option for him, since he had never been particularly coordinated, but he had recently acquired a new skill that made it possible. At some point during the night''s conflict, the Basic Throwing skill had shown up in his [Status], allowing him to accurately land attacks with thrown weapons. The spear caught Keld in mid-swing, punching into his chest plate and knocking him off his feet. The shock of the blow caused him to drop his sword, which embedded itself in the ground less than a meter from where Tal was standing. Keld groaned, and started to stand, but was forced back down as Mike crashed onto the warrior''s chest. With a quick yank, Mike pulled the spear free, bringing forth a gout of sticky, black liquid, and a low squeal of tortured metal. For a second, it looked as if the youth was poised to drive the spear back in, but instead he dropped it, and with bone crushing force he punched his arm up to the elbow into the hole made by the spear. Mike felt like he was pushing his fist into cold, oily mud. It seemed that Chosen''s body was almost entirely made up entirely of the strange goo. Goo that was somehow able to move a suit of armor. He had a mental flashback to a certain symbiotic entity that was an antagonist to one of his favorite superheroes. As Mike channeled mana into his fist, he looked Keld in the eyes, or at least where the creature''s eyes should have been. "Well, well. Aren''t you full of surprises? Don''t suppose you''d be willing to negotiate?" The Chosen asked, already sounding weaker than before. Mike stared back at him, face set in stone. "Nope." And with that, he unleashed a torrent of flames from his clenched hand. A thick, black smoke started pouring out of Keld''s armor, as the warrior thrashed around in obvious pain. As angry orange flames shot from the joints in the segmented armor, the chosen released one last hoarse scream before falling still. Mike pulled his arm, bits of ash falling from his hand onto the now scorched and hollow chestplate. It was clear that the Chosen was no more. Chapter 69: A Resounding Maybe As soon as Nash saw Mike''s victory over Keld, he knew that the fight was lost. The Thirteenth Sword of the Chosen had been the most accomplished fighter of the three. Between his skills and his Bestowal, Keld was usually able to deal with almost any opponent. When the young adventurer impaled his best warrior with his bare hands, and then immolate him from the inside, Nash decided that it was time to retreat. "Joran, we''re pulling back! Use your Bestowal." The wounded Chosen nodded his reply, summoning his Rune of Obfuscation. A dark cloud of smoke filled the air for dozens of meters in every direction. Ignoring the panicked shouts of the adventurers, Nash and Joran disengaged and vanished into the night. After running several blocks, making a stop to reclaim Joran''s spear, and once again crossing the defensive perimeter that had been established by the city''s inhabitants, they halted to regroup. Nash was furious. He had never failed a task given to him by his Cabal superiors, even after hundreds of years in their service. Indeed, such was his devotion and excellence that he had long been considered for induction into the Inner Circle. Only his relative lack of power had prevented him from taking the final step. Now, he was on the verge of failing one of the most important mission of his career. Unless he could kill or capture the Oracle, the entire operation was in jeopardy. No matter the excuse, failure would not be tolerated. Not now. With a curse, he kicked an abandoned fruit stall, breaking it to pieces and sending fruit flying across the street. A small group of lesser demons had to scrabble out of the way as the cart nearly collapsed on them. Their panicked chittering completely covered the gasp that emerged from a nearby shadow. "Damn that Keld! If only he could have taken things seriously, we wouldn''t be in this mess." He growled, venting his anger. Joran, of course, remained silent. The warrior had never uttered a sound since the moment of his Joining, and many among the Chosen believe that something had gone wrong with the process. Nash took a deep breath, despite no longer needing to, and finally calmed down. Even with the loss of one of the Thirteen Swords, he had not fully failed yet. Securing the Oracle would make up for it. If he could bring his masters the head of that fearsome young adventurer, Nash might even be rewarded once the Cabal established their rule. With a renewed sense of purpose, he started moving deeper into the demon infested portion of the city. He was headed towards a certain Cabal safe house. With luck, he would be able to garner all the help he would need to turn this situation around. ------------- As the pair of armored figures departed, Julia slowly slid out of the shadowed doorway. Taking a quick look around to confirm she was alone on the deserted street she heaved a sigh of relief. For the first time since the sun went down, she could stop and rest for a moment. After delivering her message to a number of the surrounding Dark Guilds, Julia had gotten caught up in the fighting. At first, things had been going their way, but then more powerful demons started showing up. Pretty soon, Julia found herself fleeing for her life. For the last hour and a half, she had been running through the demon infested streets, and it took every ounce of her skill as a thief to avoid being eaten by the rampaging monsters. She''d lost count of the number of times that she''d narrowly avoided certain death. Luckily, the invaders seemed to be more interested moving south than hunting a lone beastman. From the sounds of it, a major confrontation was taking place somewhere nearby. There were several explosions, and at one point she thought she saw some kind of giant pole-like object appearing in mid-air. Almost as soon as it appeared, it was launched towards the ground, creating a terrific impact. Julia had never been one to believe in the apocalypse, but the last couple of hours were starting to change her mind. [If I get out of this alive, I''m going to give up crime, take up religion, and become a priestess.] She thought for a second, recalling her past. [This is not like all the other times I promised that. I mean it this time.] There was a clatter of stones behind her. Not waiting to find out the origin of the sound, she immediate burst into a full on sprint, running as fast as she could towards the nearest alley. Just before she rounded the corner, she took a moment to glance back and see what was chasing her. A pair of tall, skeletal demons with mottled grayish-green skin were loping after her with unsettling grace. She took one look at the elongated hands ending in razor sharp claws and started running faster. [Come on! I definitely wasn''t lying......ok, so maybe I wasn''t going to give up crime, but I was definitely going to stop robbing clergy members........as often.] Unfortunately for Julia, she was running deeper into the demon held territory. Every step bringing her closer to doom. ------------- It didn''t take long for the cloud of smoke to dissipate, but the gas irritated every mucus membrane it came in contact with. Mike and the other adventurers were coughing and hacking long after the last of the black smog faded from view. Although he''d never been exposed to it before, Mike was reminded of tear gas from his old world. "That sucked." Berg said, when he had recovered sufficiently to speak. Glancing around, he continued, "It looks like they got away." Mike nodded, agreeing with the adventurer''s summary. He had a sinking feeling that the two armored monstrosities would be back. For whatever reason, they seemed focused on Sera. Thinking of the Oracle reminded him that he still needed to treat the remainder of her injuries. He jogged back over to her. After a few minutes of concentration, he was finished. Sera was still unconscious, but Mike figured she should be waking up soon. Luckily, it seemed a few of his mana related skills had improved, so even with the added burden of spot treating Berg''s back, he still felt capable of taking action should the need arise. Gently picking Sera up, he stood, and followed the group back to the barricade. It seemed that the rest of the defense force had been fighting sporadically while they had been gone, as isolated pockets of demons managed to overcome the altered terrain. Thanks in large part to the massive ditch that now occupied half of the intersection, injuries were few and far between. James walked over as soon as they approached. "Good to see you, lad. When you took off, we weren''t sure what had happened." His gaze fell on the unmoving woman in Mike''s arms. "Is she¡­.." "Unconscious. I''ve treated her injuries, so I suspect that she will be coming around any time now." "Good to hear." The senior adventurer eyed the gash across Berg''s back. "Looks like you''ve had a serious fight. Why don''t you all take a rest for a while. Gather your strength." Gratefully accepting the suggestions, Mike found a good spot, and laid his charge down. Sera had begun to move slightly, eyelids fluttering now and then. It made him think she was close to waking. [Of course, she only wakes up after I''ve carried her to safety.] One of Berg''s party members, whose name Mike couldn''t remember, walked up to him. The large man was carrying a two-handed sword. Handing it to Mike, he spoke in a clumsy manner, "Almost left this behind, so I grabbed it for ya. Spoils of war ''n all." With a grin he slapped Mike on the back, almost knocking him over. Mike realized that it was Keld''s sword, and briefly maintained the idea of tossing it. Just knowing it had been the weapon of such a person made him feel a little uncomfortable. However, he decided to at least inspect it before making any decisions. The weapon was roughly two meters in length, and heavy. Mike had trouble guessing the weight of objects ever since his strength had started to increase, but he figured it was probably it was around five kilograms based on the amount of metal involved. The blade was a dull featureless grey, but when held at a certain angle, Mike could see a jagged mottling pattern along its length. The hilt was a simple cross guard with a dark leather wrapping, however the pommel was carved in the likeness of a human skull, mouth opened in a scream. He used Appraise. ---------------- {Manslayer} Magic Sword (Tier 3, Rank 4) Once the weapon of Keld, Thirteenth Sword of the Chosen, this blade has been steeped in the blood of many, warriors and innocents alike. Forged in the fires of Lenolin and quenched in the lifeblood of a hundred human slaves, Manslayer was created for one task and one task only, to exterminate all of mankind. It is said that this sword will never tarnish nor dull until the last of humanity has been slain. Special Effects: Indomitable Resistant to nearly all forms of damage. May only be broken by the most intense of use, or the harshest of treatment. ---------------- "Ick," was the only thing he could squeeze out after Mike held the weapon gingerly in one hand, placing the blade as far from his body as possible. [This thing is really disturbing.] Right now he wanted nothing more than to drop the evil thing in the closest well, but after mulling it over for a bit, he reconsidered. [While this thing is repugnant, I am in need of a sword that''s a bit more durable. I keep breaking mine at inopportune moments, and its starting to become a problem.] Resolving himself to the idea, he held it properly. [I guess I''ll hold on to it until I can find something better, or at least something a little less horrifying.] He took a few practice swings with it, trying to get a feel for its weight. [Its a shame that its a little too big to be used with Almiran Swordsmanship.] A quiet moan interrupted his investigation. It seemed that the Oracle was finally awake. Sera''s eyes snapped open, and she began operating in blind panic, clawing at her surroundings in an effort to get away. Mike quickly moved over to her, making soothing gestures. "Whoa there, now. It''s alright. Your safe." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, speaking rapidly. "No, you don''t understand. Its not going to be alright. They''ve almost won. They''re so close to their goal." "Slow down, you''re not making any sense. Who''s almost won?" She hugged her knees to her chest. "The Cabal''s ritual is almost done. When they succeed, it will be the end for all of us." Mike grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. Speaking as calmly as he could manage, "Calm down, I won''t let anything like that happen, but I''m going to need you to explain what''s going on." Chapter 70: Unexpected Support Sera spoke in a quiet, defeated voice. "The Cabal has nearly finished their ritual. Soon, all of us will die." She paused, and in a pained whisper muttered, "I can''t see it." "What can''t you see?" Mike asked, trying to coax her into explaining further. She shook her head. "I can''t see how to stop it. Every vision I have had is more horrible than the last, nothing but death and destruction." She clutched at him then, anger and grief warring in her face. "No matter how many times I go through it, we die....we all die......we''re destined to die." She trailed off, sinking once more into her depression. "I''m going to need more than that. What exactly is going to happen?" She sagged back, her momentary energy once again subsiding. "...Once the ritual is complete, The Cabal will summon a demon prince of the highest order. One who is but a step away from godhood. It will destroy, kill, and consume everything in its path. Nothing on this continent can stand against, and its unclear if anything in this world can stop it." "Sounds like a serious problem, but we just need to stop the ritual, then. Do you know where its being held?" She shook her head with sullen anger, "It doesn''t work like that, I can''t just summon visions on command-" A sudden convulsion passed through her. She gripped her head and fell over sideways onto the ground. [Is she having a vision? Or is it a seizure? What am I supposed to do when someone has a seizure, again? Something to do with raising the feet?] After a few minutes, Sera opened her eyes with a groan, and fought her way back up into a sitting position. She looked at Mike with an astonished expression. "I know where it is. I just had another vision, and it showed me exactly where to go. I can''t believe it." [Well, it seems my protagonist powers are still fully active.] "That''s convenient, where-" Another voice broke in, "When do we leave?" "F***! Stop doing that you damn ninja dog!" Mike exclaimed as he tried to calm his heart rate. After a few deep breaths, he glared at the beastman. "How much of that did you hear?" Brenden just grinned unapologetically, "We heard pretty much all of it. Everything from all of us being destined to die, to the point when she figured out where to go." He motioned towards Tal who had apparently followed him up. "Don''t worry, though. We''ll keep her secret. You, of all people, should know very well how good we are at that." Mike looked between the two of them. "Are you two sure?" Brenden merely smiled in a relaxed way, obviously not concerned with the danger of the mission. The elf returned Mike''s gaze with a look of determination, probably. Not showing a hint of doubt, or so he could tell. The two of them were apparently willing to follow him on this potentially lethal quest. He wasn''t sure how to feel about it. As far as he was aware, he hadn''t done anything to inspire that kind of loyalty. His heart was filled with an odd mix of gratitude and guilt. Sera broke in at this point, "As touching as this moment is, we will need to move fast if we want to stop that ritual." Mike nodded, "Agreed, but I think we should at least make contact with the Guild first. There is a strike force made of high ranking adventurers operating as we speak. If we can get them to redirect towards the ritual site, it might make the difference." "That makes sense," Sera agreed, "But anything we do needs to be fast." They moved as a group to speak with James, who was still overseeing the defense of the barricade, and quickly explained the situation. "So your telling me that unless you four go off into enemy territory, this world and everyone in it is destined to perish. That about right?" Mike nodded, "Yeah that pretty much sums it up." James sighed. "And you got this information, which no one else has, from a source that you can''t disclose?" "Yep." Sighing again, the older adventurer shook his head. He looked Mike in the eyes. "I hope you know that this sounds insane. Do you really believe it?" Holding his gaze steady, and speaking with conviction, Mike answered simply, "Yes." James nodded resignedly, "Alright, I''ll pass the word along, but I can''t guarantee that the Guild higher ups will actually listen." "Do you mean it?" Mike asked, bewildered by the veteran''s sudden acquiescence. He''d been keeping the origin of the information a secret, in order to protect Sera, but he had been prepared to reveal it should it prove necessary. He would have felt some guilt about doing so, but that was a small price to pay compared to saving the world. "Listen, son. In the last hour I''ve seen you throw around magic that would put most senior mages to shame, kill a Tier 3 warrior with your bare hands, and heal that girl''s fatal injury in minutes. Even though I have a few guesses, I''m not really sure who or what you are. That said, its clear that you have been put here for a reason. My instincts tell me that you''re our best hope of survival right now, and I want to do everything in my power to help." "Thank you, James. That really means a lot." "Don''t thank me yet. Even if I pass the message along, it may not make a difference. The strike force has already started moving. The last I heard, they were heading towards the highest concentration of enemy activity. They may not be in the position to help." He glanced around the barricade, "I can lend you a few adventurers from the crew here, but after watching the three of you in action, I''m not sure how much of a help they''d be." "Thanks all the same." Mike replied. Sera pulled on his sleeve, urgency in her face. "Anyway, we need to go. Good luck, James." Mike said as he led the group into a nearby alleyway. The old adventurer nodded, "May the gods watch over you." As he watched them vanish into the night, a small smile crept across his face. With a quiet voice James muttered, "Good luck, Hero." ----------------------------------------- Nash kicked open the door of the Cabal safe house. It seemed the members stationed here had already joined the general assault, or were guarding other sites. With an air of familiarity, he started navigating his way through the cramped tannery that served as the front for the Cabal''s activities. Moving aside one of the vats, he descended into the darkness of a hidden stairwell, while Joran followed closely behind. The pair eventually came to a door, leading into a dank basement, deep beneath the city streets. A supernatural gloom draped over the room, one that not even the enhanced senses of the Chosen could fully penetrate. What little could be seen, filled them with dread. As the warriors entered, a soft chittering filled the air. Thrusting aside his fears, Nash spoke with confidence, "I am Nash Jal Benkith of the Chosen. I am in need of one of the treasures in your keeping." A long hiss answered his statement. One that brought with it a hint of quiet anger. "I am on a vital mission. If I do not get what I came for, then the Cabal''s plans will be in jeopardy." The hiss grew louder, and more furious. Knowing that he needed to act fast, Nash laid all of his cards on the table. "There is an Oracle at large in this city as we speak. I don''t think I need to remind you of the danger she represents." The hiss stopped, silence falling on the room A soft, silky voice spoke from the darkness. "What you seek.....demands a price......" "I am aware, and I have brought the payment." For a time the voice was silent. Finally, it issued a quiet, "So we see." A portion of the darkness parted revealing a small wooden box. Massive steel chains were wrapped around it, sealing it shut. "Take your item......and go." Nash stepped forward and gingerly picked up the box. He could feel the pulse of the dark power sealed inside. It beckoned him with inaudible promises. With an effort, he placed the box in a leather sack he had prepared specifically for it. He stood upright, and walked back out the way he came, pausing at the doorway. Joran moved to follow, but found himself unable to do so. An intangible force held him in place. Nash looked back at the warrior that had been a comrade in arms for decades. "I''m sorry its come to this, but you have to understand its for the good of the Cabal." As always, Joran was silent. "Your sacrifice will be remembered." Nash said while closing the door, thoughts already turning towards how he would make use of the treasure. As he was ascending the stairs he heard the soft rustle of scales on stone, and the subtle sound of groaning metal. Then there was only silence. Chapter 71: Perpetual Motion "So, I''ve been meaning to ask, what''s the deal with your raging thing?" Mike questioned while the group was running. They were currently skirting the defensive line in order to make as much progress as possible before having to worry about fighting. Brenden gave him a look, as if saying ''you''re asking this now?'' "Its one of the skills I picked up after changing my class. If I let myself get really angry, I get an increase to Strength and Endurance, and I can ignore pain and several kinds of conditions for the duration. The downside is that I have a hard time controlling myself while I''m in a rage." "So its basically a double-edged sword. Does it get better as the skill ranks up?" He asked, now genuinely curious. "More or less, but I''ve heard that even at higher tiers, you''ll never have full control of your actions." "Tactical choice." Tal cut in, succinctly pointing out that the inherent value of such a skill was largely dependent on the circumstances in which it was used. "Are....(huff)....you....(huff).....guys...(huff).....serious?" Sera was able to squeeze out between heavy breaths. She was red faced and dripping with sweat. The group had been moving quickly for the last 30 minutes, running at a punishing pace. Sera, who originally had a fair amount of pride in her stamina after years of running from her pursuers, soon had trouble keeping up. [What in the hells are these people? Why can they maintain this pace so easily? Are all adventurers like this?] Mike called a halt for a quick break, and the Oracle collapsed onto ground, utterly spent. He crouched down next to her, and used a trickle of mana to help her recover her stamina. It seemed like his mana reserves and mana recovery rate had improved significantly. Even in the short time since they left the barricade, his mana had refilled to approximately 50%. That said, spending it in this manner would be something of a waste. Watching Sera slowly recover, Mike couldn''t help but wonder if there might not be a better solution. "Are you sure you can''t just tell us where to go? We can find a safe location to stash you until the situation has been resolved." He asked. "I already explained this, I don''t know exactly where the ritual site is, only that its located somewhere near the docks. I can show you the path we need to take to get there, but I''ll need to actually point it out." "We can''t continue like this, though. Its taking too long." Brenden commented while keeping a wary gaze on his surroundings. Mike considered their options. "Welp, there is one solution." "What''s that?" Sera asked distractedly, while standing and dusting off her skirt. "Alright we''re going to be moving quickly." He looked over at Brenden and Tal, "So be ready." "Wait, what was the solution¡­..EEEP." Sera was interrupted mid question, when Mike swept her up into his arms with a smooth practiced motion. Considering the number of times that he''d done it in the last hour, this was to be expected. "REALLY? You''re going to do this again?!" She started squirming almost immediately. "Yep." Mike took off running. "Now hold still, and be ready to direct us when we come to a turning point." "Ugh!" She complained, resigning herself to the indignity. The group traveled west for a few kilometers, until the Oracle told them to cut to the northwest around a major confrontation between a small army of armored figures and the demon horde. Judging from the banners, the soldiers weren''t part of the local military. "It looks like the Count has brought in mercenaries to help with the defense," Sera was commenting. She had long ago made peace with her circumstances. Although it was a little uncomfortable, part of her was enjoying the experience of moving so quickly. It was a bit like riding a horse. "I''m surprised he was able to get them here so quickly, but I guess that''s to be expected of The Serpent." "That''s an ominous sounding name. Is the Count in these parts disliked?" Mike asked. He had fallen into a comfortable rhythm, and only barely felt the need to breathe more quickly than usual. His enhanced attributes making the whole process relatively easy. Sera looked at him incredulously, "Have you not heard of Count Graveston of Wyrport? The Serpent of Almir? The genius tactician that led the Allied Navy to victory over the Boneship Armada of Lacot?" He just shrugged in response, nearly losing his grip on her in the process. Once she had stabilized her position again, Sera continued. "You can''t tell me you''ve never heard of him, he''s a national celebrity. He famously inherited a minor barony in his youth, beating out several family members to do so. Within a decade, his military accomplishments and political maneuvering had brought him into the position of Count. His domain now spans the majority of eastern Almir." She lowered her voice down to a conspiratorial level, "Some say that he is making preparations to seize the throne." "I did not take you for a politics nerd." "Hey! This kind of stuff effects all of us, it''s silly not to pay attention." She blushed slightly, "Besides, there is nothing cooler than a cold-hearted and ambitious man rising to the heights of power using only his wits." He gave her a disappointed look, but a reaction from his Detect Hostile Intent skill prevented any further discussion. "Heads up, we got enemies incoming." Judging from the angle of their approach, he guessed that the demons would be trying to drop on them from above. "Two to our right, from the rooftops." In almost complete silence, a pair of vaguely humanoid demons jumped from a nearby building, dark iron halberds leading the way. They were naked save for a coarse, red fur that covered them from head to toe. Without any further prompting, the adventurers leapt into action. Mike sped up, getting himself and his cargo out of the way. Brenden took a hard right, and started running up the building in an impressive display of agility. Once he had reached the height of about 2.5m, he pushed off from the wall, sword already in motion. The demon never had a chance to dodge as the beastman blew past it, cutting it in half. Tal was much more efficient, simply summoning a spike of hardened earth directly in the creature''s path. The demon impaled itself, and could only futilely scrabble at the ground before the last of its life ebbed away. The trio fell back into a loose formation, still running towards their destination. After making sure that no other demons were in the area, Mike spoke, "So, I get that he''s done some pretty impressive things, but does this Serpent manage his realm well?" Sera stared at him for a few moments in blank incomprehension, "Your still continuing the conversation? Like nothing happened?" He shrugged again in response, nearly dropping her a second time. "STOP DOING THAT!" ----------------------------------------- The trio continued in this way for another half of an hour. Luckily, the route the Oracle led them on bypassed the majority of the demons. Occasionally, the group would spot large concentrations of them, but so far they had been successful in avoiding major confrontations. "We''re nearly there." Sera announced when they were running past a series of warehouses. "Any moment now, we should be seeing-" "Quick! Hide." Brenden pushed them into the shadows of a nearby building. Almost a soon as they did, a troop of demons marched out around a corner. The majority of them were skinny grey-skinned humanoids with horned heads. They were armed with a motley of rudimentary weapons. The group was led a corpulent demon carrying a barbed whip, that it used to drive the group forward. Each stroke of its arm elicited a pained screech from its demonic charges. They waited in the shadows for the sounds the horde to fade. Mike set Sera down and unlimbered his sword. He made a ''stay here'' motion with his hand, and stealthy moved up the corner they came from and poked his head around it. A large mass of demons of different sizes and shapes were hanging around a particular warehouse. As Mike watched, another troop, similar to the last, marched out of the open warehouse doors and started heading his direction. He hurried back to the rest, and waited with them until this next group passed. Once they were clear, he turned to the others. "Alright, it looks like there is a warehouse up ahead that''s being guarded by a large horde of demons. Some of which looked pretty dangerous." He glanced between them. "I think I might be able to level the place." "Wait." The Oracle held up a hand. "Hitting the ritual site with enough magic could cause a number of things to happen. It could simply destroy the spell, but it could also force it to completion." "Might explode." Tal added her own insight. "Or it could explode with enough force to level this district. I would recommend we take a more discreet route." "What did your visions suggest?" Mike asked her. She grimaced slightly. "That''s the problem, they don''t. I can more or less see up till this point, but everything afterwards is foggy. I''m sorry." She lowered her head ashamedly. [I guess it would have been too much to ask for.] The group lapsed into silence for a moment before Brenden spoke. "We need a distraction." Mike nodded his agreement, "Something to draw away the majority of the demons and let us sneak in. If we are lucky, we can get close enough to end the ritual before they even know we''re there." He paused, lost in thought, and was about to speak again when Brenden broke in once more. "Let me do it." "Are you kidding? They''ll swarm you. You''re strong, no doubt about that, but you lack the means of dealing with large numbers. I should be the one to do it." "No," Sera broke in. "We''ll need you to deal with the caster. I don''t mean to insult your friends here, but he''s easily a high Tier 3 mage. The only one with any real chance against him is you, Mike." "Right, so I''m the best choice. Good talk." Brenden stood and started walking towards the warehouse until Mike caught his arm. "I''m not going to let you get yourself killed for this. We can find another way!" The beastman shook him off. "When? We need to stop this now. We can''t afford to wait any longer. They could be finishing this ritual any moment now." "Calm." Tal said, getting between them. "Can do." She said while pointing to herself. The two men looked at her blankly for a second before simultaneously launching into denials. They were interrupted, however, by a cackling burst of laughter from above. A shadowed figure stood on the roof of a nearby warehouse. A figure with a pair of long, curving horns. It spoke in a sultry, feminine voice. "This looks quite fun. You don''t mind if I get involved, do you, boy?" Chapter 72: On the Wave of Disaster The group tensed and quickly fell into a loose formation with Brenden and Mike in the vanguard, but this just seemed to amuse the figure. "Hmm, not bad, although I''m a little surprised to see a non-combatant here. The more the merrier, I suppose." "Who are you and what do you want?" Mike asked. He was starting to grow concerned about the effectiveness of his Detect Hostile Intent skill. It seemed like it never activated when he really needed it. The silky voice answered, "Why, I only want one thing from you." The figure suddenly dropped to the ground, landing with a strangely loud thud, as if the figure was a great deal heavier than her size would indicate. "And that thing is, to check up on my precious junior adventurers." She said while stepping into the light. Mike recognized the pushy redhead from the guild training area, he''d thought she was powerful then, but right now the aura of bloodthirst that surrounded her was almost overpowering. Two curving black horns sprouted from her head, and portions of her skin seemed to be turning red. A large, spiked club rested on one shoulder. Judging from the amount of blood and gore that now speckled her outfit, the woman had evidently been through several battles up to this point, but not a single injury could be seen on her. "Guildmaster!" Brenden exclaimed once the woman had stepped forward into the light. "What are you doing here?" "I could ask you the same thing. What are a bunch of low ranking adventurers doing this deep into enemy territory?" She asked with a slight smirk. Mike thought quickly, trying to come up with a believable excuse, but Sera beat him to it. "I''d heard rumors of demon cult activity down at the docks. A few acquaintances and I were investigating when the invasion occurred. Before we were driven back, we were able to determine that this was the source of the demonic incursion. Somewhere in that building is a fully functional portal to the outer realms." [Wow, she''s really good at this.] "Oh?" The terrifying Rank 9 adventurer said as she rested the full force of her gaze on the Oracle. Sera shriveled slightly in the intensity of that look, but continued on nonetheless. "I was separated from my allies in the confusion of the invasion. These adventurers," She motioned to the other, "saved me from certain death, and they graciously agreed to come here and help me put an end to the demonic incursion." This time the gaze rested on Mike, and he felt like he had suddenly shrunk to the size of an ant. It seemed as if the world echoed with the force of her very voice as she spoke. "I assume you reported something of such an important nature, right?" "Yes," He manged to squeeze out, "James was our leader. We briefed him, and he was supposed to get a message to the Guild." She relaxed, and suddenly it was no longer difficult to breath. "I know James. He''s got a good head on his shoulders. If he approved this mission, he must have had a good reason." She strode forward to look at the demon infested warehouse. "I don''t like that he sent a bunch of newbies to do the work of professionals, but I suppose we''ll just have to work with what we got." Andromeda, known far and wide as the Crimson Disaster, turned back to look at them, a cruel smile in place. "I''m going killing. You coming?" She didn''t wait for a response, but instead merely walked out into the open. It didn''t take long for the demons to spot her, and they started howling an alarm and charging at her in a large mass. As soon as her enemies had congregated, she leapt into the air, forming an arc that brought her to the center of the demon mob. At the last second, she swung her club hard against the ground, with a crack that split the night. The demons closest to the impact site liquefied from the sheer concussive force, bodies unable to withstand the shock waves. Those farther away were crushed by flying debris, or blown meters in every direction. The warehouse was reduced to kindling in an instant. While the flying chunks of demons and broken cobblestones were still raining on the surroundings, the group could only stare in awe at the only person to remain standing in the sudden wave of devastation. "Whoops." She once again turned that crazed smile towards them. "Forgot to leave some for you." [She certainly lives up to her nickname. Kind of anticlimactic, though.] The ground under Andromeda began to tremble. She looked down, unconcernedly, "Hm?" A mouth 10m in diameter erupted from the earth beneath her feet, as a titanic, worm shaped monstrosity exploded into the air. After hovering in the air for a few moments, it slammed back into the ground, disappearing once more. Even though the whole process had only taken a few seconds, it was clear that the creature was hundreds of meters in length. [Evidently, I need to stop thinking. Maybe then, I''ll stop raising flags.] "What, in all that is holy, was that?!" Mike asked while staring at the gaping hole its passage had left. He''d seen a wealth of unusual things since coming to this world, but even that was beyond his expectations. "Some kind of demonic, giant worm. Does it matter? We need to stop that ritual. Now!" Sera answered. As the group started moving towards the shattered remnants of the warehouse, Mike felt bewildered. "Wait, what about the Guildmaster? Shouldn''t we do something?" "As if something like that could make a dent in the Crimson Disaster." Brenden replied, while cutting down a lesser demon that had somehow escaped the onslaught. Almost as if to illustrate his point, there was an explosion a few kilometers to the north, and several chunks of the worm creature could be seen flying through the air. [Going to have to remember to stay on her good side in the future.] "Quickly, down there!" Sera called to them, pointing at a trap door in the ruins of the warehouse. It was visible under a pile of debris, one that took little time to clear. With a yank, Mike pulled it open, revealing a set of stone steps descending into darkness. A powerful, rancid smell washed over them, leaving them gagging. "Ugh, what is that?" Mike asked. "That is the smell of death, rotting meat, and filth." Brenden replied with a distant voice, face emotionless. Mike grimaced, "Sounds like we found the right place then." He looked over at Sera, "So, we need to go down there?" The Oracle nodded, face pale. Bracing himself, Mike took the first step down into the darkness. ----------------------- A titanic impact from a nearby section of the docks knocked Julia off her feat, and only her quick reflexes prevented her from falling into the canal ditch she had been running next to. As she rolled to a stop, she looked around and had to dive into another roll in order to avoid a falling mass. It landed with a ''splat'' next to her, splashing here with a few drops of some fluid. She examined the object, but quickly turned away when it became clear what it was. The severed torso of some kind of humanoid demon lay there, although it was almost unrecognizable with how much damage had been done to it. With quick panicky motions, she tried to wipe the demon''s gore off of her. "Gods! Can this night get any worse?" Suddenly a massive worm shaped creature exploded into the air, curving into an arc over Julia, before it plunged back into the ground. "I really need to keep my mouth shut." She muttered to herself, now fully beyond the point of caring. The situation was just too ridiculous. "..need to stop the ritual. Now!" A youthful feminine voice sounded from nearby. Julia quickly hid in the shadows, and observed the situation. She watched as a group of four people moved into the wreckage of a nearby warehouse, shifted some of the debris aside and revealed a trap door. With a start she realized she recognized one of them. [Its that newbie adventurer bastard! What''s he doing here?] The group stood around talking briefly before descending one by one into the basement. Once they had gone, Julia waited a few minutes before cautiously approaching the trap door. She caught a whiff of the smell leaking up out of the pit, and had to suppress a gag. [Ugh, I can''t believe that they willingly went into that kind of place.] She had begun to question the sanity of some of the people that lived in this city. The sound of footsteps came nearby, and she quickly hid herself again. A short while later, a tall armored warrior strode into view. He was carrying a leather sack in one hand. Julia felt an incredible sense of foreboding about the warrior, and had to resist the urge to flee, as he got closer. The man stopped only when he was near the entrance of the trap door, a few meters away. He glanced around once, before descending into the basement. Once again, Julia waited a few moments to make sure he wasn''t coming back, before she stepped forward to investigate once more, curiosity getting the best of her. "I wonder what''s down there that so many people are interested in." She muttered to herself while cautiously peering into the gloom. Finally her common sense kicked in, and she decided that it would be best to get out of here. [I''m not sure what''s going on, but I think this will all make more sense once I find myself a safe place to hole up for awhile. Preferably one with drinks.] Lost in thought, she didn''t notice the presence behind her until she had turned around, intending to leave the way she had come. A demon resembling a hulking pile of melting wax was standing there, staring at her curiously. A stare she returned briefly. For a moment the pair engaged in a silent staring contest. The demon made the first move. A horrible gash of rotting teeth opened in the region that served as the monster''s head. It emitted a roar, and lurched towards her. Julia did the only sane thing she could manage in the circumstances. She stepped back....right into the yawning pit of the trap door. With a yelp, she fell backwards into the darkness. Chapter 73: Descent into Danger "Looks like the Crimson Disaster not only defeated your distraction, but found the ritual site as well." The shark-toothed woman commented as she watch the wave of destruction through the window. Even out in the harbor, the strength of Andromeda''s strike caused the ship to rock back and forth. She watched the events until a massive worm shaped creature plunged back into the ground with the Guildmaster in its mouth. Turning from the window to regard the other two occupants, she continued, "I don''t think I need to remind you, but if Huzan''s ritual is disrupted, this entire enterprise will all be for naught." "Fear not," Smiler broke in, "The most faithful of my followers stand ready to lay down their lives in defense of the ritual." The woman nodded diplomatically, "That helps, but I don''t think there are many forces in our arsenal that can withstand the full fury of the Crimson Disaster. Our best hope is to continue to distract her until the ritual can be successfully completed." The priest scoffed, "She may struggle as much as she wants, but this is destined. My lord will break free from the shackles of his confinement and unleash his terrible wrath on this plane." He stood and regarded the pair. "However, since this is a sensitive time, I will personally go oversee the completion of the ritual." With that, he strode out the door, moving with a confidence and surety that belongs solely to the fanatical. The shark-toothed woman gave an enigmatic smile as soon as he was gone. "Fool. I wonder what if must feel like to be that blind." She turned to look out the window once more, idly watching as the ruptured corpse of the Leviathan Tartarus Wurm travelled hundreds of meters through the air before crashing back onto the ground. "You know, Garl, even should this particular scheme fail, it will merely delay our plans. We''ll succeed eventually, it''s just a matter of time." She glanced back at him with her pitch black eyes, "We have an eternity, after all." Garl growled in frustration, "You say that, but it is not you that has to answer to the leader. It is not you that will have to reclaim our distributed resources, nor oversee that pull back of our forces in the face of the inevitable investigation. It is not you that has to wake in this twisted wreckage of a body every single day!" Silence descended in the room, as the shark-toothed woman returned to staring out of the window. Trying to find the right words, she was about to speak when Garl suddenly exclaimed angrily. She glanced over at the map in time to see a trio of green dots and a purple one disappear next to the entrance to the ritual site. "Huh, they used their strongest asset as a distraction to allow another team to disrupt the ritual. An interesting strategy, but with an Oracle in tow, it must have been the best available to them." Garl stood, now deep in the grip of a cold fury, "Even if I have to pull his soul back from the Abyss, I will make Nash regret ever failing me!" He was so infuriated by the failure of his squad of Chosen, that he completely missed it when the next two dots, one red and one green, disappeared in the same location, one after the other. ----------- The adventurers descended in darkness until Mike summoned a small ball of fire to illuminate their path. Its light reflected off of the moisture-slickened walls of the passage. The air was cold, clammy, and thick with the cloying scent of rot and decay. Only the sounds of their footsteps, muffled by the humidity, broke the silence. Descending down the passageway felt a great deal like entering some ancient crypt. Before long the group reached the bottom of the staircase, and walked into a long corridor ending in a simple archway. Beyond it, there was only darkness. Now they could hear the screeching, scrabbling noises that seemed to constantly surround the hordes of lesser demons, but distantly, as if they were behind some barrier or wall. Cautiously, they approached the archway, Mike leading. As they got closer, the sounds of the demons grew louder. Finally, Mike rounded the corner, and found himself in a large circular room with a high, vaulted ceiling. Judging from the worn and crumbling nature of the stonework this chamber had been here a long time. He initially figured that it must have been part of some old sewer system, but then recalled that there didn''t appear to be any such thing in this world. The near universal availability of Lifestyle Magic meant that there was little need for the kind of complex sanitation systems Mike was used to. There were a number of interesting social ramifications that he felt would be worth exploring when he had the time, but in this case he had more important things to worry about. A large set of wooden double doors blocked the only other exit from the chamber, and judging from the sounds of it, the demonic horde would soon be crashing through it. Glancing around, there didn''t appear to be any place to hide, and running back the way they came would take too much time. "Alright everyone, get ready. We''re going to have to fight our way through this one. I''ll attack first and try to cut their numbers down." The adventurers fell into two loose ranks with Mike and Brenden in front of Tal and Sera. Summoning his mana, Mike began the chant for Fireball, but was interrupted by Tal. "Need control. Too much mana. Collapse ceiling." She said in her typical emotionless voice, although he thought he detected a hint of panic in it. "Right." He agreed while straining the limits of his concentration to channel the thinnest trickle of mana into his chant. It proved difficult to control fully, since the spell seemed to require a minimum supply of energy to be completed, but he finally summoned a tiny flicker of flame. It floated a few centimeters from the palm of his hand, straining to be let free. When the doors creaked open, he released it. The tiny speck of fire flew over the heads of a crowd of lesser demons that was pushing into the room. With a subdued ''thud'' it detonated somewhere further down the hallway, filling the passage with a deadly wash of heat and light. While the majority of the horde had been dealt with, a few dozen had pushed far enough into the room to escape the worst of the blast. Although they were slightly stunned by the explosion, the demons remained a lethal threat. Or at least they would have been for ''normal'' low ranking adventurers. Brenden tore into the leading elements, sword blurring in broad eviscerating strokes that shattered their rudimentary ranks. Tal unleashed a hail of wind blades to decimate the remaining demons. Only one of their enemies, a demon that looked a bit like a furry crab, succeeded in escaping the initial onslaught, but a swift kick from Mike flung it against the far wall with a splat. Not for the first time, Sera found herself wondering at the destructive power of this particular trio. It was strange to think that they had only started adventuring recently. Once it was clear, Mike motioned the group forward, once again taking the lead. With the door open, they could hear the sounds of rhythmic chanting in the distance. Judging from the lack of response, it seemed that the ritual casters either didn''t hear the brief combat, or where in some way unable to respond to it. Both cases boded well for the adventurers, as they continued as stealthily as possible. The tunnel seemed to slant even further underground, and the air began to grow uncomfortably warm. Combined with the ambient humidity, it was a few steps away from being unbearable to the majority of the group. Mike, thanks to his Salamander''s Cloak, didn''t even notice the difference. After a few minutes of walking the passageway opened up into another large chamber, this time it was clear that human hands had not shaped it. They found themselves in a vast cavern which spanned hundreds of meters in every direction. Illuminated by flickering lights of varied colors and littered with stalactites and stalagmites, the room was filled with dancing shadows that bent and twisted in an almost hypnotic fashion. Near the center of the cavern a haphazard pyramid of piled stones formed a crude altar. Dozens of humanoid figures repeatedly prostrated themselves before it, chanting an ominous hymn that Mike couldn''t quite make out. In front of the altar, a man dressed in ragged black robes was worshipping an idol of sorts, just looking at it made Mike uncomfortable. As if he were starting into some vast abyss. Two, glowing portals sat on either side of the altar. Vertical slashes in the fabric of reality, from which a continuous flood of demons poured forth. Sera gasped, and pointed towards a group of robed figures near one of the portals. Specifically, at one of the figures who was wearing a white robe embroidered with golden lettering. "That''s the ritual caster. If we can defeat him, the city will be saved." She whispered to the group. "Looks like this might be a tough one." Mike answered grimly. "Need caution. Altar ritual site. Limit magic." Tal added her analysis. Mike nodded, "Alright, everyone get ready. We''re going in." Chapter 74: Crushing the Cataclysm The idol flashed once, and suddenly the room was filled with the hum of some unseen power. A hum that seemed to steadily grow louder. The white-robed summoner raised his hands in exultation, revealing that his hands were covered in black gloves, and his face was obscured by a faceless white mask. The adventurers moved swiftly towards the altar while attempting to remain unseen. Their intrusion had gone unnoticed, or at least so it seemed, until a cold voice rang out from the man standing in front of the tattered congregation. "Welcome, interlopers. You are just in time to see the culmination of decades of work. Tremble in awe at the majesty-" He was interrupted by a javelin made of hardened stone which impaled him. Eyes wide with shock, the priest stared down at the weapon, and was able to squeeze out one last gasp before collapsing backwards onto the altar. "Get them!" An angry voice called from the mass of worshipers, inspiring a howl of rage, as they charged across the cavern in a disorganized mob. "Look what you did! Now they are furious!" Sera yelled at Mike. "He started monologuing! You can''t expect me to pass up that kind of opportunity! He was basically asking to be killed." Mike replied defensively, as he blocked a blow from one of the cultists before decapitating him with the follow through. [This isn''t as bad as I thought. I wonder if it has something to do with my increased Willpower.] He had initially expected to have some hesitation when it came to killing other humans, but besides some mild emotional discomfort, it didn''t really bother him. He idly wondered if that might be a problem. "Mike has a point. Stopping to give a speech in the middle of a life or death battle is foolishness." Brenden added while fighting off a trio of the cultists. He cut down two of them with quick efficient sweeps of his sword, and was about to finish off the last one, when an skeletally thin demon with long, wicked claws launched itself at him from the shadows. Brenden tried to pull back, but the surprise attack had been too unexpected, and he had yet to regain his balance. Bracing himself for the blow, he was shocked when a spike of earth passed over his right shoulder and skewered the oncoming demon. "Focus. Surrounded." Tal called from the rear of the formation, already starting another chant. "Does anyone see the ritual caster?" Mike yeled while killing another of the cultists. He''d noticed that his sword had a tendency to thrum in apparent pleasure every time it took the life of a human, and he was beginning to get unnerved by it. "By the portal on the right!" Sera said while pointing. Mike caught a glimpse of the white, embroidered robe in the distance, but the cultists, and an increasing horde of demons stood in the way. If they continued like this, they''d eventually be overrun. [Its time for something flashy!] "I see him. Everyone get back, I''m going to make us a path!" "Careful. Ritual site." Tal called while pulling in behind him. "I know." Mike replied while pulling forth a rush of mana. He pushed his left hand down towards the ground, summoning a low wall of water. Raising his hand, Mike sent the wall more power, causing it to rise to the height of nearly 30 meters. The cultists and the demons alike had stopped to watch the proceedings. Had it not been for the wall blocking their view, the adventurers might have seen the moment when they realized what was coming, and started running back, trying to seek cover. Mike thrust his hand forward, and the wall collapsed into a tidal wave that crashed down on the accumulated enemies, crushing them beneath a vast weight of water. The roar of the ocean filled the cavern as the wave pushed through the rock formations to slam into one of the portals, leaving broken bodies in it''s wake. Evidently the wave did something to disrupt the spell that was keeping it open, since as soon as it had passed, the portal closed with a shrieking sound that resembled nails on a chalkboard. One section of the wave was halted, however, as a wedge made of transparent force popped into existence. It knifed through the water, protecting the white-robed ritual caster. Once the wave had subsided the wedge vanished leaving its creator to walk forward unscathed. Mike noticed with some disgust, that he hadn''t even gotten wet. The ritual caster spoke with a oily, slippery voice. "Huzan finds your magic sad. Wasteful, wasteful. Huzan thinks you need to stop making magic sad." [Great, not only is he insane, but he speaks in the third person. This will be an annoying fight.] Mike used Appraise. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Huzan Race: Human/? Age: 267 Class: Grand Abyssal Summoner Tier: 3 Title: The Bridge Between Worlds -------------- [Is that age a typo? Nevertheless, this guy seems like he''ll be tough.] Mike''s instincts were telling him that getting in close was the best way to deal with the enemy. He had a sneaking suspicion that if they ended up in duel of spellcasting, he''d be outmatched. "Brenden you take the left, I''ll take the right. Tal keep an eye on Sera and watch our backs. We''ll catch him in a pincer attack." The group jumped into action, as the two sword-wielders broke off and started running through the stalagmites. Huzan laughed as if he found their ideas quaint. "Huzan thinks you underestimate him. Huzan is never alone. Let Huzan introduce his friends." He simply snapped his fingers and three magic formations appeared on the ground. Mike had a flash of foreboding as monstrous shapes appeared in each of them. A demon that looked like a 3m tall man with the head of a bull and wielding a large axe, appeared first. [Minotaur? Really?] With a bloodthirsty roar, the creature threw itself at Brenden, not bothering to weave through the rocky terrain, but simply smashing its way though it. The ease with which it managed to do so demonstrated a truly monstrous strength. Next was a serpentine creature with the upper body of a praying mantis, and the lower body of a snake. With darting, difficult to track movements, it slid in the direction of Tal and Sera. Mike was about to make a move in their direction, when the third demon launched itself at him. I was a confusing amalgamation of tentacles and fanged maws, it released a strange moaning sound while it attacked. Somehow the noise got into his head, making it difficult to concentrate, and as a result his responses were dull. A tentacle wrapped around his neck, and dragged him towards one of the ravening mouths. As it did so, more of the tentacles latched on to him. "Huzan sees that his friend likes you. Huzan hopes you like his friend''s stomach." Gritting his teeth, Mike planted one boot on the creature''s body to halt his forward momentum. The moaning noise was making it hard to even think. An image, or perhaps an idea, entered his mind. He saw himself relaxing and being drawn into the demon''s mouth. The sharp, jagged teeth bit down and drew him even deeper. Rather than pain or disgust, the idea left him feeling calm and contented. Maybe he should give in, it would be so much more relaxing to just- He felt the familiar snap of some internal limitation as he acquired a new skill. Suddenly the creature''s moaning just sounded like noise, and he wanted nothing more than to stop it for good. "Screw you and your friend." Mike growled at the caster while channeling mana. With a downward sweep of his hand, one of the stalactites from the cavern''s ceiling detached and plummeted onto the tentacle monster, spearing it to the ground. "Huzon is surprised. Huzon did not think you could resist the call of the Malmornoth, but your magic is still sad. Huzon thinks you should give up and accept death. Yes, that is the best choice. Huzon sees that your friend already knows this." There was a thud, Brenden collided with a distant rock formation, shattering it. He struggled to his feet, and had just managed to do so, when a giant foot slammed into his abdomen. The unfortunate beastman was sent flying once more, with the Minotaur demon chasing after. He looked back to check on the woman, and saw the praying mantis demon beating on an earthen wall, while Tal and Sera sheltered behind it. [This is bad. I''m not sure how much longer we can last like this.] He focused his gaze on Huzon. [If I take the summoner out, it should stop the summons, right?] Mike pulled free of the dying demon and threw himself towards the ritual caster with a blast of Air Magic. With a yell he brought his sword down on the summoner, or at least he tried. With a quick activation of some magic circle, Huzon slid back a good 5m before shooting into the air. [Of course he can fly.] "Huzon thinks it''s time to get serious. Let Huzon show you what real magic is like." The caster began chanting quietly under his breath. Mike couldn''t catch the words, but the movement of power in the room made him feel on edge. With a wave of his hand, he threw a blast of air, hoping to disrupt whatever spell the caster was trying to use. However, Huzon merely lifted a hand and a hemisphere of force appeared completely negating the effect. With a triumphant note in his voice Huzon announced the completion of his spell. "Eldritch Missile Barrage." Dozens of magic circles appeared in the air around the summoner, each glowing with with a purple light. [S***! I''m not going to be able to dodge this.] Mike started gathering mana to create a defense, already fearing that he was too late. With a flick of his hand, Huzon activated his spell sending a deadly wave down at Mike, and his every instinct screamed at him to get away. Chapter 75: The Other Side Tal was trying very hard not to be sick. Ever since the group had entered the cavern, it had become increasingly difficult to focus, as riotous streams of mana were sucked into the gaping black abyss that hovered over the altar. Worse, however, were the screams of terror and pain that arose from the squirming souls of those who had been killed since the start of the battle. The dark ritual the Cabal used to steal a portion of their essence prior to their re-entry into the cycle of reincarnation fueled the growing tear in the fabric of the universe. Not for the first time, Tal felt a tinge of regret for the pact that gave her Spirit Sight. As much as she treasured her bond with the ghost, seeing the world through a spirit''s eyes was often a little too overwhelming for a mortal mind. It gave her the ability to perceive the otherwise invisible passage of mana through the world, the souls of the dead, and even those spirits that were either too weak or too shy to take on a visible form. Unfortunately, it took her quite some to get used to her new field of view. Had Mike been privy to her vision, he would have said it looked like an animated version of a Van Gogh painting, done in chaotic, almost nonsensical colors. After a day spent in existential agony, Tal was able to control her sight to a limited extent, but certain stimuli still overwhelmed her. Prior to the cavern, the worst she had experienced was when Mike was throwing his power around at the barricade. Each time he''d called forth some new brute force application of magic, it had left her temporarily disoriented. Something that had prevented her from contributing much to the battle. That said, Mike''s mana was almost refreshing in its purity. If not for the ridiculous intensity it acquired when he released it, Tal would have almost found the experience pleasant. The cavern was different. The mana here had been tainted by the foulness of the Cabal''s ritual. Even descending the stairs into the subterranean complex had been a trial, as the act made her feel as if she was sinking into a pool of raw sewage. By the time the adventurers reached the ritual site, it was all she could do to maintain her focus, as a pounding headache and near constant waves of nausea left her virtually helpless. She was debating about relating her condition to the others when they were discovered. In his typically reckless fashion, Mike started the fight, throwing a stone spear at a priest-like figure that seemed to be leading one portion of the ritual. Surprisingly, the attack succeeded in slaying the man, which inspired his flock to seek vengeance. Initially, she''d hoped that the sneak attack disrupted some aspect of the ritual, but Tal could only watch in horror as the priest''s life and soul were ripped out and fed to the terrible abyss that hung before the idol, causing it to grow in size. As her companions started cutting their way through the cultists, a similar phenomenon occurred. Evidently, the deaths of the faithful seemed to power the ritual in a far greater capacity. They needed to- Tal was momentarily distracted by the need to save Brenden from a demon''s attack. The beastman had been bantering with Mike, and had been caught off guard when a skeletal demon had emerged from the nearby shadows. It seemed like the omnipresent scent of decay was deceiving his normally excellent senses. One positive aspect of her current condition was the ability to see mana dependent creatures like demons, even when they are concealed from normal sight. "Focus. Surrounded." She made sure to warn the group about the other enemies that were creeping closer. She returned to analyzing the ritual''s construction. As much as it made nauseous to even look at the thing, Tal needed to try and understand it if she hoped to disable it. Of course, Mike chose this exact opportunity to try something flashy. She managed to give him a quick reminder to not disrupt the ritual site magically, but was still overwhelmed by the effects of the tidal wave he summoned and threw at their enemies. It succeeded in killing or immobilizing the vast majority of them, but sometimes she wished that he would use more precise and controlled methods. As the group engaged the ritual caster, Tal once again tried to study the site in question. She wasn''t sure, but it looked like it was locational in nature, and used the strange idol as a focal point. If that was the case, simply removing or destroying it would stop the ritual. She planned on informing the rest of the party about her discovery, but a demon attack stopped her. The odd amalgamation of insect and serpent moved with ridiculous speed for a being of its size, blurring between the rocks with a supernatural grace. It was mostly by luck that she was able to fend off the creature''s first few blows. "Stay behind." Tal told Sera, already shielding the Oracle with an arm. The serpent demon hissed in a disconcerting manner, and promptly vanished. For the vast majority of viewers, it would have been invisible, luckily Tal had just the right skill to still see it. So, when the creature went in for an attack at an unexpected angle, she was able to summon an earthen wall to block it. The demon, no longer invisible, started hacking away at the wall with its mantis arms. Tal was trying to come up with a plan to counter attack, when a sudden surge of mana from Mike''s fight gave her a case of vertigo. At first she thought he must have attempted some other ridiculous magical stunt, but it quickly became apparent that the origin of the spell was from a far darker source. As she heard the caster finish his spell, she quickly reinforced her earth wall with as much mana as her contracted spirit could spare, and hunkered down with Sera. The entire world seemed to shake as dozens of explosions rocked the cavern, destroying many the stalagmites and sending shards of debris raining in every direction. As soon as the rumbling faded, Tal was back on her feet, warily tracking the serpent demon''s now sluggish movements. Evidently it had been caught in its master''s attack. "MIKE!" Sera screamed from behind her, staring worriedly at the cloud of dust that had formed near the base of the altar. Tal laid a reassuring hand on the girl''s shoulders. "Don''t worry. Still alive." Even though her vision was still reeling from the blow of the caster''s spell, the subtle connection that had formed ever since her new title had appeared confirmed that the young man was still very much alive. She just hoped they all lived long enough to get an explanation out of him. Watching the serpent demon already regenerating the damage it had sustained, Tal knew she had to act fast. The opportunity created by the friendly fire incident was simply too good to pass up. The demon was too quick for the majority of her spells, and too resilient for the rest, so she would have to use a recently acquired ability. Tal concentrated on her newest pact, and brought forth the spirit of the ancient elf that now served as her eyes. The grey colored shade was largely featureless, more of a silhouette or an outline than anything else, but its aura of easy confidence and gentle warmth reassured her. She spoke in the Elder Tongue, "Revered ancestor. I humbly beg you, take the promised price and aid us. Rend the mind of the beast before us, and render it an ally to our cause. Let it turn upon its former master." The shade seemed to hesitate, but nodded in silent acquiescence. It became even more transparent, elongating until resembled a wisp of smoke. Moving in a steady, sinuous manner it sunk into the head of the demon. At first there didn''t seem to be any effect, but after a few moments the beast halted, and shook its insectoid head as if to clear its primitive thoughts. Then, it started to shudder uncontrollably, as the battle for the control of its body started. She sighed in relief, now that the spirit was no longer inhabiting her, the cavern was merely unpleasant, and no longer intolerable. A tingling started forming at the edges of her eyes. A pair of hands gripped her arm, and she turned to look back at the Oracle, only to see her smiling in joy. Following her gaze Tal saw the dust had cleared from the space near the altar, revealing Mike completely unharmed by the barrage, a sphere of force surrounding him. With a hint of a smile forming on her lips, the elf burned the sight of her defiant companion into her mind. Her vision had already started to fade, narrowing as the void seemed to eat away at its edges. The last thing she saw before darkness engulfed her, was Mike grinning triumphantly. "Sera, listen. Key. Stop ritual...." ------------------------------------------------------------- As the explosions ceased, Mike opened his eyes to see that the Salvation Stone had delivered on its initial promises. [Holy s***, that was close. I''m glad I remembered this item at the last second. Gotta thank Kaya the next time I run into her. Now, let''s see, how do I get this thing to move again?] He felt the sphere rise into the air a bit, finding that all it took was a little mental direction. As the dust cloud settled around him, he made a few experimental moves. He realized that he could channel mana into the spell to make it move faster. Grinning, he decided to test the full limits of this item before it was expended. He shot out of the remains of the dust cloud, moving as fast as it would let him. Huzan gave a surprised squawk as the sphere slammed into him with the force of a wrecking ball, sending him careening through the air for dozens of meters, before he collided with a stalactite. The now disheveled mage barely managed to get his wits about him before another collision sent him spinning once more, this time smashing through one of the rocky formations. Taking a quick look around to see that Tal had somehow disabled her opponent, the snake looked like it was going through convulsions, and that a now fur-covered Brenden was tearing into his own opponent, Mike felt much more assured. "Now let''s see. Should I call this Mage Pinball, or perhaps Wizard Billiards?" He chuckled to himself while sending his sphere forward. Chapter 76: Clearing the Streets After bouncing around the cavern for a while, Mike ended up simply raising the sphere of force up into the air and falling back down repeatedly on the prone form the ritual caster. He''d learned very quickly that, although the Salvation Stone protected him from harm, it also prevented him from influencing anything outside of the sphere. He couldn''t figure out any way to cancel the effect. Even his magic was blocked by the ball of force, so he had to rely on simple physics to do the work for him. Thus, Mike made the most of the time the Salvation Stone was active, crushing the ritual caster repeatedly with the sphere. Huzan had been reduced to little more than a limp sack, not even able to defend himself from the constant punishment. When the stone''s effect finally wore off, Mike was left standing over the crater that had formed under the repeated impacts. The mage had been forced into a vaguely humanoid shaped hole at the bottom of the impact site, and was lying still, looking dead to the world. Not wanting to take any chances, Mike drove the point of his blade into the mage''s midsection. It slid through the white robes like a knife through tissue paper, and easily sunk into the ground underneath him. "Huzan is surprised. Huzan didn''t think you could make your magic even sadder, but you did. Huzan weeps for your magic." A steady flow of mana arose from the caster''s body, and sensing danger, Mike jumped back. Unseen blades of force whipped the surrounding area, creating deep fissures in the sides of the crater. One of them caught Mike on the leg, laying it open to the bone and flinging him away with its force. He slid to a halt after traveling about 10 meters. He sent some mana to the injury to speed up the healing process, already feeling a little light-headed from the blood loss, and turned to face the mage. Huzan was flying again, slowly rising out of the crater. The caster was surrounded with a crackling aura of purple lightning. No blood flowed from the gaping hole in his torso, and the reason why soon became apparent. The mage''s white mask, already cracked from the violence of the last few minutes, finally broke. The falling shards revealed Huzan''s face, or at least what should have been his face. The mage''s head was composed of dozens of giant, squirming leeches. Their sharp toothed, circular mouths occasionally showing through the press of their black, bulbous, glistening bodies. Mike watched in horrified fascination as the caster spoke by vibrating some of the worms in the area that should have been a mouth. Without his mask, the voice was hollow and buzzing, a bit like when someone talked through an electric fan. "Huzan apologizes for Huzan''s appearance. Huzan knows it''s upsetting to you sad flesh bags. Don''t worry, Huzan will make it better." As the creature spoke, one of its component leeches fell onto its chest, before slowly inching its way back up to the robe''s neckline. The mage spread its arms wide, and six bizarrely twisted magic circles formed in the air around him. "Huzan hopes that your death will be a quick one." From each of the circles, sinuous forms emerged. Easily two meters wide, they emerged from the formations like the feelers of some horrible sea creature. Fanged mouths covered much of the creatures'' lengths. They were vaguely reminiscent of the tentacle demon Mike had fought earlier. Each of the six eel-like appendages terminated in an elongated, almost crocodilian, set of jaws. As one, the creatures shot forward towards Mike, forcing him to jump back as hard as he could to evade. Huzan floated forward bringing the circles with him, and started laughing manically. "Huzan loves it when the run! Run! Run, little mouse. Give Huzan a good chase." [Weapons don''t seem to work on this guy, so I will have to use magic to finish him off. I need to lure him away from the altar so I can blast him.] Dodging and weaving through the stalagmites, Mike succeeded in buying some time and distance from the altar, but the increasing whine of power in the air suggested that he needed to find a quicker solution. Distracted by this he let himself be worked into a corner, unable to evade everyone of the coming attacks. Mike blocked one of the mouths with his sword, jamming the flat of the blade against its upper jaw while allowing the force of the blow to move him. Although he managed to avoid being bitten, he underestimated the creature''s strength, and therefore wasn''t ready when the monster pushed him into the air, throwing clear to one end of the cavern. "S***!" Mike yelled while quickly trying to slow his flight with Air Magic. He still impacted the cavern wall with bone jarring force. Coughing, he reevaluated his situation. Seeing the laughing spell caster floating towards him with the eels in tow, he figured he''d succeeded in the first of his objectives. [Now I just need a way to land a solid blow. I''m pretty sure a good fireball with do the trick, but if he uses that force shield thing again, I''m going to be in trouble. I need a distraction.] Mike held his ground, trying to think of a way to bypass the mage''s defenses. [I guess I''ll just try it and hope for the best¡­..how does that chant go again?] Relying on his admittedly faulty memory, Mike started chanting under his breath. "I let thee free. Dance in thy fleeting luminescence¡­" "No longer feeling like running? Huzan understands. Huzan would also give up in your situation." The cluster of leeches that served as the caster''s head nodded sagely. "Huzan will take your life now," and with a gesture he sent all six eels charging towards Mike, encircling him and giving him no route of escape, save one. "¡­your eternal fury, [Fireball]!" Mike poured as much mana as he could into the spell as he sprinted forward narrowly avoiding the thrashing jaws of the eel monsters. Holding tight to the watermelon sized ball of flame, he moved till he was directly underneath the mage. "Huzan questions your intelligence," the leech monster said while raising its right hand to once again summon the shield of force. "Huzan feels sorry for your magic, it is so...eh? " The caster''s right arm flopped to the ground, its component leeches screeching a death cry. Not sure what happened, but not wanting to waste the opportunity, Mike unleashed his spell, willing it upwards with all of his mental might. The fireball flew until it was level with a still distracted Huzan. The caster had time for one more confused, "Eh?" before it detonated. ---------- Commander Barnes of the Wyrport Guard was in a sorry state. His troops had been decimated by the repeated waves of demon attacks. Only the timely intervention of a ragged band of ''sailors,'' who continued to maintain that there business in the city was completely legitimate, had saved them from complete destruction. Regardless of their origins, Barnes needed all the help he could get. Too many of his men were injured, and the next wave could very well be their last. When he heard the roar of the incoming demons, his heart sank. If it had been a collection of Kal class with a few higher tier demons mixed in, they might have survived. However, from the sounds of it, there enemy was bringing in the elites to finish the job. A formation of Legion demons appeared in the misty streets, marching in unison. The blue skinned humanoids were large, heavily muscled, and disciplined. Equipped with weapons and armor made of Bloodsteel, they would be the match for most mortal armies even in the best of times. Barnes knew the only sane option would be to retreat, but doing so would expose the flanks of the other defensive units. He was faced with a terrible decision. Fall back and save what was left of his troops, or stand his ground in the hopes of reinforcements arriving in time. Captain Bont, the leader of the ''sailors'' walked up to him in a jaunty manner. He''d maintained a sanguine attitude throughout the night, even when his own men had been dying under the claws of the demon horde. "So what be the plan, Commander? It looks we''re in for a mess o'' trouble." He asked while aimlessly twisting his braided blonde beard in one hand, the other was still tucked into his sword belt. Barnes took a deep breath before replying. "We will make our stand here, Captain. I do not have high expectations of survival, so, it would be a great help to me if you could fall back, and take the worst of the wounded with you." "Let me stop you there. Me boys are no cowards, to run in the face of a good fight. I say we give these blue bastards a thrashing that they will never forget." "Are you certain? Even if you stay, our situation is grim." He gave the Commander a grin, showing off several gold teeth. "There be only one thing I fear, and it ain''t demons. I be with you Commander, until this night is through." Touched, Barnes could only nod in response. By this point the demons had approached within a few dozen meters. Soon they would be charging. Clapping the ''sailor'' on the shoulder, he stood to address his weary troops. "To the line, men! We fight now to hold back the tide of darkness that threatens to sweep over our city. Stand firm, and shows these demons that might of Wyrport!" "FOR WYRPORT!" The men cheered as they braced themselves for the demonic assault. With a unified roar that seemed to shake the shake the foundations of the nearby buildings, the Legion Demons broke into a run. "This is it! Hold the line!" Barnes called, taking up his position. He was still bracing the haft of his halberd when the world erupted in flame. A column of fire at least 20 meters thick exploded out of the ground, engulfing the Legion demons in a raging inferno. Shattered chunks of rock were hurled dozens of meters into the air, before raining down on distant buildings. As quickly as it started, the cataclysmic event ceased, leaving a vast, sizzling pit in the ground, surrounded by a ring of molten rock. Nothing remained of the Legion demons save a few scorched body parts that had been thrown free in the chaos. Looking around at his men, and seeing his own stunned expression reflected in theirs, Barnes could only say one thing. "Eh?" The Captain burst into uproarious laughter. ------------- Mike sagged under the weight of mana exhaustion. He had really underestimated how much effort it had taken to control and redirect the explosion. Inspecting the effects of his spell, he was slightly surprised to see stars at the other end of the tunnel he had made. Evidently he had punched a hole to the surface. With some effort, he got to his feet, and looked around to check on the rest of the group. He couldn''t see Brenden, but Tal and Sera seemed to be alright, although the elf was acting a little odd. He also noticed that the other portal had vanished, evidently disrupted by the violence of his spell. The Oracle was yelling at him from the other side of the cavern. "The idol! We have to move the idol!" She emphasized this by pointing in the direction of the altar. [Ah, she must have had a vision. I guess killing the ritual caster wasn''t enough.] He''d begun to turn and start running towards the obscene religious site, when he caught a glimpse of something metallic out of the corner of his eye. He looked back at the two women, and in a panic changed directions towards them, already knowing he''d be too late. The armored bulk of the Chosen leader stood behind the still oblivious Oracle, war hammer raised and ready to strike. Utterly helpless to prevent it, he could only watch as the weapon was brought down. There was a clang of metal on metal. Chapter 77: The Point of No Return With a clang, Brenden blocked the Chosen''s strike, and was driven to his knees by the force. His transformation had worn off, and he was clearly exhausted. For a moment they struggled, strength against strength, until Nash broke the standstill. The warrior lifted the pressure on his hammer, momentarily throwing the beastman off balance, before driving an armored knee into Brenden''s side, sending him sprawling. Sera pulled Tal out of the way of the fight. The elf was acting unusual, almost as if she couldn''t see what was going on. As Nash raised his hammer again, this time seeking to bring it down on Brenden, he was forced to take a step back to avoid Mike''s sword, which had been hurled in a desperate attempt to stop him. Throwing himself forward to cover the last few meters between them, Mike launched into a flying kick, which the Chosen neatly avoided by once again stepping back. Nevertheless, he had achieved his goal of forcing the warrior away from his vulnerable companions. Nash growled in thwarted rage, "Whelp, I will teach a new meaning of the word pain." He whipped his hammer in a series of devastating attacks. Unarmed, Mike could only defend himself until he could either find or make an opening. Nash wasn''t as fast or strong as Keld, but his motions were controlled, methodical. It was proving difficult to hold his ground in the face of such skill. Mike was beginning to get desperate, they didn''t have time to deal with a battle of attrition. Thankfully, something completely unexpected happened, which gave him the opening he needed. "AHHH! Why does this keep happening to me?!" A female cat beastman dressed in grey leathers came sprinting into the room, blowing right past the two combatants. A giant, fire-red wasp followed swiftly after her, buzzing angrily in the process. Mike couldn''t quite remember, but something about the woman seemed familiar. All five of them, including Brenden, who had struggled into a sitting position, turned to watch as the woman led the insect on a merry chase through the stalagmites. Recovering quickly, Mike used this opportunity to throw himself into a diving roll, grabbing his sword in the process. Rather than once again engaging in battle, Nash chose to step back once more, and surprisingly lowered his war hammer. The warrior left no openings, but it was clear that he had something else in mind. The Chosen pulled a simple wooden box bound with iron chains from a leather bag that had been strapped to his back. As he did so, it seemed that the hum of power in the room momentarily diminished. At the edges of his hearing, Mike thought he detected a rhythmic beating, like the sound of a heartbeat. The light, already weaker now that the portals were closed, faded briefly, shrouding the cavern in darkness. A feeling of dread pervaded the room, seemingly stemming from the box. As Nash broke the chain, cracking it easily with his hands, the sensation intensified. Nash spoke in reverent tones, briefly losing his focus, "Behold, mortals! The Heart of Khor! Kneel before its might!" A wash of evil energy burst from the box, bathing the surrounding area in a harsh, reddish-black light. Mike felt his strength drain rapidly. Whatever was coming needed to be stopped soon. Mike struck at the box, moving faster than he ever had before. His blade passed cleanly through the box, cutting it in half, and severing a portion of Nash''s hand in the process. A glob of reddish gore mingled with the black liquid that made up the interior of the Chosen''s armor. There was a sudden flash of dark red light. Nash cried out in horror. "No! What have you done, you fool?!" He frantically tried to claw the effected gauntlet off with his free hand, but it was evidently too late. Red, snaking lines of power moved up the Chosen''s arm, cracking the armor they passed through. Nash began to spasm, and unleashed a primordial howl of pain and anguish, as if his very essence was being torn asunder. When the lines finally reached his head, the scream mercifully ended, and his jerking motions ceased. Slowly, the Chosen rose from the crouching position he''d assumed in his agony. It was clear that he had been fundamentally changed. His armor had become a jigsaw of broken pieces, seemingly held together by glowing streams of red light that pulsed in time with some unheard heartbeat. Two blood colored embers stared out from the visor of Nash''s helmet. It raised one of its gauntleted hands, as if examining it. The creature that once was the Chosen spoke in a deep guttural voice using a language that no one save Mike understood. "Kor o losh kaveel." (What a poor excuse for a body.) "Miak teln fe bol." (It can barely hold a fraction of my soul.) The creature scanned the cavern, as if noticing its surroundings for the first time. When its gaze turned to Mike, he felt a creeping dread fill his very being. This thing was dangerous. It seemed to address Mike, "Ilytio mish kavint qio bontame." (Your body is acceptable. Yield it to me.) The adventurer was stunned momentarily. He knew it was neither the time nor place, but he couldn''t help but feel that he''d just been propositioned by some ancient evil. He shook his head in refusal, trying to clear the idea of armor burn out of his mind. "Utish falko nonti." (It was not a request.) Mike felt the full weight of the creature''s will press against his own, driving him to his knees. The pressure was nearly unbearable, and only his newly enhanced Willpower kept him from breaking entirely. The thing inhabiting the Chosen''s body stepped forwards and reached a hand out towards Mike, increasing the mental pressure. "Kavint" (Yield) Suddenly, the feeling was gone, and in its place was a soothing calm. The sensation was familiar, and Mike recalled that moment back in the dungeon when he had touched something unfathomable. Once again free to move, he whipped his sword in a horizontal slash. Without any real effort, the demon thing caught the blade in one hand. "Jok lorki." (Then die.) The armored creature grabbed Mike by an arm and hurled him, causing him to crash through multiple stalactites before finally impacting against the cavern wall. The thing causally walked over to Nash''s discarded war hammer, and, not sparing a glance for the other adventurers, picked the weapon up. It blurred into motion heading towards the youth''s landing site. Pulling himself out of the crater that he''d made, Mike analyzed the situation. The calming sensation was still in effect, and it aided him in quickly comprehending his situation. [This seems like a form of enhancement magic. Perhaps a water version that improves Willpower or another mental attribute.] He saw the red glow of his opponent drawing closer as he got to his feet. [I know I vowed to be less reliant on it, but now would be a great time for a Limit Break, System.] A System message popped up almost immediately. [Limit Break currently on cooldown. Time remaining: 67 days.] [I guess I pushed it a bit too much last time. I wonder how it determines cooldown times?] Setting aside the question for a later time, he evaded the initial strike from the war hammer. Quickly pumping some of his remaining mana into his limbs to enhance his strength through Fire Magic, he launched his counter attack. ------------------- Sera watched nervously as Mike engaged in a furious exchange of blows with the possessed Chosen. He was wrapped in the orange glow of his enhancement magic, but his eyes shone blue. Whatever the origin of this new ability, it was evidently allowing him to fight with the thing on even terms. However, she had more important things to worry about. A point of utter darkness had started forming in the space above the altar. The Cabal''s ritual was nearing completion despite everything they had done so far. Sera began running. If she pushed herself, she thought she could make it in time. However, she was only halfway there when speck of black had enlarged to several meters across. There was a kind of glossy film or veil across void, which it seemed was some kind of portal. The thin layer began to bulge, as if under some pressure from behind it. As she watched, the darkness clad arm from her vision strained against the veil. She needed to move faster if she wanted to prevent the future she had foreseen. An angry buzzing approached from her right warned her of the approaching danger. She dropped to the floor as the giant wasp blew past her, stinger stabbing the space she had occupied. "REALLY?! Now?!" She couldn''t help but exclaim in frustration. Scrabbling for her dagger, she was able to notice with a horrible fascination that the stinger was dripping a clear liquid that burst into flame shortly after coming in contact with the air. The insect whirled on her, aiming for another pass. Sera stood in a rush, grasping the dagger in both hands. The fate of the world rested in her hands, and she would not fail. As the wasp charged her again, she threw herself forward, stabbing at it. The dagger pierced the wasp''s head, punching through its carapace, right between the eyes. It collapsed into a heap, twitching a few times before laying still. Sera felt a surge of victory, but quickly doubled over in pain. Looking down, she saw a line drawn along her right side. Evidently, she had been grazed by the stinger. With growing horror, she watched as the injury burst into flame. She furiously beat at the fire with her hands, trying to put it out. After a few moments it died down and ceased, leaving extensive burns on both her side and hands. Fortunately for her, she''d only been exposed to a small amount of the venom. Otherwise it would have been much worse. However, the brief struggle had consumed too much time, and whatever chance she had of reaching the altar had died along with the wasp. She struggled to her feet again, but the effort caused her vision to dim. [Don''t pass out!] She looked around, trying to find out if any of the others could manage to take over, but the situation was grim. Tal and Brenden were still where she had left them. The elf was moving in her direction unsteadily, frequently tripping on the debris. Brenden had completely exhausted what was left of his stamina. Using his sword as a crutch he was grimly pressing on, but there was no hope of help from that corner. Mike was still fighting the former Chosen, and seemed to be hard pressed there. As she watched, the armored warrior threw a boulder the size of a wagon at the youth, and Mike only managed to avoid it by the barest of margins. Before he even had a chance to regain his balance, the creature was on him again, almost crushing him with an overhead blow. With no hope, Sera turned back towards the portal. The veil was close to the breaking point, she could see tears already starting to form, and the altar was rocking under the force of the spatial distortion. Cursing her own weakness and ineptitude, Sera had just about given up, when she caught the hint of motion out of the corner of her eye. There, next to the altar, hiding behind one of the stalagmites was the cat beastman that had fled into the cavern earlier in the fight. In the chaos that had followed, Sera had completely forgotten about her. With a sudden surge of energy, she raised her voice to call out to woman. Chapter 78: Till the End After finally managing to lose the wasp in the rocks, Julia found herself a good hiding spot next to a crude altar. She had to walk carefully around the corpses of a few demons and some raggedly dressed humans. "Where the hell am I?" She muttered looking around. Not too far away was a pair of ritual circles, seemingly painted in a dark red paint that resembled dried blood. One of them was extensively damaged, with bits of the circle appearing to have been washed away by some flood. The other had bits of rotting, dismembered bodies stacked in regular piles. She grimaced in disgust as she caught another waft of the putrescent scent. There was a minor explosion as the newbie adventurer was thrown clear across the chamber, cratering the wall of the cavern. Amazingly, he was able to pick himself out of the rubble, almost as if it had barely affected him to be thrown with that kind of force. A burning aura surrounded him as he intercepted the war hammer of the armored figure. The pair then began to exchange blows at a high rate of speed, fighting with an intensity that Julia had never seen before in person. [So, he was definitely going easy on me last time.] After dodging a wagon sized rock, and blocking a few more attacks, the newbie started chucking fireballs every so often. Ones that exploded with terrifying force. [And he''s a mage.] While Julia was re-evaluating her life choices, she completely failed to notice the growing circle of primordial darkness that had appeared over the altar. [Maybe if I can find a break in the fighting, and sneak out.....] "Hey you! Over there by the altar!" A youthful female voice shouted from nearby. Julia glanced around and saw a silver-haired young woman struggling to remain on her feet. Wincing in sympathetic pain, she took note of the woman''s extensive burns. With an agonized grimace the woman continued. "You need to move the idol! Its our only hope of saving the world!" "Eh?" Julia followed the woman''s pointing finger and finally saw the horrible pit of absolute darkness, and the shrouded claw that was attempting to push free from it. "Eyah! What in the hells is that?!" "That is a powerful demon prince that will devour you and everyone else in this city, if you don''t stop it." Julia was having a hard time processing all this. "What do you mean? What''s going on?" "JUST GET MOVING YOU STUPID CAT!" The beastman jumped to her feet and started running up the stacked stones of the altar before she''d even realized it. Climbing the 20m or so was not an issue for the experienced thief, but something about the altar was making her deeply uncomfortable. When she got to the top, she was greeted by the sight of the idol in question. It was a grotesque thing fashioned from the rib cage of a humanoid creature and a cattle skull. The bones had been painted in obscene glyphs that stung her eyes when she looked at them. "Ugh. What am I supposed to do?" There was a tearing sound above her. "MOVE IT! PICK IT UP! PUSH IT OVER! I DON''T CARE, JUST DO SOMETHING!" The exasperated woman yelled. "Jeez, no need to get so upset." The cat beastman replied as she knocked the idol over with one of her daggers, not wanting to touch the thing. With almost maddening slowness, the gruesome contraption toppled, breaking into pieces on the cavern floor. The hum of power that had filled the air, suddenly took on an almost painful whine. A swirling column of intense power circled the altar, filling the surrounding area with unearthly light. A roar of fury shook the chamber, causing almost everyone to double over at the sheer force of it. The claw withdrew into the pit of darkness, which quickly receded to a pin prick and then disappeared entirely. Silence fell as the cavern became dark once more. When Julia noticed the change, she raised herself from the crouched position she had taken. Checking herself over, she made sure she was still in one piece. She threw her arms into the air, "Woohoo, not dead!" The former Chosen smashed into the side of the altar with terrific force, causing it to collapse with the beastman still on it. "Ah?" She had time to ask, before she was falling towards the debris-strewn floor. Just as she was about to start screaming, someone collided with her. She looked up and found herself in the arms of the glowing newbie. Staring up at those pure blue eyes, Julia felt her heartbeat speed up. With a rush of air, her savior landed, dropped her off, and returned to fighting the armored monstrosity, which had already freed itself from the pile of rocks. [He''s making it hard to keep hating him.] After a moment of thought, she nodded. [I guess I''ll call us even.] ---------------------------------------------------------------- After dropping the cat beastman off, Mike jumped back into the fray. The enhancement of his mental state had let him fight up to this point, but he could tell that he was outmatched. Even if he had access to his full mana pool, he''d have a hard time with this enemy. [I''m going to have to do something to break this deadlock. I can''t keep this up for much longer, and that thing doesn''t seem to get tired.] Out of options, and feeling that there was no harm in trying out one last method, he resorted to the one thing that always seemed to have an effect. "So, I don''t suppose we can talk about this? Perhaps, we can come to some kind of arrangement." [It looks like the crisis has been averted. If I can just stall for time, we may get some reinforcements. If we''re lucky that horned woman will show up and take care of it.] The armored thing that once was Nash paused, staring at Mike. "Hiujol oyu Tal''Nakur." (You speak the ancient tongue?) Rubbing the back of his head, Mike laughed sheepishly, "Yeah, I get that a lot. Listen, the way I see it, this fight no longer has any meaning for either one of us. We were here to stop the summoning. Now that its done, perhaps we can call it a draw? Maybe go our separate ways?" The thing stared at the youth for a moment, as if considering him for the first time. "Pinom gol na ban rolg jukath ut findarn." (You are interesting, mortal, but I will still be taking your body.) "Worth a shot, I guess." Mike said with a sigh. As the two combatants readied their weapons again, there was a shimmering in the air next to the former Chosen. In a swift, confident motion, the armored thing whipped the war hammer around to strike at the air behind it. With a crunch, it slew the invisible demon that had sought to attack it from behind. The amalgamation of serpent and praying mantis fell, dead before it even hit the ground, but Mike didn''t miss the opportunity. With a quick burst of mana, he threw a blast of steam at the creature, trying to blind it momentarily. The former Chosen struck back in response, with a horizontal sweep of its hammer, but it only hit air. Mike, having crouched low to the ground to evade the blow, sprung forward and thrust his sword into its armored chest plate. With a screech of tortured metal, the blade punched all the way through, leaving the creature impaled. Dark crimson fluid spilled onto Mike''s sword and ran in rivulets down past the hilt, soaking his hands. The war hammer clattered to the ground and the creature clasped the sword''s blade with its gauntleted fingers. It seemed that this creature lacked the semi-impervious nature of the Chosen, and the blow had struck something vital. "Rom kot nakaty mone." (A temporary setback.) The red light which seemed to be holding the creature together started to fade. As the last fragments of light vanished from within the depths of the helmet, Mike heard one last quiet whisper. "Baol hogan erythial ne." (This is not the end.) With a clatter, the broken shards of the Chosen''s armor fell to the floor. [Well, that''s not ominous, or anything.] He cleaned his hands off with a bit of Water Magic, and was reassured when nothing seemed to have changed about them. Shrugging, he turned to face the others with a grin. "WE DID IT!" He said while raising an arm in victory, eliciting a pained and exhausted round of cheers from the rest of the group. Noticing Sera''s injuries, he hurried over to apply healing magic. "How the hell did you get injured? You weren''t even close to the fight. I swear, I look away for one moment, and you end up half dead." She growled angrily at him for a moment, before sighing wearily. "I''m too tired for this. All I really want is to find a bed to fall into." "I concur." Brenden called from his place on the ground. Mike sent him some of the last of his mana, giving the beastman the energy to walk again. While the others were getting ready to leave, he took a moment to examine the strange wooden box the Chosen had used. Whatever the Heart of Khor was, nothing of it remained. Feeling vaguely disconcerted, he decided to report it to the guild and let them figure it out. "What are you blind? You almost walked into that wall." Brenden was asking Tal. "Temporary status. Will get better." The elf replied while holding onto Sera, using the woman as a guide. Mike took one last look around the cavern, noticing that the cat beastman had vanished again. [Oh well, I guess I''d want to disappear too, after an experience like that. I wonder if she knows that she saved the world.] Mike joined his companions as they exited the chamber. -------------------------------- The Anhilite priest, Smiler, growled in a manner that directly contradicted his name. He had arrived too late to do anything, only barely making it to the warehouse district when he felt the collapse of the ritual. They had failed, and he trembled in the fury that came with such a realization. However, the rage quickly passed. He was thankful for the Cabal''s foresight. It seemed they needed to implement the backup plan. "Next time we will succeed. You will be free, my lord. This, I so swear." He turned and vanished into the deserted streets. Chapter 79: Epilogue: Start of Something New Morris leaned against the walls of the chapter house, taking what brief respite he could between the waves of demonic invaders. The fortress had not been the salvation he had been hoping for. He and his forces had cut their way into the breach, and had been welcomed with open arms by the inhabitants. However, even the Order of the Shield was hard pressed to defend against the onslaught, and the remaining members of the Dark Guilds that had survived the retreat were recruited into the defense, Morris included. After catching his breath, he realized that it had suddenly grown quiet. He was standing in line with the rest waiting for the next batch of demonic enemies. Not much rest had been available between the waves, but now it seemed that it was finally slowing down. There was a shout from the wall, "It the guards! They''re moving this way!" One of the civilians that had been forced to defend the chapter house broke down at that. "Oh, thank the gods. We''re saved!" He cried while falling to his knees and dropping his crossbow. The fatigue of the night hit Morris suddenly, and he sat down against the wall with a groan, feeling all of the minor injuries that he''d accumulated. A looming shadow fell over him. "Looks like we''ve survived." Captain Richard Treston commented in a weary voice. "I don''t believe we would have made it without your ''troops,'' so regardless of their origins, you all have my thanks and the thanks of the Order of the Shield." Morris chuckled at that. He stood and shook the captain''s extended hand. "It think it is us that owe you thanks. If not for your chapter house, we would have long ago been overrun and killed. Even though it seemed to be a bit lacking as far as fortress''s go. What with the gaping hole in the wall and all." The knight laughed at that, "Yes, we really need to fix that sometime soon." He paused, as if suddenly remembering something. "I don''t believe I ever caught your name. I understand if you don''t want to share it, considering the nature of the company you keep, but I would be grateful if you would." The young man hesitated, then, with a slightly mischievous smile, answered. "I am Morris of House Graveston." Captain Treston blink in surprise. "You mean the count''s..." He left he question unsaid. Morris nodded, his smile now a little melancholy. "Hmph, never would have guessed." He waved his hands in a consoling manner, even though Morris didn''t react. "I believe you of course. I doubt anyone would have the balls to pretend to be related to the Serpent. Anyway, it looks like the guards have finally arrived. Let''s go thank our ''rescuers,'' eh?" Dropping the bent and dulled piece of metal that had once been a sword, Morris followed after the amiable knight captain. At the very least, he had survived the night. --------------------------------------------------------- "GET OUT!" A slurred cry echoed around the throne room, accompanied by a hurled goblet, still dripping with wine. The terrified messenger took this as his cue, and left quickly, taking care to not disturb any of the distinguished guests that were watching him curiously. The feast had been interrupted by the King''s outburst, and now the multitude of courtiers, servants, and entertainers waited for some sign of what they should do. "I do not believe that was wise, Your Majesty." A dry voice broke the silence. Prime Minister Faril Couthbotan spoke from his seat to one side of, and a few levels lower than, the the throne. He was a slightly plump man, with the kind of long flowing beard that was often associated with the scholarly. Dressed in fine robes, he swirled the contents of his own goblet while looking at his lord out of the corner of his eye. "I don''t care. This is a FEAST for gods sake. Here we are, celebrating the 242nd anniversary of our victory of those damn Tennundians, and that cursed messenger dares to bring me that kind of news!" King Gregory II of Almirn, sovereign lord of the Kingdom of Almir, wiped a trail of spittle that had fallen from his mouth during his ranting. He glared around the chamber and commanded, "Why is it so quiet? Go on talk! Play!" He swiped another goblet from a servant and downed its contents before demanding it to be refilled. Excess wine replacing the spittle dribbling down to his second chin. Once known as one of the greatest political and military minds the kingdom had ever seen, King Gregory II had suffered a major defeat, and was himself injured, in the most recent war against the Necrocracy of Lacot. Ever since, he had been a shell of his former self. Often drinking to excess, and breaking out into bouts of uncontrollable rage with little provocation. The Prime Minister sighed, lamenting the man his friend had become. He quietly excused himself from the feast, not that the King noticed when left, and began making preparations to deal with the disquieting news the messenger had brought. The situation was fragile, and therefore needed to be handled with care. The sooner he took the necessary actions, the less likely his liege would be able to interfere with them, intentionally or not. The nobles had mostly remained loyal to the King despite his ailment. It was partially because of his former glories, but mostly because the status quo suited them fine. However, there had been growing disquiet among them for years. Neglect and mismanagement had come to characterize the current reign, and there had been whispers of abdication in favor of one of his heirs. Luckily for Almir, the King had a well acknowledged, and well favored heir apparent in the form of Prince Johnathan. A gifted warrior in his own right, the prince had won the acclaim of the populace by slaying a Wyvern in single combat. That the King''s three other children were well distinguished in their own fields certainly helped cement the royal inheritance. Prince Nathaniel, the middle child, was a widely acclaimed statesman, and had recently won renown for his part in negotiating a highly favorable trade agreement with the Ateshi Commonwealth. The youngest of the royal children, the twins Princess Andrea and Prince Matthew, were gifted mages. The pair was currently studying at the University. Unfortunately the King seemed to have no intention of giving up the throne any time soon, and factions had begun to form that sought to place one of the two eldest princes on the throne. The Prime Minister had been working to head off such eventualities, but it was becoming increasingly difficult in the face of the King''s escapades. While contemplating the future, the Prime Minister finished the first of the many letter he''d be writing this night. Word had come of a demonic invasion in the city of Wyrport. He hoped the event proved to be a fabrication or overblown rumor, but Count Graveston had been warning them of this exact situation for months now. Warnings that unfortunately went unheeded. Depending on the outcome of the battle taking place tonight, the Kingdom of Almir may be faced with a war. Whether that might be a civil war or one against a demon horde remained to be seen. In any event, he needed to work quickly to contain the damage. There was a commotion in the hallway outside of his office. Wondering idly if the news of the attack had already spread, he called to his trusted secretary, "William, what''s going on out there?" The young man went to the door to inquire about it from a few of the passing servants, before returning, ashen-faced. "Its the King, sir! He''s been poisoned!" "What?!!" The Prime Minister leaped to his feet. This would change everything. ------------- Mike collapsed into his bed at the inn, thoroughly exhausted. Thankfully the building was south of the established defensive line, and had therefore survived with little in the way of damage during the events of the night. He returned to the inn shortly after visiting the Guild to file his report. Apparently, all the adventurer''s that had participated in the emergency request needed to return the following day for an award ceremony, where they would receive their reward. Something that he was already not looking forward to. He''d been concerned when Morris was not at the inn when he got there, but the innkeeper had passed along a message from his friend. Apparently the bard had survived the night, and was staying with some family members in order to take care of some business. Reassured that all was well, or at least as well as it could considering, Mike briefly checked his [Status] before drifting off to sleep, leaving a through examination of the new entries till tomorrow. ------------ In a humid jungle a great distance from the city of Wyrport, the quiet of the night was suddenly disturbed. Without any warning, a naked young man appeared in the center of the clearing. He was slender, and relatively handsome in a boyish way. Shaggy black hair hung in thick locks from his head, nearly covering the pair of red colored eyes that now swept his surroundings. He growled in displeasure. "That damn goddess sent me into the middle of f****** nowhere! I knew I should have specified that it needed to be near a village at the very least. I guess that''s what I get for trusting that useless b**** to do her job." The youth examined his body, "Hmph, at least she put me in a young, thin body. I bet I''m pretty good looking too." He remarked with a salacious grin. "Now lets see, I need to think the word [Status]." He stood there, mentally examining the sheet while his grin grew ever larger. There was a crack of underbrush nearby. He snapped his gaze in that direction and activated one of his skills. Even though the beast was not visible to his sight, information flooded into his brain. [Hm, a Greater Smilodon, is it? Lets see how these other skills work.] He raised a hand in the direction of the creature, and uttered a single word. "Die." There was a soft thud as his target collapsed lifelessly. Keeping his hand raised, he activated another skill. "Consume." A thin trickle of white smoke was drawn from the underbrush, and entered into the youth''s mouth. Making a satisfied noise, he examined the fruits of his efforts. "Not sure how useful Minor Strength Enhancement is, but I guess I''ll take it. I wonder if there are any more of those things around. With a few more tries, I might even pull a rare skill." He laughed, and started walking into the jungle, looking for some sign of civilization. Exploring this world was going to be fun. --------------------------------------------------------- Below is Mike''s [Status] Update. Please feel free to skip ahead if you aren''t interested. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (Mid) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons (NEW) Antagonist (NEW) -------------- Skills -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Healing Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Analyze (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Air Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Earth Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Spear Fighting (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Riding (Rank 3) Basic Haggling (Rank 3) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Basic Unarmed Fighting (Rank 4) (RANK UP) -------------- Passive Skills: Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Physiological Resistance (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Intermediate Poison Resistance (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Mental Resistance (Rank 3) (NEW) Moderate Mana Enhancement (Rank 2) (TIER UP) Moderate Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Willpower Enhancement (Rank 2) (NEW) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 3) (RANK UP) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- -------------- New Titles: -------------- - Nemesis of Demons - By virtue of you extensive campaign against the armies of the demonic, you have been named as their nemesis. Lesser demons will fear you and greater demons will seek to destroy you to claim vengeance for their slain kin. Moderate system correction to the effects of attacks against demons. - Antagonist - An individual or group has determined you to be the thorn in their side, and the reason for their failures. Whether or not you are known to them, you have earned their ire. ------------------------------- New and Updated Skills ------------------------------- ------------------------------- Primary Skills: ------------------------------- - Intermediate Healing Magic (Tier 3, Rank 5) - An intermediate form of True Healing Magic. By channeling pure mana into the bodies of the injured, practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic can stimulate and supplement natural healing processes, allowing recipients to recover from virtually all forms of injury. Higher skill ranks allow for the healing of more severe injuries and lowers the overall mana cost of healing. Rank 1 Effects: Cleansing Wave - Cleansing Wave - Practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic can alter the life mana they use to heal injuries, allowing them to remove foreign entities and substances from their patients. Recipients are cleansed of all non-magical disease and poison. Rank 3 Effects: Scour the Past - Scour the Past - Practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic learn how to manipulate the tissues of the creatures they are healing, returning them to their original form. Allows the user to return scar tissue to its original state, and cure conditions of the organs that would ordinarily never heal. Cannot be used to completely regenerate body parts. Rank 5 Effects: Return to Origin -Return to Origin - Practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic gain instinctive understanding of the way living things function, grow, and heal. They can use this knowledge to overcome the usual hurdles in the healing process, allowing them to heal injuries above and beyond what is normally possible. Allows the user to replace lost body parts, regenerate lost limbs, and cure even congenital defects. Cannot be used to reverse the effects of aging. -Appraise (Tier 3, Rank 2) - A more advanced version of the Inspect skill. Accesses the Akashic Records to gather information on the target. The more influential the item or individual is, the more information can be garnered. Higher skill ranks provide more information. - Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Tier 2, Rank 2) - The fundamental swordsmanship of the Almiran military. Focuses on the usage of a single longsword in either one or two hands. Characterized by a great deal of flexibility and versatility, with no specific strong or weak areas. Practitioners of this sword style learn to mimic the five basic elements through their swordsmanship. Rank 2 Effects: Paragon of Elemental Might - Paragon of Elemental Might - Through training, practitioners of Almiran Swordsmanship have learned to harness the power of the elements they seek to mimic. When using one of the five elemental stances, practitioners can use mana to power their sword skills and enhance their fighting style. This will create minor visual and audible effects. The bonus depends on the stance used. Roaring Flame Stance - Increased attack speed and Strength when attacking. Flowing River Stance - Increased Agility, evasion, and the efficacy of re directive blocking. Briar''s Thorn Stance - Increased Speed, Agility, and Strength while counterattacking. Enduring Mountain Stance - Increased Endurance and the efficacy of defensive maneuvers. Howling Gale Stance - Increased Speed and Agility. --------------------------- Secondary Skills: --------------------------- - Intermediate Elemental Magic (Tier 2, Rank 3) - The second most fundamental form of Elemental Magic. Allows users to access magic skills for the four primary elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Additionally, allows access to magic skills for two of the high elements: light and dark. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Elemental Magic skills. Rank 1 Effect: Composite Elemental Magic - Composite Elemental Magic - Practitioners with two or more of the primary Elemental Magic skills of intermediate level or higher, are able to combine them to produce different forms of elemental magic. Air and water produce ice, air and fire produce lightning, air and earth produce sand, water and fire produce steam, water and earth produce mud, and fire and earth produce magma. Rank 3 Effect: Enhancement Magic - Enhancement Magic - Skilled practitioners of Elemental Magic learn to mimic the enhancement spells of other branches of magic, allowing them to temporarily increase attributes. The attribute enhanced varies based on the type of magic used. ------------------------------ Passive Skills: ------------------------------ - Basic Mental Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 3) - The user of this skill has had extensive practice resisting mental intrusion or mental effects. Minor resistance to mental effects. - Basic Willpower Enhancement (Tier 1, Rank 2) - Through extensive training of the mind, the user has tempered his/her own will. Provides minor enhancement to Willpower. Chapter 81: Facing the Serpent "Ah.....well, its a honor to meet you....uh, sir?" As this was the first time he''d come face to face with nobility since coming to this world, Mike wasn''t sure what title to use. "Traditionally, you would use my full title, Count Graveston, prior to the start of conversation. Once I''ve acknowledged you, Your Grace is considered an acceptable appellation." The older man answered while leaning back in his chair. "I see.....uh, Your Grace." He replied lamely, feeling out of his depth. "I''m not big on formalities, so please feel free to address me in a manner you see as suitable. Now, first and foremost, I must offer you my sincere thanks. Your heroics saved my city from certain destruction." He paused as if seeking to read the young adventurer''s reaction. Mike waited, sensing there was more the Count wanted to say. "Additionally, you have aided me in a much more personal matter. My prodigal son has returned to the family, in no small part due to your actions. Although, I''m sure it was not intentional, you nevertheless aided me a great deal. As such, you have earned my favor." "I''m not sure what you are talking about, Your Grace. I don''t recall doing anything like that." "It seems my son is more recalcitrant than I anticipated. Nevertheless, you have aided me, and I would be remiss in my duties if I didn''t offer you a sufficient reward." The Count stood suddenly, and walked to a door that Mike had not even noticed before. Without any indications of what he wanted Mike to do, the noble exited the room. Feeling slightly confused and out of his depth, Mike followed after, soon realizing that the door led into a long featureless hallway. Having never seen this portion of the Guild, he was already a little lost. Maintaining a sedate pace, the Count resumed the conversation as if he hadn''t just randomly walked out on the adventurer. "What is it you desire? I could grant you a noble title, and lands befitting that title. Or perhaps a bureaucratic position? This country has a great number of those. If monetary rewards are more to your liking, there are few fiefdoms with greater resources than my own. I could grant you enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of your life." Mike consider his options. The proffered rewards were pretty attractive. He had some desire to try building his own power base. However, he suspected that the offers were a little too good to be true. He couldn''t shake the feeling that the Count was testing him in some regard. It was starting to annoy him a little, since he''d never been particularly keen on these kinds of political games. The Count passed through an unusual archway. As he did so, it briefly glowed with a soft blue light. Interested, Mike used Appraise as he passed through himself. ----------------- {Portal of Inviolability} Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 4) Created as a means of defending sites of great importance, these archways serve as the first line of defense in many of the most heavy guarded locations in Ea. The provide two key functions. First, the portal will be sealed to all save those who have authorization from the owner of the item. Second, for those who are allowed entry, the portal performs a rudimentary Appraisal. Thus, determining the individual''s relative power and the presence or absence of hostile intentions towards the owner of the item. Certain items and skills are able to deceive Portals of Inviolability. ----------------- As Mike passed through the arch, it glowed a bright white, almost to the point of being painful. [Is that a good thing or a bad thing?] He wondered The Count didn''t seem to react, and merely continued to lead him through several winding passages. They traveled in silence for a few minutes, until the Count suddenly stopped in front of a simple wooden door. Without taking any other action, he asked, "Tell me, what do you want more than anything else right now?" Mike hesitated, he had not been expecting this. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. Honestly, he was starting to get sick of this roundabout questioning. He decided to cut to the heart of the issue. Looking the Count in the eyes, and dropping all pretense of formality, he replied, "I just want power. Power to walk my path in life without fearing my enemies. Power to defend myself and those close to me, no matter what may come. Power enough to not be at the beck and call of any passing noble who wishes to drag me around for long periods of time without any real explanation." Count Graveston studied the youth in front of him for a moment, as if conflicted by some inner turmoil. However, almost as soon as it appeared, the uncertainty faded back into the noble''s cold mask. "There are many forms of power. Some can be relied upon, and others are more...fickle. I believe that you are more interested in the former. Is that correct?" Mike blinked, surprised that the Count was humoring his outburst. He nodded his agreement. Pushing open the door in front of him, the Count led him into the room beyond it. Mike found himself in an office that reminded him a great deal of the boardrooms found in major corporations in his old world. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all laid with a dark grey stone that had been leveled and polished with nearly machine-like efficiency. Utilitarian chairs surrounded a rectangular table seemingly carved from a massive black crystal. In the far end of the room, a massive desk made of the same material sat in front of a long stretch of window. Judging from the view, they were now near the center of the city, several blocks away from the Guild. The entire ensemble seemed like it would be more at home in the office of a corporate movie villain than a noble from a fantasy world. "Where are we?" Mike asked trying to figure out the mechanics of their arrival. They had seemingly traveled from ground level to several floors above it, without taking any stairs. He could only guess it had something to do with the archway from earlier. The Count walked around the desk and took a seat in a black leather chair. "This is my office at City Hall. From here I inform the City Council how they will manage their affairs." While Mike was still mulling over the dark implications in that statement, the Count opened a drawer and removed a sealed letter. "This is a letter of recommendation to the University of Almirn, the preeminent center of learning on the Central Continent. There, you can acquire one of the most reliable forms of power, knowledge. Lest you think me a miser, I will also cover the costs of both your tuition and boarding, and provide a hefty stipend so that you might live in relative comfort for the duration of your studies." "What resources does this University provide? What would I be learning there?" The Count answered while sliding the letter into Mike''s reach. "The University covers a wide variety of topics ranging from the natural sciences, to statecraft, to the military arts. They even host a well-known branch office of the Mage''s Guild, which teaches promising students about magic. For the more academically inclined, the University also boasts one of the most comprehensive libraries in the known world, with works on virtually every topic conceivable." He left this last bit hanging in the air, obviously aware of how attractive it must be to the youth. Mike had explored much of the city in his time there, and while there had been plenty of stores that sold books, few had been works of much substance. The majority were composed of simplistic histories of famous individuals or events, fictional novels, and minor self-help works focused on daily life. While interesting, they did little to inform him about the world at large. What books that seemed capable of providing some decent information were prohibitively expensive. For a culture that was so progressive in so many areas, it was a little strange to see the publishing industry this stunted. He had begun to wonder if it might not be some kind of conspiracy to keep the populace uninformed. It suddenly occurred to him, standing in this bleak office, that a conspiracy might not be too far-fetched. After all, in a world where people could get stronger simply through practice, the knowledge of the best techniques and practices could easily command high prices. Considering the number of skills Mike had acquired only after adjusting his thinking patterns, he could easily imagine that the idea behind certain skills was almost as important as a person''s class when it came to learning them. Once viewed through the lens of economics it made sense that knowledge, especially when it came to skills, took on an even greater importance in this world than in his old one. It made sense that the wealthy and powerful would monopolize real knowledge. He would not be surprised if admittance to the University was normally barred to the general populace. Although he had a few ideas of how to work around that kind of limitation, he had a sneaking suspicion that the Count''s recommendation would be his best option for admission. He reached for the letter, but hesitated. "What is the catch?" The Count raised an eyebrow at that. "The....catch?" "What do you get out of this? I fail to believe a schemer as well-known as the Serpent of Almir would be willing to stake his name on an unknown like me, without some sort of ulterior motive. So what is the catch?" The Count favored Mike with a slight smile, the first he''d shown since the beginning of the meeting. "You have potential...The catch, as you put it, is quite simple. Any youth capable of besting several high ranking demons, a full squad of the Cabal''s chosen, a Tier 3 caster, and the manifestation of a demon prince, weakened though it might be, will one day accomplish great things. Especially, if you were honest about your ambitions for power." Turning his chair to face the window, and simultaneously displaying that his chair was capable of such a thing, the Count continued with his back to Mike. "If you are to reach such heights, would it not be best to build cordial relations with you from the beginning?" "I suppose...but are you not worried about revealing your intentions to me in this manner?" "Ah, but that is merely one part of the puzzle, is it not?" Thinking about it deeply, and drawing from his memories of political dramas from is old world, Mike began to get a picture of what the Count was after. "By sponsoring my entry into the University, whatever accomplishments I achieve will reflect well on you. If I am as impressive as you suggest, then you will likely earn a great deal of prestige for a relatively minor investment." The Count didn''t respond, but Mike felt he was giving that cold smile again. "However, should I fail, or worse, commit some taboo, then it would harm your reputation.....I didn''t take you for a gambler, Your Grace." The chair spun about again, "Everything in life is a gamble. What matters is how you balance the odds. Besides, I was speaking truthfully about being grateful to you. Repaying a benefactor, no matter how unintentional he might be, is something I take pride in." The Count took out a set of documents, and began reviewing them, "Now if you don''t mind I have a meeting scheduled in a few minutes, and I would appreciate some time to prepare for it. If you exit through the main door and take a right, it will lead you down to the lobby." Mike noticed that the Count didn''t even bother to confirm whether or not he''d accepted the letter. With mixed feelings he scooped up the heavy envelope, and walked to the door. As he tried to leave the office, he almost collided with a brunette woman. He caught a quick glimpse of pale skin, and deep brown eyes before the woman had swept passed him into the Count''s office, slamming the door behind her. [That was a little rude.] Mike thought to himself, before begging the process of trying to navigate out of the building. He realized the passage he found himself in was different from the one he been in previously. Unfortunately, it was still fairly maze-like and so he spent nearly a half-hour wandering around the deserted halls before he finally found someone to point him in the direction of the exit. Chapter 82: New Revelations Josephine closed the door behind her, trying to calm herself. With shaky hands, she pulled a chair out and sat heavily down, deep in thought. "Well?" Came the merciless voice from behind the desk. She noticed that her father hadn''t even bothered to glance up from the documents he was looking over, not that she expected much in the way of concern from him. After taking a few moments to calm herself, she replied. "His soul is strong. Very strong, but I don''t believe I can give an accurate assessment with such a brief examination." The Count remained silent. "I would have looked longer, but.....you know..." She spoke quickly before trailing off. "Yes, I know. Tell me this at least. What was unique about the person that just left my office? What made his soul special?" He asked while putting down the papers. For the fist time since entering the room, she felt the full brunt of his gaze. "It felt ancient, like the soul of Uncle Nur, but different....." She frowned as if trying to the right words. "It was....more diffuse...as if parts of his soul were just there, without really contributing. Then there was this hard, dense core that seemed to be drawing everything around it closer." Josephine shuddered again, trying to forget the memory. "It wasn''t an evil soul, that I can promise. No malice or hate filled his essence, yet it wasn''t a benevolent one either. The best way I could describe it is a mass of unthinking, uncaring power, seemingly waiting for some direction." The Count paused to consider these revelations. While he had expected the youth to have a powerful soul considering his current strength, now he wasn''t sure what to think of him. From the sounds of it, the boy had a Reincarnator''s soul, and a particularly potent one at that. Yet he lacked the will, experience, and air of superiority that the Count had come to expect from their kind. This meant he would have to alter a few of his plans. Turning to face the city once more, he addressed his only daughter again. "You may go Josephine. You have been most helpful." --------------------------------------------------------- Mike finally managed to work his way out of City Hall. After asking directions no less than four times, he made it to the front lobby, and exited onto the street. He was beginning to wonder if it might not be some kind of annoying defense mechanism designed to confuse invaders. There wasn''t much he''d put past the Count at this point. [I feel like I played right into his hands there, but for the life of me, I can''t see his end goal. Does he really just want to befriend someone with potential? Why do I feel like there should be more to it?] With a start he realized that he''d completely forgotten about Tal and Brenden, who were presumably still waiting for him at the Guild. He hurried back to pick them up, fighting through the line of adventurers waiting to get their rewards. After a quick explanation of what happened, they all agreed to retire to inn Mike was staying at to talk about the event. Before going down to the common room of the inn, he went upstairs to visit Sera''s room, since her previous accommodations had burnt to the ground during the night. "We''re going to have a conversation regard our future plans down in the common room, if you would like to join." He explained after she had come to the door. "Very well. There are a few things I would like to discuss." Before he forgot, he made sure to hand her the bag of gold that had been laid aside for her. "Here, this is your share of the reward we received for last night." With lightning speed Sera had the bag out of his hands, and was examining the contents with a delighted expression on her face. She dumped it out on her bed, stared greedily at the resulting pile for a moment, before throwing herself into it, and rolling around and giggling hysterically. In fact, she was so wrapped up in her enjoyment of her newfound wealth, she completely forgot he was still standing in the doorway, until he coughed. She froze mid-roll, and Mike was able to watch the realization dawn on her, as her face slowly turned beet red. Sitting up, she cleared her throat. "Heh-hem, I''ll be down in a little bit. I just have to do a little.......cleaning to do." "Right...I''ll meet you down there." He said while closing the door. He waited for a few seconds, and soon heard the sounds of coins tinkling and a muted squeal of joy. [Didn''t take her for a greedy one, but I guess you can''t judge a book by its cover.] He joined the others, and after ordering a round of drinks for everyone, began the discussion. "So, I''ve been given a recommendation for entry into the University of Wyrport. Although, it sounds like a great opportunity, it will come with some strings attached. I''m not sure if I am willing to put myself into the power of Count Graveston just for the chance to study." He said while sipping his ale. He noticed that the alcohol barely had any effect on him anymore. [I need to find myself some stronger stuff at some point.] "Recommendation rare. Good opportunity. Should take." The elf added, evidently dismissing his concerns. "Tal''s right." Brenden added, leaning back in his chair with arms behind his head. "Even if you are a noble, its hard to get into the University. Its got a reputation of being kinda exclusive. Even the King''s kids had to pass a bunch of hard tests to get in." "So, does that mean I''ll still have to do some kind of entry test?" "Yes. Will be fine." Tal answered quickly while waving Sera over. The Oracle had evidently finished her ''cleaning.'' "Where are we at?" She asked while taking her seat. "We''re trying to convince Mike to go to the University of Almirn, since the Count wrote him a letter of recommendation." Brenden chimed in. She whirled on Mike with stars in her eyes. "The University! You''ll definitely go, right? Graduating from there would give you all kind of opportunities!" Mike leaned away from the overenthusiastic girl. "I''m still thinking about it. I don''t know much about how they operate, but I can only imagine that it would be a huge time commitment." "I think that depends a lot on you, and what you want to study. I know of some people that graduate in a year or even a few months. Some can take ten or twenty years. You can pretty much stay there so long as you can afford to do so." "Hmm...." Mike frowned while taking another sip. "I suppose it does sound like a good opportunity. With my tuition and living expenses covered, combined with a decent stipend, I can''t really ask for more." "What?! He''s paying for all of that, too?! You have to take it, then. It would be insane not too." Sera exclaimed while standing, causing the rest of the patrons of the common room to stare at her. Flushing from the sudden attention, she sat down. Mike continued, "Leaving that aside, what are the rest of you planning on doing?" All three of them looked at him like he was stupid. Brenden replied, "What are you talking about? We''re going with you. I thought that was clear." He was flabbergasted. "What? All of you? Why?" "Destined. Also want to." Tal cut in with a subtle smile....probably. "Yeah! Besides, you''ll need me in the future. Its been foretold." Sera said smugly. "What do you mean destined?" He asked, ignoring the Oracle. "Can Appraise?" He nodded, a little confused. "Do so." - - - - - - - - - - - - - Talitha Valikenateil Lorethenica Race: Sun Elf Age: 64 Class: Spirit Binder Title: Companion of the Hero - - - - - - - - - - - - - ".....Eh?" Mike could only reply lamely. "What''s going on?" Sera asked, sensing that she was being left out. Mike quickly used Appraise on Brenden as well. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brenden Race: Dog Beastman/Unknown Age: 17 Class: Raging Warrior Title: Companion of the Hero - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Ah....so...I guess you know." "Know what?" The Oracle asked, starting to get a little angry. "The title popped up sometime last night. Although, I had some suspicions when I saw you do that thing in the dungeon." Brenden said with his own smile. "I see...Are you two sure? A title shouldn''t decide your path in life. I mean we barely know each other." "Meh, I didn''t have much else going on. At least this way I''ll get some interesting stories out of it." He replied as his face split open into a cocky grin. "Given purpose. Appreciated." The elf commented simply. Mike didn''t know how to respond. He''d never had companions like this. His former life had been one of solitude. This comraderie was a strange feeling, but one he was starting to really enjoy. "Besides," Brenden continued, "This way I get to say I fought alongside the Hero." ".....What?!" Sera exclaimed while standing again, but quickly returned to her seat, once again embarrassed. She hissed more softly, "What does he mean your the Hero?!" "Well, that''s kind of a funny story." Mike replied while scratching the back of his head. "A little while ago, while on a request for the guild, a friend I fought this large bat monster called a vargul. It nearly killed the both of us, but when it was about to crush an innocent girl, I suddenly got a lot more powerful and was able to defeat. When I checked my [Status] I had the title." "Nothing about that was funny." Brenden replied while shaking his head. Mike shot him an angry glare. "A Trial of Revelation....." The Oracle responded, suddenly lost in thought. "But that doesn''t make sense, the Hero wasn''t supposed to rise for another five years at least. My mother''s visions told her so, and she was never wrong." "I don''t know what to tell you. Maybe the future changed." He said, figuring that his Fate-Touched skill probably played a role in that. He wondered what else he''d thrown off with just his presence. "....Maybe.....but my mother''s has never been wrong before......" Sera looked lost, and a little betrayed. As if the foundations of her faith had been shaken by the revelation. Mike tried to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder, but she suddenly stood, "I''m sorry, I need to be alone for awhile." She quickly disappeared back upstairs. Sighing, Mike looked at the other two. "Well, I guess we''ll put the discussion on hold for the time being. There are still a few things I would like to take care of in Wyrport, so I won''t be leaving right away." "No rush." Tal said while standing herself. "Meet here tomorrow?" "Yeah, let''s plan for that." Saying a few quick goodbyes to his companions, he stayed in the common room, drinking and thinking about his future. He was still contemplating the implications of having destined companions, when a familiar figure sat down across from him. "You''ve seen better days, friend." Mike glanced up, chuckling. "I could say the same to you, Morris. It looks like something chewed you up and spit you out." Laughing, the bard order a drink himself. "That''s not too far off. Had a run in with a demon that was pretty much one big set of jaws. It clamped down on my leg and wouldn''t let go. I eventually had to shove my whole leg into a rain barrel and wait for it to drown." "Sounds like you had quite the night." Morris took a sip from his newly arrived drink. "From what I''ve heard, you had a much more interesting time. You saved the city. Well done." "How...." Morris continued before he had a chance to ask. "I''m guessing Count Graveston has already given you his letter of recommendation. What have you decided to do?" Mike stared for a second, "How do you know about that?" "Of course I know, I was the one who suggested that he write it." Chapter 83: Clearing the Air Mike just stared at him, "What do you mean that recommended it?" Morris swirled his drink, choosing his words carefully. "Have I ever told you about my family?" "You didn''t. I heard a few things from Kaya, but nothing concrete." "I suppose its time I do." He took a long swig, almost as if to put off his next statement. "I truly left home twice in my life. The first time, was when I went to the Bardic College here in Wyrmport. Its not quite as prestigious as the University, but it is one of the few true centers of learning on the central continent. I owe much of what I am today to what I learned while I was there. Of course I really just went there to get away." Shaking his head, "You have to understand, I had a long and troubled history with my father. I hated the way he treated my mother and my sister. I hated the way he made my brothers and I compete in everything. I hated my life at that house, so when I saw a chance to escape, even just to another part of the city, I jumped at it. Turns out that was probably a mistake." He took another swig, "My mother was my father''s second wife. It was a political marriage, and a tense one at that. Soon after my sister was born, they started fighting more often. Of course, my father had all the power, so my mother had to be careful. Whenever they got into a particularly big fight, he would send her to one of the estates for a few weeks. Eventually he would relent and let her return, but he made sure it was clear who ruled the house." [One of their estates?] Staring at his one remaining hand, and rubbing the calluses that had formed there, Morris continued in a slightly distant voice. "I left home the second time when I was still a student at the College. I know that doesn''t make a lot of sense, but that''s how I saw it." He paused before speaking once more in a husky voice, "I left because my mother died." ".....I''m sorry, man. That.....sucks." Mike replied lamely. Morris smiled half-heartedly. "I was told she was killed by bandits while traveling to one of our estates south of the city. Her carriage had been destroyed and the entire escort slaughtered. I blamed my father. He''d pushed her away again, and this time it had gotten her killed. And so I did the one thing I could manage to punish him. I forsook my family name, left behind everything he ever gave to me, and set out on my own." "Of course I didn''t know until much later that it was a ploy by one of my father''s enemies. An effort to weaken his hold on a particular region. I still blamed him, since she had died because of his political games, but it was harder for some reason." He trailed off, lost in thought. Glancing around at the rest of the half-empty common room, Mike replied, "I''m really sorry Morris, it sounds like life has not been kind to you. But I still don''t know what this has to do with Count Graveston.......unless....." Morris nodded, "You guessed it, Count Graveston is my father." Mike stared at him for a long time, before replying. "Huh, I can kind of see the resemblance now. I think you should grow a beard like your dad''s." "I''m being serious here, Mike." Morris replied, a little angrily. "So am I. You need to cover up as much of that face as you can, man. It would be a blessing to the world." Morris gritted his teeth, prepared to start yelling, but then took in his friends light-hearted smile. One that didn''t quite reach his eyes. Sighing, he leaned back and chuckled a little. Emptying his mug, Mike ordered another, even though it was really only making him feel full at this point. "Look man, you are who you are. Your father doesn''t change that. So lighten up." Looking at him Morris could only shake his head and smile ruefully. Mike gave a mischievous grin. "So what should I call you now that I know you are the son of a count. I''m sure that there is probably an official title, but have you considered countling. Maybe countson, or is that a little too on the nose." "First of all, the correct form of address is lord. Since I am the heir to House Graveston, I am in turn treated as a count in everything save name. Second, ''countling'' is a degrading term used for the bastard children of a count house, so I would thank you to not call me that again." "Very well, your lordship. Please let me know if you need your boots licked, your lordship." Mike said with a smug bow. "Listen, you ass, I came here to tell you something serious." "Alright, shoot." Ignoring the strange euphemism, Morris explained, "I talked my father into writing that letter of recommendation for two reasons. First, he''d taken notice of you because of your escapades over the last few days. There is no good way of completely protecting you from his influence, so we might as well take advantage of it." He leaned forward and lowered his voice, "Second, he doesn''t know your the Hero. If he did, my father would do everything in his power to bind you to him. You need to get away from Wyrport as soon as possible. The capital is a little more complicated, and even Count Graveston has to move carefully at court." "While that makes sense, why don''t I just hop on the next ship heading to another country?" "You could, and that wouldn''t be a terrible idea, but going to the University would give you a chance to work on your biggest weakness, your lack of knowledge." Mike mulled his words over for awhile, before nodding. "You''re right, I am ignorant. Most of the problems I have had in the last few months have stemmed from that lack of knowledge. If I have a good chance to fix it, even if it comes with a price, I need to take it." "So, when are you planning on going?" "Well, I have a few things left to take care of in town, but I should probably go sooner rather than later. I''ll use tomorrow to get my affairs in order, then try to head out the day after." Morris looked a bit melancholy. "Then I suppose tonight will be the last time we see each other for awhile. I have to travel to Gold Spear early tomorrow on a task for my father." "I see, then we will have to make tonight count. Excuse me miss! Get me two of your strongest!" This turned out to be a bubbling concoction that looked like acid and smelled like paint thinner. "Hm, I think I''ll pass on this one." A slightly green-face Morris said. "More for me, then." Mike promptly proceeded to down both. They burned like fire going down, and sat in his stomach with an unpleasant warmth. "Bleegh, that tasted awful." "You did ask for their strongest drink." "I''ll know better next time." Mike paused to summon some water in a futile effort to rid his mouth of the taste. "Been meaning to ask something." "What''s that?" "Why''d you go back? Home, I mean." Morris shrugged, "I found something more important than my hatred for my father. Something that I needed his power for." Not fully understanding, but getting the basic gist of it, Mike felt utterly humbled by his friends words. For the second time tonight, he new what it meant to have true comrades. "Hey Morris, I''m going to hit the hay here soon. Before you go, meet me in the room. I''ve got something for you." "I''m flattered, but I don''t swing that way." He replied with a smirk. Giving the bard a flat glare, Mike continued, "Look, just come with me. Its important, and there are too many prying eyes here." "Alright, alright." The pair paid their tab and headed upstairs. "So, what did you need?" Morris asked once Mike had closed the door. "I need you to hold still for a second, and stay quiet, so I can concentrate." He grabbed the stub of Morris''s arm, and focused an intense amount of mana into it. A pure white glow filled the room, and it felt as if the very air was vibrating from the display of power. The light quickly subsided leaving them squinting in the new darkness. Morris blinked and looked down at his hands...both of his hands. The stub had become a fully functional limb. "H.....How?" He asked, feeling tears prickling at the edges of his eyes. "I managed to level up my Healing Magic to the point I can do some pretty crazy stuff. Don''t ask me how it got to that point. Its a story in itself." Mike replied with a sigh. The amount of mana this had required was pretty crazy as well. [I''ve still got plenty of room for improvement, I guess.] "I don''t.....I can''t...." Tears were now streaming down his face. With a tired smile, Mike patted his friend on the shoulder. "Its not much, compared to how much I owe you, but think of it as the first installment of my repayment." Finally regaining a little control over his emotions, Morris shook his head. "If anything, I owe you now. Do you know how much a healer would charge for something like this? And that''s not even counting how difficult it would be to find someone capable of it." "Meh, details. It didn''t cost me much besides some mana." A companionable silence fell for a few moments. "I can''t thank you enough, Mike." He held up his newly restored arm. It was fresh and pink, like the skin under a scab. "I hadn''t even dreamed....." "Don''t worry about it, man. We''re friends. Its the least I could do." Morris nodded his agreement, before giving Mike a mock suspicious look. "This isn''t because you just found out I''m going to be fantastically wealthy is it?" "I fully plan on taking advantage of that as much as possible." The pair shared a laugh, before shaking hands. "You take care of yourself out there, Mike. Nobles can be truly vicious to those they see as weaker than themselves. Don''t get caught up in something messy while you are studying there." "Yeah, I''ll try to keep my head down, but knowing my luck I''ll get stuck int the middle of a coup attempt and end up saving a princess or something." "Don''t joke about that. I could really see that happening with you around. Anyway, I''ll see you around." "See ya, Morris." He replied as the other man left. Mike had a strange feeling he wouldn''t be seeing his friend for awhile. Despite the melancholy he felt following the parting, Mike was excited about his next adventure. After a short trip by boat, he''d be in the capital, living the high life, and studying in the most prestigious center of learning in this part of the world. What could go wrong? ------------------------------------------- Standing at the prow of the ship, Mike stood with his hands on his hips. "Ah, nothing quite like the nautical life. The fresh air, the wide open spaces. Yes, if I had to go back and do it all over again, I think I would want to be a sailor." "That''s all well and good, but do you think you could help out with the situation here." Brenden chimed in while hacking at another of the tentacles that were seeking to crush the ship. He nearly slipped on the rain-slicked deck. The massive sea creature, or lake creature since they hadn''t even made it to the channel leading to the ocean yet, resembled a giant squid grown to titanic proportions. The periodic flashes of lightning displayed its massive beak-shaped mouth that was working angrily, or perhaps hungrily. "WE''RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" One of the other passengers was yelling. "Get those cannons loaded! Blow that blasted thing back to the depths that spawned it." The burly first mate screamed. After a short delay, he followed it with a simple, "FIRE!" A concussive wave of sound and smoke crashed over the deck, as the broadside was unloaded, point blank into the creature''s midsection. Howling in pain, it began to thrash the ship with its tentacles. It was wounded, but not yet dead. "Captain! There''s a waterspout incoming off the port bow! What are your orders?" Another sailor called. "Haha, batten the hatches. Full sail! We''re going to ride the wind!" "That''s insane!" "There be only one thing I fear. No overgrown squid or spinning water going to stop Captain Bont. Now, full speed ahead!" [Yep, what could go wrong?] Mike thought, rain disguising his tears of frustration. Chapter 84: Im On a Boat! It all started easily enough. After entrusting his faithful steed Barley to Morris, Mike spent the next day taking care of the little tasks associated with picking up and moving again. The mare had apparently ridden out the entire demon invasion inside her stall. Placidly chewing on her feed while all the other horses had broken free in sheer terror. Even though he had only spent a short time in the city, he''d made a few acquaintances he felt obligated to say his farewells to. Luckily, they were almost entirely located within the Adventurer''s Guild, so he was able to get it done in one trip. He was able to meet up with Philip, Kate, and Shy through happenstance. The trio were just about to embark on some dungeon delving, and were in the process of leaving when Mike arrived. A surprisingly emotional parting took place, in which the three promised to visit once they had the opportunity. Mike still sensed a slight distance from Philip, but the other two seemed genuinely distressed at the idea of him moving. His next stop was Philomena, who as his instructor, deserved to be greeted one more time before he left. The meeting was brief, since she had another class to teach soon, but he was able to gather that the twins Lloyd and Rita, who had been with them when the delve went south, had given up adventuring. From the sounds of it, Lloyd was now a blacksmith''s apprentice while Rita was working at a local inn. They were both safely south of the defensive cordon during the invasion, and seemed to be in good health and spirits. Thanking the instructor for the news, he next stopped by the Guild counter to report his move. Apparently, he just needed to visit the Guild office in the capital once he got there to complete the necessary steps. After that, he stopped by the Guild stores to spend a little bit of the money he''d acquired in the last few days. Unfortunately, the majority of the few magic items for sale were still out of his price range, but he did take the opportunity to use Appraise to improve his skill. He finally settled on purchasing a new longsword made of Grey Steel, a substance apparently reputed for being both durable and lightweight. After a quick examination, he figured that it was the same material used to make Manslayer, the sword of the Chosen Keld. He''d decided to give the evil sword to Brenden, since it matched the beastman''s fighting style, and it still creeped him out a little whenever he held it. While he was shopping, Mike took a moment to pick out a decent spear. He realized during the demonic invasion, that he''d grown too dependent on his swordsmanship, and he needed to branch out a little to start improving some of his other skills. He never knew when he would be in a situation where he''d be deprived of his weapon of choice. After picking up a new backpack, and some other items useful for travel, he headed back to the inn to wait for the meeting. Sera spoke first. "I don''t understand exactly what''s going on, but its largely irrelevant. I''m going to trust in my mother''s visions. Even if she made some mistakes, she was right more often than not. That said, I''m going with you." "That''s fine, but-" She cut him off. "I know I''m not the most useful in combat, but I can cook, clear, do housework, and no one else here will be better than me at managing finances. I''d be a benefit to the team." Mike had a mental image of her rolling around in the pile of coins. She certainly seemed to appreciate money. "What I was going to say," He paused to look around the table, "to all of you, is that I''m going to the capital to study. I''m not sure how they run the place, but I suspect it will be difficult for you to even get in. I just wanted to warn you before we left, that I will likely be occupied with my life at the University for much of the foreseeable future, and I don''t know how much time I will have for all of you, team or no." Brenden shrugged, and Tal just gave him a blanker look than usual. Sera chimed in, "Doesn''t really matter, I have a destiny to fulfill, and the only place I can do it, is with you." He shook his head, a small smile on his face. Although he didn''t know it, it was at then that Mike finally accepted their company, and started planning for the future with the group in mind. The meeting then moved on to how they would be getting to the capital. There was an overland route, but it was widely held to be both long and dangerous. Other, more magical, means of transport were available, but were summarily dismissed by Sera due to their price. The group settled on sea travel, since it would be relatively quick, and fairly affordable. Sera immediately set out to find a ship captain willing to take them while the other two went to take care of their own business and packing. Not too long afterwards, Sera returned stating that she had managed to negotiate their passage on a vessel for no cost so long as the group provided security during the trip. Mike was a little bit suspicious of how good these terms sounded, but decided to roll with it, not wanting to spoil the atmosphere of the group this early into the enterprise. The next day, they all met at the docks to get their first glimpse of the ship that they would be protecting. "Its a pirate ship." Mike said flatly. "You don''t know that." Sera replied. "That man over there has a hook for a hand! And that one has a peg leg carved with a message saying ''pirate for life.'' Does that not mean anything to you?" "Don''t be so insensitive, Mike. They''re just people who''ve lost limbs." Brenden said, dismissing the youths "Look, they even have a black flag!" He exclaimed while pointing at a pair of the ''sailors'' who were quickly trying to stow a piece of fabric that bore a clear skull and cross bones. "Now, now. I''m sure it will be fine." Sera said while marching up to the captain. The other two went with her, evidently not seeing the same signs. "But..." Mike sighed, and followed after. So long as the ship got them to the capital, he supposed it didn''t matter in the long run. "Good morning, Captain Bont, here are the three adventurers, like I promised." She was saying as they approached. "Aye, that be clear lass," he said with a grin, showing off a good number of gold teeth. "Now get yer gear stowed below, we be setting sail soon." "Oh, come on...." Mike complained, even though no one listened. Sera glanced up at the sky, noticing a dark, brooding clouds rolling in. "Are you sure? It looks like a storms coming soon." "Don''t ye worry, lass. We''re in for a light blow and nothing more. Bit o'' wobbling, and we''ll be through it afore ye know it." The captain replied while twisting his braided beard with one hand. "You''re the expert, I suppose." She started walking while carrying her luggage. After a few steps she turned back to look at the others. "Well, are you coming?" Brenden and Tal turned to Mike as if to ask him for his direction. With a shrug, he followed after the Oracle. The boat journey proved fairly pleasant at first, although Sera quickly displayed a proclivity towards seasickness, and spent the majority of her time clinging to the gunwale and periodically vomiting. Mike tried to use Healing Magic, but it only seemed to help temporarily, meaning the girl had to suffer on her own. The other three were fine. Apparently elves never had the problem, and Brenden had some experience on boats. Mike was a little surprised that he didn''t have any issue, considering he''d never been on the ocean, even in his previous life. Then he remembered his Physiological Resistance skill, and figured that was helping. He was brought out of his reflective mood when Tal pulled his sleeve. She pointed up at the clouds and whispered, "Storm soon. Bad one." "You sure?" She nodded, and almost as if that was a signal, the deck was caught in a torrential downpour, as the wind began to howl. "Captain! It looks like that storm is coming soon! Should we be worried?" He called over the noise. "So long as we stay out of the center of the lake, we''ll be fine!" Captain Bont called back from the wheel. It was at this point that the winds started howling, and massive waves began crashing into the side of the ship. With some quick maneuvering the crew had already started tying up the sails, as the captain wheeled the vessel to face the waves. "Why is it an issue if we''re in the middle of the lake?!" Mike called again. "Because that''s where the monsters live!" Was the reply. "Eh?" ---------------------------------- After being driven by relentless waves and powerful winds, the ship was forced far from the shore, deep into the center of Wyrmrest Lake. It wasn''t long before they were attacked. "Lesser Kraken. Very dangerous." Tal was calling from her space on the deck while dodging another of the lashing tentacles. Deciding he had just enough of sea (lake) scenery, Mike spun about and charged the creature, which was furiously trying to crush the ship into pieces. With a blast of Air Magic he hurled himself across the vessel, summoning a spear of earth in the process. As he reached the point directly over the Kraken, he pumped his limbs full of mana, which started to glow. With a yell, he hurled the spear down at the creature''s head. The stone projectile punched a hole into the beast nearly half a meter thick. He must have hit something vital, as the Kraken''s body stiffened, then slump lifelessly. "Mike, watch out!" Brenden called just a little too late. One of the tentacles, in its death throes, collided with him, and slapping him down against the surface of the water and driving him deep into the lake. [Why always the tentacles?] Mike thought as he struggled to right himself. Chapter 85: Sinking Sensation Mike started kicking his way to the surface, until one of the tentacles wrapped around his waist and started dragging him even further down. Evidently the creature was trying to take him down with it. [This thing is pretty presumptuous for calamari.] He struggled against the rubbery mass, but couldn''t get good leverage against the slippery surface. Now, starting to run out of air, he began to panic a little, trying desperately to come up with a plan to escape. Being submerged in water was having a serious effect on his magic. Fire and Air Magic were almost completely unusable. The former merely heating the surrounding liquid, while the latter could only really be used to form air bubbles. Earth Magic was mildly useful, but he was having trouble making something solid enough to penetrate the Kraken;s skin, as his earthen structures tended to soften and disintegrate after a while. Water Magic was of course usable, and indeed even easier than normal, but he was having trouble applying it in a manner that would help him. While he was trying to work through the issue, he was clipped by another of the swirling tentacles, knocking the wind out of him. As the last of his air escaped his lungs, Mike couldn''t help but take a reflexive breath, inhaling a mouthful of cold, lake water. [OH CRAP! I''m drowning! I''m...] He was able to breathe normally, even underwater. With only a little extra effort he could draw the water into his lungs and expel it without any of the pain he associated with drowning. It was a bizarre feeling. After a few moments spent exploring this new form of respiration, he recalled one of his titles, Undinekath, actually granted him the ability to breathe underwater. Apparently it also helped compensated for the issue of pressure and temperature, since he was fairly comfortable in his current situation, minus the tenticular death grip. Now that death was no longer immanent, he had some time to work out a solution to his problem. Feeling a little embarrassed about freaking out now, he noticed that the Kraken had pulled him very deep. It had gotten to the point that what little light had initially filtered through from above, was almost completely obscured, leaving him in increasing darkness. If he wanted to escape, he would need a means of generating light or seeing in the dark. [This would be a great time to gain a night vision skill. Right, System?] He continued to sink into the darkness. [Alright, fine! I''ll figure something else out. I wonder how light magic works.] He tried summoning his mana and directing it to crate light, but all he achieved was some weak Fire Magic that was promptly extinguished. Trying to recall everything he knew about electromagnetic physics and the interaction of photons with matter, he sought to approach the situation scientifically. [So fire is basically kinetic energy caused by vibrating molecules, so obviously, Fire Magic works by creating those vibrations...except when I use it create semi-material fire I suppose. Although that could be some kind of electromagnetic field acting like matter when it interacts with an object...] Mike gave himself a headache trying to apply his world''s physics to the way magic worked in Ea. He finally concluded that the laws of physics themselves were probably pretty similar, but that mana, and by extension magic, were somehow able to override them. By this point he was floating through inky blackness, and was unable to see his hand in front of his face. The Kraken seemed to have died somewhere in the intervening time, but the tentacle maintained its hard grip. [Aren''t these things supposed to float when they die? Did I hit some kind of buoyancy sac? Also, how deep is this lake? I feel like I''ve been sinking for hours.] Desperate to see something, or anything of what was going on, he tried creating light once more. [Alright, just imagine it. Excited electrons move to a higher energy state, releasing electromagnetic radiation as photons. It can''t be that hard.] The water instantly quenched the ball of fire he summoned into his hand. [Damn it! Alright, I got to keep trying. What else can I try? I mean, it can''t be as easy as flipping a light switch. That would be silly.] As soon as he imagined the light switch going on, a steadily glowing ball of white light formed in his hand, illuminating his surroundings. While he was busy cursing the fickle nature of the System, he took a moment to check his surroundings. He found himself sinking through clear water. The Kraken, now clearly dead, was still clinging gamely onto him as they sunk ever deeper. The light in his hand did travel far enough to illuminate much else, but he could vaguely make out some sort of pale color wall to one side of himself. It looked a little strange to him, so he added mana to the ball of light, expanding the radius of the revealed water. What he saw there was mind-boggling. A wall of cream colored material seemed to stretch as far as he could see in almost every direction. It was seemingly carved in an odd rippling pattern with slightly irregular shapes. After a few more minutes of examination, he began to feel that there was something familiar about the structure, it almost looked like a set of....teeth. With a start he realized he was looking at the skull of a phenomenally large creature. The sheer size of it beggared his imagination. Each of the teeth was easily dozens of meters in length. If the rest of the creature was proportional it would be truly gargantuan. A monster that would dwarf even the titanic beasts that popped up in the movies and TV shows of Mike''s old world. [Is this the Great Wyrm Tempestus? No wonder such a large lake formed when it crashed. This thing is the size of a small city.] Mike suddenly caught the distant strains of some kind of music. It was ethereal, almost unworldly, but heartrendingly beautiful all the same. The subtle tones almost seemed to be telling a story, one of loss and grief. But as he kept listening, he felt a slight shift, as the music grew warmer, more hopeful. He noticed a soft, blue light deep below him, and as he approached it the music seemed to grow louder, and more joyful. Soon he was close enough to see the source of the light, or rather the absence of it. The flickering globe of sapphire luminescence floated above a small bundle resting in the center of a massive skeletal hand. Once Mike was on the same level as the light, it seemed to bob in his direction, before vanishing like the flame from a candle. The music ceased soon afterwards, silence once again reigning over the scene. Certain that something of great importance was in that bundle, Mike began fighting in earnest against the entangling tentacle. Having little luck with physical efforts, he decided to try using his newly acquired Light Magic. Concentrating a large quantity of mana into his hand, he forcefully compressed and willed it into a beam of radiance. With some time and effort, he was able to direct it to severing a piece of the tentacle, just enough to allow him to slip free. He floated there for a second, apparently neutrally buoyant for some reason, watching as the Kraken sunk into the depths of the lake. [Seriously. How deep does this thing go?] Right before the body of the beast sunk out of the range of his light, he caught a glimpse of furious motion. Something....multiple somethings were tearing the Kraken apart. Heart rate spiking, Mike decided that he''d had quite enough of his underwater adventures, and hurriedly swum back to the bundle. As he was doing so, he kept seeing flashes of pale white things moving in the corner of his vision. The bundle turned out to be a roundish object wrapped in a piece of black colored leather. Not really wanting to take the time to investigate, he scooped it up, and started heading back to the surface. Evidently something about this act attracted the attention of the things that were following him, because he became surrounded by increasing amounts of furious motion. Whatever they were, they were remaining just outside the radius of his light. With a sudden burst of impatience he quickly dumped a large amount of mana into his spell creating a brilliant glow that shone for hundreds of meters in every direction. The light revealed that he was surrounded by hundreds of pale skinned, vaguely humanoid creatures that looked like a cross between a human and a piranha. Their limbs ended in webbed appendages tipped with wicked looking claws. Long pointed teeth were visible in their gaping angler-fish mouths. However, the most horrible aspect of these creatures was the featureless expanse of skin that covered the area where their eyes should be. [Nope. I''m done.] Once again drawing deeply from his mana, Mike created a powerful jet of water, pushing himself towards the sky like a torpedo. After a few minutes of slightly unpleasant travel, he broke through the surface, firing up almost a hundred meters into the sky. The storm had almost subsided, and streams of sunlight were breaking through the cloud cover. Spinning while still in the air, Mike caught sight of the ship. It was a few kilometers away, so he threw himself toward it with a blast of Air Magic to generate forward momentum. Repeating this process every time he got close to the water''s surface, he quickly traveled across the intervening distance. Soon enough he was landing on the deck, amid the astonished murmurings of the crew and passengers. "Mike? You''re alive?" Brenden asked from his position near the gun whale. It was a little hard to tell because of how rained soaked they all were, but he looked like he''d seen a ghost. "Yeah, sorry about that. Got tangled up in something on the way back." He said with a lighthearted laugh, hoping to defuse the tension he felt. There was a soft impact against his side as the silver-haired Oracle wrapped her arms around him in a relieved hug. Before he had a chance to return it, or even react, she broke the contact. After punching him in the stomach with much anger, but little effect, she stormed off. The effect was largely ruined however, when she turned green and had to run over to the side of the boat again. "She was worried. Needed faith." Tal said walking up with that enigmatic, almost-smile on her face. Mike sighed. "I really am sorry. I never meant to stay down there that long, but I ran into some interesting things while I did." He held up the bundle. "What''s that?" Brenden asked having approached as well. Mike pretended not to notice the redness of his eyes. "Something I found underwater, I''ll tell you more about it later. First, I want to get a look at it." Pulling of the strangely heavy black leather, he revealed a round gemstone-like object about 30 cm in diameter. It was a opaque, misty blue, and virtually glowed in the post-storm sun, reflecting the light into a number scintillating rainbow patterns. The three of them gasped when they laid eyes on it. A gem that size would be worth a fortune, but something bother Mike about the shape of the stone. It wasn''t perfectly round, and the surface, although smooth, lacked the polished finish he''d expected from a cut gem. For some reason, it looked an awfully lot like an egg to him. Chapter 86: Calmly Exploring Quickly wrapping the gemstone in the leather once again, Mike carried it back to his room and placed it on his hammock. He had a sneaking suspicion that letting the ''sailors'' see it would end badly for one or all of them. The others followed him, clearly wanting some explanation of what was going on, one he was willing to give. "And that was how I escaped, any questions?" Mike asked with a smile. "What do you mean you just learned how to do Light Magic? And why can you survive so far underwater for so long?" Sera broke in. "Blue light. Suspicious." Tal remarked. "Right, and why did you just trust some random, singing blue light in the middle of the lake?" Sera continued. "Well, I just did?" Mike replied sheepishly. Brenden shrugged, "Sounds like the usual for Mike." Sera gave a snort of disgust, but didn''t disagree. Tal was in the midst of examining the strange gemstone. Now that it was dry and unwrapped, it seemed to give off its own dim illumination. She was just about to touch it when there was a knock on the door. Mike quickly covered the gem with the leather before answering the door. Captain Bont stood there, a golden grin plastered on his face. "I didn''t know we be hosting such fine company. You should have let us know, Sir Mage, I would have made a grander welcome." Grimacing, Mike replied. "There is no need. I didn''t reveal my stature for the simple reason that I didn''t want to attract attention. I would appreciate it if you and the rest of your crew could keep it silent." "Of course, of course. Discretion be our stock and trade. All I ask in return is that you keep old Captain Bont in mind when you''re needing a boat. We provide all sorts of nautical.....services." "You have already proven more capable than I ever imagined. Rest assured that if ever find myself in need of ocean transport again, you will be the first I consider." "That''s good, that''s good." He said with enthusiasm while glancing curiously around the room, paying special attention to the bundle of black leather in one corner. "Do ye have everything ye need in yer accommodations? We could have ye moved to the more comfortable cabins." Brenden and Mike were sharing a small cabin, barely larger than a closet. Sera and Tal were in a similar situation. It was uncomfortable, but tolerable. "We''re are quite fine where we are, thank you." "Very well, I''ll get out of yer hair. I look forward to sailing with ye, Sir Mage." With that he departed. "Whew." Mike said while closing the door. "He suspects. Doesn''t know." Tal answered. "We got to be a little more careful in the future. I don''t know how trustworthy this crew is, especially now that we might be carrying something valuable." Sera nodded her agreement, "Right, we don''t want anyone to get there hands on this baby before we get a chance to sell it." Mike just shook his head. He sat down across from the gem, and tried to use Appraise on it. ---------------------------------- {Unknown} Unknown (????????) Skill value too low to Appraise this object. ----------------------------------- [What the hell did I pick up?] Looking for a clue, he tried his hand on the leather itself, with more luck. ----------------------------------- {Elder Wyrm Leather} Magic Material (Tier 4, Rank 2) Leather drawn from the hide of an Elder Wyrm, one of the legendary dragons of antiquity who were once said to darken the skies in ages past. Items made from this material will carry some of their ancient might. Due to deterioration, this particular piece has decreased in potency, lowering its rank. ------------------------------------ [That''s a little more helpful. From the sounds of it, these Elder Wyrms were some kind of ancient dragon or something.] He returned his focus to the strange gem, and curious about how it felt, he reached out and brushed its surface with his fingers. Almost as soon as he did, he felt a massive drain on his mana. He pulled his hand back quickly. The gem seemed to glow brighter for a moment, before returning to its normal level illumination. "What happened?" Sera asked after seeing Mike''s response. "It was trying to take my mana." He replied with a puzzled look. Tal tilted her head, and with a quick movement laid her palm against the side of the stone. "Wait!" Mike tried to stop her, but wasn''t able to respond in time. "Fine. No drain." She answered succinctly. Brenden and Sera also tried, and similarly were unaffected by the object. Wondering if it might have been an isolated incident, Mike laid his hand against it again. Almost immediately he felt the drain again. This time it was much stronger. For whatever reason, it seemed that only Mike was subjected to it. "Interesting." Tal remarked. Although she had the same neutral face as always, Mike could almost imagine her eyes glittering excitedly as she gazed at the gem. A little tired from his underwater adventures, Mike decided he would put it off till later, and wrapped the object back up. "For the time being, I''m going to hold on to it and try to keep it hidden. Lets put off figuring this thing out till later. I don''t know about you, but I could use some relaxation after all that excitement." "I can agree with that." Brenden said while hopping up into his hammock and stretching out. "Can you really just take a nap when you are on the cusp of such an interesting and profitable discovery?" Sera broke in. Mike looked at her, "By the way, did you get over your seasickness? You look like you''re feeling better." "I..." She started, before turning green and running out of the cabin. Tal looked upset, probably, still focused on the bundle. Eventually, she reluctantly agreed to hold off on it for a while longer. "Tomorrow." She said in no uncertain terms. Mike nodded his agreement. --------------------------------------- The next few days were relatively uneventful. The ship manged to make it to the ocean after traveling along a wide canal made for the purpose. It was commonly, and disappointingly known as the Great Canal. Mike was impressed by the feat of engineering. It seemed to have been cut nearly a hundred meters across, and it formed a straight line between lake and the sea. With a little careful examination, he realized that the sides of the canal were formed from sold blocks of stone at least ten meters long. It seemed like this waterway was, at least in part, created through the use of Earth Magic. He wondered what other major works could be accomplished through magic, assuming a sufficient amount of effort. Once they got to the ocean, the trip continued smoothly. Mike spent the time experimenting with the gemstone. It apparently had an endless hunger for mana, and no matter how much he poured into the object, it never seemed to be enough. He was beginning to wonder if it might not be some kind of training device, since the only effect he''d noticed was an improvement in his mana related skills. Tal similarly had no luck trying to investigate it, and after exhausting her options, she resigned herself to simply observing as Mike tried his experiments. One day, when it was particularly calm outside, he was playing around with globe of water he''d magically created. Ever since his underwater experience, he wanted to better understand his Water Magic, and perhaps figure out how to use it in new ways. At the moment, he was trying to form the globe into a number of different shapes as a means of determining his limitations. He quickly discovered that his artistic ability apparently played a role, as the water horse he was trying to make looked more like a sick aardvark than an equine animal. While he was trying to iron out some of the details, the door slammed open and Brenden walked in. The interruption broke Mike''s concentration, and the remains of the water aardvark fell on the leather bundle containing the gemstone. A soft hum filled the air, and the bundle started emitting a deep blue glow. Brenden and Mike exchanged a look and, after making sure the door was fully closed, move closer to examine it. The reaction was similar to the other instances where Mike gave the object his mana, except this time it continued for much longer. "Did it just want a little water?" Brenden asked laconically, already starting to find these mystical objects more trouble than they were worth. "I don''t know. Its almost like it was responding specifically to my Water Magic." He replied while summoning another ball of water and placing it against the stone. Almost immediately the hum grew louder, and the glow increased in intensity. He was evidently on the right track. Just to confirm that there wasn''t something he was missing, he tried doing the same with the other elements he had access to. Earth and Light both had no effect. Fire caused the glow to weaken, but Air seemed to work like Water but to a lesser effect. It obviously seemed to respond to magic keyed towards certain elements. He next tried to dump a large quantity of mana in his Water Magic and pour the results into the gemstone. This caused the hum to reach such a high pitch that it was no longer audible to human ears. Brenden, who was now wincing at the sound only he could hear, complained, "Do something! This is getting out of hand." Mike wasn''t really listening, thoughts fully focused on the task at hand. He got the feeling that the stone was approaching some kind of critical moment, and he wasn''t sure how to approach it. Wracking his memories of stories from his previous world, he could only come up with one possible solution. However, he was hesitant to try it. [If this turns out to be some kind of demonic pact stone, or the egg of some horrible monster, I''m going to regret this.] Sensing some kind of approaching deadline, Mike decided to go ahead and try something he had read about a few times in some of the darker fantasy stories of his world. He drew his knife and made a quick cut across his palm, dribbling the resulting blood onto the stone before his injury healed. [Augh, why do they always use the hand in movies and TV shows. That was really painful.] Whatever noise the stone was emitting stopped, and its glow took on a darker, reddish tinge. It started pulsing at a steadily increasing rate, seemingly vibrating intensely at each beat. "Do you know what you are doing?" Brenden asked warily. Something about the stone was setting his nerves on edge. "I hope so, but get ready in case I made a mistake." He answered while drawing his sword and getting ready to fight if necessary. The pulse continued to get faster and faster until it reminded Mike of machine gun fire, then all of a sudden silence descended on the cabin, and the stone grew dark. "Did you mess up?" Brenden asked while cautiously peering over at the object. Mike shot him a glare, and was about to admonish him when a resounding crack filled the air. He looked back at the stone just in time to see a piece of it break off, revealing a dark, hollow interior. Something was moving inside. Chapter 87: Eventful Arrival Both Brenden and Mike got ready for whatever was fixing to break out of the gemstone, or egg. It shuddered a few more times, and then a small reptilian head poked out of the hole that had formed earlier. It was covered in fine, pale-blue scales that turned lighter under its jaw and on the front side of its neck. Delicate webbed fins extended to either side of the creature''s snout. Two rows of bony-looking knobs ran in sweeping lines towards its back, appearing to be undeveloped horns. A pair of large, deep blue eyes scanned its surroundings briefly before fixing its gaze on Mike. Overall, it looked quite cute. "Would you look at that. Is it some kind of lizard?" Mike asked, lowering his sword and getting closer to have a better view. "I''m not sure if that is a good idea..." Brenden was saying when the creature suddenly burst into action. With a high pitched cry, it exploded out of the remains of its egg, firmly attaching itself to Mike''s face. "AH! Get it off! Get it off!" He started flailing ineffectually at it, as the creature began scrambling up into his hair. Frantically trying to catch the agile lizard he overbalanced and fell backwards. The creature responded by scampering into his shirt. "Ah, its in my clothes!" Mike yelled, raising a hand to smack at the lump that had appeared just below the neckline of his shirt, but paused when he saw those watery blue eyes staring back at him fearfully. [Darn it. Why does it have to look so cute?] He sighed, and calmed down. In response, the lizard creature huffed out a tiny breath, and slowly closed its eyes, as if drifting off to sleep. Mike had to remind himself that it was basically an infant, which had emerged from its egg mere seconds ago. "Looks like it got attached to you." Brenden replied while relaxing slightly. He was still getting the feeling that the creature was dangerous, but it was less hostility and more a sense of foreboding. Figuring that it was merely another part of the strange mystique that followed Mike around wherever he went, he decided to roll with it. "Yeah, I guess." He gently pulled the lizard out of his shirt and, after sitting up, placed it on his lap. Now that he had a chance to look at it, he wasn''t sure that the term ''lizard'' really fit anymore. If he had to describe it, he would say that it looked like a tiny dragon. It was maybe 1.5 kg, and significantly smaller than the egg it had emerged from. A pair of delicate bat-like wings extended from its back that, although currently furled, looked as if they could extend to around 50cm. It had a slender body, with its long neck and tail each making up more than half of its length of approximately 60cm. It was currently curled into a tight little ball that Mike could fit into his palm. Mike absentmindedly stroked a finger along the creature''s back, feeling the slightly rougher ridge that seemed to form along its back. He noticed that it was quite warm to the touch, and therefore wasn''t cold-blooded. He used Appraise, hoping to get a little more information. ------------------------------ Unnamed Race: Dragon (Tempest Wyrm) Age: 0 Class: Unspecified Title: Familiar ------------------------------ [Hm, that raises more questions than it answers. But if its a familiar, then that means....] He quickly looked through his [Status] and saw the new Primary Skill he had apparently obtained by accident. ------------------------------ - Bind Familiar (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Through the use of an ancient contract sealed in blood, you have bound a magical creature into your service. This contract connects the souls and destinies of its participants, binding them to one another. Rank 1 Effects: Soul Link -Soul Link - The bond created between master and familiar links their souls together. This allows both participants to gather a rough feeling for where the other is, within a set distance. It also allows particularly strong emotions to be transmitted along the link. ------------------------------ [Well, that''s interesting. I guess I''m bonded to this little guy now. I''ll have to come up with a name at some point.] After determining the true nature of the creature, he wondered whether or not the egg was still unidentifiable, so he tried using Appraise on the fragments. ----------------------------- {Tempest Wyrm''s Egg Shell} Magic Material (Tier 3, Rank 5) These are the fragments that remained behind after the birth of a Wyrm, the highest class of dragon kind. Because of the species, these fragments have a high affinity for both the Air and Water elements. Rarely seen in modern times, such materials could form the core of numerous magical items, especially ones that deal with protection and growth. Due to some unknown factor, these fragments have decreased in potency. ----------------------------- [I really need to pick up some kind of crafting skill to make use of all these materials I''ve been finding.] Brenden leaned back against the wall, watching as Mike worked through the new discoveries. He wasn''t quite sure what this all meant, but suspected that it was another of the unusual circumstances that surrounded the Hero. Mike lifted the little dragon again, and tried placing it on his hammock. Almost as soon as he broke contact with it, the familiar woke up and scrambled up his arm, before settling down in the crook between his neck and his shoulder. Brenden laughed at their antics. "I don''t think its going to let you go that easily. Now, I don''t know much about little winged lizards, but if its anything like a humanoid child, it won''t want to be separated from its parent until it grows up some more." "Parent? What do you mean? I just happened to be nearby when it....was.....born. Crap, did it imprint on me?" Mike asked himself, after coming to a sudden realization. "Don''t know anything about imprinting, but it probably sees you as a father, or...." He snickered, "a mother." After giving the beastman another glare, Mike sighed. "Would you mind getting the others? I think we need to involve them on this." He shrugged in response, and sauntered out of the cabin. Pretty soon he came back with Tal and Sera in tow. The pair immediately noticed the new addition on Mike''s shoulder. "Oh my gods! Its precious! Look at those eyes!" The Oracle was immediately won over, and promptly started fawning over the dragon. The elf also displayed an intense interest, but was more focused on the mystical aspects of the creature. "What species?" She asked pointedly. "Apparently, its a dragon of the Tempest Wyrm variety." Mike replied while backing up slightly as Tal pressed herself closer. "What? Like the dragon that created Wyrmrest Lake? I thought that thing was supposed to be massive. This cute little thing couldn''t be related to such a monster." Sera said while trying to pet the scales of the dragon''s neck. This apparently annoyed the creature, since it immediately sunk its teeth into her finger. "Ow!" She shouted while drawing her hand back. The dragon huffed and moved to Mike''s other shoulder, placing his neck between Sera and it. The Oracle looked at it with watery eyes. He could tell that she was truly devastated by the rejection, so he gave her a sympathetic smile. "Its attached to me, but I don''t think it trusts anyone else yet. Give it some time." "How attached?" Tal asked, focusing on that particular aspect of his statement. "Well, it seems I managed to form a familiar bond with it......mostly by accident." He replied sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. Tal issued a sigh, and looked vaguely tired."Not surprised." "Yeah, you can''t take anything Mike does personally. I''m convinced that he''s got some kind of aura of luck that he drags along with him. Seems to be a mix of good and bad though. Almost as if he''s been blessed or cursed by the gods to lead an interesting life." Brenden cut in philosophically. [I''m really starting to regret asking for that when I reincarnated.] Recovering from her previous defeat, Sera was once again trying to get close to the dragon. She commented distractedly, "Yes, yes, Mike''s weird. Can we talk about something more important. What are you going to call this cutie?" The dragon was watching the Oracle with one eye. As soon as she got close, it climbed up onto Mike''s head to get away from her. "Well, I don''t even know what gender it is." He had tried to wrack his memory on reptiles, but had come up blank. "Then we just need to come up with something that would work either way." She replied, now on her toes, reaching for the dragon. The little creature was sitting with its head straight in the air, like a snake ready to strike, and eying the approaching hand warily. Mike stopped her, earning a reproving look. "What do you guys think? Since its a Tempest Wyrm, maybe something to do with storms or rain?" "It hatched out of a gemstone, so something to do with gems, maybe?" Brenden added in a slightly disinterested manner from his position near the door. "I think its a she, and I think we should give her a beautiful name. Something like Melody. Or-Or Alexandra. I always liked that one." Sera chimed in, trying to bypass Mike''s warding hand. "That might get awkward if it turns out to be male." Mike replied, finally scooping up the dragon and sheltering it with his body. "Ancient race. Long history. Need noble name." Tal exclaimed, propounding the need for a respectable title for such an esteemed creature. Mike mentally debated, wondering what direction he should go. Chapter 88: Decisions Quick announcement/ message: First of all, I sincerely thank you all for the suggestions. There were some really good ones that made deciding quite difficult. I had originally only planned on choosing one name, but after seeing the comments, I figured ''what the heck'' might as well give it a few. As such, the dragon will be called Audra Delphine Tempestates. A bit of a mouthful, I know, but it not only meets the conditions set forth by the group (except for Brenden, poor guy), but it really rolls off the tongue as well. So before I get into the latest chapter, I wanted to explain my selections. I''m really a sucker for names that have double or hidden meanings, so Audra which translates directly into "Storm" in Lithuanian, and indirectly into "Noble Strength" in Old English was a great fit, Definitely a proud and noble name. Delphine, which in Greek means a woman from Delphi, is therefore related to The Oracle of Delphi, and I feel that it would be well within Sera''s character to name it after herself, even if she had no idea that she was doing so. Tempest was the most on the nose of the suggestions, but it seemed like a good nod to the dragon''s origins. I augmented it slightly to pay homage to the ancient roman goddess of storms. I hope you don''t mind. For those of you who gave a suggestion that I didn''t end up using, please know that I had to spend a few hours mulling over this, and I''m still not a hundred percent on it. Once again, thanks for the ideas. ------------------------------------------------------- Looking again at the little dragon, Mike couldn''t help but feel that it was a bit on the feminine side. Deciding to play the odds accordingly, he worked with Tal and Sera to put together an appropriate name, and after much discussion, and not a little fabrication on his part, the group came to a consensus. "Audra Delphine Tempestates, huh? That''s one pretentious name, but I suppose you can''t call a Wyrm ''Fluffy'' or something like that." Brenden commented once the discussion reached a conclusion. He seemed a little miffed that no one took his suggestion seriously. "Nothing wrong. Name acceptable." Tal exclaimed with monotone indignation. Sera also leapt to its defense, "That''s right! Little Delphi here deserves a great name. One that conveys the full extent of her kind and noble spirit." The force of her argument was somewhat compromised by the several bite marks on her hands, where she refused to learn her lesson. "I''m still not completely convinced it is a ''her,'' but worst case scenario, when the dragon grows up enough to understand such things, we can just blame it on Sera." Brenden returned with a slight grin. "Hey!" The Oracle shouted, indignantly. A knock on the door forestalled any further discussion. Mike quickly hide Audra inside of his cloak. [I''m going to need to sew a pocket into this thing, or something.] "Yes, what is it?" He asked once he had secured the dragon. One of the ''sailors'' opened the door, looking a bit terrified. He was dressed in ragged trousers and a vest. A bandana was tied on his head, and he had a gold hoop earring in one ear. [Yep, definitely not pirates.] Mike thought to himself sarcastically. "Uh..Sir Mage...Uh, the captain wanted me to inform.....uh....let you know...." Sera grew impatient. "Spit it out, man! We don''t have all day." "Right! There are some suspicious sails on the horizon. The captain wanted me to let you know." He shuffled in place after delivering his message. "Was there anything else?" Mike asked. "Ah, well...the captain was kind of keen on you going to check it out soon." He started waving his hands in the air in a placating gesture. "You know, if you are alright with it." Mike sighed. "Please inform Captain Bont that we will be out shortly." "Aye-aye, Sir Mage." He sketched an awkward salute, and hurried out the door as fast as he could. [Now that I think about it, we haven''t had the eponymous pirate attack yet. Its almost required when traveling by boat........why did I just think that?] "Come on, lets go check this out. I have a bad feeling about this." Mike led the way out onto the deck. He walked over to the captain, who was standing near the port side. "What''s the problem?" "Arr, well there be a trio of sails to our southwest." The captain replied laconically while handing over the spyglass he''d been using. [Did he just say Arr?] Looking in the direction he indicated, he saw three dark grey triangular sails on the horizon. They seemed to be moving in formation, to some extent. "What''s troubling about that?" He asked. "Well, they be Theldon sails. Could be they''re traders from Theldholm traveling in a group for protection. Could be raiders from The Barren Isle. We''ll know soon enough." "How will we know?" Sera asked. She still looked a little queasy, but the last few days had done wonders on improving her sea legs. "If they ignore us, they be traders. If they follow us they be raiders. Quite simple, miss." The captain replied with a grin. Mike took a moment to move the sleeping Audra into a pocket. Luckily, she was both compact and light. [I''m going to have to think of something when she gets bigger. If she turns out to be anything like that skeleton down in the lake, no pocket is going to suffice.] The group proceeded to watch as the ships drew steadily nearer. When it became clear the Theldon ships were changing course in order to intercept them, it became clear where they stood. "Tis raiders, then." The captain declared excitedly. He looked over at Mike. "Sir Mage, what ye want to do?" "Why do you ask me? Don''t you have a plan?" He replied, slightly confused. "Oh, aye. We could lead them on a merry chase, and if we swing close to the Isle of Pyrthos, we might even succeed in escaping, but it''d be a close thing." "So why don''t we do that?" "Well, here be the thing....." He looked a little embarrassed. "This ship may not be the most welcome in Bergell, or the Isle of Pyrthos in general, for that matter." Giving the captain a blank look, Mike asked, "Why is that?" "Ya see, there is a bit of a....misunderstanding. I be the subject of gross slander. Can ya believe that they accuse us of such terrible things as thievery?" Speaking in a completely neutral tone, Mike asked, "And not piracy?" "Nay, Sir Mage. We be the farthest thing from pirates. Me crew be filled with honest men of business. Ain''t that right, men?" A raucous cheer sounded from the surrounding ''honest men of business.'' A cheer mixed with a fair amount of laughter. Sighing again, he decided it wasn''t worth trying to argue this point again. "Right, so what exactly are you trying to ask me?" "It be like this, Sir Mage. We be stuck between two unfortunate outcomes. Either way would end poorly for all involved, so I ask, what do ya be willing to do to prevent it?" The captain replied. A dark, predatory glint shone in his eyes. Mike was starting to get sick of being forced to violently solve problems. It had been little besides fighting and killing since he got to this world, and though he''d done little to prevent it, he was starting to get a little tired of it. [I really need a break.] He walked to the side of the gunwale and looked out at the ships. They were starting to get close, and he could barely make out the tiny figures of the crew. Summoning his mana, he started chanting. "I let thee fly free..." Brenden reacted first, "Uh, Mike? What are you planning?" He pushed as much mana into the spell as it could hold. The air around him seemed to shimmer with a mirage-like heat as a white-hot ball of flame started taking shape in his had. Even while concentrating, he noticed that Audra was stirring in his pocket, almost as if she found the magic distasteful. "Mike? Are you sure you want to do this? Those are humanoids on that ship. Maybe we can find another way." Sera was looking deeply concerned. Although he wasn''t aware of it, Mike''s face had become coldly emotionless as he chanted the deadly words. Captain Bont was looking between the two of them, uncertainty starting to creep into his expression. "....fury, [Fireball]." For a second, he debated about simply destroying the ships. After all, he was sure that they wouldn''t spare any of the people on board if they caught up. [Why not? If they get away, they''ll probably go on to kill other people. Really, I would be doing the world a favor.] At the last second, he pang of reproof from somewhere deep in his consciousness. Something that screamed that these thoughts were wrong. He thought he heard the faintest strains of unearthly music. With an effort of will, he redirected the spell. The beach ball sized sphere of flame shot out over the water. As it reached a point above the leading ship, it detonated. A second sun briefly appeared in the sky, shining with a brilliance that was almost overpowering. Immediately afterwards a shockwave of heated air and sound washed over the ship, flattening everyone on board. Even as far away as Mike and the others were, the sound and light were stunning, causing everyone on board to recoil. The ocean around the ship started steaming in the superheated air, and Mike could see that the ship''s rigging was now burning, evidently still too close to the explosion. Gritting his teeth, he walked back to his cabin long enough to grab is spear, before returning to the side of the ship. Sounding overawed, Captain Bont hesitantly asked, "Sir Mage? What be your plan? We should be free to continue, now. Only the insane would keep chasing us after that display." "That would just push the problem off on someone else. So, I''m going to try for a more permanent solution." He tried flashing the others a reassuring smile, even though he was still a little unsettled that he''d come so close to committing mass murder. He really needed that break. With a blast of Air Magic, he threw himself forward, towards the leading ship. With a cry of dismay, Sera had a sudden realization. "AH! Delphi!" Chapter 89: Cant Catch a Break Deep below the ocean''s surface, an ancient, coiled formation of rocky material broke the monotony of the dark sea floor. If Mike had seen it, he may have been reminded of the Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail and symbol of infinity. In the otherwise motionless stretch of empty water and silt, the mana was suddenly disturbed. Whispers of an old enemy thought long extinguished. There was a stirring beneath the rocky formation, like a sleeper on the verge of waking. A burst of power and light from the surface filtered down into the dark reaches of the ocean floor, briefly illuminating what had long laid dormant. With an unheard crack, six wide crevices opened on the formation in two rows. Eyes of the deepest purple looked for the source of the disturbance, barbell shaped pupils narrowing in the glare. ------------------------------------------ Mike landed on the deck of the lead ship, taking a moment mid-flight to douse the burning rigging with a bit of Water Magic. The crew was still recovering from blast, giving him time to do a quick inspection. The ship itself was built in a long, slender style that reminded Mike of a cross between a Viking longboat and an Ancient Greek war galley, although it was battered and in poor repair. Long wooden oars lined the sides of the ship, and dozens of large, hairy men were lying stunned and prostrate along the rowing benches. As far as he could tell, there was only a single, battered cannon, mounted near the prow of the ship. Judging from the rudimentary weapons the men had on hand, Mike could only figure that they must rely on boarding actions to overwhelm and capture their foes. Something that would require a great deal of bravery when facing the weaponry of the ships he had seen in Wyrport. He''d landed in the aft section of the ship, which featured a slightly raised platform where the ships steering mechanism was housed, a thick and flattened piece of wood that seemed to rely mainly on muscle and leverage. Nearby, two men, who seemed to be shaking off the effects of his spell faster than the others, were slowly getting to their feet. One looked to be the leader of the raiders, a large man dressed in a suit of battered splint mail and a fur lined cloak. His open faced helm had fallen off revealing long blonde hair, speckled with grey, tied back loosely. Armbands of gold covered both of his arms, clinking faintly as he stood up. A single-headed axe clutched in one hand. The other was a slender grey haired man, with a long beard. He was clad in rough cut leathers decorated with a number of talismans and shamanistic paraphernalia. One of his eyes was milky white, while the other was a pale blue. He leveraged himself to his feet using a gnarled staff adorned with runic carvings and topped with bird feathers. He was staring at Mike with something approaching awe. [Crap, I forgot to come up with a plan. How should I handle this?] ------------------------------------------------------- A little while ago... On the deck of Fireforged, Wyrd Eyed Skarn rolled the bones, praying to the Spirits to give him guidance. As the rune carved bits of scrimshaw came to a rest in the wooden bowl, he felt a trickle of power leave him, a sign that the magic was working as intended. He looked over the results, divining meaning from which of the runes were showing, which weren''t, and their locations in the carved ritual bowl. A frown formed on his face. One that grew deeper the longer he studied the bones. Finally, with a weariness that belied his age he stood, feeling the popping of his knees. "Lord, I have rolled the bones, and I would have words with you regarding the spirits'' guidance." Enar, one of the five great Swordlords of the Barren Isle and the leader of their expedition, glanced over at him with a hint of disdain. However, even he was wary of earning the ire of one of the Wyrd Singers. "Speak old man. I have little time to waste on old superstitions. We will soon be in range of the Drylanders'' guns, and I need to focus." He growled from the depths of his helm, already fully equipped in his battle array. Skarn spoke in the slow, rhythmic tones that characterized his kind, "The Spirits have warned that this undertaking entails great danger. Many of our men will lose their lives should we continue." The Swordlord eyed the shaman suspiciously, evidently calculating his options. Although Enar himself felt that the Wyrd Singers were liars and charlatans, he knew many of the crew were serious believers. "What else have the bones told you? Surely a warning was not the only thing you saw." There was a hint of a threat in the man''s posture. Sighing inwardly, yet maintaining his neutral face, Skarn reveled the rest of the Spirits'' message. "We will face a terrible foe. One that may rain ruin upon all of us. The only hope of surviving intact is to flee now." The Swordlord growled at the idea of retreat, no doubt already hearing the whispered jibes and rumors that would damage his reputation for bravery. The Wyrd Eyed continued. "Should we face this foe, we will sustain terrible losses, but there is a chance for a great reward." This got the warrior''s attention. "What kind of reward?" Skarn spoke with a heavy heart. "One that will bring prosperity to our people, but change them utterly as well." Enar looked into the distance at the Drylander ship, avarice clear in his gaze. He announced to the crew, who had quieted to hear the conversation. "We will continue. Honor demands it. And from the sound of it, the Spirits demand it too." This brought forth a hearty cheer from the men who now rowed with renewed vigor. Signals were sent to Stormlashed and Shipbreaker, the two other ships in their small flotilla. The drum beat that marked time for the rowers increased as the vessels shot forward on the water. Skarn closed his eyes mournfully. He had read the deaths of his kinsmen in their current path, but he knew that no force could now change their destiny. Greed would drive them to their doom. Worse still, the time of tribulation would come for his people. Should they be found wanting, ten centuries of history and culture would come to an end, as they dwindled into oblivion. Should they succeed, a new path would be open for them, one that would lead to great prosperity at the cost of their very identity. As one of the Wyrd Singers, bearers of the ancient traditions of the Barren Isles, it was difficult to reconcile himself with either destiny. There was a strange shift in the patterns of mana that flowed over the sea. One that made the hairs on the back of Skarn''s neck rise. Something was coming. Something that sought to cleanse the ocean of his people. He stared out at the blue expanse of the waves, seeking the source, only to find it one the Drylanders'' ship. A point of harsh white light formed on its deck, and before long it began to fly towards them. Skarn felt a deep sense of dread at the ball of glowing fire. Doom was approaching in its wake, and he could only wait for its arrival. He watched until it reached a point right above the ship. The world was filled with heat, light, and pressure. He could feel his skin blistering, smell his hair burning as he was pressed against the deck by an irresistible force. Eyes burning with a stinging pain, ears ringing, he could only writhe in agony for an indeterminable amount of time. Gradually, his senses returned, and he could see the blurry shape of Enar nearby. The Swordlord appeared to be in a similar state. He felt more than heard the thud of something landing on the deck nearby, the vibrations traveling along the wooden planking. The ship itself seemed to tilt in response to the impact. Using his staff, Skarn forced himself onto his feet and turned to look at the source of the disturbance. A youth stood before him, dressed simple clothes and deep crimson cloak. In one hand was grasped a spear, the other hovered near one of his pockets, almost protectively. Shaggy brown hair nearly obscured the pair of golden eyes that were staring at him with an intensity that shook Skarn to his bones. The youth looked ready to speak, when the world shook a second time. ------------------------------------------------------- [Alright, I just need to convince them to give up a lifestyle of raiding and piracy and become legitimate traders or something. How hard could it be?] Mike opened his mouth to begin his persuasion, when the deck suddenly shifted precariously underneath him. He nearly fell over as the crashing sound of water filled the air. Looking back over his shoulder he was treated to the sight of a massive, blueish wall rising out of the ocean, nearly a kilometer into the air. For a moment he thought it must be some kind of gargantuan column of some sort, but he soon realized it was organic in nature. The column was a creature built on a scale that defied imagination. He found himself staring at the sight for a moment, before he realized the impending danger as the creature, whatever it might be, started to fall back to the ocean, creating a wave of titanic proportions. A wave that was heading right towards the three raider ships. Mike mentally sighed as he summoned the Air Magic necessary to throw himself up out of harm''s way. [It can''t ever be easy, can it?] Chapter 90: A Little Immature Shooting high into the air, Mike narrowly avoided the tidal wave, feeling a pang of sympathy as it swallowed the raider vessels. Exercising a massive amount of his Water Magic, he managed to create a break in the wave, preventing his own ship from suffering the same fate. He landed on the water and stayed there, making use of a new application of magic he''d picked up in his experimenting over the last few days. By hardening a patch of water directly under each of his feet, he could literally walk on it. However, he had yet to really put it to use, and was beginning to see a flaw. As the aftershocks of the titanic creature''s emergence continued to reverberate through the nearby ocean, Mike was having a great deal of trouble maintain his balance. It was a bit like trying to stay standing during an earthquake. Finally, he added another component to his magic to flatten the surrounding water as it approached him, allowing him to concentrate long enough to investigate the situation. The creature, whatever it was, had partially surfaced, and looked pretty much like a small island, about 500m long and 250m wide, with a set of massive purple eyes. The rest of its body remained underwater, hovering below the surface. It reminded Mike a bit of a crocodile. The creature''s gaze wandered around for a bit searching for something, and Mike noticed that each pair seemed able to move independently of each other. Finally, after a few minutes of searching all three sets focused on him. It stared at him intently, but Mike thought it looked a bit confused. Figuring that such a monstrous being would be hard to escape from, and even harder to kill, he fell back on his usual trick. Pushing mana into his voice to allow it to carry farther, he yelled. "It''s rude to stare, you know? Can I help you with something?" The creature blinked, a process involving several overlapping membranes that quickly whisked across the surfaces of its eyes. A subsonic rumbling emerged from deep below the ocean, causing vibrations in the water for kilometers in every direction. Although Mike wasn''t completely certain, he got the impression it was demanding to face its ancient enemy. However, the tone of the message carried more resignation than anger. "What is your enemy? We are the only ones here right now." He asked while scratching at an itch on his upper back. He couldn''t quite reach it. The vibrations sounded again, and this time it carried the description of an ancient being whose winged bulk blotted out the sun, whose cries split the sky, and whose wrath rent mountains and boiled seas. "Nothing like that here. I think you might be mistaken¡­." Mike had started trying to convince the creature to leave, when he felt something flop onto his head. Glancing up, he saw Audra returning its intense stare with one of her own. There was a brief moment when the island-sized monster and the palm sized-dragon engaged in a staring contest. Audra finally broke the silence with a short, high-pitched squeak, which Mike''s Communication Magic translated as, "Come at me, bro!" Mike frantically picked her up and put her back into his pocket, while addressing the creature. "Sorry about that, she''s very young." There was another burst of vibration, this time longer. It seemed to mean that the creature understands, and will wait until its enemy was ready to face it. Without saying anything else, it slowly slipped beneath the waves. [That went surprising well.] Audra once again clambered out onto his head, looking around for the creature that had disappeared. Mike thought she seemed disappointed it was gone. "You are going to give me some headaches in the future. Aren''t you, little one?" Mike said while reaching up and scratching the underside of the dragons jaw. She responded with something close to a purr before laconically curling up on his head. Sighing, Mike started making his way back to the ship until someone called out to him from nearby. "Wyrmkin! Please wait! I must speak with you!" Looking around, Mike saw the old, milky-eyed man nearby. He was draped over a broken section of a mast, looking utterly spent. "What did you call me?" He asked while stepping over to the man. "I used your appropriate title, Wyrmkin. It is the word my people use when addressing one who has bonded with one of the Wyrms, greatest and most sacred of all dragons." A mixture of awe and reverence had creeped into his tone, and it was clear that the gaze of his one good eye was fixed upon the tiny form resting on his head. "Okay¡­..Did you want something?" He was feeling a little creep out by the raider''s expression. "While I would welcome some assistance in regards to our current situation, I know that aiding those who were once your enemy would be asking too much of you." He said while gesturing vaguely at the scattered remnants of the ships that had once held his people, "I would ask for one boon only. Tell me from whence you hail." Mike realized that they had been speaking in a language different from his usual one. This became evident when the translated meaning of the man''s last statement filtered into his mind. It seemed that in whatever culture the man originated from, such a request would basically require a self-introduction to properly respond to it. He took a moment to look around at the scattered remnants of the raiders, recalling how poor and ill equipped they had been. Only a handful seemed to have survived the creature''s arrival, most of whom were clinging to the overturned hull of one of the ships which had miraculously survived. Corpses had begun to surface now, and he was sure that the sharks wouldn''t be too far behind. Once again, he felt a twinge of sympathy. With a wave of his hand and a wash of Water Magic, he righted the surviving ship, and flushed the trapped water out of it. The vessel lacked a mast, but assuming the survivors could gather up a few oars, they should be able to limp to the nearest dry land. Their luck would have to take it from there, since that was the most Mike was willing to do for them. Meeting the shaman''s grateful gaze, he gave a few parting words before heading back to his own ship. "I hail from a place you''ve never heard of before, but if you must, you can call me Mike." With another blast of Air Magic, the youth threw himself forward, one hand gently holding on to the tiny dragon still clinging to his head. ---------------------------------------- Skarn offered a silent prayer of thanks to the Spirits for their mercy, and for the Wyrmkin who would save his people. He saw now that the change he feared was instead an end to the millennia of waiting. The first step on the path to the future for the Kirathi, should they prove worthy of it. With renewed purpose he began swimming towards the righted ship, already taking stock of which of his kinsmen had survived the catastrophe. It appeared that Enar''s prized armor had dragged below the waves, spelling his doom. So much for the might of the great Swordlord. The other survivors were gathering on deck dazedly, still exhausted from their tribulations. They all turned their gaze towards Skarn as he pulled himself aboard. After catching his breath, the shaman spoke in tones laden with hope, "Kinsmen! Gather round. I have a great message to share¡­." ------------------------------------------------- Mike landed once again on the deck of ''businessman''s'' ship, feeling quite tired. He''d been throwing a great deal of mana around again, and it had left him drained. He wanted nothing so much as to lay down in his cabin and rest for the next few hours, but the strange tension on deck seemed to beg his attention. The ''sailors,'' and Captain Bont were staring at him with looks of abject terror, frozen with a sort of animalistic fear. Even Brenden and Sera were looking at him with strange expressions, although Tal seemed to be the same as always. "What?" He asked, genuinely perplexed. He''d made sure to hide the tiny dragon on his way over. Sera was the only one that tried to reply, "Why....How...What did you do?!" Mike was slightly taken aback, before realizing how it must have looked to them. After detonating the magical equivalent of a flashbang, he''d leapt over to the enemy ships while saying he would create a more permanent solution. Almost immediately afterwards a colossal beast had emerged from the depths of the ocean, almost destroying the raiders entirely with its mere arrival. He''d then proceeded to seemingly exchange words with it until it once again vanished beneath the waves. From another perspective, it must have looked like he summoned some sort of terrifying monster to destroy his enemies in a fearsome display of power before commanding the beast creature to return from whence it came. Suddenly the terror on the ''sailors'' faces made a little more sense. [Well, it might be good to put a little fear in them, that way we won''t have to worry too much about betrayal. Besides, they were already afraid of me when they thought I was just another mage.] "Captain," He called authoritatively. "Ah¡­.yes sir, Sir Mage. What can we do for ye?" He responded hesitantly. "Dealing with the pirates has been tiresome, so my companions and I will be retiring to our cabins. Do not disturb us unless it is something pressing. "Aye, Sir Mage. You''ll not be hearing so much as a peep out of me boys. Ain''t that right?!" He yelled shaking a fist in their direction. The ''sailors'' all nodded quickly, seemingly glad to have been given a method of avoiding the Mage''s ire. Chuckling slightly at the sight of the piratical crew trying desperately to perform their tasks as quietly as possible. Mike led the rest back to his cabin. As soon as the door was closed, Sera rounded on him, only looking mollified when Audra popped her head out from the pocket she was currently hidden in. "Would you care to explain?" Laughing sheepishly, he began to relate his story, "You see, what happened was¡­" Chapter 91: Embarkation Sighing, Julia slumped down on the barrel she had been helping to carry. Manual labor had never been her forte, so the last few days had been particularly terrible. With almost all of her worldly possessions destroyed in the event which had become known as the Night of Ruin, she had little choice but to seek what work was available to her. Since the Grey had disbanded, and security had increased dramatically in the city, it was almost impossible for her to earn a living in her chosen trade of thievery. So, she was forced to seek other employment. "Hey, you! Get back to work! We have two hours to move these barrels down to the docks!" Yelled the burly armed teamster that was running their particular work detail. Julia hurried to pick the barrel up again. She couldn''t afford to lose any income for failing to keep up at work. This job paid well, but any slacking would come out of her paycheck. Ever since the Night of Ruin, transport jobs had become nearly as common as construction ones. The severe damage to the City''s buildings and roadways meant that any flow of goods had to be transported around the numerous construction sites, often times through narrow or infrequently used passages. This meant relying on brute muscle to carry it through the confusing maze of Wyrport''s northern districts. After an hour of frantic scrambling, lifting, and occasionally dragging, the team finally arrived at the docks and delivered their cargo, dried fish from the smell of it. Julia collapsed into a panting heap nearby and waited for the feeling to return to her limbs. She didn''t think she could keep this up much longer. "Alright, everyone!" The team leader shouted energetically. "Five minute break, and then we have to deliver these crates to the Sarson Merchant''s Company. We''ll need to get it there in less than an hour, so be prepared to pick up the pace!" The crew, with the exception of the beastman currently reevaluating her life choices, responded with a hearty cheer. [Why???????] Julia shouted internally. A shadow fell over her face, as a short-haired blonde woman leaned over to look at her. She was barefoot and dressed in a ragged clothes that looked far too big for her, but the woman herself was remarkably clean and healthy looking. Something about her set Julia on edge. "You''ve been touched by him, although not as strongly as the one from before." The woman said with a confident smile. [Oh great, another crazy.] Standing up painfully, Julia fixed the woman with a suspicious state, "Listen lady, I don''t know what you''re talking about, and I don''t want to know what you are talking about, so you best go elsewhere." "My apologies! I haven''t explained yet." The blonde replied. "You have interacted with the Hero recently. Traces of his destiny are still clinging to you, along with some other¡­.things." The woman frowned while examining Julia, as if she had seen something troubling. "You haven''t done anything to get yourself cursed recently, have you?" Julia suddenly recalled the horrible idol in the underground cavern. The one that was apparently belong to an evil demon cult, and that she had destroyed, ruining their plans. Looking away, she feebly responded in a monotone voice, "Noo¡­..why would you think that?" The woman shrugged, "Oh well, probably not important then." [Eh? No, wait¡­..] "Anyway, I want to hire you to be my guide." She said while placing her hands on her hips. Julia blinked, once again looking at the clothes her potential ''customer'' was wearing. "What, really?" "Of course! Unfortunately, I don''t have much to pay you with since I was force to take a mortal form without any of my possessions¡­.." The woman began patting her rags as if looking for her money pouch. "Look as interesting as this is, I need to be getting back to work soon¡­." "Aha! Will this do?" She held out a grimy lump. "I made sure to acquire a few of these while traveling here in order to trade for provisions." "I don''t want your dirty ro...Is that gold?" Julia asked, taking the rock in hand. With some closer inspection it became clear that it was an unrefined nugget of gold. Julia felt her heartbeat racing. With this amount, she wouldn''t have to work for months if not years. She could afford to move out of the dingy apartment she was sharing with three other women. Julia didn''t know who this crazy woman was, but she evidently had a line to some serious wealth. Slipping the nugget into a pocket, she turned to face the woman, "So what was it you were needing again?" "Oh good! So, you accept." The blonde woman dropped a heavy arm onto Julia''s shoulder. The grip felt ridiculously strong. So much so, that Julia immediately began to regret her decision. "I really only need a mortal to help guide me through the pitfalls of civilization, and since you are already acquainted with the Hero, you can aid me in my search, too. Now, we must move quickly." The woman began to drag Julia with her, despite her protestations. "Hey, wait!" The woman did not appear to hear her, "I heard from a green haired adventurer that the one we seek has left for the capital. Upon further investigation, this appears to be a completely different city, one that will require long days of travel to reach. We must make haste! My mission is too vital!" She stopped suddenly, and let Julia go, dropping her to the ground. "Ah! I almost forgot." Springing to her feet, Julia tried to escape, but felt the iron grip close on her arm. "I forgot to introduce myself. I am known as Cariel, an angel in service to the Sun Goddess. Now let us hurry! I have heard that there is something called a ''boat'' that can take us to where we need to go." The so-called angel began dragging her once more, not even aware of the teeth the cat beasman had sunk into the flesh of her forearm. After a few more minutes of pointless struggling, Julia finally resigned herself to her fate, tears once again streaming down her face, as she was forced to listen to Cariel speaking happily about her recent experience with a delightful creature called a ''dog.'' Apparently it had been the friendliest mortal she had so far encountered in her travels. [I really am cursed! Damn that newbie adventurer! This is all his fault, somehow!] ------------------------------------ Mike sneezed as he disembarked from the ship. [Someone must be talking bad about me. That or I''m catching a cold.] He thought to himself, before wondering if it was even possible for him to get sick anymore. The rest of the journey to the capital had been uneventful. Ever since the encounter with the raiders Captain Bont and his ''sailors'' had treated the group with the utmost delicacy, so much so, the tension had evidently gotten to the crew. By the time they had reached the capital''s docks, they were jumping at every sound, whispering about him when they thought he wasn''t listening. From the sounds of it, the rumors they started were getting more and more outlandish. Pretty much, as soon as the group had set foot on the docks, the plank went up and the ship once again departed, not even bothering to try and sell the cargo they had brought to sell in the capital. [I guess the good Captain no longer wants me to keep him in mind for future shipping needs.] Mike thought to himself while examining the city. It was a true marvel of engineering, or perhaps magic, now that he thought about it. According to Sera, the city of Almirn was once located on an island right off the coast. As the city grew in importance over the years, it spread out to the mainland. Soon, this caused a major problem, as the few bridges and ferries in operation quickly became overwhelmed. This all changed when the legendary mage Ryan Stonehewer was put in charge of a team tasked with solving the problem for good. Originally, the king at the time merely wanted wide, stable bridges to link the two sections of the city. Since, maritime trade was a large part of the city''s economy, the bridges couldn''t block off the Almirn Channel that ran between the island and the mainland. However, he had underestimated the audacity of Ryan. Utilizing a complicated ritual that spanned three days and took nearly 30 mages specializing in Earth Magic to complete, the Tier 4 mage permanently linked the two landmasses. He summoned a massive span of hardened stone reinforced with unusual spiral structures made of crystal that Ryan himself put into place, and whose exact composition remains a mystery. Sections of the sea floor were actually raised and fused with the nearby bedrock to give the bridge symmetrical anchoring points, allowing for its nearly 8km width. Massive support columns, themselves close to 30m in diameter, supported the titanic bulk of the structure, which soared hundreds of meters above the channel. It was quite frankly a wonder of the age. Essentially, an artificial island produced through magic. Over time it evolved into its own district of the city, complete with shops, homes, and government buildings built on the gently curving surface. In typical human fashion, its original name was eventually forgotten, and now was known simply as The Span. They had disembarked on the mainland side of The Span, where extensive docks had sprung up over the intervening centuries leading up to the present day. "Alright, does anyone know where we need to go from here? I''m assuming that I need to check in with the University." Mike asked, still marveling at the structure of the bridge. It wasn''t particularly pretty from a distance, but up close, the clear crystal spirals that were visible on the underside were breathtaking. Supposedly, they were an even greater spectacle at night, when pulsing specks of light could be seen traversing the complex, crystalline structures. It was something he was looking forward to seeing. "I think the University is supposed to be in the Old City, on the other side of the Span. Wait a moment." Sera replied while glancing around. She spotted something that resembled a tourism kiosk, and after haggling for a minute with the owner, she returned, triumphantly, with a simple map of the city. "Here we are," She said while pointing to a section just south of The Span, which was unimaginatively called the Southern Docks. "And here is where we need to go," Tracing her finger across the bridge, she finally pointed to a walled compound which dominated the northern section of the Old City. It was labeled ''The University of Almirn.'' "Seems simple enough." Brenden commented while wiping the sweat from his brow. It was still a little before noon, but the day was already reaching uncomfortably high temperatures. With unanimous, unspoken consent, the group set off though the dusty streets. Chapter 92: Machinations of a Most Peculiar Sort "There has to be a faster way to get there!" Brenden exclaimed as the four of them sat down in a quaint caf¨¦ near the center of The Span. After ordering a round of iced drinks and a set of something Mike''s Communication Magic had translated as ''Spanwiches,'' the group relaxed and recovered their strength. Mike, however, felt fine, a combination of Vampiric Regeneration and the protection provided by his Salamander''s Cloak prevented him from suffering from the trip. While he still accumulated a fair amount of mental fatigue, he was starting to wonder if he was really even human any more. They had been walking for nearly two hours, and had only made it a part of the way to the University. When it seemed like Sera couldn''t keep up any more, they stopped to rest. A friendly waitress brought out four glass of a transparent, orange-tinged liquid that carried a slightly fruity scent, and tasted a bit like peach tea. The ''Spanwiches'' turned out to be regular sandwiches with crouton-like support beams that lifted the center of them off the plate. "I vaguely recall that there was some kind of public coach service, where you can pay to be shuttled to different parts of the city." Sera commented while laying her head against the table. Brenden shot her a disgusted look. "You couldn''t have thought of that before we walked halfway across this monster of a bridge?" "I''ve never been here before! I only just remembered it." She responded defensively. "Sandwich tasty." Tal told Mike, having already eaten half of hers. Trying it himself, he was surprised to find that it was delicious. A combination of fresh vegetables, thinly sliced meat, a slightly spicy sauce that reminded him a bit of horseradish, and soft bread made his mouth sing with delight. "Your right. This is great!" He fed a portion of the sandwich to Audra who also seemed pleased with it. After a few days of experimentation, he''d discovered that she could eat just about anything. Mike had even seen her experimentally chewing on a piece of decking once, when he''d been a little slow to feed her. He suspected that the dragon''s digestive system was either magical or simply highly developed, enabling her to get nutrients from nearly any kind of organic matter. Unfortunately, there had no opportunity to really investigate. Of course Audra did have a preference for meat, especially fish, and given the opportunity would devour at least twice her body weight with ease. So far she hasn''t grown noticeably, which was starting to concern him a little, but he figured that a magical creature would probably have a slightly unusual life cycle. Tempers improved after eating, and the discussion moved to possible solutions. "We could just find an inn nearby, and start again tomorrow." Brenden suggested lazily. He looked about ready to fall asleep in his chair. "Let''s go with that." Sera agreed. Frowning a little at his companions'' laziness, Mike countered, "That''s one option, but we still have several hours of daylight left. I''d like to make some more headway if we can." ""Ugh!"" Brenden and Sera replied simultaneously. Tal was quietly sipping her tea, evidently waiting for the group to come to a consensus. "Why don''t we-" Mike was cut off when a small child collided with his chair. The girl had run into the caf¨¦ looking over her shoulder, seemingly more concerned about what was behind her than obstacles in her path. She slammed into Mike, bounced off, and collapsed dazedly to the floor. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked in concern. The girl looked to be about 8 years old and was dressed in a well-made and expensive looking dress that was currently torn and covered in dirt. Auburn hair fell in ringlets around her shoulders as she looked fearfully at Mike. Before she had a chance to respond, a trio of masked men burst in through the door, scattering customers in their wake. They immediately started moving towards the group''s table, as the girl frantically scrambled underneath it. Although it wasn''t exactly clear what was going on, Mike felt he had all the information he needed to act. He nodded to the others before standing and placing himself in the path of the three men, making sure to grab his spear, which had been leaning against a nearby wall. Brenden placed himself to Mike''s right, while Tal and Sera moved protectively around the girl on the other side of the table. Sensing the tension in the room, the rest of the customers made their escape, while the serving staff hid in the back room. The lead member of the trio stopped, and looked him over carefully. He was treating them as legitimate threats, which was a nice change of pace in his opinion. A quick Appraise revealed some interesting information. ------------------------------------ Yoren Age: 32 Race: Human Class: Grey Knight Title: Blooded ------------------------------------ Speaking in a low, gruff voice, the man named Yoren addressed the adventurers. "This is none of your business. You don''t understand what''s going on." "Why don''t you explain it to me, then? Because, it looks a lot like a kidnapping." Mike responded lightly. The man growled in frustration, "You''ll regret this, boy. You are meddling in things that are beyond you." With that he led the other two back out into the street. Sighing, Mike turned to look at the girl who was clinging to Sera''s skirt while the Oracle consoled her. [I''m not sure what''s going on, but it smacks of some underhanded political maneuvering.] "Do we need to move?" Brenden asked quietly. "Not at the moment. They don''t seem to want to cause a scene in broad daylight, but they haven''t given up yet. Let''s see what information we can gather." After a while the staff came back out, seemingly thrilled that a battle hadn''t taken place in their caf¨¦. Mike used this opportunity to order a piece of strawberry cake for girl, hoping to help bring her out of her shell with it. She attacked the cake enthusiastically, almost immediately improving her mood. When she had finished, and was glancing around at the group curiously, Mike asked, "Can you tell me your name?" She stared at him for a moment, as if unsure how to respond and a little uncertain, "I''m¡­." [Hmm] "I''m Mike, and this is Tal, Brenden, and Sera." He said while pointing to them in turn. "Now that you know who we are, can you tell us who you are?" "I''m Elaine. What''s that?" She asked with interest, while pointing at Mike''s pocket. A small reptilian head was poking out curiously. Taking a quick look around to make sure that no one was paying close attention, he pulled the dragon out. "This is Audra, my¡­..friend." He had a hard time coming up with a good label that wasn''t a dead giveaway. Elaine''s eye sparkled. "Ooh, can I hold her? Please?" Mike hesitantly handed his familiar over, wondering if Audra would act in the same manner she did with Sera, but apparently he worried for nothing. The little dragon settled into the girl''s hands while looking up at her curiously. Sera watched with obvious envy as Audra started chewing on one of the girl''s stray locks of hair, eliciting a series of giggles from the child. "Can you tell me what happened to you? Why were those men chasing you?" Mike asked, when it became clear that Elaine had let her guard down sufficiently to talk to them. After giving him a slightly inscrutable look, she started telling her story. "I was visiting the market with my brother. The Span has the best pet shops! I was playing with the cutest little kitten, when there was a loud noise. It got really smoky in the shop, and I was coughing a lot, when one of those scary men grabbed me and stuffed me into a bag. It smelled like dirt." She paused to take a breath, "Then he dropped me, and I got out of the bag. He was having an argument with someone, and he sounded really mad about something, but I was really scared, so I ran away as fast as I could. Then I ran into you." "I...see." The girl almost immediately started asking questions about Audra, seeming to quickly forget how she was almost kidnapped. Mike found himself being virtually interrogated by the child. Brenden chuckled, obviously enjoying Mike''s discomfort. Mike gave him a dirty glare. "Look, Elaine. I think we should work on getting you back to your family. I''m sure they must be-" "Elaine!" A young male voice called from the door. A man in his late teens burst in and rushed up to the table. "Are you alright? I''ve been looking for you everywhere." He had the same auburn hair as the girl, and was dressed in a high quality, tailored suit. Mike quickly used Appraise. ------------------------------------ Broderick Vamith Age: 17 Race: Human Class: Noble Title: Scion ------------------------------------ [Vamith?] "Broderick, look at Audra. Isn''t she cute?" She replied with a wide grin while holding up the little dragon. The man gave a relieved smile, after seeing that the girl was fine. "She is very cute. Who are your friends?" He asked while evaluating the scruffy looking bunch of adventurers. Elaine scrunched her face up, evidently trying to remember their names. Finally giving up she said, "They''re good guys! They protected me from the bad men in the masks." Broderick looked around the table before giving a deep bow. "Please forgive me for being impolite, but I didn''t see who was responsible for abducting my sister, and I couldn''t help but be suspicious." "That''s quite alright," Sera broke in, affecting an unusually mature and sophisticated tone. "I would be quite distraught if I were in your place, so there is no need for apologies." Mike stared at her, until she kicked him under the table. "My lady, thank you for your consideration. Indeed, I thank all of you for your assistance in this matter. I am truly in your debt." Broderick replied with a grateful smile. "Please, it was simply the right thing to do, sir¡­. I''m afraid we haven''t been introduced yet." "Of course, where are my manners? I am Broderick of House Vamith." "As in Duke Vamith? I see we are in illustrious company." "Hardly, my lady. I cannot claim a strong relation to the Duke himself, as we''re from a mere branch family." Glancing around the table once more, he asked, "By what names should I call my sister''s rescuers?" Sera nodded to Mike, who took over and introduced the group and explained that they were on their way to the University when the event in question took place. "It seems that we are both fortunate then. My sister and I were planning to return home soon, and our townhouse is located just south of the University. Would you, perhaps, care to join us in our carriage?" "That would be most welcome." Sera replied. After separating Audra from Elaine, which was a task in and of itself, Broderick led her outside, saying that he would have the driver bring the carriage around. Once they were alone, Brenden asked, "Since when can you act like a lady, Sera?" "Hey! I happen to be a noble, albeit one of a fallen house. This much is easy. Anyway, we should use this opportunity to befriend the pair of them." "Why?" The beastman asked. "They are from the same house as Duke Vamith! Literally the brother of the king! That means the pair of them are practically royalty. Broderick is already in our debt, so we can use this build an advantageous relationship with them." "Sounds a little underhanded¡­" Mike commented quietly. "Of course it is, but that''s what it takes to move in the circles of power. The University will be filled the scions of noble houses, and having a few good allies will go a long way towards making your life easier." "Alright, fair enough. Still we really didn''t do that much." "They don''t need to know that." She replied with a sly grin. A man dressed in tabard emblazoned with a white tower on a field of red stuck his head in the door. "The carriage is ready." Mike stood and led the others out of the caf¨¦, making sure to leave a sizable tip for trouble. Chapter 93: Admissions The group relaxed in the modest, yet well appointed carriage. Elaine was playing with Audra while a jealous Sera looked on. Mike, meanwhile was in the process of talking to Broderick, who turned out to be a student at the University, himself. "So, I have a letter of recommendation, but I don''t know much about the admissions process. What sort of steps are involved?" Mike was asking. "That depends a great deal on what department or departments you are applying to. Have you already chosen your course of study?" He asked patiently, with a gentle smile on his face as he watched his sister feeding Audra bits of dried meat. Elaine was ecstatic when the dragon licked the palm of her hand after finishing the most recent bite. [Looks like a bit of a siscon. Seems like a decent enough fellow, though.] "I''m afraid I am a little uninformed. Could you, perhaps, remind me what departments are available to choose from? Also, do you mean to suggest that you can apply to multiple departments simultaneously?" Looking slightly surprised at Mike''s ignorance, the noble started explaining. "The University is divided into five sections, each of which governs one of the major areas of study. First, there is the Finance Department, whose lessons are geared towards students who will be working with money in the future. They cover everything from topics like accounting and mathematics, to business management and geopolitical economics. In order to study there, one must pass a lengthy written exam testing basic knowledge followed by an interview. Coincidentally, this is the department I am studying in." [While it could be useful, I really don''t want to spend my time in a fantasy universe studying math.] "Second is the Military Arts Department, which I assume would be your choice. It focuses on a combination of personal strength, martial skill development, and leadership in a effort to prepare the next generation of generals and officers. Supposedly, their entrance examination consists of a series of challenges designed to test your physical abilities and and your moral fiber. I''m afraid I don''t know much beyond that." [Interesting. I could benefit a great deal from enhancing my physical abilities. I wonder if there are any leadership related skills?] "Third is the Sciences Department, which is dedicated to understanding the mysteries of the world. They work with the Magic Department, which I will explain in a moment, to investigate and classify everything from natural phenomena, to monster biology, to magical abnormalities." He paused for a moment, pondering, "I am probably being a bit misleading. In truth, their collaboration with the Magic Department is relatively minor and tinged with a great deal of tension. The mages tend to view non-mages as inherently unable to comprehend the complexities of magic, while the Sciences Department thinks that the Magic Department is too bound in tradition to properly explore the truly vast field of magical studies." A flash of anger appeared on Broderick''s face, before subsiding. "Anyway, their admissions test consists of a written exam and a practical exercise of some type." [I see he obviously has some strong feelings about this topic.] "So, I suppose I better speak on the Magic Department. I surmise you have an idea of their course of study. Students learn about magic theory, master their individual magical skills, and assist the faculty in researching magic. A branch office of the Mage''s Guild serves as advisory body to the department''s leadership, but technically, it is an independent of their direct oversight. This makes the University one of the few places in Ea you can fully study magic without joining the guild. It is also one of the simplest to join, as a mere demonstration of a suitably developed magical talent is usually sufficient." [That''s where I need to go, from the sounds of it.] "Finally, there is the Arts department. I know what you must be thinking, but it is considered a legitimate field of study amongst nobles, especially female nobles. They offer a number of courses concerning music, theater, painting and drawing, sculpting, poetry, literature, and the like. Unfortunately, they have a rather sordid reputation. It seems this department tends to attract students without any real ambition. Ones who attend merely to please their families. That said, they still have a rather strict admission process, requiring prospective students to submit a piece of original work to be judged by the faculty. I''ve heard that you''ll at least need a high ranking Tier 1 artistic skill to have any real chance of success." [Not something I''m particularly interested in, but interesting nonetheless.] "As to your question regarding applying to multiple departments, it is indeed possible to do so. However, it is generally seen as a mistake. Every so often, some new student will try to graduate from two courses of study at once, but they usually fail." "Too much for them to handle?" Brenden asked speculatively, proving that he had not been sleeping despite having his eyes closed. "Partially, but its more like the faculty of each department has a tendency to get jealous. Unless a student is particularly gifted, they will often discriminate against anyone trying to graduate from multiple departments." [Wouldn''t be a human organization without some kind of petty discrimination.] "That said, there is nothing preventing you from simply taking classes in other departments once you have a chosen field. Since the faculties'' salaries are partially dependent on their student load, you generally won''t be turned down. However, you can only graduate in your chosen department. Does this make sense so far?" "Yeah, I''m following. So, assuming I have a department in mind, what''s my next step?" Mike asked. "You''ll need to check in with Administration. There, they will check your eligibility to even take one of the admissions tests. Since, you have a letter of recommendation, they will likely examine it then. Assuming everything else is in order, they will direct you to your department for testing." "Seems simple enough. Thank you, Broderick." Smiling, the noble waved a hand dismissively. "Its nothing at all compared to how much you''ve helped me. Once you are finally settled in, please make sure to visit so I can thank you properly." Mike started to politely decline, feeling that the young man was being overly grateful, but Sera cut him off. "We would be delighted." Broderick told them to leave a message at Administration when they were ready, so that he could dispatch a carriage to pick them up. The rest of the ride was spent between exchanging pleasantries and listening to Elaine expound on the virtues of her many pets. (She has sixteen.) Finally, after an hour of traveling, which had seen the surrounding buildings growing increasingly large and opulent, they arrived at the University''s gates. An massive stone wall separated the center of learning from the rest of the city. A large double door, made of a strange glossy material, seeming served as the primary entrance, but was currently closed. Traffic seemed to be entering and leaving through two smaller doors on either side of it. "You may be aware of it, but I would be a poor guide if I didn''t explain. That," He said while indicating the double door, "is Ronolf''s Passage, named for the tenth headmaster of the University. Supposedly a powerful mage, he is credited with erecting the walls around the campus. This gate was the capstone, made using a subsequently lost magical technique. It has proven impervious to nearly all attempts at damaging it. Upon Ronolf''s death some years later, the door sealed itself and has never since opened. Eventually, the faculty created the two secondary entrances, which are used to this day." "Interesting. I presume we enter through there?" Broderick hesitated slightly. "Indeed, students and applicants are allowed entry through those two doors. Other visitors may be required to wait in the Administration Building''s lobby, though. Are you planning on living in the dormitory?" "I intended to. Is that an issue?" Mike asked curiously, glancing around at his companions. Seemingly understanding the unasked question, Broderick continued. "Not particularly. Once you are admitted into a department, you can move into the dormitory. At which point you may collect the rest of your group. A student staying on campus is allowed to bring members of their household, such as servants, spouses, or children. The University generally doesn''t interfere with your private life, so, as long as the three of you don''t mind being labelled as such, you are free to live there." "No problem. Lover." Tal broke in suddenly, hugging Mike''s arm. "Bwah?" Was the only response he could muster. "Wha-wha-WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?" Sera yelled while jumping to her feet, already blushing furiously. Tal gave her an unreadable look, then stuck her tongue out. "Relax, joke. No jealousy." Sera remained beet red, this time for a different reason, and sat back down with a huff, crossing her arms and staring out the window sulkily. Broderick laughed at their antics. "It seems like you have your hands full. Anyway, this is where we must part. I wish you all the best of luck." "Thanks again. We will make sure to visit." Once again, they were forced to separate Elaine and Audra, which took a fair amount of time. With another wave, the siblings departed, leaving them on the road next to the gate. Chapter 94: For Testing Purposes The two doors on either side of Ronolf''s passage seemed to serve different purposes. The one to the right saw a steady stream of people entering and leaving. Guards were posted near the entrance, but they merely watched as people entered and left. The door on the left had lower levels of traffic, but every person was having to check in with a bored looking guard in a booth near the entrance. It seemed that the University could only be entered by foot. However, long rows of stables and wheelhouses were constructed along the wall, evidently providing students with places to store their carriages and mounts when at school. Figuring that it would be his best bet, Mike joined the line for the door on the left, the others trailing behind him. When it was his turn, he stepped up and waited for the bored looking guard to address him. "What is your business with the University of Almirn?" He asked from behind a steel grate. "I''m actually here to apply. I have a letter of recommendation." The guard looked Mike over before flicking his gaze back towards the rest of the group, "Is that the same for all of you?" "These are the members of my household. I was told I could bring them with me." Mike answered confidently. Sighing, the guard waved them through. "You''ll have to check in at the Administration Building. Another guard will escort you there. Your household will need to wait in the lobby." They passed through the open doorway, walking for nearly 5m through a tunnel of stone before they exited on the other side. Another guard, this one looking a bit more animated, was waiting for them when they arrived. "Right this way, ladies and gentlemen. Please follow me." He spoke enthusiastically while directing them towards a stately stone building. Architecturally speaking, it resembled a Gothic structure, but with more stylistic embellishment in the crenelations and columns. Overall it exuded a quiet elegance that was in keeping with a school for the rich in powerful. They were ushered into a large and tastefully decorated lobby. Several leather couches and chairs occupied much of the front half of the room, while the rest was dominated by a massive desk, behind which sat several individuals dressed in a matching black and silver outfits. Figuring that this was the lobby that everyone kept mentioning, Mike directed the other three to have a seat while he went up to the desk. "Hi, I''m looking to apply." He announced, when the male staff member gave him a questioning glance. Putting down his quill, the man asked, "Do you have a letter of invitation from the school, a letter of recommendation from a member of the high nobility, or are you attempting to apply through the scholarship program?" "I''ve got this letter of recommendation from Count Graveston, if that works." He said while pulling said letter out and laying it on the counter. "Very good, sir. If you would follow me, I will take you to an admissions specialist who will be handling your case." The staff member led Mike through a nearby door and into a series of hallways. He stopped at one of them, and after opening it, invited Mike to pass through. "Please have a seat, sir." Said a dignified, slightly plump woman that looked to be in her late forties, from behind her desk. Once he had seated himself in simple chair, she continued. "I am Margret, and I will be your admissions specialist for today. Now, may I have your full name?" "Michael Rasmussen." "Ah, we got a message about you from Wyrport not too long ago. You are to have full tuition and board covered by your sponsor. Additionally, a line of credit has been opened with the Almirn Bank, where you may draw a stipend every month." She explained while shuffling through documents on her desk. Handing him a form to fill out, she asked, "Have you decided what department to apply for first? Please keep in mind that if you fail the admissions test once, you will be unable to apply again to that department for three years." "I''m aiming for the Magic Department." This elicited a simple nod as Margret making notations on another sheet of paper. Mike started noting down some personal information on his form. "Do you need the letter of recommendation?" "No, Count Graveston has already provided all the materials needed to start your admissions process." She replied offhandedly while filling out another form in a quick efficient manner. [That sounds like the Count, making me carry his letter all the way here for no reason.] He buckled down and started working on the sheet, but he couldn''t help but notice its quality. Not for the first time, Mike wondered at the apparent sophistication of the paper and printing industries in this world. Despite being a feudal culture, the bureaucratic forms he''d seen since his reincarnation were roughly on par with the ones from his past life. He guessed that magic must play a role in production for a number of products and industries, but he couldn''t quite see how. [I''ll have to pick up some crafting skills sometime soon.] "Alright, it looks like everything is in order. If you follow me, I will take you to the Magic Department so you can take your entrance test. While we walk please take the time to familiarize yourself with the campus map." She handed him a paper while a detailed rendering of the University. At its center was a tall, thin, and pointy building. According to its somewhat ominous label, it was simple called The Spire. Eight wedges formed around it in a circular pattern, giving the entire map a slightly pizza-like appearance. At the very bottom was a section marked Administration. To its left was one labeled Arts, followed by Sciences, and finally Faculty Offices. At the top was Student Dormitories, and to the right, Martial Arts, Magic, and Finance. As soon as they left the Administration Building, The Spire stood out. So much so that Mike was amazed he hadn''t noticed it sooner. Standing well over a hundred meters, it looked like a sliver of glass impaled into the center of the campus. The reflected light of the late afternoon sun was dazzling to see. "Quite impressive, yes? The Spire is an ancient structure supposedly discovered by the first settlers to reach the central continent. Even after millennia of research and investigation, no one quite knows what it is, what it''s purpose is, or even what it is made of. When Talitheon the Great first founded the University, he claimed The Spire as the center of the new school. Ever since, it has served as both the Headmaster''s Office, and the University''s library." "Very impressive indeed." Margret led him through the center of campus. Since it was starting to get fairly late, there weren''t many students about, but Mike could already tell that the majority of them were quite wealthy. Casually scanning with Appraise let him see several that held titles and classes such as Noble and Knight. They eventually arrived at a cluster of buildings which Mike could only describe as fantasy-like. Four multi-storied structures surrounded an open courtyard. A tower of white stone floated at the center of the cluster, literally hovering in the air in a manner that truly epitomized the idea of an ''Ivory Tower.'' He was almost left behind as he stopped to gawk at the tower. Arcane looking runes were carved into its outer surface. They flashed with a blueish light every so often. There was something about the runes that almost made sense to him, but he couldn''t quite suss it out. He followed Margret into the closest of the large buildings. After speaking quietly to a black robed young man sitting behind a small desk in the foyer, she demurely bade Mike goodbye and made her departure. The man, who introduced himself as Henry, beckoned Mike to follow him and led him down a set of stairs to a large circular room. A sunken section of the floor dominated most of the room. Around its circumference were more of the arcane glyphs, but this time, he thought he could barely make out some of the meaning, as his Communication Magic worked overtime. It seemed that the writing had something to do with protection and nullification. "Instructor Thomas will be down in a little while with the judge panel. Do you know what to do?" Henry asked, idly scratching at a bit of acne. "I was hoping for some guidance on how this all is supposed to play out." Mike responded. Nodding, the man agreed, "Fair enough. The test is usually straightforward, although I''ve seen the instructors occasionally ask for more complicated demonstrations from certain students. You just need to give them a good showing of what you are capable of. By the way, what kind of mage are you?" "Elemental." Henry frowned, "We see a lot of those, so it would probably be best to do something really cool to impress the judges. Do you know any good chants?" "Just fireball and stone javelin at the moment." He replied while walking around the edge of the markings, trying to gather more information from them. "Those are pretty much a bust, although having two elements will probably help. If you can think of any original applications of those two chants, I think you''ll have a chance." The sound of footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. "That''s them now. Good luck!" Mike thanked the young man, and waited for the arrival of his examiner. A tall, dark haired and bespectacled man entered the room first, also dressed in a black robe. A golden insignia of a tower laid on top of a book was sown on his right lapel. Three bands of purple cloth circled both sleeves of the robe. He was followed by two old and wizened men and a similarly old woman. Each of them had silver lapel insignias and only two stripes, although the colors were different. One of the men had a set of red and blue markings, while both of the others had white. The tall man spoke first. "I am Instructor Thomas, and I will be conducting your examination today." He paused to give Mike an appraising look, but evidently was not impressed. "If you are not already aware, this test is meant to determine your eligibility for entry into the Magic Department. What area of magic do you practice?" "Elemental." He answered for the second time today, already getting a little tired of it. "Of course." The instructor replied quietly. "Then your task is simple, stand in the sunken area over there, and cast your most potent spell against the target location." He pointed to a marked section of the wall that Mike had missed previously. "Are you sure? Wouldn''t that be a little dangerous?" He asked, a little concerned. This elicited a chuckle from the four teachers. "Don''t worry its quite safe. We will be charging this nullification field," he gestured to the glyphs, "which will prevent any harm." Shrugging Mike hopped down in the designated area, and considered what spell to cast. [I''m most familiar with fireball, but I''m not sure if its flashy enough. I suppose stone javelin will have to do.....how does that chant go again?] "From the depths of Eon, I call to thee. O heart of the First One, break free from the ancient bonds of thy earthly shackles and fly true, [Stone Javelin]." Mike felt a huge amount of mana leave him all of a sudden, as a spike of pitch black obsidian formed in the air beside him. It was small, even smaller than the first one he created during the demon invasion. Also, it lacked the characteristic hum and instead hovered in the air, utterly still. Something about it felt...lethal. Almost immediately, Mike began to feel a tremendous pressure on his mind, almost forcing him to let go of the spell prematurely. With a titanic effort of will, he aimed the spike at the target, and released. There was a terrific crack, and the wall, target and all, simply disintegrated under the force of an unseen impact, sending a powerful shockwave through the floor. The spear had flown faster than he could even perceive. Luckily, there was only dirt on the other side of the wall, and a great deal of it fell back into the room, creating a small cloud of dust. [I really need to figure out a way to deal with these dust clouds. They seem to pop up any time I use a big spell.] He looked back up at the instructors, noticing that Instructor Thomas''s mouth was hanging open, a look of pure shock on his face. "Well, did I pass?" Chapter 95: Settling In Tal, Brenden, and Sera were sitting in the lobby of the University''s Administration Building. The furnishings were clean and comfortable, and it was unclear how long Mike was going to take, so they settled in for a long wait. The lobby was nearly deserted. Besides the three of them, the only other occupants were a young woman with a fussy baby, sitting a little ways away. "I hope everything goes alright," Sera was saying, "it would be a shame to come all this way and screw up on the entrance exam." "Not worried." Tal replied with monotone confidence. Brenden just nodded his agreement with the elf''s statement. [I suppose it''s a little hard to imagine Mike not having enough magical talent to get accepted. The real problem is whether or not he does something outrageous which causes problems for him later on.] The young woman with the baby stood up and approached hesitantly. "Excuse me, but are you with a prospective student as well?" "We are¡­" Sera replied slowly. "Oh! I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to eavesdrop. It''s just that my husband is undergoing the entrance exam as well, and I''m have to admit I''m very worried." Sera saw the woman''s arms trembling a little, and taking a longer look noticed her pale face, slightly sunken cheeks, and the raggedness of her clothes. [I''m a little surprised to see people like this here, but I guess her husband is pursuing a scholarship.] Giving the woman a warm smile, she patted the seat next to her. "Please, have a seat. What''s your names?" "Thank you. I''m Mariah, and this is Norman." She sat down and situated the child in her arms a little more comfortably, before glancing around at the group a little curiously. "I don''t mean to be rude, but is your prospective student aiming for a scholarship?" "No, he''s actually here with a letter of recommendation." Mariah sighed in relief, before realizing how that must look, "Sorry, my John is quite talented, but I know that the competition for a Finance Department scholarship is quite fierce, so I can''t help but feel relieved." Brenden chuckled, "I doubt Mike would me much of a competitor for something like finance. His talents are a bit more¡­direct." "Oh! Is Mike the name of your prospective student?" Once again looking around the group, Mariah frowned, "Is he your...¡­are you¡­." Guessing the intent of her question, Sera cut her off. "We''re friends and adventuring companions." "I see. If you don''t mind me asking, what department is your prospective student aiming for?" "Magic Department." Tal explained simply. "Oh wow! I don''t know any mages. It must be so exciting to be able to do magic. But aren''t you worried he will have trouble with the test? I''ve heard they can be pretty strict about it." Almost as if to answer her question, a rumbling vibration shook the building, causing the woman to look around in panic. "Passed probably." Tal spoke when it stopped. Sera face palmed. "I knew he was going to go overboard. I should have warned him about it before he left." "You should have known better. If there is one thing I''ve learned about Mike, it''s that anything that should be simple, gets crazy when he''s involved." Brenden cut in sarcastically while shaking his head. Mariah looked at them apprehensively, as if now regretting making their acquaintance. ---------------------------------------------------- "That was awesome!" Henry called from his seat near the door of the circular chamber. Mike could hear the click of teeth as Instructor Thomas''s mouth snapped shut. He spoke with a feigned confidence, but it was clear that he was a bit shaken. "It seems you have a great deal of raw talent, judging from the amount power you were able to produce. However, your chanting leaves much to be desired. I heard several mispronunciations, and frankly, I was surprised to see the spell take effect at all." He turned to look at the other teachers, "Well, judges, what is your verdict?" The old man with the white stripes stepped forward, "The young man is unrefined, but has a great deal of potential. With the right instruction, he could be a truly powerful mage. I say admit him. The old woman with the white stripes was next, "Such power can be dangerous, especially when it is so poorly controlled. He would be better off seeking training with the Mage''s Guild. They have the resources and techniques to restrict a young mages power until it can be safely wielded. That said, I have rarely seen such raw power from an applicant, and I would be loathed to let those pretentious assholes in the Guild get their grubby hands on him. So, I say admit him." [I''m not sure how I should feel about that, but I suppose professional jealousy is a universal trait.] Finally, the old man with the red and blue stripes spoke up, "Don''t suppose it matter much now, but I say let him in. I''m looking forward to seeing what he blows up next. May I suggest the statue of Horace the Humble in the northwestern garden? I know he donated a large sum to the University, but I''ve rarely seen stone subjected to such torment as to be carved in his likeness." The other three instructors shot him a stern look of disapproval that he promptly ignored. Thomas finally clear his throat, and spoke to Mike without the hints of disdain from before. "Congratulations, young man. You have passed the admission test for the Magic Department of the University of Almirn. Henry will handle your initial paperwork and get you situated." With that, he led the instructors back upstairs. "Come on," Henry called. "I''ve got a few things for you." Mike followed the red-headed young man back up to the foyer of the building. Henry pulled a few papers out of his desk, jotted a few things down with a quill that didn''t seem to need ink, and stamped them. He hand three pieces of paper to him, while explaining each of them. "This is an acceptance notification. You need to take it over to the Administration Building for processing. They''ll handle your housing situation too. This is your department approval letter. Simply bring this back with you two days from now at four bells, and the office here will help you get your schedule set up. Finally, this is your student access request form. You need to take this to the Security Office behind the Administration Building to get your identification ring. Do you have any questions?" "Would you mind explaining the four bells things? Also, after I turn these two documents in, is there anything I should be doing before coming back here in two days?" He asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed. Nodding Henry rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry about that, I forget that not everywhere has a clock tower like here in the Old City. The tower will ring a series of bells to help tell time. Every bell means two hours, so four bells would be the eighth hour after midnight." "Makes sense." Now that Mike thought about it, he vaguely recalled hearing some distant ringing noises while they were crossing The Span, but he didn''t really think about it then. "As to your other question, I would recommend taking the time to get settled in and familiar with the University. It wouldn''t hurt to do some exploring of the city, but that''s really up to you. Anyway, you came at a good time, since the another round of classes is starting next week, so you don''t have to wait long before you jump into your studies." "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help." "My pleasure. Now that I think about it, I don''t think we''ve been officially introduced. Henry Malmstine," He said while offering his hand to Mike, "I''m a third year in Arcane Studies." "Call me Mike. Nice to meet you." As a reflex, Mike used Appraise on the student, confirming the introduction. --------------------------- Henry Malmstine Age: 21 Race: Human Class: Apprentice Arcanist Title: None ----------------------------- [Nothing too out of the ordinary there.] He thought while shaking the man''s hand. "I''ll keep an eye out for you on campus." Henry called when Mike left. Mike traveled back to the Administration Building and turned in the first of his documents. In return he was given a form to take to the dormitory for room allocation. He picked up the other three, who seemed to have made an acquaintance with a pregnant woman in the lobby. She seemed nice enough, but he got the impression she was afraid of him for some reason. He led the group over to the Security Office to get identification rings. They turned out to be bands of carved, silver metal that were keyed to each persons mana signatures. The front gates of the school had inbuilt magical devices which scanned people entering and leaving for the presence of one of the rings. Mike''s was a little more advanced, since it allowed him entry into certain school facilities. Traveling back across the campus, they entered main office of the section of the dormitory section of the University. After turning in the housing form to an elderly man who was nearly deaf, he was directed to building referred to as the Lighthouse Dormitory. As the second closest school building to the ocean, it proved easy enough to find. It was an older, but still in good repair. Standing four stories tall, it gave the appearance of a stately manor in the country. The trademark lighthouse was a little farther north, standing along a jagged cliff that overlooked the ocean. Its signal light was not yet active, since it was still bright outside, but Mike wondered idly, what sort of method they used to create the light. It would have to be magical in nature. "So this is going to be our home for awhile. Not too bad, right?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at the others. Any response was interrupted, however, when a portion of the highest floor of the dorm exploded. After taking a few moments to control himself, Mike turned back around to face whatever circumstance had been thrown his way. Chapter 96: New Home Smoke was pouring out of a fourth story window, and it seemed that there was some kind of commotion going on inside. Sighing, Mike gave quick instructions for Sera to remain with their packs while the other three went in to investigate. If there was a fire, they would need to move quickly. They entered through the front door, and were greeted by the sight of a tastefully appointed common lounge, complete with an attached kitchen and dining area. It seemed that the majority of the first floor was allocated to these two areas. Strangely enough, there were no people visible on the floor, with the exception of a woman dressed in a maid outfit that was reading in one of the chairs. She looked up curiously when the adventurers burst into the room, but quickly seemed to lose interest. Feeling slightly confused by this turn of events he started towards a set of stairs set in the back wall. Passing by the second and third floors, he was able to determine that they were composed of hallways with elaborate, numbered doors. These were evidently the residential section of the dorm. It seemed that there were four rooms on each level, suggesting that the rooms themselves were quite spacious. The fourth floor turned out to be similar, except that most of the landing and a good chunk of the stairs were taken up by people standing around, muttering quietly. There were 7 in total. Three were dressed in the student outfits he''d seen walking around. Another three were women wearing maid outfits like the one on the first floor. The last was a distinguished looking gentleman wearing a suit who was currently pounding on door. Moving up to join the onlookers, Mike casually asked one of the students, a sleepy looking young man in a blue and grey uniform with an insignia of a crossed paintbrush and quill overlaying a sheet of paper, "What''s going on?" The man regarded him for a second, before answering. "I don''t know, but I''d guess Lily''s experiments backfired again." He yawned before continuing, "This is the third explosion this week, but at least it''s not toxic smoke this time. I hope they move out of the way soon, I''m late for my nap." "Milady! Open this door right now! We''ve discussed this." The gentleman was shouting. "Who is the yelling guy?" Mike asked while simultaneously using Appraise on him. -------------------------------------- William Age: 51 Race: Human Class: Butler Extraordinaire Title: Man of Sophistication --------------------------------------- [That can''t be a real class¡­.] The young man gave him another appraising look, "That''s Lilly''s head butler, William. They go through this routine every few days." "And she gets away with causing explosions constantly?" "I think she''s supposed to be part of some big noble family in her home country, so the staff here at the University can''t do much. They moved her out here to minimize the damage, I suppose." He yawned again. The butler William was knocked off balance as the door was suddenly thrust open. A wave of smoke rolled through the corridor, driving the majority of the onlookers back. Almost without thinking, Mike used a bit of Air Magic to push the cloud out of an open window at the end of the hallway. As the smoke dispersed, it revealed a woman dressed in a simple pair of tattered overalls. Numerous stains, burns, and tears of uncertain origins marred the fabric''s surface. The woman herself was statuesque, standing close to 180 cm with a broad and curvy frame that was heavily emphasized by her lack of any other clothing besides her coveralls. Her short black hair was currently sticking straight up into the air, likely due to whatever explosion had taken place. Most of her upper body was streaked with soot, which gave her a reverse raccoon mask appearance when she removed her heavy-looking goggles. While his gaze unknowingly slid down to the highly visible and generous curve of her bust, he used Appraise again. ------------------------------------ Lilliana Dornovo Age: 19 Race: Human (Frost Giant) Class: Alchemical Warrior Title: Seeker of the Truth -------------------------------------- [I guess this is what Morris was talking about when he mentioned bloodlines. I wonder if the Frost Giants of this world are anything like the ones from Norse Mythology in my old world.] He felt a sharp pain in his ribs as Tal jabbed him with an elbow. Evidently he had been staring too long. Williams paled when he saw the state of his charge, and quickly removed his coat to cover the young woman up. "Milady! Please! Have some decency." Lilly gave a confident laugh, as she ignored the offered coat, "Ah, William. I''m glad you''re here. I think I''ve made a discovery! Come in! I need a test subject." She grabbed the poor butler, and pulled him inside the room, closing the door immediately afterwards. This seemed to mark an end to festivities as the group of onlookers started to break up. Mike noticed a male student in glasses angrily handing over a few coins to a smug looking female student. Evidently, the drama played out often enough that it had become a source of gambling for the residents. Sighing internally, Mike did one last Appraise on the sleepy student, before he headed back down to the ground floor. -------------------------------- Lionel Yuthan Age: 20 Race: Human Class: Minstrel Title: Slacker ---------------------------------- [Really? Slacker is the title you chose?] Shrugging to Tal and Brenden, Mike headed back down to the first floor to pick up Sera before heading back into the lobby. He looked around for something resembling an office, but was unable to find one. Sera finally asked the reading maid, who hadn''t moved since they passed through the first time. "Excuse me. We were assigned to this dormitory. Do we need to check in somewhere?" The woman looked up at her with slightly watery eyes. "Ah¡­..I suppose you are new tenants then¡­..do you have a letter from housing?" Mike produced one of the many documents he had been carrying around. "Looks good¡­." She stood up and wandered into the kitchen, still carrying the letter. Glancing around at the others in confusion, he made to follow her, but stopped once she re-emerged into the lobby carrying a set of keys. "Your room is 404.....enjoy." She said while handing them over. At the same time, she handed Sera a sheet of paper that the Oracle began studying. Wanting to confirm a sudden suspicion, Mike used Appraise on the airy maid. ----------------------------------------- Anna Age: 26 Race: Human Class: Maid Title: Dormitory Manager ----------------------------------------- [Of course...also, why is that a title?] Thanking the Dorm Manager, Mike led his crew back upstairs to locate their room. It turned out to be right across the hall from the explosive woman. Idly wondering if the previous tenant might have been driven off by the neighbors, he opened the door to his new home, which turned out to be a suite. An entry hallway, complete with a closet, split off into four other rooms. The first, apparently, was the student''s bedroom. It featured a large, four posted bed, a dresser, a desk and chair, a closet, and a full length mirror. The bay windows opened up to a balcony with a view of the ocean. The second was the largest, a sort of general living area. It had a couch and a few chairs on one side, another desk, and a mini-kitchen complete with a round wooden table and four chairs. The third proved to be a second living area, where a set of bunk beds with coarse linens were pressed against one wall. Two foot lockers, a small desk, and a closet were the only other features. The final room turned out to be a bathroom of sorts. It had originally been hard for Mike to adapt to the way people in this world handled their business in this regard. The presence of Lifestyle Magic had not only made bathing unnecessary, but had even removed the issue of waste management. In fact, most of the inns they''d stayed at merely had a closet-like chamber with a reconfigured bucket dedicated to the act. So it was with some surprise that he noticed a large tub dominating one corner of the lavish room. Sera and Tal seemed to understand its purpose, since they immediately got excited (based on contextual clues in Tal''s case) and went to investigate it. The tub had built-in magical devices that produced hot water on demand, evidently to allow for people to take hot baths. Since Lifestyle Magic obviated the need for bathing, he could only conclude that it was meant as a luxury item. After some careful consideration, Mike decided the room arrangements. Tal and Sera would be in the larger bedroom while he and Brenden would take the smaller. This had more to do with not wanting to share a bed with the beastman, than chivalry. He''d noticed on the ship that Brenden had a tendency to thrash violently in his sleep, possibly troubled by nightmares. As much as he sympathized, he also didn''t want to kicked in the face in the middle of the night. They finished the relatively easy process of unpacking, and settled down in the living room to discuss their next step. "So, what''s the plan?" Brenden asked. "I vote we find ourselves something to eat for dinner, relax for the rest of the night, and head out into the city tomorrow. What do you say?" Mike responded with another question. "Sounds good. According to this schedule," She held up the sheet of paper she had gotten from the Dorm Manager, "dinner will be served in the common room from nine to ten bells. Judging from the last time I heard the clock tower, we have a little bit of time to kill before it will be ready." Mike had forgotten about the paper. "What else is written on there?" "Just the meal times, some basic rules that frankly don''t seem to be enforced, and where to go to get new linens and cleaning supplies. It''s apparently up to the residents, or at least their servants, to take care of their own living areas." "Huh. Good to know." He replied. There was a knock on the door. Chapter 97: Shadows of Fore William, the exploding woman''s bulter, was at the door when Mike answered. "Pardon my intrusion. I heard that we had a new neighbor, so I am here to welcome you to the fourth floor of the Lighthouse Dormitory. My name is William, a butler in service to house Dornovo. I''m afraid that my mistress, Lady Dornovo, is currently indisposed, so I will be greeting you in her stead." Mike noticed with a great deal of interest, and some sympathy, that the formerly clean-shaven butler now sported a full-sized beard. His steel gray hair had also doubled in length. It seemed that whatever experiments William was involved in had led to the sudden growth. [What could she be researching? It has to involve magic.] "Of course. Thank you for your consideration. I''m Michael, but please feel free to call me Mike. I am a new student in the Magic Department. This is Sera, Tal, and Brenden, my friends and traveling companions." "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The butler said with a little bow. "Please feel free to call on me if you should have any questions. My mistress and I have been living here for close to three years now. I could be considered something of an expert when it comes to University life." "Once again you have our thanks, we''ll keep you in mind-" Mike was interrupted by a hungry and slightly upset Audra, who had crawled up his back and flopped out onto his shoulder. "My word¡­." The butler exclaimed. Panicking slightly, Mike started trying to explain, "Well, you see¡­" "Is that a Water Drake? I haven''t seen one in years. Thought they''d all gone extinct." He said with a cheery, nostalgic smile. "I actually had one as a boy, you see. Best pet I''d ever had." Mike laughed nervously, "Is that so? We weren''t really sure what she was. I just happened to acquire her egg by chance." "How fortunate! They''re really quite exquisite pets. Smarter and longer lived than cats and dogs. Cleaner too. They can eat almost anything, and, although they rarely show it, they have some proficiency with low level Water Magic. A perfect companion for an aspiring mage!" "Good to hear. I was a little afraid that she wouldn''t be allowed in the University." Laughing as if he heard a good joke, the butler responded, "I''m not so sure about classes themselves, but there is no rule preventing students from having pets on campus. Why, I''m certain I''ve seen a few of the Magic Department students with pets of their own. Although I think they call them something else." He frowned in contemplation. "Well, I greatly appreciate the information, but we had a few tasks left to take care of before dinner¡­" Mike left his statement hanging. "Oh! Of course. I hadn''t meant to stay so long, please excuse me." William exclaimed while stepping away from the door, and heading downstairs. There was something troubling him about the exchange he''d just had, but he couldn''t place it. [I don''t recall Water Drakes having four legs. Must be getting old.] Mike closed the door with a sigh. It sounded like they at least had a decent cover story for Audra now. He fed the little dragon a piece of dried meat he''d started keeping in a pocket. She devoured the offering quickly, and gave him an expectant look. He walked back into the living room and started hunting for something to feed the bottomless pit that was his familiar. They''d be going down to dinner soon, but he had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn''t wait that long. -------------------------------------------------------- "Sir, I believe we may have a problem student on our hands." Instructor Thomas was standing rigidly in front of the Magic Department Chair. Emmanuel Garthun, also known as The World Strider for his mastery of Space Magic, wearily looked up at Thomas in mid bite. It was not the first time the fussy instructor had come to him about potential ''problem children'' in the department, but he usually waited until he was in the office to harass him about it. The Department Chair set down his fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin and motioned for Thomas to take a seat at the cafeteria table he was currently eating at. "Alright, what''s the issue this time?" "I just conducted the admissions test for a student less than an hour ago. He managed to destroy a fully powered Testing Ring in the process." Thomas whispered, trying to not let his words carry too far in the small cafeteria. This got the Chair''s attention. Most mages would have a hard time damaging the enchantment laid on the ring, let alone destroying it. "Had he studied somewhere else before coming here? Or was he the descendant of some Dynastic Mage Family?" "I am ashamed to admit, that in my shock I failed to ask him these questions, but I believe he was primarily self-taught. I overheard him speaking with Henry, the scholarship student who was manning the front desk today. He only claimed knowledge of two low level elemental chants." Emmanuel sat back in his chair, and ran a hand over his trademark slicked-back hairstyle. "What chant did he end up using? I can''t imagine any Tier 1 elemental spell being that potent, regardless of who cast it." "He mangled the chant rather badly, adding words and changing others, but I believe he used Stone Javelin." The Department Chair sighed. He would have to do some investigation into the student to confirm he wasn''t a poorly trained spy or assassin from another country or some shady organization. The recent political situation meant that the University couldn''t afford to become involved in the developing dynastic struggle. To compound matters, this was also the year that the Mage''s Guild was planning on conducting an inspection on their training regime. He heard rumors that there were a few big wigs coming through, possibly even the Archmage himself. The last thing his department needed was a major disruption caused by an unknown variable. However, if this new student proved to be genuine, then he might very well be a prodigy. One that could bring the department a great deal of prestige, and validate their admittedly outdated training methods. "He hasn''t decided on classes yet, right?" Emmanuel asked after some thought. "That''s right. He should be returning to establish his schedule the day after tomorrow." "Alright, I''m going to have the office place me as his advisor. This way I can keep a close eye on him during his studies. Since he''s a promising elemental mage from the sounds of it, it shouldn''t be strange for me to do so. Just in case though, we never had this conversation and the student in question passed his test in the standard fashion. Do you think you can keep the judges quiet?" "That shouldn''t be an issue. They know the rules." Thomas said hesitantly, he was slightly uncomfortable with the way this conversation was heading. "Good. By the way what''s this student''s name?" The instructor paused for a second before answering, "He''s listed as Michael Rasmussen, but you should know, sir, that he was admitted with a letter of recommendation. One from Count Graveston." Emmanuel hissed a silent curse. This complicated matters. Now he would have to tread carefully. After all, he wouldn''t want to interfere in whatever plans the Serpent had. "Go. I''ll take care of it." He told the instructor before resuming his meal, not for the first time regretting accepting his current position. [Who knew that politics were such a big part of academia?] --------- In another part of the capital, Marquis Ulric, lord of the Western Marches sat contemplating politics next to the fireplace in the room he referred to as his study. Weapon racks, suits of armor, and a training square took up the majority of the chamber, but he felt that was only fitting for the leader of the Western Army of the Kingdom of Almir. He had been recalled from the border due to the ongoing dynastic struggle in the wake of the King''s poisoning. Although the monarch had survived the attempt with the assistance of several powerful healers, whatever remnant of sanity he''d been clinging to finally left him. The king now spent the majority of his time staring off into space or screaming incoherently. This was not the first time a sitting monarch became mentally unsound for the throne, but for reasons no one was quite willing to speak on, the usually process of forceful abdication in favor of the Crown Prince was halted on the off chance that the king would ''recover.'' Marquis Ulric scoffed at the idea. Greedy individuals were using this opportunity to advance their own agendas. Factions were forming around the king''s heirs, and powerful nobles were quietly skirmishing behind the scenes in an effort to push their chosen prince or princess onto the throne. Meanwhile, there were reports of increased military movements in Tennundi, suggesting that the hostile neighbor was looking to capitalize on the chaos. The Night of Ruin had made the Kingdom look vulnerable on the international stage, even though Wyrport managed to defeat the demonic invasion. Yet, the Minister of Military Affairs thought it would be a great idea to recall his best general at such a critical time. The fool seemed to want his support for the Second Prince, judging from the last few conversations he''d had with the man. The attempt itself was laughable, but the sheer audacity of it suggested a degree of confidence in his position that was troubling in itself. What made it worse was the subtle invitations from the other factions that were seeking his influence. The implications were serious, since Marquis Ulric was not usually a popular social guest. In fact he''d been largely excluded from the court for much of his life, often considered too coarse and brutish for high society. The high nobles only paid attention to generals like him when there was war on the horizon. He felt another presence enter the room, as the most accomplished agent of his Scouting Corps arrived. Not sure precisely where the woman was, he simply spoke in a voice loud enough to carry across the chamber. "Report." A whisper sounded from his right, and he had to steel himself to avoid jumping out of his seat. "You were right, sir. The Tenundians are planning an assault on Kadin Citadel. There is also evidence to suggest that they will be deploying their navy during the campaign." The Marquis frowned at the news, even though he expected as much. "They''ll want to keep our fleet occupied dealing with their raiders while they sweep through the Marches, but I don''t understand why they are moving with such confidence. Even at the best of times they have trouble maintaining military parity." The voice continued this time from another section of the room. He hadn''t heard her move. "There was one other thing to report. Boneships have been seen in the Sea of Talmanes." He felt a chill run down his spine. "They wouldn''t resort to..." It seemed that political games would have to wait, he was needed on the front lines. "Return your post. I will be leaving for the Marches at first light." He said while standing. There was much to do. "I was afraid you''d say that, sir." The woman replied in a despairing voice. Marquis Ulric''s instincts alerted him to the danger. He rushed for the nearest weapons rack, and managed to grab the hilt of a sword, when he felt a sliver of liquid fire enter his chest. Looking down, he saw the hilt of a dagger protruding from a spot slightly to the left of his sternum. The general fell to his knees as a creeping chill seemed to spread through his limbs. His vision was already fading when a soft, feminine hand gently grabbed his chin and lifted his face. Two warm brown eyes looked down at him with sympathy. "You were one of the better leaders I had a chance to serve under, general. It''s unfortunate that my real masters required your death. If you had only stayed here in the capital, you could have lived a little longer." She spoke soothingly to man as the light left his eyes. The woman let the heavily muscled body fall to the floor, as she shook her head. "Such a pity, but I suppose the rest of his cherished soldiers will be joining him soon. At least he won''t be lonely." Without a sound the woman vanished from the room. Chapter 98: Baggage Mike awoke the next morning feeling well rested despite the softly snoring beastman in the bunk above him. He did a few morning stretches, dressed, and went out into the living room. It seemed that Sera was still asleep, but Tal was up, making a pot of tea using one of the specialized magical devices that seemed to litter the dorm. He''d found the tea of this world to be a little sweeter and earthier than back in his old world, but he enjoyed it all the same. She poured a cup for him when it was ready, and they quietly enjoyed the peace of the morning while waiting for the others to get up. Mike realized that he didn''t spend much time with Tal alone, and really didn''t know much about her, or really any of his companions now that he thought about it. Part of him felt like he should be concerned about that, but he couldn''t imagine any of them betraying him at this point. There was some underlying feeling that told him he could trust them with his life, but he couldn''t identify the source. Perhaps it was all part of the Heroic Destiny he''d inherited. [I need to take the time to really get to know them.] Acting on impulse, he asked one of the most basic of questions. "So, Tal, what''s your story?" She tilted to display her confusion. "I mean, where are you from? How did you get to where you are now? What are your goals and dreams? That kind of thing." She was silent for a moment, but started speaking. "From Forest of Shadow. Sun elf city. Nirethial. Beautiful place. Like to go back." Mike detected the hint of a sad smile on her face while he waited for her to resume speaking. She took a drink of her tea before stating simply, "Was banished." "Banished? Why?" "Pact Magic. Taboo. Unnatural." Her fingers tightened on the teacup, knuckles whitening against the ceramic. "Left home. Traveled. Arrived Wyrport." She looked up at him then. "Met you." "¡­I see¡­" He didn''t really know how to respond. "Dream. Become successful. Show them wrong. Now different." A hint of a smile crept back into her features. "What is it now?" She paused for a moment, then stuck her tongue out at him. "Secret." Before he could ask anything else, Brenden walked into the room yawning loudly and scratching his stomach. He wasn''t wearing a shirt, so the well-defined musculature of his upper body was fully exposed. If it wasn''t for the scars, he''d look a lot like an underwear model from Mike''s old world. Or at least one with dog ears and a tail. "Brenden! Put a shirt on!" He said while glancing back at Tal who seemed vaguely amused by the situation. "Why?" The beastman asked while grabbing a drink of water from another convenient magical device, and indicating his pants. "It''s not like I''m naked." Mike sighed. It didn''t seem to be bothering Tal, who had returned to quietly sipping her tea without showing any real interest. Maybe it was a cultural thing for adventurers, or this world in general. "What''s all the noise about?" Sera entered the room while sleepily rubbing her eyes, still wearing the simple white nightgown she had gone to bed in. She had every appearance of a girl who had still not fully woken up. Looking blearily around the room, her gaze eventually settled on Brenden. The beastman was still in the middle of drinking his cup of water, but he made sure to flash the Oracle a thumbs-up. There was a full second of dead silence as the girl began to flush a deep crimson, before she started yelling. "WHAT THE HELLS? WHY ARE YOU NAKED?" "I''m not. Got pants on. See." He replied, once again indicating the article of clothing. "But¡­.That.....RRRAGH!" Sera fled the room in a stuttering mess. Mike shook his head. "Give her a break, already. I don''t think she''s had much experience with men." "She''ll have to learn at some point, but if it will make you feel better, I''ll go put a shirt on." He replied while heading back to the room to do just that. Once the beastman had left, Mike gave Tal a look. "Living together is going to be an experience, huh?" "Amusing," was the only reply she gave. After a quick breakfast downstairs, the group headed out into the city. Mike made sure to leave a note for Broderick at the Administration Building, letting him know how things had gone yesterday, and where they were currently staying. They had planned on tracking down the local Adventurer''s Guild first, in order to check in. However, they had to pass through a market to get there, and the group was distracted by the new sights and sounds. Wyrport had a great deal going for it in terms of trade, but the sheer variety at the capital put it to shame. Simply walking through the city the day before had brought a number of new sights, not the least of which was The Span. Now taking the time to really explore, Mike found a bewildering array of people, food, and merchandise that must have come from all over the world. They were currently stopped at a stall that seemed dedicated primarily to linen goods and elaborately woven rugs. The merchant was a strange one, wearing a set of black clothes that covered every inch of his skin, including his head. A featureless white mask without even eye holes was affixed to his cloth wrapped face by mysterious means. Quite frankly, he gave Mike the creeps, but Sera was haggling with him just like any other merchant. Mike leaned over to ask Brenden, "What''s the deal with that guy?" The beastman casually glanced over, looking intensely bored by the whole shopping expedition. "He''s Razmaran from the looks of it. They''re from a country to the east, one that''s run by some powerful religion. Supposedly, if they let an unbeliever see their skin, it''s an insult to their god or something." "That seems like it would be hard to enforce." "I think there is a whole bunch of silly customs they practice to avoid being seen. Most tend to leave them be, since they are usually the most honest merchants you''ll ever deal with. Something about lying for profit being a mortal sin, if I recall. Some people still give them trouble, but that usually stops when they break out the red masks." Mike gave him a look. Grinning, Brenden continued. "When Razmarans wear red masks, it means they intend to kill, and you''d best get out of their way. I''ve seen them in action before, and I would honestly rather fight another round of demons." "That bad?" He frowned, as if recalling something unpleasant. "I once saw a female Razmaran, about Sera''s size, rip a buddy of mine in half with her bare hands as easily as if she was tearing paper. Funny thing was, I''m pretty sure she was the same woman who had been helpless to stop us from robbing her earlier that day, just with one of those red masks on. Only reason I''m still alive, is because she didn''t consider me a threat." There was a lot for Mike to unpack in that last statement. "Do you want to talk about it?" "Nah, its old news. Not worth mentioning." Slapping Mike on the shoulder, he walked over to the women in an effort to hurry them along. He made a mental note to have a long chat with the beastman at his first opportunity. ------------------------------------------------------------- The group entered the Guild, laden with packages. "Do we really need all this?" Mike was asking. Sera answered him in a tired, and slightly annoyed voice. "Of course we do. We''re living in an aristocratic environment. We can''t just wander about in the same set of beat up clothes like common adventurers. We''d become the laughingstocks of campus." "But why do we need towels? You can just dry yourself with Lifestyle Magic." "And make our guests use their own mana? Do you want to look like country rubes in front of the nobility?" Deciding that it wasn''t worth getting into a fight Mike changed the subject. "Anyway, it looks like this place to drop this stuff while we check in." "Alright, I''ll watch the stuff while you go do your adventurer thing." Sera announced while sitting down on a nearby chair. Mike, Tal, and Brenden shared a look. They had spoken about this earlier but had not brought it up with the Oracle yet. "Sera, we''ve been thinking that it might be a good idea for you to develop a little. You know, get a little stronger. That way we can bring you with us when traveling to dangerous places. Otherwise....." She gave Mike a hard look before glancing at the other two. "Do you two agree?" "Yes. Need to be stronger." Tal replied simply. Brenden was a little harsher. "As it is now, we''ll have to take time to protect you. In other words, you''ll be holding us back." "I see....." The Oracle became quiet, and Mike felt that it might have been a better idea to discuss it with her more fully before now. "Fine." Finally, Sera nodded as if coming to some internal decision, and stood up. "I''m assuming that you want me join the Adventurer''s Guild, since you brought it up here." Feeling a little uncomfortable, Mike agreed. "That was the idea, yes. We felt it would assist in the process by giving you incremental increases in the difficulty of tasks. With a little training from the rest of us, you''ll be stronger before you know it." She sighed. "I get it, I do. Lets just get this done." Brenden volunteered to watch their possessions while the other three went up to the desk. Tal checked in first, then traded out with the beastman, to let him get a chance. After Mike, Sera got registered, and was given her first request, a simple herb collection job. Since the capital''s guild wasn''t all that impressive after spending time in Wyrport, they decided to call it a day and head back. They were mostly done shopping, and Mike still wanted to visit the Spire to see what kinds of books were available. After another tiring trip the group crashed in the living room of the dorm. Mike of course was still full of energy, but the rest of them seemed a little worn out. Before checking out the library, he wanted to check on Sera''s request. "Seems simple enough. I just need to go to....Barge Island? .....and pick up some Shylock Herbs?" She announced while squinting at the poor hand writing of the requester. "Judging from the map, that''s not too far away. I think a boat could make it there relatively easily." "We can check down at the docks tomorrow." Mike suggested. Brenden gave him a look. "You do realize that you have classes starting tomorrow, right?" "......yeeaahhh. I totally remembered that." He laughed guiltily. "Don''t worry about it, I''ll be fine. Brenden and Tal will be more than enough." The Oracle spoke quietly. "Besides, bringing you on a herb gathering quest seems like overkill." "That''s the truth." Brenden chimed in. "We''d probably end up fighting an ancient terror that makes the island its home, if Mike came along." "True." Tal contributed. "Anyway, I''m going to lie down for awhile. Remind me to hire a carriage the next time we go on a shopping spree like that." Sera largely put an end to the conversation by leaving the room. Tal followed after, but took the time to lay a sympathetic hand on Mike''s shoulder. "Pride hurt. Give time." Sighing, Mike turned to Brenden. "Anyway, I''m going to try out the library. Want to come?" The beastman squinted at him. "I''d rather get shot again. Nah, I''ll do some exploring on my own." "Again?...Right, sounds like a plan." The pair left the dormitory, but quickly went their separate ways, as Mike walk towards the shard of glass at the center of the campus. Chapter 99: For Love of Learning Mike walked across central campus and approached The Spire. As he got closer, he noticed that there was a circular structure built around the base of the towering shard of crystalline material. Judging from the traffic, this was the entrance. An ornately carved archway led into a wide staircase heading down underground. There were two doors to other portions of the circular building, one placarded with ''Secondary Library,'' the other with ''Administration.'' A sign hanging from the ceiling read ''Main Library'' with a simple arrow pointing down the staircase, which seemed to curve gently to the left. Crystalline fixtures set into the wall bathed the passage in a steady white light. Deciding that the Main Library sounded like his best option, he started down. After descending for a few minutes, he began to wonder how much longer he would be walking. He''d passed a few weary students who were trudging back up the staircase, pausing every once and awhile to catch their breath. It seemed like the height of folly to have this kind of set up. [I wonder if the Secondary Library is where they store the books for general readership, and they keep the actually valuable volumes in the Spire itself. It would be silly to make students climb up and down these steps every time they needed to visit.] After approximately five minutes he reached the bottom of the stairs, which opened up into a large lobby-like chamber. Several people dressed in simple grey robes were working behind desks. Another archway seemed to lead into the library itself. Two armored figures stood guard next to it, evidently monitoring the entry way. Not really sure what else to do, Mike walked up to one of the desks carved with the words ''Collections Management.'' A young female dwarf was working there. It was the first time had seen women of the race up close, and was surprised to find that they didn''t look too different from humans. She was definitely shorter, maybe 120cm, but broad of frame. Her limbs looked powerful, but her motions still carried a feminine grace. Chestnut hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, displaying a wide, rounded face. "May I help you?" She asked a little gruffly, since he had been staring a bit too long. "Ah, sorry. Its actually my first time visiting the library, and I wasn''t sure what I should do." He replied apologetically. "That''s a bit of an issue. Ordinarily, I would send you up to have your account registered, but our account manager is currently out, and the University in its infinite wisdom hasn''t bothered to have him replaced in the meantime. Without an account, you can''t check any books out, nor access the more restricted sections." She replied with barely concealed frustration. "I see....Do I need to come back later?" He was hoping that his trip down here wasn''t wasted. Sighing, the dwarf woman set down her quill. "No, I''ll help you. With the current term coming to a close, my workload is quite lenient at the moment. If you''ll follow me, I''ll take you up to the Account Management Office." She started walking through the guarded archway, and passed by it with a casual nod to the guards. The archway led into another crystal-lit hallway that terminated in a series of three doors. Turning towards him once they were through, the dwarf gave him an appraising look. "So what brings an adventurer to the library?" "Eh? How did you know?" "Lucky guess, mainly. The way you hold your self betrays martial training, but your not as stuck up as one of the knights. You aren''t well-dressed or groomed enough to be one of the noble brats that end up here, thinking they own the place since their dads rule some backwater in the middle of nowhere. You definitely don''t look smart enough to be a scholarship student for any of the more intellectually minded departments, and Martial Arts students don''t usually bother with books until fairly late in their studies, once they''ve realized that there is more to fighting than simply hitting things with sharp bits of metal." She stopped and gave him a flat look. "I''d guess that you got in with a recommendation, which means you did something pretty impressive for someone pretty important. Since you aren''t a knight or a noble, they most likely option would be an adventurer. Now if you don''t mind answering my question." Mike laughed, "I''m here to explore mainly. I start classes tomorrow, and I wanted to get a feel for the library and the resources it offers before I get too involved in my studies." "Fair enough." She said while turning around and leading him through one of the doors. They entered a small chamber, with a lever built into one wall. [This couldn''t be...] The dwarf must have caught the look on his face, because she laughed as she pushed the lever up. With a rumble the chamber began to rise. Mike started once he realized he could actually see the stone of the walls move. "Bet this is new to you. One of the wonders invented by generations of faculty members here. A innovative use of magic and technology that demonstrated the cooperative creativity of the University. Or so they would have you believe. Honestly, I think they just got tired of walking up the stairs." "Pretty impressive." "You haven''t seen anything yet. By the way, I don''t think I caught your name." He glanced over at her, noticing that she was still examining him out of the corner of her eye, but looked away when he notice. "You can call me Mike. How about you?" "I''m Rusilka, daughter of Grunyar and Inek. Don''t worry about trying to remember it. Most of you tall folk just call me the library dwarf, when they think I''m not listening." "That seems kind of rude." He replied with a frown. "Meh, I''m used to it. You humans have short memories, so I can''t expect too much out of you. Anyway, get ready. We''re about to see the most impressive sight in the University." Shortly after she announced it, the stone walls gave way to the translucent crystal of the Spire. They apparently entered the structure at some point. He was surrounded by the breathtaking view of the campus laid out before him in every direction. It seemed like they were already tens of meters above the ground, and still ascending. "In a typically human fashion, once the original discoverers of the Spire learned that there was an underground entrance to the structure, they promptly proceeded to build their own bits at the most inconvenient part of it. A tradition that the University continues to this day." The dwarf added sarcastically while they were still ascending. Looking up, Mike realized that the inside of the Spire was largely hollow, only a thin layer of transparent crystal separating them from the outside. The elevator they were riding was quickly approaching a section of wooden and steel scaffolding simply built into the sides of the Spire. The remnants of a spiral staircase could be seen along the edges, although it was clearly in disrepair. "I can imagine that climbing this would get quite tiresome after awhile." He muttered, trying to imagine how unpleasant it must be for someone without supernatural stamina. Rusilka laughed at that. "Can''t understand it myself. Some jumped up bastard thought it would be a great idea to build himself a home at the very top of this thing, no matter the expense, and I''ll be damned if he didn''t see it through. That kind of stubbornness is admirable in a way." Mike felt a little strange about a dwarf calling anyone else stubborn, but had to remind himself that the stereotypes from fantasy fiction back in his old world weren''t necessarily accurate for the people of this one. The elevator soon passed through the reinforced floor of the library structure built into the hollow center of the Spire. They passed a floor that seemed to be devoted to maintenance and storage, but stopped at the next. Rusilka led him out into a hallway filled with offices, and up to a door marked ''Account Management.'' Pushing it open, she motioned for him to come in. "Alright, Mike. I need your student ring." As soon as he handed it over, she plugged it into a boxy device with a slot seemingly designed for the process. It started to hum for a moment, emitted a few strange chirps, and fell silent. She plucked the ring back out of the device and handed it back to him. "Alright, now you can check books out at the desk downstairs. There are a few rules that I have to go over, so pay attention. First, you are limited to three books at a time, and you can only check them out for a week. Each of them has been enchanted with a basic anti-theft spell which will alert University security to your location should you try to leave with any books that haven''t been checked out." "What happens if you are late turning them in?" He asked, having a lot of personal experience regarding that in his old world. "Depending on the number of times you do it, they''ll either issue a warning, suspend your library privileges, or cancel them entirely. I recommend that you return them promptly and on time. Alright, now for the second rule. As a first year student with basic access, you can only visit the first level of the restricted section. Your department can grant you permission for more at a later date." "How many sections are there?" "Stop interrupting." She paused, then continued. "There are five total sections, because everything in your culture has to be divided into fives. Now, the last and most important rule is simple. Don''t intentionally damage any of the books or the library itself. Any violations will be met with immediate cancellation of all privileges and possible expulsion. Am I clear?" "Crystal." "Good." They exchanged stares for a few moments, before she broke the silence. "Well off you go then, do your exploring." She made a shooing motion. "Thank you for the help Rusilka, I appreciate it." "None of that now. I was just doing my job." She said while pushing him out of the office. "Just head down that way, and you''ll see the stairs to take you to the next floor, which will be General Collections. After that will be the restricted section." "Gotcha. Thanks again." He said while walking down the indicated passage. Following the dwarf''s directions brought him into a wide open area filled with bookshelves and tables. With the exception of several support pillars the sides of the chamber were left open, displaying a view of both the campus and the capital itself. Students in varying uniforms could be seen milling about or studying at one of the tables. A handful of people dressed in gray robes performed the clerical duties that kept the place running properly. Looking around, Mike only had one thought. [Alright, now where the hell do I start?] Chapter 100: In the Stacks Looking around, Mike had trouble determining how the books were sorted. As far as he could tell, there were some clearly defined sections grouped by bookshelf color, but beyond that, there was no indication of what the sections might relate to. There seemed to be five distinct colors: red, green, blue, white, and black. Shrugging he decided to start perusing. He quickly discovered that there was a great variety in the quality of the publications included in this section. Some were ornate leather bound tomes with neatly printed words, while others were decaying piles of hand-written manuscripts loosely connected with simple twine. He picked up a thin book from a red bookshelf entitled, "How to Best your Rippleback Begonias," which focused exclusively on taming a variety of semi-ambulatory flower that was known for its vicious bite. It seemed that the red section primarily dealt with, for lack of a better term, ''self-help'' books. Focusing mainly on instructional manuals for developing a range of mundane skills, such as cooking, carpentry, husbandry, farming, and the like. A couple of low level Martial Arts manuals were present, but nothing of particular interest or value to him. Half the section was devoted to ''aristocratic'' pursuits like riding, etiquette, hunting, and even dance. He examined a few of the books, and while there were several that could prove handy in the long run, he didn''t see any that he could really make use of right now. The green section was a bit more interesting for him, since it contained books related to non-magical research. Although not quite advanced as in his old world, the works he took some time to skim through displayed a surprisingly developed understanding of the universe. Judging from the theories presented in these works, Ea worked on a set of principles that was remarkably similar to his previous life. Everything from atoms, the movement of celestial bodies, and gravity to humanoid anatomy and basic biological functions was encoded in these tomes. There was one key difference, however. The presence of the system. The writers repeatedly used the system as an explanation when things proved too difficult to understand or measure. In some cases they even listed completely contradictory evidence claiming that the system was directly responsible for augmenting their results in some way. Add to that the complications induced by magic, a force that the authors seemed to not fully understand, and the influence of the gods, who proved to be quite active in this world, and it seemed like researchers could make little real progress. After a fair amount of perusal, Mike selected a book titled, "Monsters of the Central Continent," a thick and heavy volume covering the classification, appearance, and ecology of a variety of creatures that made the central continent their home. The same author, one J. B. Hunting, had gone on to write texts on several other regions of the world, so if this one should prove useful, he would check out the others. The blue section featured the more anthropological works, and seemed to be the home of history, biography, and cultural examinations of other sentient races. Mike found it hard to really determine where to start for this one. The books he examined often referenced people, places, and things that were not subsequently explained, so it was difficult to follow along with what the author was trying to say. He finally found a small, little used book on the bottom shelf entitled, "A Brief History of Ea: Or How the World was Made." It was a bit pompous, but the author started at the creation of the world and moved forward to approximately present day, only briefly discussing major events. The white sections was dedicated to religious works, which included everything from the scriptures created by the various religions that held sway in Ea, to biographies of famous members of the clergy, to planar cosmology. Apparently, anything to do with the various realms that encircled and overlaid the world were considered part of theology, a significant and well respected field by the looks of it. He wondered why they didn''t have their own department at the University. After briefly considering a book about known demon varieties, he decided to hold off on making his third choice until he had visited the restricted section. The black section proved to be the most interesting, but also the most chaotic. Rather than any defining theme, this section seemed to contain virtually everything that didn''t fall into one of the previous sections, with one noticeable exception. There were no fictional works anywhere on this level of the library, which suggested to Mike that they either didn''t maintain those kinds of works, or they were stored somewhere else, like the Secondary Library he''d seen on the way up. He made a mental note to investigate once he was ready to leave. Seeing all there was to see on this level, Mike took the next set of stairs heading up. The sun had started setting by now, and the varied hues of the evening sky were impossible to ignore, so as he climb his gaze was drawn outwards. True to his luck, this immediate caused trouble for him once he had reached the landing for the next level. Distracted by the view, he missed the last step and stumbled forward, which consequently rammed his head into the back of another student. The student in question emitted a pained ''whuff'' of expelled air before collapsing onto the ground. ""Lord Hubert!"" A pair of men standing on either side of Mike''s unfortunate victim cried out. A young woman who had been apparently talking to the student, sniffed audibly, turned on her heels, and started walking away. Mike only caught a brief flash of long, platinum blonde hair before she rounded the corner. "Ah¡­..Sorry about that. I wasn''t looking where I was going." Mike apologized. His head felt fine, so he was a little surprised on how injured the man looked. "How dare you, peasant!" One of the two followers roared at him while the other was tending the stricken man. "Do you have any idea who it was you just struck? All three of them were dressed in dark crimson uniforms with the emblem of a sword and spear sown the upper left chest. [They''re probably Martial Arts students, from the looks of them.] Mike took a quick second to scan all three with Appraise before replying, starting with the speaker. ------------------------------- Leroy Teruntine Age: 21 Race: Human Class: Apprentice Knight Title: Devoted Follower -------------------------------- Leroy had dark brown hair cut short, and was built like a thick-necked weightlifter. The other follower was thinner, with straight black hair parted to one side. His sharp features betrayed a degree of malice towards Mike which would have clued him in to the man''s intentions, if his Detect Hostile Intent skill hadn''t already done so. ------------------------------- Victor Kalt Age: 20 Race: Human Class: Swordsman Title: Practiced Fighter --------------------------------- The man he''d run into, who was still gasping for air on the ground, was a little on the chubby side to be a martial artist. Hair the color of old bricks surrounded a soft face with small second chin. His uniform fit a bit tightly in places, probably part of the reason he was having trouble breathing. -------------------------------- Hubert Lothrain Age: 20 Race: Human Class: Noble Title: Heir Apparent -------------------------------- "A distinguished noble from the looks of it, though I don''t believe I''ve been acquainted with him." He replied lightly, while subtly settling into a stance that would allow him to respond quickly. He''d read enough stories to know that his current situation had a good chance of ending in violence. He only hoped that it wouldn''t affect his student career. "Why you!" Leroy growled while balling up one fist in preparation to strike. Much more unsettling, however, was the way Victor edged into one of blind spots while reaching into his pocket. "That is enough, you two." A calm voice sounded from the floor, as Hubert painfully sat up. "He already apologized for the issue, so there is no need to escalate matters." "But sir, he embarrassed you in front of the princess!" Leroy complained with his fist still raised. [Crap. That explains a lot.] "He did so unintentionally, I''m sure. To hold him accountable for the vagaries of destiny would be to spit in the face of the gods." The chubby noble managed to work his way to his feet, and fixed Mike with a friendly gaze. "I believe you mentioned that you were unacquainted with me. Let us rectify that. I am Hubert Lothrain, first son and heir of Count Marcus Lothrain. At the moment, however, I am merely a humble second year student of the Martial Arts department. These are my long-time companions Leroy Teruntine and Victor Kalt." "Good to meet you. I''m Michael, but please call me Mike." He replied with a slight bow. Hubert returned the bow, before taking his leave. "A pleasure, Mike. Now if you''ll excuse me, I have a few errands to run, and some damaged pride to assuage." "Oh, of course." Mike stepped out of the way and let the trio past. Leroy still gave him an angry glare as he passed, but didn''t say anything. [Well, that went better than I thought. I was sure that was going to devolve into a cliched confrontation or something.] He was still getting a sensation of hostility, but he figured that one of the followers was probably still mad at him. Shrugging, he moved forward to check out the restricted section. ------------------------------------------------- "Are you really going to let him get away with that, Lord Hubert?" Leroy asked once they were no longer in earshot. Hubert gave him a look out of the corner of his eye, "Victor, find out whatever you can about this Mike. We need to lay the groundwork properly before we make a move. Leroy, be ready to act when I say so." "You mean..." The scion of House Lothrain looked over at the setting sun, "Its best to pull up weeds from the root, is it not?" Chapter 101: Investments Walking through the corridor that led into the restricted section of the library, Mike found himself passing by a large number of doors leading into small chambers that could only be individual study rooms. A few students were entering and leaving the rooms with piles of books in hand. Eventually he reached an open passage marked ''Restricted Section Level One'' and walking through, he felt a sudden wave of energy pass surround him. He quickly Appraised the area around the entrance and found another of the Portals of Inviolability he''d seen back in the Wyrport Adventurer''s guild. He guessed that the portal must have checked his credentials somehow, and determined that he was allowed in. Shrugging, Mike continued on into the section, and found himself in room filled with bookshelves. Cages containing other books lined the walls, where he guessed more valuable or dangerous works were kept. Not seeing any clear classification system like on the floor below, he simple started browsing. The unsecured shelves seemed to contain more academic work than anything else. Little used and densely technical, these volumes were destined to collect dust until some student or researcher had a very specific need. Putting down a tome entitled "Growth Cycles of Aqueous Ferns, Volume III," Mike decided to try his luck with the locked up books. Judging from the titles that were visible between the bars, these were more in line with what he was looking for. Low level Martial Arts manuals, semi-heretical treatises on religious topics, more complex crafting guides, and books concerning magic were all held there. Looking around for a few moments, he didn''t see any clear indication of how to open the cages, nor any hint of one of the gray robed staff members. Not seeing anyone who might be watching him either, he tried to pull one open on the off chance they weren''t locked. A slight tingle of energy from his student ring seemed to pass into the metal of the cage, and it gently creaked open. [I guess I have access to this section.] He considered his options carefully, knowing that he will only have one more book to check out, unless he wanted to put one of the other two back, something he was tempted to do. However, he felt that his biggest weakness at the moment was a lack of general knowledge. As such, he didn''t want to give up on his two previous choices, especially since he would be able to come back and get others at a later date. Figuring that a better understanding of magic will prove critical in his later studies, he eventually selected a well-worn book titled, "Foundational Magic Theory." Judging from the three other copies left on the shelf, it was an influential work at this school. His search done, Mike left the library, stopping only to check out at the desk in the basement level. He was given a stern warning not to damage any of the books, and to make sure to return them on time. With a casual wave to Rusilka, who returned it despite still being deep in her work, he climbed back up the stairs heading to the surface. He made a quick pit stop at the Secondary Library to confirm his suspicions that they housed only leisure reading materials, before heading back to the dorm. The sun had already set, and judging from the clock tower, it was about dinner time. Passing through the lobby, he saw the majority of the dormitory''s residents sitting down to eat, so he went upstairs, dropped off his books, and returned. He sat next to Tal and Sera. Brenden was nowhere in sight. [Must still be prowling around somewhere.] The elf acknowledged him with a simple nod before returning to her meal. The Oracle seemed to have cheered up in the intervening time, and was chatting amicably with another female student. As soon as he sat down, she waved over at him, "Mike! Come meet Hannah. She''s a student in the Finance Department. You should hear some of her theories about the development of magical goods in response to existing monopolies on magically gifted individuals." Relieved that she was no longer feeling upset, Mike took the time to get to know one of his neighbors. Hannah turned out to be the victorious gambler he''s seen after the issue with the explosion from yesterday. "Nice to meet you. I''m Mike, a new student in the Magic Department." He said pleasantly while using Appraise on the new face. ------------------------------- Hannah Age: 17 Race: Human Class: Financier Title: Disciple of Avarice ------------------------------- [Huh. I wonder what kind of skills a Financier gets. Also, what is with that title?] She was dressed in a brown student uniform composed of an unflattering pants and jacket combination emblazoned with the emblem of a set of scales stacked with coins. Shoulder length purple hair framed an animated and energetic face. Hannah gave him an appraising look, then flicked her gaze to Tal and Sera. "Nice to meet ya and all, but I got to know, which of these girls is your lover?" Sera who had been in the middle of drinking out of her cup, choked and ended up spitting water onto the table. [Wow, a real spit-take. I thought that only happened in movies.] "W-W-W-W-WE ARE NOT LOVERS!" Sera stuttered loudly enough to be heard throughout the room. Quickly realizing that she had become the center of attention again, she blushed furiously and shrank down in her seat, clearly embarrassed. Tal merely gave the question a shrug before returning to her meal, as if she couldn''t be bothered to answer. Chuckling at Sera''s antics, Mike replied. "Neither. They are my trusted friends and companions." Hannah frowned. "Come on, there''s got to be more to it than that. Two girls living in the same room as a guy like you. There has got to be something going. Besides, you''re a mage that got in here on recommendation, so you''re probably going to be a big name in the future...." Her mouth suddenly split into a mischievous grin. "A girl needs to capitalize on the opportunities available. I don''t suppose you''re looking for someone to warm your bed at night, then?" She said as she leaned forward, one eyebrow cocked in a suggestive manner. Sera threw herself between the two, knocking over her plate in the process. "A-A-A-ABSOLUTELY NOT! I FORBID IT!" Realizing once again that she''d made herself the center of attention, she quickly sat down and gave Hannah an angry glare. The woman gave a full bellied laugh in reply, "HAHAHAH! Ah, I knew that you would be a sucker for that one, Sera. Why don''t you try to be a little more honest with yourself? I think you''ll be happier in the long run." Frowning in displeasure, Sera replied angrily, "I don''t need your advice!" "Suit yourself," Turning back to Mike, "So what''s your five year plan?" How was he supposed to answer that when he barely knew what was coming tomorrow. "Honestly, I haven''t thought that far ahead." "That''s no good. You got to make some plans as soon as possible if you want to survive in today''s market. I know you''ve got that whole ''adventuring'' thing going, but that''s not a long-term solution to your financial situation. You need to think about how to spend your money to make money." She paused as if she was expecting him to interject. He motioned for her to continue. The things she was saying reminded him a lot of the financial seminars he had to attend in college in his old world. "Hmm, most people would look at me like I was crazy when I say something like that." "What''s crazy about investing your money in something that gives a greater return?" He asked, slightly confused. Hannah beamed at him. "Exactly! Most people don''t really understand when I say it that way. I usually have to use a convoluted example involving land ownership in order to get my point across. Anyway, this brings me to my next point. I just so happen to have a business venture in the works that could use the assistance of someone like you." "Oh?" Mike asked, mentally preparing himself for a sales pitch. "Indeed! Tell me, what do you know about oysters?" "Your talking about the shelled animal that lives in the ocean?" "Correct, but I''m not talking about the animal, but its shell. You see, oyster shells are the wonder product that will revolutionize the world." She paused to take a breath. "There is a thriving pearl industry on several of the islands to the southeast. Divers collect thousands of oysters everyday in the hopes of uncovering pearls. Once harvested, they are either eaten or discarded, leading to massive piles of wasted shells littering the beaches of these islands." "Okay...." He was following so far, but wasn''t sure what she was getting at exactly. "It just so happens that oyster shells can be put to a wide variety of purposes, such as building materials, fertilizer, nutritional supplements for animal feed, and even alchemical reagents for low level solutions. Yet this highly valuable and versatile resource is just being squandered by the locals. Left to rot in place." "Tragic." Tal replied with a hint of amusement. It seemed that she had already guessed Hannah''s intent, and was enjoying the process leading to her request. "Indeed. You see, you were lucky enough to run into me at just the right time, as I am fairly desperate for a small influx in capital. With said funds, I plan to mount an expedition to rescue this resource from the unappreciative, putting it to good use. For a modest fee, of course." "Of course." Mike replied with a slight grin. She was taking her time in getting to the point. "As such, I''m offering the truly remarkable opportunity to purchase a full 20% partnership in this highly lucrative trade deal for the measly price of a hundred gold. That''s a deal too good to pass up, don''t you think?" She said with a wide and convincingly innocent smile. The male student with glasses, who he''d seen losing the bet to Hannah yesterday, chose that moment to break in. "Don''t be fooled. She comes up with these schemes every so often and tries to con everyone she meets into buying off on the idea, but they all inevitably end up failing." He was dressed in a dark blue flowing garment, that vaguely reminded Mike of a toga and featured an emblem of abacus-looking device. Thin and sharp featured, the student had a prim and proper air about it. A quick Appraise revealed more. ------------------------------------- Wallace Pembroke Age: 18 Race: Human Class: Scholar Title: Studious Researcher ------------------------------------- Standing up and pointing in indignation, Hannah yelled at Wallace. "Hey! Don''t get in way of me and my client! Besides this is a foolproof plan. It can''t possibly fail." "You said the same thing about that Moss Bear fiasco!" He yelled back. "You can''t blame me for that. How was I supposed to know they would try to eat the trainers?" "Because they were bears!" Chuckling Mike finished his meal and led the rest of his group back upstairs. He had a big day tomorrow, and wanted to be well rested for it. Chapter 102: Feeling Classy Mike awoke next day feeling refreshed again, having slept in comfort throughout the entire night. The dorm beds, even the ones in the secondary bedroom were extremely comfortable, to the point he was beginning to suspect the presence of an innocuous magic item. He dressed, and went out into the living room to join Tal for another quiet tea break. It was cut short this morning when she and Brenden dragged Sera out of bed. The beastman had apparently found a training yard that was available for student use, so the two, more experienced, adventurers decided to run the Oracle through some exercises prior to her first request. Mike couldn''t help but chuckle as he watched the Sera struggling sleepily as the pair carried her out the door. He headed downstairs himself shortly after, only to be waylaid by the Dorm Manager who had a letter for him. It was from Broderick, inviting him to attend a small gathering at the end of the week. He made a mental note to let the rest of the group know. After a quick breakfast, he walked back to the Magic Department, and spoke to the student on duty. Following the directions he was given, Mike eventually reached a set of double doors on the top floor. ''Emmanuel Garthun, Magic Department Chair'' was painted on it. [Department Chair? Am I in the right place?] A pull cord was mounted into the door frame, seemingly attached to something inside. Once pulled it caused a high-pitched, ringing noise inside the office. "Come in!" A deep male voice called from within. Mike opened the door and walked into the office. The furnishings were high quality, if a bit garish in style and color. Shelves lined the walls, filled with a variety of occult objects and books. His eyes fell on a humanoid skull, and he wondered why a University professor would even need one. The Department Chair himself was a short, swarthy man with black hair slicked back against his skull. There was an ageless quality to his face that made his age difficult to determine. He was dressed in the same outfit he''d seen Instructor Thomas in, save that the Chair''s robe had four stripes on each sleeve. One was blue, two were a glossy black, and the last was grey. "Ah, you must be Mike. Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss." He spoke in a rich luxuriant tone that dripped with charisma. Once Mike was seated, he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Emmanuel Garthun, the Magic Department Chair of the University of Almirn. More importantly, I am a Tier 4 mage specializing in Elemental Magic, which is the reason I have been selected to be your advisor during your time at our school." A quick scan with Appraise verified the information shared. --------------------------------------------- Emmanuel Garthun Age: 76 Race: Human (Sun Elf) Class: Dimensional Mage Title: The World Strider ---------------------------------------------- [He somehow has a Sun Elf bloodline? Interesting, I wonder if that has something to do with his age.] "It'' honor, sir. I am Michael Rasmussen, but please call me Mike." "Likewise," Emmanuel nodded, then brought out a sheet of paper and a quill. "Now then, you are here to build your class schedule, so let''s get started with a few questions to help make your decisions. First of all, tell me a little bit about why you came to attend this school." "Well, I''m an adventurer by trade, and I recently assisted a powerful noble in a matter. He gave me a letter of recommendation and offered to cover my tuition as payment. So, I took the opportunity to expand my knowledge and develop my skills." "An admirable goal. I hope you find your time at the University enlightening. As to your area of interest, I know you are an Elemental Mage, but what elements are you proficient in?" Mike paused to consider his answer. He had been debating with himself about how much information he should reveal concerning his abilities. On one hand, if he hid too much, it might hinder his later education. On the other, if he revealed too much, it might lead to questions he would be hard pressed to answer. After a quick internal debate, he decided to just hide his knowledge of Healing Magic, since that seemed to cause the greatest number of problems. "I''m most proficient with fire and water, but I am capable of using earth and air as well. I recently learned to use light, but I have not had much of a chance to practice with it." The department chair stopped writing and gave the youth a hard look, "Are you seriously claiming to have access to five Elemental Magic skills?" [I may have miscalculated.] "I am." Emmanuel continued to look doubtful. Not wanting to sound like a liar to his new advisor, Mike lifted both of his hands, and created a ball of fire and a ball of water, one in each hand. After dismissing the fire, and drinking the water, he summoned a spherical rock and an invisible wind. Finally, he produced a small pinpoint of light, before setting the newly formed ball of stone on the Department Chair''s desk. The room was silent for a few moments, as Emmanuel simply stared at the ball as it slowly rolled across the surface of the desk before plopping into his lap. He whispered, almost inaudibly, "Dual Casting¡­.." "I''m sorry?" With a cough, the Department Chair cleared his throat. "I see you were indeed telling the truth. I apologize for doubting you. Out of curiosity, do you perhaps have an unusual or unique class?" "I haven''t heard of someone with the same class as me. Of course, with how secretive people are about their classes, I can''t say for sure whether or not it could be considered unique." "I don''t suppose you''d be willing to speak on the nature of your class?" Mike leaned back in his chair. "Unless it is required, I would prefer to keep silent about it." "Fair enough. I won''t press you on it, but I want you to know that as your advisor, I will be available to answer any questions you might have on the future development of your magical skills. Knowledge of your class will help me guide you on the correct path." "I''ll keep that in mind." Emmanuel gave a curt nod, but evidently gave up on getting the answer right now. "So that leads to the question, what sort of courses are you interested in? The department starts its Elemental Mages in a basic, combined class until they are ready to master their individual elements. In the rare case that students have more than one element, they will need to take multiple classes to have the same level of education in each. This, of course, slows down their advancement." "If that''s what it takes to master my skills, I don''t mind. Besides, my tuition is being covered." "I just wanted to let you know of what it might entail to study all of your elemental skills at the same time." He picked up the quill and started writing again. "Now, for your classes, you will have two to three required classes each quarter depending on your course of study. For new students, that is Introductory Magic Theory, and Initiate Chanting Practicum. Regardless of how advanced your skills are, all Magic Department students are required to take these classes in order to ensure a solid foundation, and prevent potentially dangerous accidents at later stages." "Alright." Emmanuel consulted a chart and used it to start building a schedule for Mike. "You will have Magic Theory at five bells, and Chanting at seven bells. Each class meets during the first four days of the week, and lasts for and hour and a half. The fifth day is dedicated to organizational events, which can included anything from guest lectures, to sporting competitions, to a group study day in preparation for the end of quarter exam. The sixth and seventh days are days to rest, recuperate, and prepare for the next week. Are you with me so far?" Mike nodded. [Its basically just high school all over again. At least this time, I''ll get to study something interesting.] "A quarter lasts about three months, depending on holidays, and you can take up to five classes a quarter. While there is no obligation to take more than the required classes, it''s highly encouraged to do so. The chosen elective can be from any department, so, if you decide you want to expand your studies into other areas, you are able to do so." "I''m interested in maximizing my time here, so I''d like to take five. Do you have any recommendations as to what classes I should choose?" Emmanuel sat back in his chair, and taped his chin with the finger of one hand. "With the exception of introductory level courses, other classes in our department are barred to you until you complete your first quarter. It''s part of a department policy designed to ensure our students have a sufficiently well developed foundation before attempting more advanced magic. As such, I would recommend taking Basic Elemental Magic, at the very least." "That sounds good, but you also mentioned that all introductory level courses were available, correct?" Mike asked with a small smile. "I did. Why do you ask?" "Is there anything preventing me from taking another introductory class, like...I don''t know, Basic Summoning Magic?" Emmanuel frowned, "Technically no, but unless you are able to gain the skill, you would be unable to pass the class." He paused, eyes lighting up with sudden realization. "Your class allows you to do such a thing, doesn''t it?" Mike nodded. "Could you maybe....No, I promised I wouldn''t ask. Anyway, I take it that means you have an interest in summoning magic? It would be unorthodox, but I don''t see any reason we can''t allow you to pursue that interest. I''ll mark it down for you. Any idea of what you want as your last class, Basic Arcane Magic, perhaps?" He said with a chuckle that died on his lips when he saw Mike seriously consider it. "No, I think I have enough Magic on my plate for the moment. What class outside of the department would be good?" Emmanuel resumed his thinking pose, "As adventurer, you wouldn''t have much need for finance or art, so I would pass on those. Martial Arts would be a solid choice, for obvious reasons. The Science Department has a few classes with solid practical applications for the adventurous sort, such as Monster Biology, Alchemy, Botany, and Geography. A portion of their department is dedicated to perfecting the mundane crafting arts, if you have an interest in such a thing." "Alchemy isn''t part of the Magic Department?" Mike asked, slightly confused. "Its what we like to call a hybrid course of study, one that spans both departments in order to better meet the needs of the students who pursue that path. There are several other similar programs throughout the University, and more are popping up every year. Why, we just had a Song Magic course developed with the Arts department recently." "I think I would like to take Alchemy. It sounds like an interesting field of study." "A fine choice, just remember, that as a crafting skill, Alchemy will require a Primary skill slot. Make sure you have one available before you attend." The Department Chair commented distractedly while consulting his chart. "It looks like you are in luck. Basic Elemental Magic is offered at four bells, Basic Summoning at six, and Alchemy at eight. Assuming you are fine with this, we can finalize your schedule." "Sounds good to me." "Alright then, I''ll make sure to get this to the clerks so you can start classes tomorrow. In the meantime, please head to the central courtyard, under the Tower of Will for the beginning of term ceremony." Standing up, Mike nodded his head, "Thanks,....uh...professor?" Emmanuel chuckled, "That will do, and you are welcome Mike." ------------------------------------------ As soon as the youth left the office, the Magic Department Chair slumped into his seat. Over the course of his long life, he had rarely felt so stupefied. [He can command five elements at his age, was confident in his ability to pursue multiple forms of magic, and has no fear of using up his Primary Skill Slots! This is absolutely ridiculous. He must have a legendary class.] He searched his memories, but couldn''t think of one that would fit. It was clear that the young adventurer was a prodigy of the highest caliber, one that will make his mark on this world in the near future. Unfortunately, that just complicated Emmanuel''s situation. Such an unusual individual was most likely not a spy or assassin. He stood out too much. On the other hand, he definitely came to the University thanks to the recommendation of Count Graveston, and that one never made a move that didn''t give him an advantage. Emmanuel stood and looked out the window at the crowd gathering in the courtyard. Students in black robes mingled with the handful of newcomers still wearing their original clothing. As the person in charge of the welcome speech, he would need to head down there soon. A hint of a smile played across his face, as he considered what the young adventurer might be capable of in a few years. He suspected that it would be something to behold. He just hoped that his department would survive the resulting storm. Chapter 103: The Art of Speaking Mike took a moment to feed the ravenous dragon in his pocket. After ensuring that she had gone back to sleep, he stepped out into the courtyard. This close, the floating tower was even more impressive, throwing the majority of the area into shade with its airborne bulk. Magic department students were arriving in steady streams. Most of them were dressed in the black robes that evidently served as the uniform here. The students were slowly gravitating towards a large assembly area with a raised podium on one side of the courtyard. Figuring that the ceremony would be starting soon, Mike found himself an out-of-the-way place next to one of the many evenly placed trees that decorated the courtyard. With nothing better to do, he engaged in one of his old past times, people watching. Only in this case, he had access to Appraise as a means of determining interesting information. Generalized scanning of the crowd revealed that the vast majority were human, and most had titles that seemed to be related to the nobility. There were dozens of Apprentice Mages, several Elementalists, a clustered group of Summoners, and a handful of Priests. A couple more unique classes, were scattered about, but they all had very magic related names. [I guess it''s difficult to acquire magic related skills for people without certain classes.] In one section of the crowd he saw a pair of twins with platinum blonde hair. The color reminded him of the incident with the noble from yesterday, so he drew closer in order to get a better look. The two of them were surrounded by a group of sycophantic students that were being kept at arms-length by a pair of muscular guards. Curious as to what kind of VIP warranted that kind of treatment, Mike used Appraise, starting with the female twin. ------------------------------- Andrea Almir Age: 17 Race: Human (Star Elf) Class: Elemental Annihilator Title: Prime Elementalist ------------------------------- Andrea was tall and lithe, with wavy blonde hair that reached the middle of her back, and was allowed to flow freely. Her aristocratic face, with high cheekbones and a narrow chin, gave her a slightly severe look, almost as if she was disapproving of everything in her surroundings. [Judging from the last name that must be the princess those guys were talking about yesterday. Also, there''s another elf bloodline. I wonder how that came about. I really need to do some research on elves, or maybe just ask Tal sometime.] Mike focused on the presumable prince who was standing nearby affecting a disinterested appearance. Despite having nearly identical features, his face was somehow softer, less harsh. Spiky blonde hair and clear green eyes made him look like an anime protagonist. ------------------------------- Matthew Almir Age: 17 Race: Human (Star Elf) Class: Arcanist Title: Prince ------------------------------- [That''s a little more straightforward. He looks like the more approachable of the two.] "I wouldn''t stare at the royals too much, if I were you. Their bodyguards get a little twitchy at big gatherings like this." A depressed voice distracted him from his thoughts. Glancing over, he saw a gaunt youth leaning against a nearby tree. So thin was his presence, that Mike didn''t even notice him until he started talking. The speaker looked emaciated, with sunken cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and a wavy unfocused gaze that suggested extreme exhaustion. He was a little on the short side, with a mop of messy dark hair and unhealthily pale skin. A pair of slightly pointed ears betrayed a non-human heritage. Mike used a quick Appraise before replying. ---------------------------------- Edgar Wentworth Age: 18 Race: Dhampyr Class: Necromancer Title: Beloved of Malgrathia ---------------------------------- [A dhampyr? Isn''t that a kind of half-vampire? Are they even allowed to be around humans?] Reminding himself that he was in another world, which probably had different expectations, Mike tried to school himself, but evidently some of his thoughts were visible on his face. Looking even more depressed, if that was possible, Edgar sunk lower to the ground, "Its alright. I''m quite used to it after all. Who would want to talk to a monster like me. I''ll just go find a hole to crawl into." Feeling guilty, Mike stopped the man before he had a chance to slink off. "Look, I''m sorry. I''ve had a few run in with vampires in the past, and I let that color my reaction. Let''s start over. I''m Mike, what''s your name?" He offered Edgar his hand, in part to help him up. A look of amazement spread across the dhampyr''s face, and he took Mike''s hand as if he were partaking in some sacred rite. Edgar''s and was cold and dry, but Mike could feel a faint pulse, ensuring him that the other man was alive despite his appearance. "This is the first time since I left home that anyone was willing to shake my hand." He spoke in a distant tone, as tears began to well up in his eyes. "Now, now. There''s no need for that. Its just a handshake." Mike looked around furtively, hoping that no one was paying attention to the embarrassing scene. "I''m Edgar, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mike." A smile split his face, easing some of the gaunt austerity which made him look like a living corpse. "I''m sorry I startled you earlier, I know that many of my father''s relative can be quite...unpleasant." "What? Oh, right. That''s no problem at all. You certainly can''t control it. Although, I have to admit, I''m a little curious why....." He paused, trying to find the right way to word his question. Edgar interrupted with a veritable stream of personal information, "Why a dhampyr is studying at a school for the rich and powerful? I don''t mind answering. My mother is actually Marchioness Wentworth. You may not have heard of her, but she''s rather famous for her exploits as an adventurer before inheriting her title. She''s also slightly infamous for her ''dalliances,'' of which I am one of the products. When I was old enough to have my class determined, and it became clear that I could use magic, I was tutored at home to use my abilities. When I could no longer learn anything from my old teachers, I begged my mother for the chance to study here. She eventually relented." "I see." Mike replied, starting to regret getting involved with the youth. "Ah! My apologies. I''ve rattled on again. Please, forgive me. I had not meant to bore you with my life story." The youth looked panic-stricken at the idea. "Don''t worry about it, I was just taking some time to process what you said. By the way, I can see your a current student by your robes. What course are you following, if you don''t mind me asking?" Mike tried to steer the conversation to a safe topic, but ultimately failed. Looking depressed once more, Edgar answered with some hesitation. "I was forced to take part in the Divine Magic program due to the nature of my skills." He paused for another long period of time, anxiously twisting his hands. "I''m actually.....well there is no easy way to say this....I''m a necromancer?" His voice twisted into a question at the very end of his statement as winced, as if expecting a blow. Slightly confused, Mike shrugged, "And?" That look of surprise, now with a hint of awe, once again crossed his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a magically amplified voice. "Attention students of the Magic Department of the University of Almirn. I am Emmanuel Garthun, your Department Chair. For those of you who are new, let me be the first to congratulate you on your successful entry into our department. For those students who are once again returning to their studies, I welcome you back." Mike offered Edgar a friendly smile before motioning him to follow as he moved closer to the stage. He saw his advisor speaking animatedly from behind a podium. "This department has existed since the University''s founding over a millennia ago, and through those long years it has sheltered and mentored some of the greatest mages to have ever graced this continent. Mages like Kathleen the Great, J''rthun of Halk, and Palios, the Lord of Storms. You have the opportunity to join these names, and make your mark on the world." He paused then, to give dramatic emphasis to his next statement. "Take advantage of your time here. Study hard. Learn everything you can. That is the path to greatness." A smattering of polite applause sounded around the courtyard. Judging from the lack of response, Emmanuel must give a very similar speech at the beginning of each quarter. Looking unconcerned, he continued to the actual meat of his speech. "I now announce the 3rd quarter of the 6549 A.F. school year officially open. Continuing students may head to the West building to receive their schedules and study materials. New students, please head to the East building for uniform sizing." Glancing over at Edgar, Mike shrugged, "I guess I have to head over there. Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I''ll see you around campus." "Yeah...." The dhampyr said distantly as Mike started walking away. [He seems like a decent enough guy, I suppose. I wonder what sort of stigma there is about necromancers. I''ll have to ask the others later.] Mike entered the building farthest to the east according to the cardinal directions and was directed to an office where and elderly man measured him. After a little internal debate, the man handed him three pairs of robes, and told him to come back if he ended up losing or damaging them. Next, he was directed back to the West building where he got a schedule and a slip of paper he was supposed to turn in at the Science Department in order to get his basic crafting supplies. All of his other classes didn''t require special tools or materials. With nothing pressing left to do, Mike figured he would spend the rest of the day reading. Taking a few moments to review his status, he headed back to the dorm. ------------------------------------------ Below is a status update, please feel free to skip to the next chapter. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (Mid) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Antagonist Wyrmkin (NEW) -------------- Skills -------------- Primary Skills: Communication Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Healing Magic (Rank 5) Analyze (Rank 2) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 3) Basic Air Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Earth Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Light Magic (Rank 1) (NEW) Blood Collector (Rank 1) Bind Familiar (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Secondary Skills: Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 2) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 3) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Basic Spear Fighting (Rank 5) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 3) Basic Riding (Rank 3) Basic Haggling (Rank 3) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Basic Unarmed Fighting (Rank 4) Basic Chanting (Rank 1) (NEW) Dual Casting (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 2) Basic Physiological Resistance (Rank 5) Intermediate Poison Resistance (Rank 5) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 4) Basic Mental Resistance (Rank 3) Moderate Mana Enhancement (Rank 2) Moderate Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 2) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 1) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 1) Basic Willpower Enhancement (Rank 2) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 3) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- - Wyrmkin - You have been bound by destiny or chance to one of the Wyrms, greatest of the dragon races. By virtue of this connection, you inspire respect and fear in these races. Moderate increase to Charisma when interacting with dragons or individuals with a draconic bloodline. --------------- Skills: --------------- - Basic Light Magic (Tier 2, Rank 1) - One of the advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Light magic allows the user to create and manipulate light. It is the fastest of the elements, but lacks substance or offensive techniques. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. - Bind Familiar (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Through the use of an ancient contract sealed in blood, you have bound a magical creature into your service. This contract connects the souls and destinies of its participants, binding them to one another. Rank 1 Effects: Soul Link -Soul Link - The bond created between master and familiar links their souls together. This allows both participants to gather a rough feeling for where the other is, within a set distance. It also allows particularly strong emotions to be transmitted along the link. - Basic Chanting (Tier 1, Rank 1) - Chanting is the practice of shaping magic to a caster''s will through the use of the ancient languages of power. Higher levels of skill grant increased chanting speeds, improve the efficiency of magic created with chants, and add a system correction to the memorization and pronunciation of chants. - Dual Casting (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Due to the difficulties inherent in the practice of magic, most mages are limited to utilizing one spell at a time. By virtue of practice or natural talent, Dual Casters are not bound by this limitation. Allows the user to cast two spells simultaneously. Higher levels of skill improve efficiency and grant a system correction to concentration and processing speed. Chapter 104: Unearthly Origins Mike returned to the empty dorm, grabbed "A Brief History of Ea," and settled down in the living room to read. He figured he would start with the beginning when building is knowledge base. The book began with a brief introduction that outlined the major segments of history. The author fully admitted that only a small section of world history was actually recorded in any way, so much of the first half of the work was built upon existing mythology, archaeology, and a fair amount of guesswork. Ea began at some point in the distant past when the five creator gods (Please see Ch. 24 for more details.) came together to form the world out of the immaterial chaos that originally existed on this plane of existence. No clear details remain, but its widely believed The Five, as they came to be called, were originally from another universe. The reason for their sojourn is lost in time, but some records seem to indicate they were fleeing from something. In any event, Ea existed as a lifeless rock until the gods invested the five forces into the world. The first of these was the elements, which in turn created the first life. Next, was mana that nourished and empowered the life that took shape during this mythic time. The book didn''t mention the other three, but it was implied they were of lesser importance. Mike suspected this was an elaborate means of denying complete ignorance. In this First Age, as it was called, there was no System, and life was allowed to grow freely without limitation. Beasts of titanic size, and great power roamed the planet, destroying all in their mana fueled wake. In time, the gods grew displeased with their creation. Unchecked life had only led to the birth of true monsters, some of which had grown powerful enough to challenge them in some areas. They decided that something must be down to regulate the world. Working together they created a divine construct, greater even than themselves, but in doing so they forever bound a portion of their essence to it. The System was incorporated into the very framework of the universe, forever altering the way living beings developed. No longer able to advance nor reproduce rapidly, the monsters of this age slowly declined in number, until only a handful were left in the more remote parts of the world. Some of them are believed to remain, even till present times. Seeing this, the gods recognized that their creation was now ready for a new kind of life. Through their combined efforts, this new kind of being was born. Effectively immortal, perfect in shape and form, and blessed with a natural affinity for mana usage, these High Elves became the first of the humanoid races to walk Ea. Their creation ushered in the Second Age, also known as the Age of Elysium. Reveling in the paradise they found themselves in, the High Elves built a powerful civilization that spanned the entirety of the world. Achievements of magic and technology that would boggle the mind of modern scholars gave them virtual mastery of Ea. Eventually, they achieved the impossible, and created a stable portal into another world. The records become disjointed at this point, but it remained clear that this portal led to encounters with other sentient races for the first time in the history of the High Elves. These races, which seemed to include primitive humans, orcs, beastman, and others, were at first welcomed, then regulated, and eventually enslaved by the increasingly arrogant elves. After all, none of the immigrants were anywhere near as advanced as they. In time, they even turned away from the gods that created them, believing in their own superiority over all other beings. Mike sensed a fair amount of cultural bias from the author, especially since he was essentially writing about the mythological past, but he decided to press on. The High continued this process of exploring other worlds and dominating their inhabitants. They even created new realms, giving rise to many of the lesser planes that now surround and overlay Ea. However, they eventually encountered some great tribulation which spelled the end of their civilization. The records are contradictory about the exact nature of the event, but they all agree that the High Elves opened a new portal to a realm that contained some great force or enemy, which fundamental altered the world. The Elves were stripped of their immortality and a great deal of their power, and in the blink of an eye, their great empire was shattered. Only the direct intercession of the gods saved the people of Ea from extinction. This event was simply referred to as The Fall. Using the System in some way, the gods were able to offer protection to a few scattered, surviving High Elves. They were divided into five groups, each of which received the blessing of one of the creator gods. Over time these blessings fundamentally altered the elves, giving rise to the current division among them. The sun, moon, star, and void elves, along with the dwarves appeared as a result. [Wait, so dwarves are a kind of mutated elf? How does that make sense?] Resolving himself to doing more research later, he continued reading, wanting to at least reach a good stopping point for the night. The other races were largely left to fend for themselves, but survived in sufficient numbers to eventually repopulate. In large part due to a greater level of fecundity, they quickly outstripped the scattered remnants of the elves and took over large swaths of the world for their own, thus ushering in the current Third Age. The author concludes this section with a quick caveat. It is largely at this point that our current knowledge of Ea''s history really started to take place. A vast majority of the earliest surviving historical resources date back to the beginning of the Third Age. This largely played a role in shaping the current measurement of time. Lacking a better alternative, these early scholars and historians started tracking time from The Fall. The label of After Fall, or A.F. for short, became the standard shortly thereafter. Mike heard the others enter the dorm, and he realized that he had spent most of the day reading, almost without a break. [Its been too long since I got my hands on a decent book. I''m already halfway through this one, and I just got it yesterday.] Deciding he''d had enough for one day, he went to help the exhausted Oracle with a little Healing Magic. Tal and Brenden had evidently pushed her hard in their training. The group had a unremarkable dinner, before discussing the results of the day in the living room. Mike related his new class schedule, which elicited a few comments. All of them were a little dissatisfied with his apparent ability to accumulate Primary Skills without any trouble, but Sera was mostly excited about the inclusion of Alchemy in his curriculum. "Do you have any idea how much some Alchemical goods go for? Even bad ones can live comfortably on the proceeds of a few sales. If you are even halfway as ridiculous overpowered in crafting as your are in magic, we''ll be rich!" Mike found her money-crazed excitement a little off-putting, but couldn''t exactly fault her energy. He was quite excited himself at the idea of creating mysterious substances. Although, he wondered what it actually entailed. A few fantasies of refining miracle pills and turning lead into gold played through his mind, but he suspected that it was more complicated than that in this world. "Anyway, how did training go today?" Sera immediately looked away in a suspicious manner, "I don''t really want to talk about it." Brenden cut in, "This girl is absolutely hopeless when it comes to anything that requires physical coordination. About the only thing she can do with any amount of skill is run away, but even then she lacks stamina. Quite frankly, I''m not even sure where to begin." Sera twisted her hands in a mixture of embarrassment and depression, "This is only the first day! I''ll do better tomorrow." Mike gathered a few more details, and determined that the more experienced adventurers first tested the Oracle for any latent magical abilities. Failing to find anything useful, they proceeded to try to teach her the basics of fighting, in the hopes that her class had access to some combat skills. Failing to acquire any, although this was not uncommon for only one day''s worth of training, they finally decided to try working on her substandard physical abilities, with little in the way of results. He agreed that they probably needed to start up a regime for her to increase her strength and endurance, but he wondered if they weren''t going about it in the wrong way. They had her try a number of weapons initially, but Sera couldn''t make use of any them in an effective manner. She seemed to lack the instincts necessary to survive in close combat. After some deliberation, he offered his opinion. "Why not try to teach Sera archery or something? At the very least it would allow her to focus on one thing at a time. As it stands now, it sounds like she''s getting overwhelmed trying to maintain her stance, defend, and attack all at the same time. Some of that will come if she ever acquires a combat skill, but at least that way she can contribute to the fight from a safe distance." Tal and Brenden looked at him as if he was slightly crazy. The beastman commented first, "You know that archery requires even more skill than regular fighting, right? It also needs a great deal of strength and natural coordination. I don''t think our little Oracle really fits the criteria." "No, he might have something there. I vaguely recall my mother telling me about the Oracles of old. I think she mentioned a sect of them that specialized in the bow. Something about their foresight allowing them to place arrows exactly where they needed to go." Sera broke in excitedly. Brenden and Tal looked skeptical, or at least Mike assumed so in the elf''s case. "Why don''t we let her try? It can''t hurt, and its not like we are in any hurry." Mike suggested. "Actually, we only have a limited time before her initial request expires, disqualifying her from joining the Guild officially. If we don''t get it done by this time next week, it will be a problem." Brenden countered. "Let try." Tal broke in, supporting Mike''s suggestion. "Fine." The beastman finally relented. "I think I saw a practice bow in the training yard''s supply shed, although I don''t know if you''ll be strong enough to string it, let alone use it." "I''ll do my best!" The Oracle responded cheerily. While smiling at Sera''s change of mood, Mike said, "I''m sure it will be fine. Besides, if you wait until the weekend, I can even go with you." The room suddenly froze, as the three of them came together and started whispering in a panicked manner. They were evidently trying to be quiet, but Mike could still hear everything they said. "Way to go blabbermouth, now we only have until the weekend to get it done!" Sera whispered accusingly at Brenden. "Me! If you weren''t hopeless, we wouldn''t be in this mess. Now we''ll have to deal with the walking disaster on what should be a simple request." He countered. "Must work harder. Finish before then." Tal contributed. Eyes spinning with the pressure, Sera replied, "That''s right! I just have to make some kind of progress in the next few days. Maybe if we cut down on our sleep time, we can force my development." "Um guys....." Mike broke in, starting to feel a little off put. [Its not that bad, is it? I know I got them wrapped up in a few things, like in the dungeon, the city with the demons,...and the whole boat trip...maybe they do have a point.] Sera laughed nervously, "Ahaha, just discussing training strategies. Don''t worry about it, we''ll make sure to have that request taken care of long before the expiration." Sighing internally, Mike simply acquiesced with their sentiments. [Oh well. If Sera truly turns out to be hopeless at fighting, I''ll help her finish that request. It should be a simple, easy going mission. Even my luck shouldn''t be able to mess with that.] Chapter 105: Yes Sir! That night, Mike laid awake, thinking about the things he had read about in the history text. There were some interesting concepts, that when taken from his perspective as a reincarnated person, made a lot of sense. He''d been confused about the similarities between the cultures and methodologies of the people of Ea, and his old world. If some ancient humans of Earth either stumbled upon or were abducted by the High Elves, it would explain a great deal about how their culture developed in such a similar pattern. In some ways, even the gods themselves appeared to be influenced by concepts that existed in his own world. This was especially true in the case of the System, which was torn directly from video game culture. Perhaps the gods of Ea once inhabited Earth, or have some means of exchanging information with the people there. The timelines don''t quite add up, not that anything was certain about the multiverse. And that didn''t preclude the existence of other reincarnated individuals. Most importantly, however, it meant that there was a means of inter dimensional travel available in this world. Means that might allow him to travel back to his old world some day. It really made him think. He had already accepted that he would likely live out the rest of his days in Ea, so the idea that he might have a choice really resonated with him. A large part of him found the idea of returning¡­..unpleasant. Not only was he in a new body, but the life he''d led prior to being reincarnated had been nothing of note. In few months he''d been living on Ea, he''d already done and seen more than his entire previous life put together. [I should at least go back and make sure my family is alright, but after that....I don''t know. Anyway, it''s a moot point at the moment, since I wouldn''t even know where to begin when it comes to setting up a portal like that. I guess I''ll just keep my ears open for clues in the future.] He slept well that night again, despite his heavy thoughts, and after waking up, changed into the school robes for the first time. He observed Tal and Brenden dragging the sleep addled Oracle out to the training yard before going down for a brief breakfast and heading to class. He had Basic Elemental Magic first, and wanted to get there early, since it was being held in an outbuilding on the far eastern side of the campus. It took a little bit of hunting, but he eventually made it there before the fourth bell struck. The building in question looked a great deal like an oversized barn that had been repurposed for the class. Walking in, Mike found himself standing on a stone floor virtually covered in eldritch runes, many of them similar to the testing circle he''d seen during the admissions test. They created a vast open space, ostensibly to practice magic. The air inside was clean, and free of dust despite the numerous windows opened for ventilation. A green-tinted chalkboard was set up on one side of the building around which a handful of people were gathered. Making his way over, Mike took the opportunity to examine his classmates. There were only five of them from the looks of it, which surprised him initially, until he realized that only brand new students that practiced Elemental Magic would need to take this class. Three were humans, one was an elf, and that last one was a male beastman of a type he''d never seen before. He nodded a quick greeting before using Appraise on him. ------------------------------- R''hakun Malakenti Age: 16 Race: Bat Beastman Class: Elementalist Title: Night Diver ------------------------------ The beastman had large, pointed ears that took up the greater portion of the sides of his head and were which quite visible despite the wavy brown hair that fell to his shoulders. Membranes of skin extended along the length of his arms and stretched to his sides, requiring him to wear a modified uniform. He was glancing around curiously at their surroundings, and speaking quietly to the elf, who was also male. --------------------------- Kalith hur Yilathiti Age: 62 Race: Sun Elf Class: Elementalist Title: Forest Shade --------------------------- He looked a bit like a more masculine version of Tal, so it was no surprise that he turned out to be a Sun Elf as well. He adjusted his long blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail while laughing at something the beastman said. They appeared to be acquainted. [I guess Tal''s just unusual for her kind.] Two of the humans appeared to be friends as well. A pair of young women were currently talking animatedly about something. One had brilliant red hair cut asymmetrically, with long flowing locks on one side, and short cropped stubble on the other. She held herself with an easy confidence. -------------------------- Aine Connaught Age: 20 Race: Human Class: Pyromancer Title: Daughter of Flame -------------------------- [I can guess what her chosen element will be.] The other was a timid looking woman with dark, wavy blue hair who was looking around furtively at the others, clearly uncomfortable. She laughed nervously when Aine slapped her shoulder while delivering a joke. ------------------------ Rebecca Sower Age: 18 Race: Human Class: Hydromancer Title: Still Pond with Unseen Depths ------------------------ [So, fire and water. Strange pairing. Not that I''m one to talk, I suppose.] The last student was a slightly hefty looking man about 180cm tall. Although he was not exactly fat, there was a sort of awkward bulk to him that made him appear ungainly. With his shaved head, he almost resembled a Buddha. The man was quietly flipping through a notebook with an almost frightening level of intensity, as if reviewing for an upcoming test. -------------------------- Quentin Tiller Age: 19 Race: Human Class: Apprentice Elementalist Title: Student ------------------------- [How....unremarkable.] Mike found himself a spot to lean against the wall, and waited for the instructor to arrive. He was trying to read one of the runes carved near his feet when the door to the building slammed open dramatically, and a man stormed in. He was dressed in the slightly different robes Mike had come to associate with instructors and professors. A silver department symbol was emblazoned on his chest, and three stripes of green and black decorated his sleeves. The voluminous robes did little to hide his athletic frame. Short, grey and brown hair and cold steel-blue eyes gave him a decidedly militant appearance. Mike took a quick peek with Appraise before he got started. ---------------------------- Johnathan Turney Age: 38 Race: Human Class: High Elementalist Title: Master of Shades ---------------------------- "Alright, the lot of you line up!" The teacher called as he strode over to the group, eliciting a few moments of confused motion before the students stood on line. "Let me make this abundantly clear. I don''t care who whelped or what kind of money you have. When you are in this building, you are all equally scum until you prove yourself otherwise. Is that clear?" The students looked around in confusion, with the exception of Mike who had snapped into the position of attention. [I guess he''s acting as a Drill Instructor here. Better play along.] "YOU WILL ANSWER ME WITH A, YES SIR, WHEN I ASK YOU A QUESTION! IS THAT CLEAR?!" He yelled dramatically, shocking the other students. """YES SIR!""" "Good! Now that we''ve gotten that out of the way. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I''m Mage Colonel Johnathan Turney, retired. I served the kingdom in three separate wars and killed enough men and women to fill a small city. Believe me when I say, I know the power of a magic, and how deadly it can be in untrained hands. That is why you are all here today, to learn how to use your magic without killing yourself or the people around you. Is that clear?" """YES SIR!""" "Ah, I like quick learners. The faster you finish developing the tiny iota of skill required to not implode the first time you try a real spell, the sooner I won''t have to look at your faces. Now, who among you have already awakened to an element?" [Wasn''t that kind of a requirement when joining the University? Was there maybe another kind of test for people with the potential, but not the skill?] Everyone besides Quentin raised their hands. The chubby student reddened in embarrassment, and lowered his head in shame. "Five out of six....not bad." He gave Quentin a cold look before sighing. "Don''t worry too much, son. I''m quite good at wringing the magic out of young Elemental Mages. It''s why the University lets me teach this class. Anyway, starting the elf on the end, list your element." "Earth." The Tal lookalike replied in a soft voice. "Water." The bat beastman went next. "Fire!" Aine answered confidently. "W-w-water¡­" Her friend commented meekly. Quentin remained silent. [Well, here it goes, I guess.] "Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Light." Mike called in a slightly resigned voice. There was a moment of silence when everyone in the room just stared at him as if he lost his mind. Johnathan marched over to stand directly in Mike''s face. With a glare, he spoke in a quiet, menacing voice. "I don''t have time to be playing games, son. So, you better be straight with me. What is your element?" "It''s just as I said? Do you need me to prove it to you?" "Alright, I was going to save this for later in the class, but go ahead. Prove me wrong." The instructor sneered while motioning to the area in the center of the barn, sheltered by runes. "Okay." Mike replied with a shrug. He was starting to get a little angry with the whole situation. Despite deciding to reveal a large portion of his power while at the school, he had repeatedly been forced to prove himself. It was starting to get on his nerves. Allowing his irritation to fuel his magic, he figured he would give this crew a show. He first summoned an intense ball of fire, which made his audience squint in the sudden brightness. With a wave of his hand, the ball morphed into a sinuous serpent of flame which circled through the air with a soft hiss. Maintaining his concentration, he conjured a second snake made of water, then directed the two creatures to twine in a hypnotic dance. Once they had become fully entangled, he rolled them together, converting the both of them into a cloud of steam. He relaxed his mana for a second, before stomping on the ground, forcing a pillar of stone to spring forth from the floor. With sharp chopping motions he unleashed blades of compressed wind that whittled away at the pillar, eventually transforming it into the likeness of a sword buried in a mound of rock. [Got to love the classics.] Finally, almost as an afterthought, he imbued the new statue with an unearthly glow, causing it to illuminate the room with its celestial brilliance. Finished, and feeling quite vindicated, Mike looked out over his audience to check the result. The five students were staring in wide-eyed shock, completely speechless. Rebecca even looked like she had fainted on her feet. Instructor Johnathan alone was still looking at Mike with the same expression. He gave a curt nod, and then quietly added, "Huh. Guess I was wrong. Anyway, get back in line, showoff. You''ll be cleaning that hunk of rock up after class today." Sighing, Mike rejoined the line, feeling the weighty gazes of his fellow students. Chapter 106: Its Only a Theory The rest of the class then took turns demonstrating command of their elements. The two non-humans proved capable, if not altogether overwhelming. Aine was able to summon a powerful blast of fire, but seemed to burn through her mana quickly. Rebecca, on the other hand, produced only moderate results, but appeared to have a vast amount of mana to draw from. [Maybe it''s related to her title.] Quentin, of course, didn''t participate. Once they were done, Instructor Johnathan had them fall back into line. "Not bad, overall. It seems that you aren''t completely without talent. A few months of training, and the majority of you will earn the right to call yourselves elemental mages. That being said, I want each and every one of you to prepare to be tried and tested and pushed beyond your limits. It is the only true way to grow stronger. Now, everyone besides the showoff and the fatty, spend the rest of the class expending your mana in one of those circles over there." He gestured to a series of ten, smaller runic circles on one side of the building, each about 1.5m in diameter. Aine asked in a slightly incredulous voice, "Uh, is that safe? If I go all out, I could incinerate everyone around me." "You''d be hard pressed to do much of anything inside one of those circles. They''re modified versions of the pit we use to test applicants. While it''s not unbreakable, it would require the power of at least a Tier 3 mage to put much of a dent in it. Also, I don''t want any of you trying to cast a spell through a chant. I know some of you might have learned them, but until you''ve completed the introductory Chanting course, you are banned by University policy." Once the others had started their exercises, he directed Quentin to wait for him near the chalkboard, and pulled Mike to one side. "What''s your name, son?" "Mike." "Well, Mike, I think we both know the only reason you are in this class, is because the University won''t let you take anything more advanced until after your first quarter. Nothing wrong with that, but one of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time. So, I''m going to be instructing you a little differently than the rest." Mike silently nodded his agreement. "Now, what''s your weakest element?" "Lowest rank would be Light, but lowest tier would be either Earth or Air." Johnathan frowned in thought for a moment. "Alright, from here on out, while you are in class, you are only allowed to use Earth or Air. Now head out into the circle, and try to expend as much mana as possible through one of those two types of magic. When you start to feel faint, you may stop." Leaving him to it, Johnathan then took Quentin outside for whatever task he had in mind. Shrugging, Mike set about improving on his Air Magic first. He summoned a small whirlwind around him, working to keep the effect contained to a small area around him. Simply maintaining the effect barely touched his reserves, so he sat down, and directed a portion of his mana to pushing him off the ground. It took a great deal of concentration, and a little wobbling, but he managed to hover about 1m in the air. [Alright! Flight is just a few steps away now.] A small stirring in one of the convenient inner pockets of his robes reminded Mike that he need to feed his ravenous familiar. He''d noticed that, since he''d come to the University, Audra''s habits had changed. She spent most of the day sleeping, waking only briefly to devour three times her body weight in food. It was convenient for him, now that his day to day life had become busier, but he was starting to get a little worried. [Maybe she''s just going through a growth spurt or something. Now that I think about it, I should probably do some research on dragon ecology and physiology. I would hate for her to be sick, and not even notice.] Lowering himself back onto the ground but maintaining the whirlwind, he moved a peach from one pocket to the one Audra slept in. In the process he sent a little healing magic her way, just in case. His mana was drained in the process, but it didn''t feel like he was actually healing anything. The little dragon definitely perked up though. [Maybe she just needs regular infusions of mana or something?] After a devouring the peach, pit and all, Audra gave a tiny yawn, and curled back into a comfortable position to fall asleep. Familiar fed, he returned to the task at hand, and resumed hovering. He invested a larger amount of mana into the whirlwind, making it howl intensely. He was beginning to feel the drain. Instructor Johnathan eventually returned with a worn out and shaking Quentin, who was now able to use Earth Magic, to a limited extent. Whatever method he''d used appeared to be traumatic, but effective. The other students had already expended their mana, and were quietly whispering to one another while watching Mike''s antics. At some point, he had started to slowly roll forward, while maintaining his altitude. Not precisely sure why it was happening, he overcompensated, causing him to spin quickly in the other direction. By the time the Instructor had returned, he was gyrating rapidly in the center of his whirlwind, while still in seated position. Mike felt like he was in one of those machines used to train astronauts. If it wasn''t for his Physiological Resistance skill, he was sure he''d have already emptied his stomach contents. "What are you doing?" Johnathan''s exasperated voice somehow cut through the howl of the wind with ease. With a fair amount of timing and a good bit of luck, Mike canceled his spells and landed nimbly on his feet. Looking at the audience he''d accumulated, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Ah, just following your instructions, sir." Johnathan face-palmed, "Just get back in line." Once they had done so, he addressed them. "Now that you''ve all spent your excess energy, its time to learn." He walked over to the chalkboard before turning back to face them. "Who can tell me what the five basic elements are?" Quentin raised his hand, and after receiving a nod from the instructor, began listing them off. "Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Life." [No surprises there.] "Good. Can you tell me how they are further subdivided?" Almost as if he were quoting the textbook, Quentin began answering. "The five fundamental elements can be further divided into the material and immaterial. Water and Earth are both forms of matter that in turn contribute to all that remains static. Fire and Air are energy, giving motion to the motionless. When all four combine, Life is created. A blend of both the formless and formed." "Felt like I was listening to my old teacher, when he read straight out of the book. Too bad its a bunch of propaganda. Fact is, we don''t know too much about the elements, or why they seem to be such a major part of how the world is run. Anyone who claims to know is a liar or a charlatan." Johnathan took a moment to look at the group before sighing, and turning back to the chalkboard. Grudgingly writing the names of the elements on the board in the manner Quentin described, he continued. "But I''m required by the University to teach it to you this way, regardless of how unfounded the claim may be. Alright, who can tell me what the five High Elements are?" There was a pause, before Quentin timidly raised his hand again, seemingly afraid to answer again. "Go ahead, know it all. Just keep it short and sweet this time." "R-right. The five High Elements are Light, Dark, Space, Time, and Void. They are considered higher than the fundamental ones due to their abstract nature." "Get up here and put them into the model." Quentin hesitantly took the offered chalk and began writing. "Light and Dark are placed here, opposite of one another. As they are both visible to the mortal observer, they are held to be the most material of the High Elements. Next is Space and Time, whose existence can only be determined indirectly. Finally, Void is placed at the top, due to our current inability to verify its nature. This creates the model of the elements from the most fundamental to the most abstract." He put the chalk back down, and quietly rejoined the line. Johnathan moved to the front of them once again. "A good explanation of the current Materialist Theory on the elements. Remember this diagram, it will be an important component of your future education. Anyway, that will conclude our class today. We will be starting the real work tomorrow. Be on time. Dismissed." With a collective breath of relief, the group started leaving. The instructor called out before they had gotten far. "Where you going, showoff?" He pointed at the statue still resting in the center of the room. "You''ve got cleaning to do." With a sigh, Mike turned back and moved up to the stone sword in the stone. [Not sure what he''s so worried about. This is clearly an ironic masterpiece.] Mike thought to himself as he considered the best way to remove his work. [I suppose I could just relocate it somewhere....] "Oy, showoff. Let''s talk." Mike realized that he was now alone in the building with Johnathan. He turned to face the instructor, question on his lips, when his Detect Hostile Intent skill suddenly triggered. He fell into a dodging roll, coming back up onto his feat a good two meters away. The air he had been previously occupying was cut by an almost invisible blade. Johnathan''s face split in a vicious grin, as he pulled a glaive made of pure darkness back into a proper stance. "You''ve got good reflexes....lets see how good." Chapter 107: Classroom Etiquette Mike summoned his mana and formed a sword of fire, and fell into the Flowing River Stance, ready to respond to the Instructor''s next move. He wasn''t sure what the man was intending, but the hostile intent behind that blow felt very real. There was a crack of compressed air, and his flame blade was cut in two. Johnathan shook his head, "Forgotten already, have you? Only Earth or Air while under this roof," he said while gesturing to the ceiling with his glaive. He turned, and put some distance between the two of them again. "Get yourself ready." Finally catching on, Mike hopped up on to the statue he''d made earlier. Gripping the hilt of the sword in one hand, he drew it forth with one swift pull, and lifted it into the air triumphantly. Slightly flabbergasted, the instructor took a few moments to regain his composure. "Was it really necessary to include that feature?" Mike hopped back down to the floor, and once again entered the Flowing River Stance. "I was planning a bit about the Once and Future King, but I don''t think anyone here would get the reference." He pushed some mana into the stone sword to harden and sharpen it. Sighing, Johnathan resumed his own stance, "Let''s just get on with it." He launched himself forward and delivered a blistering mixture of thrusts and chops that Mike was hard pressed to defend against, even though he was faster and stronger than the older mage. Unable to do much more than simply protect himself, Mike weathered the storm until he saw a brief opening to make a counter attack. Sweeping in low, he skirted inside the reach of the glaive, and whipped his sword in a horizontal slash. Mike thought he was sure to deliver a telling blow, but his footing suddenly gave out. A small patch of darkness pulled the proverbial rug from under his feet. As soon as Mike''s back hit the ground, he felt the cold material of the glaive press against his throat. "I can tell you''ve been trained a bit, and fought in a few battles, but you''ve never learned how to use your skills properly. You have the makings of a proper battlemage, should you decide to pursue that route." Pulling his weapon back, Johnathan offered Mike a hand up. "Don''t know what you did before coming here, but it''s clear you lack practical experience against enemies of the same strength. Your style relies too heavily on your superior attributes, your spellcasting is far too flashy and inefficient, and you lack real versatility. A man with your range of abilities should have no problems dealing with an old, worn-out soldier like me. Now, let''s go again." What followed was a fast paced training course that saw Mike hitting the ground more often than not. All throughout it, Johnathan kept producing numerous bits of wisdom in regards to the proper usage of magic in combat. "Arcanists will tell you that the only way to use magic is with a chant, and that free casting is phenomenally wasteful and largely ineffective. They''re not exactly wrong, but to completely disregard free casting because of that, is to ignore one of the greatest advantages of elemental magic. Its speed. Even the most gifted of chanters still require a second or two to unleash their magic. While this doesn''t make much of a difference when you''re casting from the safety of a formation, in the heat of combat, every second counts." Mike was having a slightly difficult time absorbing the lecture while dodging the random slivers of shadow that Johnathan had started sending at him from multiple directions, forcing him to occasionally summon earthen shields, lest he be pin-cushioned by them. "You''ve got both martial and magical skills. Use them. If you can''t defeat an opponent outright, make an opening. Attack them in the way they least expect it." Taking his advice, as soon as Mike found a good opportunity, he fired a blast of wind in the instructor''s direction. Johnathan simply cut the magic in two with his glaive, hardly even bothered by it. This was slightly unexpected, but Mike had already planned on his first effort failing. Johnathan tried to take a step forward, but couldn''t. Looking down, he noticed that the ground under his feet had flowed over his boots and hardened. With preternatural reflexes, honed by years of combat, he blocked Mike''s overhead swing, causing the stone sword to shatter under the strength of the blow. "Good try, but the finishing blow was too telegraphed. A thrust would have been faster, and less noticeable. Better yet, an earth spike, especially from any of my blind spots, could have ended the fight. Anyway, we''re out of time." Mike looked sadly down at his broken sword, before nodding his thanks to the instructor for the lesson. "Sir, before we are done, I wanted to ask you something?" "What?" "Could you teach me Dark Magic?" Mike had been impressed by its functionality and versatility in Johnathan''s hands. The instructor gave him a long, hard look. "Maybe. If you are up to it, but now is not the time. The next class will be here soon, and you have yet to clean up your mess." With a sigh, Mike resumed the work he had been interrupted in. Using his Earth Magic, he was able to slowly move the statue into the yard behind the training building. He left it there, assuming that moving it that far was sufficient, and headed to his next class. The excess training had eaten into the time between classes, and now he only had a few minutes to make it to the south building in time for Introductory Magic Theory. Assuming that it was probably an issue to be late, Mike started running at high speeds, drawing a bit of attention to himself once he had gotten into a more populated section of the campus. He skidded into the classroom just before the bell struck, causing a short ripple of laughter at his antics. The room was packed with over 60 students who had already found a place in the stadium-like seating. Slightly embarrassed, he hurried up the stairs and picked an empty spot near the back. He noticed the other members of his Basic Elemental Magic class scattered about. [I guess they weren''t kidding about it being a mandatory class for first years.] After a short wait, the professor finally arrived. He was short, fat, and bald, but carried himself with a jubilant excitement that gave him a strange sort of charisma. "Welcome, students, to Introductory Magic Theory! I am Instructor Barnes." He wrote his name on the chalkboard in large, almost illegible script. "Here we will be learning about the fundamental principles behind modern magical theory. Please make sure to pay attention, as every bit of what we cover will help form a foundation for your future magical knowledge. For today''s class, we will be answering one simple question. What is magic?" For the next hour and a half, the instructor described magic. Starting from the source of all mana, which was historically believed to come from the stars, he explained how mages were able to absorb and make use of the energy which permeated the atmosphere. Originally, living beings on Ea were able to harness raw mana, allowing them to grow and develop without limit. The advent of the System changed that by making every being use it as an intermediary for their skills and abilities. While the process is still not well understood, the leading experts believe that the System creates a metaphysical link between the mana in the atmosphere and the skill user''s soul, enhancing their physical form, providing supernatural insight, and allowing them to shape reality to limited extent. "The System regulates what skills and abilities a person has access to, based on the strength of their soul. The act of practicing skills, such as magic, is believed to improve one''s soul, allowing for further development." The professor was explaining. [That doesn''t make a whole lot of sense. What about irregulars like me, who have a bunch of enhancements to skill improvement and acquisition? I certainly haven''t spent a great deal of time enhancing my soul, but my skill list is kind of ridiculous, and that doesn''t even account for the effect of titles. I suppose I also have an unusual soul.....] In any event, he followed along as the professor began explaining why chants were effective in shaping spells. Apparently, there were several ancient languages that dated back to the time before or just after the advent of the System. These languages were embedded into the system, becoming the primary means of casting. However, with The Fall, most of these languages fell out of use and were lost to time. [Sounds like using magic is basically the equivalent of running a program using the System as the OS, and the chants as a programming language. More support for the theory that the gods of Ea somehow have access to knowledge of a technologically advanced world.] Most modern mages use a form High Elven, the most widespread of those ancient languages. However, since the High Elves were created after the System''s advent, their language was also the least effective. The alternatives are largely shrouded in mystery. Occasionally a lucky archaeologist will find a scrap of knowledge from the Age of Elysium which contain words and phrases of unknown origin. Magic scholars have devoted lifetimes to unlocking their secrets, but those who succeed guard their discoveries closely. The instructor finished the class by announcing that tomorrow they would begin exploring the different types of known magic and how they fit into the overarching theory. Mike stood and stretched, before hurrying out of the classroom. He needed to grab a quick lunch at one of the department cafeterias before his next class. He wanted to make sure he was on time for Basic Summoning Magic. Chapter 108: Instructive Discourse Mike grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria and ate it on the way, making sure to stuff some dried meat into his familiar pocket for when Audra woke up. The classroom for the Basic Summoning Magic class was also on the far eastern side of the department, near where he''d been earlier this morning. It turned out to be a large, covered pavilion. Two people were standing near the center, so he headed that direction. The first was a timid looking female beastman who was maintaining a fair amount of distance between herself and the other inhabitant of the pavilion. She was petite, and had curly cream-colored hair that partially covered a pair of long pointed ears that were angled towards the floor. Thanks in large part to the two curled horns on either side of her head, her race was a dead giveaway, but he used Appraise anyway. ----------------------------- Carol Age: 17 Race: Sheep Beastman Class: Apprentice Summoner Title: Sheltered ------------------------------ [Do other people not have the ability to change their active titles?] Carol took notice of his examination, and gave Mike a wary look. Deciding that it would be best to not upset her so early into their class, he turned his gaze towards the other occupant, a male human. In many ways, he looked even more outlandish than the beastman. He was pale skinned with long black hair, and dark brown eyes. With his brooding countenance, somber features, and tall muscular frame, he looked like the lead singer for a death metal band from Mike''s old world. ---------------------------- Killian Parr Age: 20 Race: Human (Deep Giant) Class: Summoner Title: Amorathi Caller ------------------------------ [Another Giant bloodline. It seems I really need to do some investigation into the other sentient races of this world.] Since the instructor was still nowhere in sight, Mike decided to try breaking the ice. "Hello, I''m Mike. I guess we are going to be classmate for the next couple of months." Killian gave him a quiet nod, and went back to staring into the distance. Carol shrank back slightly when he started speaking, but relaxed a little after hearing what he had to say. "Y-yeah. I-I guess so. I-I''m Carol." She answered in a quiet stutter, looking decidedly embarrassed about it. "Nice to meet you." He replied with a warm smile which caused her to blush slightly. He looked around again. "I don''t think I was that early. Is the instructor late?" "I''ve heard rumors that the Basic Summoning Magic teacher is gifted, but irresponsible." Carol answered tentatively. "Maybe she forgot about having class today?" As soon as she finished speaking, all three of them noticed a figure approaching quickly at a dead run. After a minute or so, the figure finally arrived at the pavilion, panting and sweaty. It turned out to be a slender human woman with light pink hair in a pixie cut, her instructor robes were largely in disarray, but he could still see that she had a silver emblem, and three orange stripes were present on each sleeve. Mike took a moment to use Appraise while she was catching her breath. -------------------------- Madeline Turminsey Age: 27 Race: Human (Fae) Class: Fairy Summoner Title: Fae Child --------------------------- [I shouldn''t be surprised that there are fairies in this world, although I am a little curious how you are supposed to summon them.] After a few more ragged gasps, Madeline straightened, gave a brilliant smile, and spoke, "I''m glad you all made it early! I''m Madeline, and I''ll be teaching you all about the wondrous world of summoning. Now, before we begin, I''d like to get to know you all a little better, so if you don''t mind giving a little introduction?" [Not going to even apologize for being late, I can understand why she would be called irresponsible.] Mike raised his hand, "I''m Mike, a first year student. Native to Almir. Do you need to know anything else?" "Have you already learned summoning magic?" "No, is that a problem?" Madeline smiled in a reassuring manner, "Not at all, I just wanted to get a feel for the class." Carol raised her hand next, and spoke quietly while staring at her feet. "I¡­.I''m Carol. Also from Almir....I haven''t learned the skill yet either¡­" "Well get you taken care of, don''t you worry." Madeline tried to cheer the beastman up before turning to Killian expectantly. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke in a deep, sonorous voice. "The name''s Killian. I''ve summoned a few things before." [Yep, definitely could be a death metal singer. I should introduce him to Morris sometime, and see if they can''t form some kind of musical group....I wonder if I could use magic to generate sound. Maybe something with Air magic¡­..] Madeline clapped her hands together, interrupting Mike''s train of thought. "Alright, then! Now that we''re all introduced, it''s time to get started. I''ll begin by explaining a little about how summoning magic works." With a look of concentration, she started speaking in a low, rhythmic voice. "Come forth, that which I desire. Make my wish manifold [Conjure Object]." There was a subdued pop, and four simple stools appeared in front of her. "Everyone take one and have a seat, please." After they had done so. "What I just did was one of the simplest forms of Conjuration, which is in turn one of the three main forms of Summoning Magic, along with Calling and Binding." "Most people seem to think that summoning is all about bringing forth some big, bad monsters to fight your enemies for you. Well, I''m here to tell you that there is so much more to it." Her face lit up with enthusiasm. "You can do all kinds of things with Summoning Magic, it''s really only limited by your imagination....and your affinities¡­.and your class¡­" She coughed, "Anyway, I should explain first. Conjuration is the most common kind of summoning, where you use mana to create a temporary, artificial construct that echoes something from your memory. The spell I used earlier, Conjure Object, relies on my mental image of a stool to create these." She gestured to the stools they were all sitting on. "This means that you can create almost any object so long as you have a good mental image of it. Conjuration becomes a little more complicated with intricate designs and living creatures. This is somewhat compensated for by the System, which assigns summoning affinities to each person, making it easier to conjure a particular type of creature. For instance, I have a strong connection with the Fae, letting me summon them with greater ease than something like a demon." She stood, and began pacing in a circle while she talked, "While flexible, there are a few drawbacks to Conjuration. It''s the most mana intensive of the three, which makes sense when you consider how you are building things from scratch using it. Also, everything you conjure is temporary. Once the mana expires the construct disappears. Speaking of which ¡­." With another pop, the stools vanished, dropping the students onto the ground. "Whoops. Sorry about that. I''m terrible at timing my Conjuration." She gave an embarrassed laugh before continuing, "Anyway, that brings me to the next form, Calling. Unlike in Conjuration, when you call something, you are only bringing something that already exists or once existed to you. If the target of the spell exists somewhere, it is forcibly summoned, although you have to be skilled enough to force them to arrive. If the target no longer exists, for the cost of a tremendous amount of mana, you can recreate it from the records. There is apparently some repository of all knowledge that exists...somewhere." She gestured vaguely into the air. "Apparently, the System acts as a sort of tunnel that lets you pull from this repository. Anything you end up using Calling on will remain permanently, although things with wills are just as likely to attack you as they are to help." Carol raised her hand, a hint of hope in her voice. "Wait, does that mean you could potentially bring someone back from the dead." Madeline look a little uncomfortable. "Let me be clear. It is technically possible to create an exact duplicate of someone using Calling, but even if you managed to harness the staggering amount of mana it would require to do so, they would not be the same person." She hesitated for a moment, as if unsure if she should continue, "What few recorded experiments that have been done on souls show that, whatever process the soul goes through on death, no magic, calling included, is able to influence it after a certain point. It''s believed that once a soul reenters the reincarnation cycle, they are protected from all magical interference. By the same token, Necromancers are able to manipulate the souls of the recently dead, or those who have bound themselves to this world, because those souls are still unprotected." "There are some recorded instances of powerful healers who managed to revive someone who had died very recently, but never for anyone who had been gone longer than a few minutes. It''s uncertain if even the gods can bring someone back from the dead after any length of time." The beastman looked more depressed with every word, and eventually the instructor walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know it''s easy to believe that magic is all powerful, but the simple fact of the matter is, there are many things beyond its reach. I''m sorry." Carol nodded quietly, but didn''t speak. No longer looking quite so enthused, Madeline returned to her lecture. "That brings me to the final type of Summoning Magic, and also the most dangerous. Binding is almost a different kind of magic altogether. As its name implies, it allows its users to bind the recipients of their Calling spells either into their servitude, or into a contract for a specific task. There are numerous ways to do so, but some of the more common involve completely separate skills, like Bind Familiar." [Eh?] "Typically, when a summoner wants to summon a familiar, they use a specialized calling spell followed by ritually formed contract sealed with the blood of the summoner. The specifics of that contract are usually worked out between both parties at this point, but if one side has a far greater amount of mana than the other, they can impose certain conditions upon the recipient. This, of course is a much higher level of spellcasting than we will be dealing with in this class. For the time being, the two of you who have not unlocked your skill yet, please stand over there for a moment." "Killian, please practice conjuring objects for the time being while I walk them through the process." Madeline took Carol and Mike off to one side. "Unfortunately, there aren''t any good shortcuts to gaining the skill. You just have to keep working at it. Now I would recommend you start with summoning objects, but it''s difficult to keep the required image in mind without practice. Instead, we''re going to use a scroll to summon a creature that corresponds to your affinity. Hopefully, you''ll get a feel for the process when you do so." She handed both of them a simple roll of thick paper. "Go ahead and unroll it." Mike did so, and was greeted with the sight of an intricate design made of overlapping arcane runes. Just looking it over, he felt that he was getting the faintest trace of meaning. He could make out the words for ''call,'' and ''servant.'' The paint used was a glossy black, and he could sense the energy stored within. "I don''t know if either of you have used scrolls before, but its relatively straightforward. Any mage with a sufficient control of their mana can activate one by pushing a small amount of mana into the runic design. From there, the scroll itself will take care of the rest. Please keep in mind they are single use items, and fairly expensive to boot, so don''t rush it." Feeling a wave of excitement, Mike pushed a little mana into the scroll, and watched as the symbols started to glow. Chapter 109: Summoning Problems Mike tried to concentrate on every aspect of the spell as it began to take shape. Once the mana stored in the scroll reached a certain point, it began humming in a vaguely melodic manner for about thirty seconds before the ink began to burn with a purplish flame. A small magic circle appeared on the ground in front of him, and a misty shape started to take form. Madeline took a moment to explain the scroll as the creature appeared. "Since you are probably new to the magic world, let me give you an introduction to scrolls. They are a type of one-use magic item that uses a specially crafted ink to encode both the chant and the mana required to cast a spell, only needing a small amount of mana to activate it. While this means that almost anyone can use scrolls, there are a few downsides to them. They take a long time to fully cast, are entirely limited to the amount of power incorporated into it at the time of its creation, and are slightly expensive to make. The ink used for the Scrivening of scrolls is composed of monster cores collected from dungeons. Hm, it looks like your summon is about to appear." The form eventually coalesced into a small reptilian shape that was vaguely reminiscent of Audra, but with several key differences. It had a mottled blue and yellow hide, with a chaotic pattern of spikes running along its spine. Instead of forelegs, it had two folded wings that it walked on, in a manner that reminded Mike of the vargulf. Once fully formed, it raised its head, stretched its wings and gave a high pitched cry. As it did so, there was a crackle of electricity along its body. "Oh! A lightning drake! How fascinating." Madeline clapped excitedly. She pulled out a clear crystal disk and started looking through it at the drake. Seeing Mike''s questioning glance, she explained. "This is a Summoner''s Lens. It lets us evaluate the type, power, and affinity of things brought into existence by summoning magic. Looks like you have multiple affinities." Mike waited for her to continue. "You definitely have the dragon affinity, no question of that. Which means you can summon a whole multitude of reptilian and draconic creatures. Congratulations. But it also looks like you have some elemental affinity, as well. Fire and Air at the very least, judging from the drake''s elemental composition, but I suspect you might just happen to have a general elemental affinity, which opens up a ton of options!" Madeline was obviously very excited about this discovery, even Carol was looking a little jealous, as she concentrated on her own scroll. There was a repeat of the humming and the purple flame, and another magic circle appeared in front of her. From it emerged a grey colored rabbit the size of a large dog. A single straight horn grew from the center of its head. Madeline took a second to evaluate it with her lens. "A Horned Rabbit! Very good, Carol. It looks like you the beast affinity, with a focus on mammalian creatures. With this you will be able to conjure a wealth of combat ready monsters with a fair amount of flexibility. Assuming you practice, you could become a powerful adventurer or even knight. Congratulations as well." Carol nodded happily, but there was a twinge of unease in her face. There was a pop as the conjured drake vanished, evidently reaching the end of its time. Mike took a few moments to examine his [Status] and seeing the new entry there, turned to the instructor. "Ma''am what should we do to practice once our skills are unlocked?" "Summoning Magic is a lot like Arcane Magic in the sense that it cannot be free casted with any degree of reliability. There are simply too many variables that are dealt with through a chant. Ordinarily, new students wouldn''t be allowed to use chants in class until they have been approved to do so, but we do have special dispensation to do so¡­.." She looked at the pair of eager faces before sighing. "I''ll teach you two basic chants, on one condition. Promise me you''ll only practice them here, when I''m around." They both nodded their agreement. She started by repeating the chant she had used for conjuring the stools. Mike listened again, trying to burn it into his memory. Hopefully, he wouldn''t forget it. "You''ll probably be a little more excited about this next one, Conjure Minor Creature. It will let you conjure a small and fairly weak monster, usually related to your affinity, but you can try to force a different result if you so choose. Now, listen carefully." She cleared her throat and stood in what Mike had come to recognize as the orthodox ''chanting pose,'' with back straight and chest thrown forward, "I call to thee from beyond the veil, take the shape of my desires and bring forth my will. [Conjure Minor Creature]" A circle appeared in front of her, and a short humanoid figure appeared. A cruel looking, rat-like face with a mouthful of teeth grimaced at the three of them with undisguised hatred. It was dressed in ragged clothes, and holding a sharpened bit of metal in one hand, which it waved around aggressively. With a slightly disappointed sigh, Madeline explained. "This is a Lesser Gremlin, one of the least powerful members of the Fae. When you get a little farther down the path of the summoner, there are higher level chants which will conjure more potent creatures. Nevertheless, it''s a good place to start." Excited to try it out for himself, Mike began mumbling the chant. Something about the words didn''t feel quite right, so he subconsciously altered it a bit. "I call for thee from beyond veil of reality. Clothe thyself in the form of my desires and carry out my will. [Conjure Minor Creature]" Mike had a second to regret his hasty decision, as he felt a massive amount of mana leave him, nearly driving him to his knees with fatigue. A huge circle of runes took shape, filling much of the space in the pavilion. The air hummed and crackled with barely contained energy as a giant shape began to take form, pushing Killian and his small pile of stools out of the way. [I might have been a bit too zealous.] With an earsplitting roar, a draconic creature emerged from the circle. It stood on four clawed legs, and stretched a pair of wide leathery wings, brushing the roof of the pavilion with their easily 40m spread. Crimson scales coated its flanks and back, turning into a softer, yellowish color along its underside. Two pairs of slightly curled horns rose from the crown of its head, just above its ruby-colored eyes which were fixed on Mike expectantly. With a slight rumble, it blew out a breath of air as hot as a blast furnace. Mike heard a clatter behind him, and glanced back to see that Carol had collapsed, evidently fainting from the shock. Madeline, however, was absolutely thrilled, and started peppering him with all kinds of questions. "Is that a Lesser Flame Dragon?! This is amazing! How did you summon one with that kind of chant? What is your secret?" She yelled while shaking him excitedly. [That''s only a LESSER Flame Dragon? How big are these things supposed to get?] Mike wondered absently if he needed to worry about Audra becoming too big to even fit into the city. "Well, I think I mixed a few of the words up during the casting process. As soon as I finished I felt a massive drain on my mana reserves, and then it took form." He replied, still giving the dragon an eye. He wondered if he could... ----------------------------- Unnamed Age: 0 Race: Lesser Flame Dragon Class: Conjured Dragon Title: None ------------------------------ [Well, I guess that answers that.] "So, how do I get it to do something? Will it understand it if I just speak?" Madeline took a break from her inquiries to answer his question, "Conjured creatures are essentially a manifestation of your mana. As such, you simply have to apply your will to get them to take action. Called creatures are an entirely different story, however. Anyway, you said you messed up the chant? Do you remember what you changed? This could be a major discovery!" Frowning slightly, Mike reached out with his mind and tried to control the dragon. There was a slight hesitation as the red-scaled monster blinked, then it turned its head towards an unoccupied section of the pavilion, took a deep breath, and launched a cone of intense flame. "Awesome! It really did listen to me." He celebrated briefly, before realizing his mistake as the fire traveled past the edge of the stone floor and set alight a few of the trees nearby. [Crap! Crap! Crap!] He quickly concentrated his will and, reaching out with one hand, extinguished the fire before it had a chance to spread too far. He sighed in relief once the danger had passed, but noticed that silence had descended on the pavilion. Looking around he realized that both Madeline and Killian were staring at him. Carol was still unconscious. "Mike? Did you just use Elemental Magic?" Madeline asked hesitantly. "Well¡­.yeah. I''m primarily an Elemental Mage. I only took this class because I was interested in it." "Is that even possible?" Killian asked quietly to no one in particular. "That¡­..is....incredible! I haven''t heard of anyone besides really powerful Tier 4 mages or Heroes being able to do that. You must have a really potent class." Madeline was gushing again. Mike took a moment to glance through his [Status] and confirm the two skills he had gained. - Basic Summoning Magic (Tier 1, Rank 2) ¨C The most basic form of Summoning Magic. It allows users access magic skills for the three primary forms of Summoning Magic: Conjuration, Calling, and Binding. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Summoning Magic skills. - Basic Conjuration (Tier 1, Rank 2) ¨C The most basic form of Conjuration Magic. Allows the user to conjure objects and creatures based on mental images, summoning them into existence for a limited duration. Higher levels of skill improve mana efficiency. [I guess that means I need to work on Calling and Binding skills now. Although, I wonder if Bind Familiar counts for that¡­.] A hot breath on the back of his head reminded him that there was still a very large dragon sitting in the middle of the pavilion, crouching slightly to avoid damaging the roof. Rather than answering Madeline''s implied question, he asked one of his own. "So, how long are these conjured creatures supposed to stick around for?" She puffed her cheeks out at him for his diversion, but answered nonetheless. "Normally they vanish within a few minutes depending on how much mana you invest into the spell when casting it. Now that you mention it, this guy has been sticking around longer than I would expect for a summon of his size." The dragon looked between the two of them before settling down on its haunches in an almost cat-like manner. It didn''t seem to be going anywhere soon. [This might be a problem¡­.] Chapter 110: Playing with Fire Staring up at the draconic creature, Mike spoke to Madeline out of the side of his mouth. "So what should we do about this, ma''am?" She regarded him with a smile. "Please, call me Madeline. Anyway, we need to announce this! Your discovery could revolutionize the field of summoning magic. Do you remember the exact chant you used?" A pad of paper and a quill appeared in hand, ready to write down whatever he said. [Well, this is a bit awkward. I don''t know enough about how chants are managed in this world. Would being able to manipulate an existing one be an issue?] Deciding that discretion was the better option, he answered while rubbing the back of his head. "Truth be told, I kinda just bit my tongue when I was casting. I don''t know why it did this." "Hmm..." Madeline stared at him intensely. "I''m not sure if I believe you..." "I''m not lying, I promise. I don''t think I could repeat that spell if I tried." Sighing, Madeline put her notepad away. "Fine, but we have some experimenting yet to do before I''m fully satisfied." She turned back to look at the dragon. "I''m not sure how it''s staying around this long. Conjured things are supposed to have a set lifespan. Once they expend the mana used in their creation, they vanish.....Hey, does it feel like your mana is being drained by any chance?" Mike looked inwardly, and noticed that his mana recovery had slowed by about 25%. If he hadn''t been focusing on it, he would have missed the change. "Yeah, it looks like there is some kind of effect drawing on my reserves." Killian looked over sharply, and Madeline''s eyes gleamed. "Really? Could you do me a favor and try to conjure an object?" Suspecting that he was being used for some of that ''experimentation,'' Mike nonetheless started casting, making sure to use the standard chant this time. "...[Conjure Object]" Mike felt a small portion of his mana attempt to take the shape of a stool, but dissipate before it had a chance to do so. "Huh, that''s odd. It didn''t work." Rather than be disappointed in the failure, Madeline jumped excitedly. "This is great! I think you might have accidentally rediscovered long term summoning!" He was slightly distracted by Killian''s intense gaze, but had enough presence of mind to ask a followup question. "So what does that mean, exactly?" She fell back into her lecturer mode, "Well, normally Conjuration spells require a set amount of mana up front, with more required for longer durations. However, there are some old records that suggest ancient mages were able to conjure creatures for days or even weeks at a time. Most magic historians believed that these mages simply had much larger pools of mana than we are used to, but some theorized that there might be an alternative version of Conjuration that allows for indefinite summoning." Motioning to the dragon, she continued, "In theory, so long as they provided a constant stream of mana, the conjured creature or object would remain. However, in exchange, the summoner would not be able to conjure anything else so long as he or she was maintaining the original spell. Supposedly, the overlap between the first and the second casting would cause the second to destabilize." "Well, that sounds like what is going on at the moment. Still doesn''t solve the actual problem, though. And now I can''t practice my conjuration spells so long as its here. Should I try and cut off its mana supply?" "No! We need to study it! I know a summoned creature of this size probably demands a large amount of your mana, but the longer you can maintain it, the better the chance I can make a breakthrough! Please, help me out. With this kind of discovery I can finally make it to a gold ranked instructor." She gave him the puppy dog eyes. [Is she misunderstanding something? Should I correct her...no, I suppose I can use this to prevent future requests. Its hard to say no to someone who has control of your grades.] Sighing, Mike relented. "Fine, but only until tomorrow. I don''t think I can maintain it longer than that." "That''s more than enough! Thank you! I''ll keep it here for the night, and if anyone asks, I''ll tell them its all part of my experiment." She spoke rapidly while running over to the conjured creature in question, and gleefully started poking and prodding it, completely forgetting about the rest of her class. The dragon gave Mike a long suffering glance, as if it resented being subjected to the instructor''s experimentation, but couldn''t really argue against it. [Conjured creatures aren''t really alive, right?] Feeling slightly guilty, he nevertheless averted his eyes from its humiliation. He felt a nudge against his shoulder. Killian stood there with an unreadable expression on his face. They simply stared at one another for a moment, before the larger student gestured to Carol, who was still unconscious. "Should probably help her." Was all the man said, while motioning for Mike to grab one of her arms, and lift her up. Carrying the stricken beastman between the two of them, they moved her to the department''s clinic, where she could rest until she was feeling better. As soon as she was settled, Killian departed without saying a word. [Huh, strange guy.] Shrugging, he decided to put off worrying about it until tomorrow. He was starting to feel a bit mentally fatigued by the events of the day, and he still had two more classes left to attend. Hoping that this period would be an uneventful one, he casually made his way to the classroom for Initiate Chanting Practicum. It was designed in the same manner as the one he attended Introductory Magic Theory in. He found himself a seat near the back, and made himself comfortable. There was still a fair amount of time until the seventh bell, so Mike took a moment to scan through his [Status] again, making sure he hadn''t missed anything. Sure enough, he''d overlooked a new addition to his titles. - Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline - Your powerful connection to draconic creatures has colored your Summoning Magic. Moderate increase to Draconic Summoning Affinity. Minor increase to the mana efficiency and duration of Conjuration spells used to summon draconic creatures, and beings carrying a draconic bloodline. [I guess that will come in handy, but once again I''m left with more questions than answers.] Mike noticed that the trickle of students in the classroom had now become a minor flood, and seating was beginning to fill up. He was absentmindedly scanning the crowd as it arrived, when he saw a familiar burst of red hair. Aine and Rebecca from his Basic Elemental Magic class entered the room together. The red head spotted him, and, dragging her compatriot with her, sat down in the chair next to his. "Ah! I finally caught you." She exclaimed once she was seated. "You won''t get away this time." Mike was slightly confused, "Did you need something from me?" "I know solid flames when I see them. Tell me! How are you already a Tier 2 Mage? What is your secret?" [This is going to be troublesome.] Mike thought to himself. He noticed that a severe looking bald man had entered the room, and was taking a place near the chalkboard in front. "I don''t know what to tell you. I just practiced." This wasn''t even a lie. He really didn''t do anything out of the ordinary if you didn''t include his cheat class or titles. Aine stood up angrily, "Nonsense! There is no way you''re more talented than my....no way you''re that talented! You must have some kind of secret method!" The sound of a loudly cleared voice interrupted the discussion. Both of them turned back towards the board, where the stern-faced instructor was staring at them. "I will be starting class now. If you must continue your conversation, do so outside." Grimacing the red head sat down, and muttered out of the side of her mouth. "I''m not finished with you, yet." Rebecca leaned forward in her seat, and mouthed ''I''m sorry,'' while wincing with embarrassment. Sighing again, Mike settled in for a long class. The instructor, who introduced himself as Kendrick, went on to describe the origins of Chanting during the early Second Age, as well as the reasoning behind using High Elven as the basis for modern spellcasting. He had just begun explaining how the language evolved into a method of interacting with the System, when a male student raised their hand. "Does that mean we will be learning High Elven?" Kendrick shook his head. "The language fell out of common use long before the Fall. Our current knowledge of its linguistic structure is spotty at best." "Wouldn''t the elves know it. They did descend from them, didn''t they?" "While that is correct, you must keep in mind that the languages spoken by modern elves are not related to High Elven. At the height of their imperial period, and for reasons we don''t completely understand, the High Elves created a new language, separate from the System. It is from this invention that the dialects of the modern elves descend." The student lowered his hand, looking unhappy. "Virtually all knowledge of High Elven chants stem from a handful of sources dating back to the beginning of the Third Age. The most famous, of course, is the Gramorgan Von Taldinos, or Grimoire of Chants. It details more than one thousand chants in High Elven, covering almost every known form and tier of magic. While there are no known surviving copies of the original work, a version translated into Old Pyrathien, made it through the First Unification Wars. It has since become the basis of our modern chanting system." Kendrick began writing on the chalkboard in an elegant script, a series of symbols began to appear. "In the millennia since the Fall, some researchers have succeed in developing new chants using the Grimoire as a source material. While some of the resulting spells are of questionable value, we have nevertheless quintupled the number of known chants." The same student raised his hand again, "Instructor, if we have been working on this for thousands of years, shouldn''t there be more?" Still writing on the board, Kendrick answered his question without looking. "An excellent question, and one that has two answers to it. First, experimenting with chants is both difficult and dangerous. Change one of the words, or pronounce something in a different manner, and any number of things could happen. Chant research is therefore best done in a highly controlled environment by mages with excellent mana control, and even then there is a risk. Quite frankly, the rewards of developing a new chant rarely outweigh the risk of injury or death incurred through the process, so few take it upon themselves to pursue it." He finished what he was working on and turned to face the class. "Second, knowledge is power, a fact mages are taught early on. Without a great deal of incentive, most mages hoard new discoveries, only passing them on to favorite students or family members. Other chants have likely died out with their practitioners. It is practically guaranteed that the number of chants known by the world at large dwarfs those in common circulation, but there is no way of knowing for certain. One simply has to look at the Mage''s Guild to see this principle in action." Kendrick clapped his hands, creating a small cloud of dust, "Please direct your attention to the board. I have written down the 97 known consonant and vowel sounds of High Elven. We will spend the first week practicing your pronunciation of these sounds before moving onto speaking whole syllables. It will be slow going unless you have a Chanting skill, but accurate pronunciation is critical to successful spellcasting. Now, repeat after me, FA...." Already able to read, understand, and perfectly mimic the sounds displayed, Mike immediately grew bored with the class. [I wonder if attendance is mandatory.] He thought while staring out the window at the slowly moving clouds. Chapter 111: An Explosive Lesson After an hour of tedious repetition, the Chanting class finally came to an end. Once the other students started packing up and getting ready to leave, Aine seized the opportunity to continue her interrogation. "Alright, spill it! What''s your secret? Did you make a deal with the dark powers? Do you have a fire-related bloodline ability? Are you secretly an immortal?" She launched a series of questions as he rose from his seat and moved to stand by the window, which he proceeded to open. They were on the third floor, so it was a roughly 10m drop to the courtyard below. He turned to look at the red head who had pursued him up to this point. "I can assure you, none of those guess are true. I''m simply a fast learner." She gritted her teeth, unleashing a slight growl in the back of her throat and took a step forward. Looking alarmed, Rebecca grabbed onto her friend, as if to hold her back. "Aine...I think he answered your question...Let''s just forget this and get ready for our next class." "You don''t understand! What he did this morning should be impossible. That level of control over multiple elements is something that takes decades to master. And he had the gall to treat it like a damned street performance!" She was practically yelling by the end of her statement. Mike felt she had a point. His cheats had given him an immensely unfair advantage compared to the other people in this world, but then again life wasn''t fair. He suspected that Aine, for all her protestation, probably came from a prestigious background. One that had given her a substantial advantage in life. There was nothing inherently wrong with that, but to decry the same in another person was the very definition of hypocrisy. Honestly, Mike didn''t feel like dealing with the situation, especially since he had be in the Science Department in less than thirty minutes, so he chose the alternative. "Believe me or don''t believe me, I don''t care either way. I don''t owe you anything. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I have another class to attend." He hoped up onto the window sill, and before anyone could react, stepped out into open air. He heard a few gasps and a feminine scream as he started falling. Using a short blast of Air Magic, he killed his momentum a few feet off the ground, landed softly, and started walking towards the other side of the University. He ignored the stares this garnered from the few students still in the courtyard and at the windows of his classroom, and went about his business. The Science Department turned out to be a slightly chaotic mishmash of buildings of different sizes and shapes, several of which seemed to have no real purpose. Not really sure where to go, he flagged down a student dressed in the flowing blue uniform of the department for directions. Following the young man''s instructions, Mike eventually located the Alchemy building near the middle of the haphazard collection of structures. Checking in at what was nominally the front desk, but in actuality was a repurposed janitor''s closet with a stressed out student attempting to complete his ''life''s work'' involving a miraculous new kind of soap, Mike finally arrived at his classroom. Opening the door, he had a flashback to the old chemistry lab at his high school. The harsh smell of chemicals hit his nostrils first, but it was also mixed with some herbal scents. The room itself was laid out in a rectangular fashion, with lockers and cabinets filled with a plethora of unusual devices and materials. A trio of large cauldron-like devices were set up in one corner. Two dozen bare wooden tables filled the center space, with a pair of high stools positioned near each, evidently serving as the work space for the student alchemists. A majority of the tables were already taken up by students in the Science Department uniform, but Mike saw a few people from the Magic Department, and even once from the Martial Arts Department. With a start, he realized that he recognized her. Lily, the woman with a tendency to experiment explosively, was sitting alone at a table, working on a project. Since none of the other students had any materials, Mike could only assume she was using things she''d brought from home. He heard a whispered conversation from a few nearby students who were watching Lily with a trace of concern. "Who is that?" "You haven''t heard of her? She''s pretty famous in the department. Despite being an accomplished Martial Arts student, she takes this introductory Alchemy class every quarter." "Really? Why?" "I''ve heard that she says ''this way there aren''t any distractions from her research.'' Of course, you can expect that kind of reasoning from the Exploding Princess." "Is that really what they call her?" "Well, she''s some kind of high noble from Dovistan, and is obsessed with Alchemy, despite not being very good at it. Pretty much all of her experiments end in failure, and fair number of them...." "Explode?" "Exactly." Lily appeared to not hear the conversation, as she gently poured the contents of a metal vial onto a dull, black rock in the center of a dish. As the stream of brilliant orange liquid hit the rock, it created an audible hiss, which had nearby students cringing. The hissing stopped, and after a few seconds of silence, the room took a collective breath. Lily frowned, and started digging through a large satchel that was resting next to her on the table. Mike decided that this was is cue to find his seat. He scanned the tables, but quickly realized that the class was almost entirely full. In fact there was only one stool remaining...the one next to Lily. Sighing, he walked over and took his seat. He briefly considered introducing himself to his new table mate, but quickly forgot about it when the woman pulled a small pouch from her satchel. Opening it, she took a pinch of a grey powder and sprinkled it over the rock. Nothing happened at first, and Mike was wondering if she might have failed, when there was a sudden flash of light as the rock burst into purple flames. "No, that''s not right....." Lily muttered under her breath, before going back to her satchel to hunt for something else. Mike noticed with some alarm that the flames were growing in intensity, and releasing a acrid smoke that began filling the classroom. Deciding that he didn''t want to end his first day at the University with a fire, he surreptitiously reached out with his mana and smothered the flames. Surprisingly, this left a small pile of grayish-purple dust. A little curious, Mike used Appraise on it. ------------------------- {Rubicon Powder} Magic Material (Tier 1, Rank 5) A substance used in Alchemical Formulae. Made from the crystallized venom of the Rubicon Snake, this powder has a large number of uses as a stabilizing agent in mixtures. It is also known to increase the production yield of recipes for antidotes and curatives. ------------------------- [Huh. I guess I must have helped somehow.] He made sure to control his expression to avoid giving it away. Lily pulled out the desiccated foot of some chicken-like bird and was about to throw it into the dish when she noticed the powder had formed. She frowned, took a quick look around at her surroundings, before going back to examining the powder with a gleeful expression. Not too long afterwords, the instructor arrived. She was a pudgy, middle-aged woman dressed in a slightly more elaborate version of the flowing robes that served as the Science Department uniform. With gray hair, and a round, friendly face, she felt more like a grandmother than a teacher. As soon as she entered the room, she noticed Lily, and visible deflated. [I guess her reputation extends to the faculty as well.] Regaining some of her vigor, the instructor walked to the front of the room and introduced herself with a warm, friendly voice. "Good afternoon, everyone, I am Instructor Agatha. We seem to have a full class this quarter, so we will need to work in pairs due to the lack of materials and equipment." There was a near universal groan from the students. "Now, now, there is no need for that. Just think of it as an opportunity to learn from your fellow students. Speaking of which, to save time, your seat mate will be your partner for the duration of the quarter. Please make sure to get along." Mike had a sinking sensation as he glanced over at his new lab partner. Lily wasn''t even paying attention to the teacher, and was instead loading her newly developed powder into a series of tubes. She only poured a small amount in each, before capping them off with small chunks of a cork-like substance. Leaving one open, she added in a silvery liquid that looked an awful lot like mercury in its elemental form. Once the two had mingled, it quickly began to create a light purple foam. She sealed the vial, and began shaking it vigorously. He didn''t need foresight to see where this was going, and so he quickly dived under the table. There was a resounding pop, and purple tinted goo splattered all over the classroom. Mike could tell that Lily had taken the brunt of the explosion, and the woman was now covered in the substance. Rather than looking discouraged, she laughed loudly, before digging into her satchel and pulling out a battered notebook. As Mike righted his stool and sat down, he caught her quietly mumble along with her writing. "Mixture unstable, reacts explosively when forcibly mixed. Suspect additional stabilizing agent needed." The instructor, who evidently had a great deal of experience with the explosive student, had taken shelter almost as quickly as Mike had. As she stood up from behind the podium, and look of uncharacteristic anger on her face, she yelled sternly. "Liliana, you know better than to experiment with dangerous mixtures this early in the class! At least wait until we''ve had a chance to distribute the safety equipment." Her only answer was the sound of clinking bottles as Lily completely ignored the instructor while digging through her satchel again. Mike wiped the purple goo off his section of the table, noticing that it was exceptionally sticky. [I hate to say it, but I''m starting to miss Initiate Chanting. At least there, I didn''t have to worry about exploding.] Chapter 112: Equivalent Exchange Instructor Agatha stalked over to Lily, once she had determined that the problem student wasn''t planning on creating any more explosions in the near future. She spoke in a low voice, "Lily, we''ve talked about this. If you must experiment with unstable compounds, do it on your own time." Grinning, Lily sketched an ironic salute, "As you say, Aggy. I''ll stop scaring the newbies." With a sigh Agatha returned to the front of the room. The whole series of events felt ritualistic, almost as if the two of them had gone through this conversation many time before. Stern faced, she turned and addressed the class. "I know you are all probably feeling a bit uncomfortable at the moment, but it''s important for you to remember that Alchemy is a messy business. If you can''t handle a little bit of goo, you will have a hard time in this course." Her face softened a little bit, "If you haven''t already done so, please use Lifestyle Magic to clean yourself and your immediate area." There was a flurry of minor magic. Agatha waited until it ceased before continuing. "All settled now? Good, let''s begin. Alchemy is, quite simply, the art of using magic and mundane materials to produce goods. Everything from household items like soap, to adventuring tools like restoration potions, to the anti-gravity cores used in the construction of airships are created through the use of Alchemy." [Airships?! They have airships in this world? How did I not know this?] "Who here has already unlocked their Alchemy skill?" A few hands were raised in response, including Lily''s. "I must apologize to those of you with your hands raised. Today we will be focusing on unlocking the skill of the rest of the class. However, you still stand to gain some practical experience. Now, did everyone receive a letter from your department regarding your Alchemy equipment? Please bring them to the front in an orderly fashion. Once you have done so, you may collect a set from one of the cabinets." Mike joined the line, turned his form in, received a key numbered 16, and followed the flow of traffic to the cabinets on the wall. Opening his assigned cabinet, Mike found two separate compartments divided between safety wear and actual alchemical equipment. In one a grey lab coat, a pair of leather gloves, a set of leather and glass goggles, and a complex hood-like apparatus that seemed to serve as rudimentary gas mask. The other held a wide variety of glassware in various shapes and sizes, a mortar and pestle, a miniature clay oven, a heavy box marked with arcane runes, and a selection of knives, tongs, pliers, and hammers that would look right at home in a torture chamber. "Today we will be working on a relatively simple recipe to help unlock your skills. Please put on your protective coats and gloves, and bring the oven, the furnace box, and the mortar and pestle to your seats." Agatha gave some quick instructions while removing a set of her own equipment from a footlocker under the front table. Mike took a moment to Appraise the ''furnace box,'' assuming it was some kind of magic item. -------------------------------- {Furnace Box} Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 2) A magic tool used for a variety of purposes. When activated, will produce a steady amount of heat at a variable temperature. All functions are controlled by pressing the activation runes on the box''s front side. --------------------------------- [Seems simple enough.] Mike took the required materials back to his seat, and waited with anticipation as Agatha came around and dropped off two small bundles and a flask of water, at each table. As soon as they arrived, Lily grabbed the flask, ignoring the two pouches. "We will be making Clarifying Tonic, one of the easiest Alchemical recipes to produce. Even untrained, there is no reason anyone in this classroom should have any trouble completing it after a few tries." Agatha spoke with a degree of emphasis on this last point when she passed by Lily. Although she likely intended it as a subtle reprimand, it was apparently too subtle for Lily to catch, as the problem student went on preparing her materials while humming cheerfully to herself. "This tonic can be used to ease the suffering induced by excessive indulgence in alcohol, restoring one''s mind to clarity. As such, is one of the most popular alchemical creations on the market. There are three ingredients to this recipe. First is a sprig of Iceroot, which provides the cleansing qualities for which the tonic is famous. Second, a measure of ground Joran Nut, which serves as both the primary stabilizing agent and the source of the minor restorative properties for the solution. Finally, a large portion of fresh water. I''ll write the specific quantities on the board, but don''t be too concerned with accuracy just yet. The Clarifying Tonic recipe is very forgiving when it comes to ratios." She paused her lecture to follow through on her earlier claim. "Now please start by grinding the Iceroot and Joran Nut together in the mortar. Don''t bother shelling the nut, simply grind the husk into the mixture. Add a dash of water to make sure it becomes a nice, thick paste." Mike opened the two small pouches as found a sprig of a greenish-blue herb with sharp, pointed leaves, and a small brown nut, that resembled a walnut. He tossed them into the mortar, added a bit of water he created through magic, and started mixing. Although it was a little difficult to break the shell up in its entirety, he nevertheless ended up with a chunky paste after a few minutes of effort. "Once you''ve gotten the ingredients mixed, it''s time to start up your furnace box. Do so by pressing the spiral symbol at the center, once it lights up, you will see four identical runes to the right of it. Press the second one." Mike followed her instructions. The top portion of the box immediately started producing heat, causing the air above it to ripple and sway. [That''s way faster than an electric range back in my old world. Magic sure is convenient.] "Pour the contents of your mortar into your ovens, divide the remaining water evenly with your seat mates, and add it to the oven as well. Next, make sure to cover them and place them on the furnace. It will take a few minutes for the tonic to be ready." He watched as Lily simply threw the water in her own oven, placed it on the furnace box, and started watching it intently. [I don''t think she added anything else....] Mentally shrugging, Mike created more water, added it to the oven. He moved it one the stove-like device and settled in to wait. In the meantime, he scanned the rest of the class with Appraise, looking for anything interesting. He was not surprised to find that the vast majority of the students were composed of humans, with a mix of elves and beastmen making up the rest. There were a few interesting classes like Physicist and Researcher, that hinted at a greater understanding of science than he originally believed possible, but overall he was slightly bored with the delay. After a few minutes, his oven shuddered slightly. Curious, he opened the lid and looked inside. A pale golden liquid now filled the pot, giving off a faintly minty smell. He used Appraise. ----------------------- {Fortifying Ice Tonic} Alchemical Item (Tier 2, Rank 2) A rarely appearing mutation of the standard Clarifying Tonic. Through the enhancement of the natural Ice Elemental Affinity of the component Iceroot, this potion provides protection against the cold. Moderate increase to cold resistance. In users without the Cold Resistance skill, there there is a small chance of unlocking the skill. ----------------------- [Eh? How did that happen?] He took a look at his [Status] and saw a new skill and a new title that explained it. - Basic Alchemy (Tier 1, Rank 1)- A production skill. Alchemy is the process of altering magic and mundane materials into finished products. Although the methods vary based on the particular recipe, all alchemical products bear some trace of magical influence. Allows user to create basic alchemical items, retain memories of recipes, and develop an intuitive understanding of the subtle aspects of the craft. Current mutation rate: 0.01%. - Fortuitous Alchemist - By virtue of your exceptional curiosity and luck, you have a created a rare alchemical item from common materials. Minor increase to material efficiency when performing alchemy. Positive mutation rate increased by 1%. [I guess my luck did something unnecessary again. Oh well, at least I got some good stuff out of it.] Without any directions he went ahead and poured the solution out into a vial he''d set aside for the purpose. Surreptitiously glancing around, he capped it and hid it in one of his pockets. He didn''t think anyone noticed, but it was better safe than sorry. Agatha eventually told the class to open the oven and observe the product of their efforts. It seems that several of the students failed to even make the Clarifying Tonic, instead producing a black sludge that had no apparent value. "Don''t be too concerned about it if you end up failing the first few times. While scientific in nature, there are a lot of factors that we have trouble controlling in Alchemy. Failure will be a constant companion to you throughout your development of the skill." There was a slight clattering from Lily''s pot, and Mike looked over, already dreading what he would see. Agatha continued, evidently unaware of the danger. "If you have not yet acquired the skill, I still have plenty of ingredients so that you might try again. For those of you who succeeded in unlock your skill, congratulations. Please clean up your materials and return them to the cabinets. Once you''re done, you may leave. I will have something more interesting for you to do tomorrow." Mike took shelter underneath his table again. This time inspiring several of the other nearby students to do the same. With a clang, the lid of Lily''s oven blew off as a wave of orange smoke filled the classroom. [How?! Wasn''t her pot just filled with water?] The cloud proved strangely acidic, and stinging to the eyes and nose. [Did she just make tear gas by boiling water?] He used a bit of Air Magic to force to hostile vapors out of the classroom. Not wanting to spend too much time around his hazardous seatmate, he cleaned up his supplies and left the room. The events of the day had left him mentally fatigued, and he just wanted to go home and relax for a bit before starting it all over again. [I''ve forgotten how stressful school can be. I''m already dreading exams.] He reached into his pocket and absentmindedly scratched the back of Audra''s head, while walking back to the dorm. The sleeping warmth of his familiar was soothing. Watching the afternoon sun sparkle against the Spire, Mike felt his worries fade away. Despite the chaos and drama of the day, he was having fun. [I wonder what tomorrow has in store for me.] Chapter 113: Subtle Growth Brenden sighed as he watched his student fall for the third time in as many minutes. She struggled back to her feet and resumed running, despite the fact that she could barely stand. Thankfully, it was early enough that the training yard was largely deserted, so no one witnessed her sloppy form with the exception of one gray haired man, who worked out every morning about this time. Judging from his slender, yet incredibly toned physique and the smoothly lethal motions he practiced, Brenden assumed he was an instructor in the Martial Arts Department. As Sera collapsed for the fourth time, he went with Tal to give her a hand up. Part of him wished that Mike was present, since a little bit of healing magic would go a long way towards increasing the amount of time she could train. Of course he was fairly certain they''d end up with another set of problems as compensation. Maybe a bunch of arrogant nobles would pick a fight with them, or an assassin would target one of the other students while they were nearby, or he''d accidentally uncover a secret chamber below the storage shed that housed the angry ghost of a former headmaster. It was probably for the best that he was tied up with other things. He''d started Sera off on running laps around the training yard, followed by a few body weight exercises designed to build strength and endurance in the arms and upper body. It became increasingly apparent though, that the Oracle had rarely exercised with any intensity. A mere 10km jog had her near the point of fainting. Brenden couldn''t understand how a person so close to his age could be so out of shape. Mike, of course, would have found this assumption ridiculous. "You good? We still have a lot more to do before we stop for breakfast." The beastman asked while leveraging the girl to her feet. "I¡­..can¡­go...on." Sera gasped while trying to keep her balance using his arm. Her legs looked like they were threatening to give out at any moment. [Well, she''s got spirit at the very least. Now if she can just pick up a few physical skills, she''ll be at a good starting point.] "I think we''ll call it quits on the conditioning exercises for now. Let''s move on to archery practice." The training yard had a section devoted to archery targets, which were basically bundles of straw made to look like a humanoid figure. After Sera had caught her breath, and could stand on her own, she picked up the practice bow, a quiver of blunted arrows, and took up a place along the firing line. She assumed a decent stance, drew back her first arrow with trembling arms, and let loose. It went about 3m before falling to the ground. Frowning, she tried again, this time making it less than 2m. [Might have to look for a bow with less pull weight. I think they make some for children¡­.] Tal walked over and took the bow from Sera. "Relax. Deep breath. Let flow." With one smooth motion the elf drew and fired, striking the center of the target dummy with apparent ease. Brenden snorted, not surprised that Tal was able to shoot that well. She had a lot of hidden depths. It wasn''t the first time he''d seen her do something ridiculous with little apparent effort. However, when compared to the idiot genius Mike, who regularly performed the impossible by accident, she tended to be overshadowed. Sera tried again, taking Tal''s advice. Drawing the bow back as far as she could manage, she took a moment to breathe in and out, and steady her aim. With a simple motion she released the arrow. Brenden watched it as it arced through the air before slamming into the target dummy''s knee. "I did! I hit the target." Sera celebrated, jumping up and down. This was the first time she''d really succeeded at something since they had started training her, and she was understandably excited. "Well done." Tal commented in monotone, but it was clear that she was proud of Sera. An arrogant voice, dripping with sarcasm broke in. "Wow, are you really happy with that shot? I''ve seen kids do better than that. Not to mention it took you multiple tries to even get close to the target. It''s hard to believe that you are a fellow student." "I don''t think she''s a student, Carson. She''s covered in dirt, so probably a servant girl." Another voice, female and a little whiny this time, answered in turn. A pair of students dressed in the crimson uniform of the Martial Arts department had approached while they were distracted. The one called Carson was a tall, blonde, and athletic looking man. Many would consider him handsome, but his arrogant smirk twisted his features into something ugly. He had one arm draped around the shoulders of a slender brunette, who was clinging to him. A second dark haired man stood behind the couple, dressed in a simple grey tunic, sword resting on one hip. He kept his face neutral, but a hint of a frown could be seen on his lips. Brenden could tell with a glance that this man was a bodyguard, and a particularly well trained one at that. "Hey, I''m still learning! I hadn''t picked up a bow until yesterday." Sera responded defensively. She spoke without thinking, and he could tell that she instantly regretted her words. Carson''s smirk turned into a full on predatory grin. "Seems we have a servant who doesn''t understand her place." Gritting her teeth, Sera bowed her head. "Apologies, my lord. I spoke out of turn." "It sounds like she''s apologizing, doesn''t it Gina?" He asked is female companion. "I think so Carson, but I''m not really sure." She gave her own predatory grin. He held up a finger in mock realization. "Ah! I know what''s wrong. She''s still standing. Why don''t you try again from your knees. Really get down in that dirt. Its where you belong, after all." The couple laughed at Sera''s grimace as she started trembling. Brenden had seen this kind of noble in the past, and been the target of more than a few of them. When he was younger, he quickly learned that the best method was to simply give in to their twisted games. Once they had their fun, they would move on, leaving you beaten but alive. He''d seen what happened to those that resisted, and it wasn''t pretty. He figured that they wouldn''t be able to do anything too crazy here on campus, especially since they didn''t know who they were associated with. Push too hard and they''d risk angering the wrong noble. Besides, Mike would be held accountable for anything they did. Depending on how things played out, he could even be expelled. It would be safest to just do as they want. He simply had to let them humiliate Sera right in front him. There was a stab of memory. A dirty ally, strewn with garbage. Ragged cloth and blood. The noble''s feral grin. Her limp body. "What''s this? The mutt wants to play the hero?" Carson asked in a mockingly, however there was hint of fear in voice. Brenden realized he was now standing in front of Sera protectively. Judging from the way the bodyguard tensed, some of his feelings must be showing on his face. There was a cold rage building deep within him. He felt his hand creep towards the hilt of his sword. "I believe that is quite enough of that." The athletic old man was suddenly standing in the middle of them. His body posture seemed relaxed, but Brenden felt an intense pressure. "Master Liam, I didn''t see you there. My apologies for not greeting you." Carson''s personality had completely reversed, as he now spoke with respect and humility. "Then you need to work on your awareness. I have been here for hours. Long enough to witness this young woman work harder than most Martial Arts students." He spoke in a calm measured manner, stroking his neatly trimmed goatee with one hand. "I fail to see why a honorable student of this department would lower himself to harassing her." Liam was not a large man. Both Carson and Brenden stood a head taller than him, and outweighed him by several kilograms. However, his presence alone made him feel like a giant. "Master, this low-class woman spoke to me out of turn. I was merely doing my duty in disciplining her, when this beastman threatened me." Brenden felt another surge of anger, and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he felt a small pat on his shoulder. Sera muttered a quiet, "Thanks," before stepping out in front of him. Sketching a humble bow, she spoke in a steady manner, "The lord speaks true Master Liam. He saw fit to offer his advice on my poor archery, and in a moment of anger I spoke out harshly towards him, spurning his good intentions. For this, I once again apologize, my lord." Liam looked over at Carson, "It seems your lesson has proven sufficient." He waved his hand in a dismissive manner that said the matter was now closed. "Now, if I recall you are scheduled to attend Instructor Hugh''s class this morning. You may want to hurry, Hugh is not one to forgive tardiness." "Thank you for the reminder, Master Liam." The noble replied, before stalking off with barely concealed anger, dragging his female companion in his wake. The bodyguard gave Brenden one more apologetic shrug as he moved to follow. "Thank you for stopping my friend, Master Liam," Sera gestured towards Brenden, "It almost ended poorly for everyone involved." The old man laughed at that. "Not to insult the young man, he seems to be an accomplished warrior in his own right, but I took action to stop your other friend. Unless I missed my guess, your quiet elven companion was about to eviscerate all three of them in a hail of magic. I''ve rarely seen such a potent rage so well contained." Brenden looked over at Tal, and saw the woman visible forcing herself to relax. He noticed a trickle of blood from her palm, where her nails had cut into the skin. Liam turned to face Sera fully, "I must say, miss, I''m impressed. Not only do you have the will and determination to improve yourself, but you carry yourself with both wisdom and humility. It is rare to see such a combination in one your age." Sera gave another bow. "Thank you for your compliment, Master Liam." The old man stroke his beard once more. "Would you be interested in a few pointers from an old man? I used to be a fair archer back in the old days." Chapter 114: History Lesson After a quick dinner, Mike sat down in the living room, aiming to finish the history book before going to bed. The others had come in for the meal before going back out to the training yard. Sera had looked happy but exhausted. Apparently she had finally acquired the archery skill. He made sure to heal her bleeding hands before they left again. It was nice to see her getting stronger, but he was a little worried that she was pushing herself a bit too hard. Leaning back in the comfortable chair, he took Audra out of his pocket and placed her on his lap. The little dragon was still deep asleep, having consumed half of a roasted chicken for dinner. Remembering what happened earlier, he sent a sliver of mana towards the little creature, and was rewarded with a bleary-eyed stare. He strengthened the flow, and noticed that Audra got increasingly energetic the more mana he pushed towards her. It seems that his original suspicion was correct and that she required regular mana infusions for some reason. In fact she seemed like a bottomless repository for it, much like her egg had been. [I wonder if I can¡­] Picturing the flame dragon that was probably still sitting under the pavilion, Mike tried establishing a passive stream of mana towards his familiar. After a little mental finagling, he felt the mana tether connect. He set it up to send about 10% of his mana regeneration capacity towards the little dragon. She looked at him curiously for a moment before crawling up onto his shoulder and cuddling up against the side of his neck. It seemed that she appreciated the new supply of mana. Smiling, Mike opened his book and began reading. Picking up where he left off, Mike read about the long period of anarchy as the survivors of The Fall eventually settled in the newly vacant ruins of the High Elven Empire. It seemed that technology, both mundane and magical, suffered a major setback during this time, with the fragmented societies being reduced to primitive lifestyles. It vaguely reminded Mike of the stories he''d read about Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire, where a number of critical advances in science and culture were lost in the resulting conflicts. The few remaining documents about the early Third Age suggest that most humanoid groups formed into clans, and carved out segments of territory for themselves. Eventually these clans began to unite along racial and cultural lines. This gave rise to the first kingdoms, as powerful clan leaders took control of vast swathes of territory. Of course, wars started occurring when these territories started encroaching on one another. This continued for a time, until one particularly effective feudal ruler, by the name of Pyrathias the Conqueror, launched a campaign of unification for much of the Inland Sea region, the portion of Ea that Mike currently inhabited. Judging from the map on the inside cover of the book, this area resembled an altered version of the Mediterranean, with major continents on three sides and two inlets to the southwest, and southeast respectively. The biggest difference was the inclusion of the Central Continent, which was a large landmass in the center of the sea, and several islands that hovered around its periphery. Pyrathias ruled a small, nautically inclined, country on the Isle of Porthos. Due in large part to the country''s large mercantile fleet and vast trade network, Pyrathia, as it was inevitably called, came to dominate the international economy. Leveraging the vast wealth he accumulated from taxes and tariffs, Pyrathias built the largest and best equipped military seen since the dawn of the Third Age. What followed was a period of time known as the First Unification Wars, as the Pyrathian Empire dominated one minor country after another. As far as Mike could tell, they hit upon the idea of attacking once to display their military might, then offering the other party a chance to willing join the empire in exchange for mild taxes and a few new laws that wouldn''t dramatically alter their way of life. Not surprisingly, many countries chose the path of mild humiliation in favor of outright destruction. So, within a single generation, much of the Inland Sea region had been unified under the Pyrathias. Only the elves of Mirithia held out, since no army could assault the Verdant Tangle without heavy casualties. Eventually the two parties ended hostilities in a mutual truce, with Mirithia joining the Empire as an associate member with no taxes or outside governance. Clearly a face saving measure. Pyrathias''s descendants ruled surprisingly effectively, maintaining the vast empire for almost a thousand years. Eventually, a dynastic dispute led to a splintering amongst three heirs. War ravaged the region for much of the next couple hundred years, during what is now called the Warring Kingdoms Period. This was brought to a close by the Second Unification Wars. The eventually victor was a female general by the name of Tirelia who claimed to be a direct descendant of Pyrathias. Whether or not she spoke the truth mattered little, since her army proved unstoppable. She''d organized it into specialized corps complete with dedicated mage squadrons, battlefield engineers, and the first precursors to the current Knightly Orders. In a mere ten years, Tirelia was crowning herself Empress of the New Pyrathian Empire, before enacting a sweeping series of reforms that changed the old imperial system into a vast web of interconnected dependencies which made complete separation difficult to achieve. Before she was assassinated by an ambitious general in a short-live coup d''¨¦tat, she made sure to establish a council with representatives from every territory. The exact duties of this council were not defined, but it was heavily implied that it should step forward in times of political strife, to guide the Empire. Once the usurper had been dealt with, the council elected Tirelia''s niece Lidia, to be the next empress, establishing a tradition that would continue throughout the Second Pyrathian Dynastic Period, which lasted about 800 years and was mostly characterized by technical and cultural development. The book glossed over several important sounding events, but made sure to focus on one. It was the discovery of an entirely new variety of magic. One that was eventually dubbed Arcane. Mike paused at that. [So, no one in the past had ever used Arcane Magic until this point in history? Also the author hasn''t made any mention Summoning yet. That''s a little hard to believe, unless the skills were somehow added to the System later. If that''s the case, it may mean I can start developing my own skills as some point¡­] With this discovery came a host of new skills and classes, greatly expanding the people''s access to magic. Suddenly, the market was flooded with cheaply produced magical goods created by a new generation of Arcane Magic users armed with a host of new crafting skills. The general quality of life increased dramatically as a result. After eight centuries of stable rule, the imperial system fell apart in an unexpected manner. Unlike the first Pyrathian Empire, the second didn''t end in bloodshed. Instead, each of its constituent members made a play for independence through diplomacy. Due to the empire''s weakness, they succeeded. So, in a slow cascade that took decades, the empire gradually disintegrated into separate kingdoms and principalities, until only the Isle of Porthos was left. Despite the loss of territory, the Pyrathians nevertheless maintained a strong grasp of nautical trade in Inland Sea. In many ways, they profited from the dissolution of their empire, as their capital, Bergell, came to be known as The City of Coins in reflection of the incredible amount of wealth that flowed through its harbors. Mike halted his reading there, as he heard the others returning. He was about three quarters of the way through the book, and judging from the timeline listed in the introduction, he still had nearly 1200 years of history left to cover. It seemed that the author was less inclined to discuss recent history, and therefore only glossed over the major events. Sera walked into the living room first, looking thoroughly exhausted. She grunted something at him that could be considered a greeting, walked into her room, and collapsed onto the bed without bothering to change. Brenden followed after, watching the Oracle with a wry smile. "Productive day of training?" Mike asked curiously. The beastman nodded. "We ran into a teacher for the Martial Arts department who took an interest in Sera. He''s been running her through some intense exercises to unlock what he calls her ''hidden potential.'' Whatever that''s supposed to be." [Oooh, the ''hidden master recognizing the potential of a student through chance observation'' trope. That''s a good one.] Tal who brought up the rear, gave Mike a friendly, if expressionless, nod and went into the room after Sera, closing the door behind her. Brenden sat down on the couch, and got comfortable. Fatigue was evident in his features. "You doing alright?" Mike found himself asking out of concern. "Yeah, I''m fine. Some things that happened today just brought back some old memories better left forgotten." The beastman replied with a sigh. For a brief moment he stared into space with a haunted, almost tortured, look in his eye. "I''ll be fine after a night''s sleep." Silence fell on the room as Mike considered his next words carefully, "Brenden, I''m your friend. If you ever need to talk about something, I''ll be here to lend an ear." He had to duck when Brenden threw a pillow at his head. "That''s enough of that sappy shit. I''ll be fine. Besides, I''d be in trouble if I had to rely on you for advice." "What''s that supposed to mean?" Mike asked, mildly offended as he chucked the pillow back at the beastman. He caught it dexterously with one hand before setting it down. "Any course of action you might recommend is likely to get us involved in some quasi-apocalyptic scenario that nearly kills us." Mike opened his mouth, but then thought back to how things had played out during his first day of school. "Alright, you may have a point. Nevertheless my offer still stands. If need be, I''ll listen quietly from a safe distance so you don''t get caught up in anything." Brenden chuckled. "Don''t worry about it. Like I said, I''ll be fine after a night''s sleep. Something that you look like you''re in need of yourself." "Yeah, I was about to hit the hay, myself. Got another day of learning tomorrow." Mike said as he stood, stretched, and started getting ready for bed. Chapter 115: Deadly Canary Mattias grimaced as the guard''s blood washed over his hand in a crimson flood. Apparently, he hit a major vessel in the man''s torso. Why did stabbings always have to be so messy? The assassin slowly let the dying guard down, hand firmly clamped over the man''s mouth until the light left his eyes. This was the third they had to deal with since entering the manor grounds, and things had been going smoothly so far. "Let''s move." The his unit''s leader, Grant, hissed, as he swept past, followed by the other three members of the assassination team. Grunting a quick reply, Mattias brought up the rear. A chill ran down his spine as he entered the garden proper. Something about this situation was setting him on edge. He''d had a bad feeling about this job ever since the disguised noble had shown up at the meet up. The Jagged Knives, as Mattias''s Dark Guild called itself, had never been the most successful, but they held a solid reputation amongst the capital''s assassins. They were not the best, nor the worst. So, it had come as a surprise when the client told them their target. A Viscount, who''d come to the city recently, and was staying in a rented manor in the Old City. The boss normally wouldn''t have accepted this kind of high profile mission, but the payout had proved too good to pass up. Since the noble even offered to pay regardless of whether or not they were successful, the boss only had to make a token effort to get paid. Luckily he had just the people in mind. Due to a couple major screw ups in recent months, Mattias''s team had been on the boss''s shit list. Naturally, this meant they''d been chosen for the mission. Mentally cursing his bad luck for the thousandth, Mattias followed after the team as they dashed through the empty garden, flitting from shadow to shadow. The silence of the night their only companion as they moved towards the servant entrance. A simple door led into the kitchens. According to their contacts, this area of the house would be left unguarded, allowing access to a servant staircase that would take them to the top floor unimpeded. They took a moment to clear the room before moving towards the stairs. Mattias was starting to get nervous. Things had been far too easy so far. Their target was supposed to be better protected than this. Something was wrong. The assassin in the lead motioned for them to stop, and gave the hand signal for an unexpected development. Because of his position, Mattias couldn''t see what was going on. Grant moved forward investigated the situation, and after some deliberation motioned for them to continue with caution. As they moved forward as a group, Mattias saw the cause for the point man''s concern. A dead servant, judging from the clothes, lay on the stairs. While this was disturbing in and of itself, the manner of the man''s death was absolutely horrifying. Something had torn the servant''s torso apart, leaving him little more than a pile of limbs loosely connected by a few remaining scraps of bone and gristle. A look of absolute terror was written across the dead man''s face. Whatever he had seen before his death had evidently left its mark. With a shudder, Mattias moved past the corpse. He didn''t know what was going on in this manor, but it was giving him the creeps. [I really need to find another way to make a living.] As they got close to their destination, they heard a scream and the sounds of conflict from inside the room. Grant held up a hand, motioned for them to hang back. He approached the door, hand reaching for the knob. Unfortunately he was not prepared for the mass of snarling fur and teeth which shattered the solid wooden door like kindling. Mattias caught a glimpse of a sleek canine form coated in black fur and a pair of smoldering red eyes, before the terror took hold. A wave of pure fear seized hold of his mind, and without a second thought, he turned and fled. Pushing himself harder than he ever had before, he sprinted down the stairs. He could hear screams of his teammates mingled with horribly wet crunching noises as they were silenced one by one. A small part of his mind not yet overwhelmed by terror realized that the dead servant they''d passed in the hall had likely run afoul of the monster that was now on his heels. As he broke out into the garden, he heard the clatter of claws on the kitchen floor behind him. Considering the thing''s speed, he wasn''t going to make it like this. He squeezed every ounce of performance out of his muscles, in the vain hope he''d make it to the compound''s walls. It wasn''t clear why he thought he''d be safe there, but it offered the only security he could believe in. He''d made it about halfway across the garden when disaster struck. An exposed root, that would be off little consequence in normal circumstances, proved fatal. Before he even knew what was happening, Mattias was falling forward. His training took over, and he curled himself into a ball, saving him from further injury, but causing him to tumble across the manicured lawn until he collided with a nearby tree. Dazedly forcing himself to move, Mattias had only managed to make it to his knees when he heard a deep, rumbling growl. Looking up he met the gaze of those smoldering orbs of crimson hate. A canine beast the size of a small horse advanced towards him slowly, lips pulled back to reveal pink-stained fangs. The approach of inevitable death did wonders for his mental state, as his all consuming fear faded to a dull roar in the back of his mind. He fell back against the tree into a sitting position, feeling strangely calm. [I guess this is it. Shit. If I had known that things would end up this way, I would have accepted that cooper apprenticeship like my dad wanted.] The beast tensed, preparing to spring. Mattias cringed and instinctively brought his arms in front of his body in a vain attempt to protect himself. A high-pitched whistle rang out across the garden. After a few moments, he cracked one eye, and saw that the beast had vanished. He looked around, and not seeing any sign of it, decided he wasn''t going to stick around to find out what was going on. He ran over to the wall, scaled it, and began running back to the Guild''s safe house. He''d had enough of this assassin business. If he survived the rest of the night, he was definitely going to quit the Guild. [I''ve got enough saved up anyway, maybe I can finally open that tavern I''ve always been talking about....] --------------------------------------------------------- "It looks like the last one made his escape. Are you sure this is what you want, my lord? Won''t this attract attention? Especially since the real expert already got away." Tanya asked from the balcony where she had been watching the assassin''s progress. An elegantly dressed man, who was calmly reading a book from his chair, glanced up at his longtime bodyguard before answering. "I''m counting on it, actually. This way, their employers will take the opportunity to reevaluate their methods. We''ll probably have a few days before they try again. Still, I''m surprised that three separate groups tried to assassinate me so quickly after my arrival. Apparently, I''m more popular than I thought." She glanced over at the pair of men dressed in servant garb. They''d been among the many individuals hired on to care for the manor while her lord stayed there. Evidently she needed to vet all future employees more thoroughly. Combined with the team of assassins that they''d just dealt with, and the expert who managed to get away with a few injuries after failing to slit her lord''s throat in his sleep, this made three attempts just this night. Tanya wasn''t sure if she believed her lord''s reasoning, but she''d long ago given up trying to understand the vagaries of this sort of thing. She was content to be a blunt instrument in his service. Resting her dominant hand on the hilt of her favorite mace, she turned when she felt Shadow come back in. A misty cloud of dark smoke appeared at her lord''s side before coalescing into a large canine shape. He reached out with his free hand and scratched behind it''s ears, causing the beast to lean into the touch as its eyes narrowed in pleasure. Tanya could only watch with disbelief as the Turastian Death Hound acted like an affectionate puppy around her lord. She''d seen it several times before, but it was still a sight to see. Viscount Wendel set his book down and fixed his gaze on Tanya. "I''ll be able to use their hesitation to my advantage. We''ll accomplish our mission here, and be on our way back to Gold Spear before they''ve even decided on a course of action." "If you are certain, my lord, I won''t worry." He rose from his seat, and stalked with his characteristic long-legged grace towards the shattered door, the monstrous hound trailing behind obediently. "Now, I suggest we seek alternate accommodations." "Where to?" She asked, falling into step beside him. "I took the liberty of reserved rooms at the Lion''s Gate Inn. We still have a few days until preparations are complete, and the ship is ready to move." As he stepped into the hallway, the Viscount looked around at the bodies of the dead assassins with a frown. "Once we''ve arrived, send a letter to Igor. Have him compensate Baroness Huthryn for the damage and the mess." He said dismissively as he swept passed them. Chapter 116: It Really Is Mike woke earlier than usual. It was still dark outside, and the other inhabitants of dorm hadn''t started moving yet. Feeling strangely energized, he decided to get up. Quickly dressing, he went downstairs, reveling in the unusual silence of the typically boisterous dormitory. When he got to the front lobby, he was surprised to see Anna, the dorm manager, already up and working. She was directing a small team of maids in the kitchen as they went about preparing for breakfast. Her quiet voice rang out in a firm decisive manner that was completely at odds were her normal sleepy demeanor. Noticing him staring, Anna gave him a respectful nod before resuming her duties. Not wanting to bother the maids in their tasks, Mike stepped outside. Lacking any real destination, he decided to wander over to the Magic Department. On the way, he came up with the idea of checking in on the conjured dragon. He was feeling slightly guilty about the whole situation. When he arrived at the pavilion, he could still see the huddled bulk of the dragon. It was curled up in a lump, appearing to be asleep. However, as soon as he got close, it raised its head and glanced in his direction, watching him as he walked up. "Hey there big guy, doing alright?" Mike stretched his hand out towards the creature''s head, and was rewarded as the dragon pushed its snout against his hand in a affectionate nuzzle. [Argh, my heart!] Mike sighed. "You''re making this difficult. I can''t improve my conjuration magic unless I let you vanish." The dragon gave him puppy dog eyes, almost as if it understood what he was trying to say. "Don''t look at me like that. I can''t afford to let my development stop here, and I can''t practice Conjuration unless I let your summon expire. I mean, its not like I can just cast two spells at once....." [Wait....] Trying to remember the sensation of dual casting he''d been using without really thinking about it, he focused on the mana tether that was maintaining the dragon. He worked to maintain it, while he started the chant for Conjure Object. It was more difficult than usual, requiring his intense concentration, but he managed to complete it. A simple wooden stool popped into existence in front of him. "So it really was that simple....." Mike felt like kicking himself for not thinking of it earlier. "Well, I suppose this means I can keep you around." The dragon nuzzled him again, nearly knocking him over in the process. "Alright, alright. I get it. Your welcome. I guess I need to come up with a name for you, now." [I should keep it simple. Even if I maintain the mana flow, there is no guarantee he won''t disappear at some point in the future. Better not get too attached.] "How about Red? Nice, simple, and to the point." The dragon stared at him for a moment before huffing once and looking away. Slightly annoyed, Mike decided to call him that anyway. Mostly out of spite. [More importantly, this means I can start working on conjuring things. I wonder what I should start with.....] He felt Audra climb out of her dedicated pocket, and up onto his shoulder. She and the dragon started trading stares. It felt like some kind of mutual understanding was achieved. With a hop, she glided over to Red, and clambered onto his head, something the larger dragon patiently allowed. Setting herself in the center of his forehead, she emitted a tiny squeak that was translated as a victorious cry following the successful conquest of a worthy rival. Red laid back down and closed his eyes, seemingly content to let Audra have her way, as the little dragon started clambering over him like a playful child. Chuckling Mike started going through a mental list of the things he missed from his previous world. [I don''t think I can manage something as complex as electronics. To be honest, I barely understand how something like a computer works. Guns could be an option, but it seems like they have access to gunpowder in this world, and yet magic is still king. Maybe once I can make them permanent with Calling Magic....] With a start he realized that there was an entire category of things he could conjure, that he really missed from his old world. Choosing one that was particularly dear to his heart, he spoke the chant for Conjure Object again. When the thin cardboard box appeared on the floor, he was so excited he didn''t even mind the large drain on his mana. He cracked it open and took a big whiff of the pepperoni pizza he produced from memory. It smelled good, but he still needed to put it to the test. He grabbed a slice and took a bite.....then immediately spit it back out. It had the consistency of soggy bread, and tasted like chalk. Dropping the slice back into the box, Mike sighed. [I wonder what''s wrong. Maybe I can''t conjure food for some reason? I''ll have to ask Instructor Melinda later today.] The clock tower sounded distantly, he counted three bells. Figuring that he had a little more time, he decided to let Audra continue playing while he went through a few exercises. Between traveling and the chaos of the last few days, he''d been skimping on his training. Summoning a sword of hardened earth, he spent close to an hour working on his forms. Having built up a decent sweat, he activated his Lifestyle Magic, before preparing to leave. Luckily, his conjured objects vanished a while ago, making clean up rather easy. "Come on, Audra. We''ll be back later." He called to his familiar that was trying to chew on one of Red''s horns to little effect. She reluctantly glided over to him, and resumed her usual place in his pocket. Mike walked over to one of the cafeterias in the department and got a quick breakfast before returning to the east side of campus. He was almost late last to Basic Elemental Magic yesterday, so he wanted to be sure to make it there early today. Unfortunately, the pushy redhead was waiting for him outside of the building. She had been hiding near the entrance with Rebecca in tow, and he only noticed her when his Detect Hostile Intent triggered. He leapt back with a blast of Air Magic just as she emerged from her hiding place, finger already pointed accusingly. His sudden disappearance left her speechless for a moment. "Hey!" She yelled at him. "You get back here!" Mike relaxed and released the mana he''d been building up to counter attack. Apparently he needed to practice with the Detect Hostile Intent skill some more. He''d hate to hurt someone who was only displaying hostility and not actually trying to attack him. He sighed as the two ran up to him. "What can I help you with?" He asked, already sick of the conversation. "I wasn''t finished with our talk yesterday. I know you''ve got some kind of secret, so spill it!" She said in a huff. Mike felt himself get angry, "Look, I already told you, I don''t have any secret. Even if I did, I don''t owe you anything." She gritted her teeth, as if unable to refute the argument. His Detect Hostile Intent triggered again, jarring his nerves. A slightly crazed look appeared in her eyes. "You frivolous, insolent, sad excuse for a man. You don''t deserve that level of power!" There was a crackle of flame as she summoned a wash of fire around her. Rebecca tried to grab onto her friend, but was driven back by the heat. He''d had enough. A small part of him just wanted to simply crush the pushy woman. The more he thought about it, the better it sounded to him. Why not show them once and for all that he wasn''t to be trifled with? "You want to know about my power? Let me show you." With a thought, he smothered the fire she''d created, leaving her gasping at the sudden loss. Summoning his own flame, he created a raging inferno around him, scorching the earth for meters in every direction. He started chanting. "I let thee fly free. Dance in your fleeting brilliance, and sing your eternal fury. [Fireball]." A compressed ball of fire appeared in his hand, crackling angrily in response to his own rage. He extended his arm towards the infuriating redhead, and for a moment, seriously considered letting it loose. A sharp pain in his side snapped him back into focus. He could see the terror evident on Aine''s face, tears streaming down in rivulets down her cheeks. Rebecca, on the other hand looked calm, an aura of water forming around her as she prepared to act. He didn''t feel any hostile intent, so he assumed she was trying to defend herself and her friend. [What am I doing?] Mike threw his arm up, and released the fireball into the sky. It traveled a few hundred meters before detonating with thunderous blast. As the wave of heated air washed over them, he started walking past them towards the building. "Sorry about that. I got a little carried away." He muttered lamely. He figured the best thing to do was walk away. The damage had already been done. Glancing back, he got one last look at the two girls before entering the training building. Aine had her arms wrapped around her knees while Rebecca was doing her best to comfort her. He entered and closed the door behind him, grateful that no one else had shown up yet. He placed a hand on the pocket Audra was resting in. From the feel of it, he will need to repair his robes. The little dragon seemed to have taken a bite out of his side in order to stop him. "Thanks for that." Mike whispered softly, feeling his familiar relax. Something was going on with him. Staring at his hands, he took a deep breath and let it out. He almost killed a girl, simply because she was annoying. [What the hell is going on?] Chapter 117: Penumbra Mike walked into the center of the room, and spent some time examining his thoughts and emotions, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing stood out, but he sent a surge of healing magic through his whole body, hoping to eliminate any trace of foreign influence. He felt the magic take hold on something in his right arm, eliminating whatever it was almost instantly. It happened so quickly, he didn''t have a chance to really investigate it. Scanning his arm visually, he didn''t see anything unusual. [Did that take care of it?] Somehow, he wasn''t convinced. The door opened dramatically, and Instructor Johnathan stalked in. While his facial expression was the same as always, Mike could tell by his body posture, he was agitated. "Alright, showoff. Why don''t you tell me what happened?" He uttered quietly. Mike rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little ashamed. "Well sir, I got into an argument with Aine and lost control of my temper. While I didn''t hurt her, she was quite scared." The instructor sighed. "You really don''t understand what you did? I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised. I can tell you haven''t had any formal training in magic." "Sir, I don''t quite follow." "Do you remember seizing hold of Aine''s magic and crushing it?" Johnathan asked. Mike nodded, still confused. "As an elemental mage, you need to know that we are different from other kinds of mages. We don''t require chants to serve as our intermediaries primarily because we can directly wield mana with our will alone. But to do so, we have to invest our wills into the magic. Unfortunately, this does create a weakness that can be exploited by those with the skill to do so." [Oh no....] Johnathan started pacing while he gave his lecture. "Elemental mages with superior mana, great skill, and excellent timing can seize control of an opponents mana as it is formed into magic. While there are many things they can do at that point, up to an including turning the spell on its owner, one of the most difficult is to completely disperse the spell." "What happens then?" Mike asked, dreading the answer. "Since their will is invested in the mana when it is dispersed, the casters suffer a massive mental blow. The strength of which can range from a traumatic memory to complete destruction of their personality depending on how much they had invested at the time." The instructor replied coldly. "Is she.....is Aine...." He struggled to squeeze the words out. "You caught her spell near its completion. Most of her will had already returned. She''s terrified, and will probably think twice before aggravating you again, but she''ll be fine." Mike heaved a sigh of relief, as the instructor continued. "I hope you''ll keep this in mind in the future. The next time some foolish noble irritates you, consider using some other method to teach them a lesson." "I didn''t...I mean I wasn''t trying to..." "Don''t fret about it, showoff. From what her friend told me, the redhead was asking for a humbling. Hopefully, this will be a good learning experience for her. If she can''t get past a little mental trauma, she has no business trying to be a mage." Mike didn''t know what to say about the apparently callous handling of the instructor''s students. Some of that hesitance evidently showed on his face. "You think I''m being cruel?" Johnathan asked with a slight grin. "I''m not sure. Maybe." The instructor laughed. "Let''s say I have my reasons. Now, your little stunt with the fireball has been written off as a training exercise. Explosions are pretty common in the Magic Department after all." Any trace of a smile disappeared as he rounded on Mike with a serious expression. "Don''t think this means you are off the hook. Another incident with you losing your cool like this, and I will personally make it my mission to ensure that you are removed from the University. Understood?" Mike offered the only acceptable answer. "Yes sir!" "Good." He turned towards the door and yelled. "You may come in now!" R''hakun, Kalith, and Quetin walked in hesitantly. They had evidently been waiting just outside during the conversation. Once the four of them had gotten into line, Johnathan led them through a series of drills designed to enhance their control over their respective elements. While specific method varied from person to person, it mostly consisted of creating a small amount of that element via magic, and then manipulating it into a number of shapes. After an hour or so, the instructor put a halt to the lesson and had the other three leave, holding Mike back. Johnathan stared at the student for a moment before walking towards the back of the building, motioning him to follow. "You wanted to learn Dark Magic, right?" "Yes sir!" Mike exclaimed. He''d experimented a little on his own, but didn''t have any luck figuring it out. It felt slightly unnatural to him. "Tell me. What is darkness to you?" Johnathan asked, as if reading his mind. "The absence of light." "True, and yet also false. Someone from the Science Department would likely agree with your assessment, but, as a practitioner myself, I can tell you that there is more to it." He opened a storage closest revealing a dark chamber which contained a number of crates, chairs, training dummies, chalkboards and other academic paraphernalia. Johnathan motioned Mike forward. "There is something about the dark that calls to primal aspects of the mind. Where other elements can be understood and commanded through intellect, darkness has to be felt." Leaving the door open, he walked away. Guessing what the instructor wanted, Mike entered the storeroom and closed the door, which he noticed had a fringe of some kind along the bottom edge. When it latched, the room was plunged into complete darkness. [Well, if I need to feel darkness, I suppose I can''t ask for a better place.] He sat on the floor, and concentrated on his surroundings, trying to get a feel for it with his other senses. The dusty scent of age and disuse filled the air, and he could feel the cool stone floor beneath him. Strangely, the only sounds he could hear were his own heartbeat and breath. [Is this place soundproofed somehow? Kind of reminds me of that realm I went to when I was reincarnating. Now that was a rough experience.] After a long while, he found his mind wandering. It was hard to keep focusing on the dark, waiting for something to happen. He began to imagine that he could make out shapes in the gloom, as if he wasn''t alone in the room. The shadows seemed to dance and twist at the edges of his vision. He felt cold. A presence seemed to descend on his surroundings. A looming other which threatened to smother him. He was having a hard time breathing, as if the very air had weight to it. Mike knew intellectually that, when deprived of other sensory information, the human brain would attempt to supply it on its own. This, however, didn''t feel like a hallucination. For a moment he felt strangely connected with the darkness, as if it had become part of him, twining with him on some fundamental level. As suddenly as it came, the feeling vanished. He opened his eyes. Apparently, he''d closed them at some point without realizing it. Standing, he moved to the door and opened it. It seemed like he''d completed what he was supposed to, although he still didn''t really understand it. The piercing light from the room beyond caused him to squint. "Did you feel it?" Johnathan''s voice came from his left. Mike could see a vague outline of the instructor. "I think I did." The teacher simply nodded. "That sensitivity will fade in time, but for now, your eyes need time to adjust. Why don''t you do about it, for now?" Mike blinked at him for a second, before understanding his meaning. Recalling the feeling from the storeroom, he brought forth a veil of tangible shadow, which shaded his eyes from the light. He subconsciously drew on memories of his old life to create one of his greatest companions when suffering under similar circumstances. The darkness formed into a pair of sunglasses, he is go-to method of preventing extra pain during a hangover. Johnathan nodded approvingly. "An unusual application, but undoubtedly a useful one. I had intended on making you create a penumbra, which is what Dark Mages call an area of artificially lowered light, but this is good too. Not only do you protect your eyes directly, but you can hide your intentions more easily, allowing you to mislead an opponent." "Thanks." Mike said a little guiltily, not sure if he should be taking credit for it. "Anyway, we will call it a day here. I have another class to prepare for, and you have your own business to attend to." He nodded back towards the door. "I''ll instruct you on the proper usage of dark magic starting tomorrow." Mike saw Rebecca leaning against the wall near the building''s entrance, her expression unreadable. Sighing internally, he walked up to the woman. He wasn''t sure what she wanted, but he wasn''t looking forward to it. Rebecca stood up straight when he got close, and fixed him with a determined look. "Um, I think we should talk about Aine." Mike nodded. "Alright." He led the way outside, and found a good patch of grass under the shade of a tree to have the conversation. She took a deep breath and let it out before bowing her head, "Please forgive her. She took things too far and nearly did something unforgivable. As her friend, I can only say that I''m truly sorry that I didn''t do enough to stop her." Mike was taken aback. "I should be the one apologizing....." She looked back up at him and shook her head. "Please, don''t finish that statement. Aine was in the wrong. As a noble, she should have known better than to try to attack you like that." She bit her lower lip. "Truth be told, she''s not been in her right mind ever since her sister died. The grief has been getting to her." [I''m not sure how to follow up on that.] Rebecca paused for a moment, a look of consternation on her face. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we are both very sorry for the incident, and we hope that you can find it in your heart to let this incident pass." Something about the way she was talking bothered Mike, almost as if there was a hidden meaning to her words. She reminded him a little of a lawyer or a salesman from his old world, mixing truths and half-truths together to achieve a goal. However, he couldn''t make heads or tails of her agenda. As far as he could tell, she was just interested in putting this whole thing behind them. [Am I really that frightening? Or is it something else....] Shaking his head, he dismissed the web of tangled thoughts, resolving to deal with this in the most basic manner. He smiled, "I have no problem putting this behind us, and starting again. Please let Aine know that I bear no ill will towards her." Rebecca smiled back, nodding as if she confirmed something. "Thank you, Mike. I''ll pass your words along." She bowed again, and left. [Why do I feel like I missed something there?] Chapter 118: On Another Note Hubert, Scion of House Lothrain, sipped on his morning tea. He was seated comfortably on the veranda of his modest townhouse in the noble''s district of the Old City. Victor Kalt, his longtime associate, had just given a comprehensive brief on current events and was waiting on the young lord to speak. After taking another sip, Hubert spoke, "It would seem that Viscount Wendel has made a few enemies. Then again, what can you expect from the strongest supporter of the Anti-Royal faction?" He motioned vaguely towards a corner of the veranda. "Have a few more observers placed on the Viscount''s current residence. We don''t want to be caught by surprise whenever he makes his move." There was a sound of rushing air, and a shadow disappeared from the region he was looking at. Hubert looked back at his companion. "Now tell me about the upstart." Victor pulled forth a small notebook with a leather cover. He maintained several other notebooks in separate locations, some of which included false information in the event they fell into the wrong hands. He flipped to a specific page and began to summarize. "Michael Rasmussen, also known as Mike, was admitted to the Magic Department late last week after performing exceptionally on his entry exam. The instructors have kept the exact details quiet, but rumor has it that he managed to destroy part of the testing facilities with the spell he used." A slight murmur on consternation issued from Hubert, as he digested these words. There were a number of implications to consider with that kind of information. "What about his background?" "Because of his accent and physical features, we can assume he is from Almir. However, his exact place of birth is unknown, and there are no records of individuals with the name Rasmussen in any of the records we have access to. Unless it''s a corruption of an older name, it is likely an alias or assumed identity. There were no records on him until very recently, when he joined the Adventurer''s Guild in the town of Mayde." Victor paused to flip the page. "He also undertook his probationary request there, but due to the Branch Manager failing to properly file a report, we don''t have any specific details. However, by the time he arrived in Wyrport, he was already a rank 3 adventurer. Considering the timeline, it''s clear that he was promoted directly after that first request." "He must have made quite an impression then." "We can assume as much. During his time at Wyrport, he took part in a dungeon delve, a single standard request, and an emergency request in response to the Night of Ruin. Once again, the reports were improperly filed, or incomplete, so we have little real information about his activities during this time. I have a few investigators looking into it at the moment. However, he evidently performed well during the emergency request, as he was highly rewarded by the guild and even given a private audience with Count Graveston himself. He emerged from this meeting with a letter of recommendation to attend the University." Hubert choked a little on his tea. This was troubling news. After dabbing his mouth, he motioned for Victor to continue. "He then proceeded to the Capital by boat, and entered the school. Despite his limited recorded history, we have been able to determine several known associates. He travels with a diverse group, consisting of an elf, a beastman, and a human woman. The elf and beastman are both adventurers, and their association likely stems from that background. While we haven''t finished investigating them, their records appear unremarkable. The woman on the other hand is a bit of an enigma. She is apparently called Sera, and joined the group at some point during the Night of Ruin. However, we have no other information on her." Hubert frowned in thought. "So we have two people with non-existent backgrounds, who just so happened to enter the University while the country is in the midst of an undeclared civil war? Sounds suspicious. It seems a little too forceful to be the work of the Serpent, though. It shouldn''t have been that difficult to fake some kind of records on these two....If he wanted to keep them hidden, that is." "I should mention, my lord, that there are two acquaintances of note that I believe should be aware of. While it has been largely buried by misinformation, there is some evidence to suggest that he has some kind of relationship with the Count''s current heir, Morris Graveston. I have eye witness accounts from a caravan master that saw the two traveling together prior to their arrival at Wyrport." The scion of Lothrain was beginning to rethink a few of his earlier assumptions. It seemed that this Mike had the patronage of two generations of House Graveston, something that demanded more careful action on his part. "Who was the other?" Victor flipped to another page. "During the short period of time between his arrival in the capital and his admittance into the University, he help prevent the kidnapping of Elaine Vamith, second in line for the Vamith ducal seat. It''s unclear who perpetrated the plot, but we can assume it was an attempt by the Second Prince''s faction to blackmail Duke Vamith. As a consequence of this rescue, he also formed a cordial relationship with Broderick, the duke''s bastard, who is serving as Elaine''s current guardian." "He only arrived a few days ago, but has already managed to spoil an apparent power play by the Second Prince''s faction and ingratiate himself with leading members of the First Prince''s faction. Considering that ''accident'' he inflicted on me in the library, it''s clear he''s involved in the dynastic struggle." Hubert tried to picture how the strange adventurer fit into the bigger picture, but for the life of him, he couldn''t. Count Graveston had gone to great lengths to make himself the leading figure of the moderates who didn''t side with any particular faction. As such, he couldn''t see why the Count would have such an obvious agent acting on his behalf in the conflict. Could it just be a coincidence? "What was the result of the interference we initiated the other day?" He asked, concerned about potential fallout. Victor closed his notebook. "Carson followed his script carefully, and nearly provoked a confrontation with Mike''s followers. However, Master Liam intervened, having apparently taken an interest in the one named Sera." "Hold off on any other attempts until we get a better grasp on his intentions. It''s probable that he will be invited to House Vamith''s bicentennial celebration next week, especially once they figure out his connection to Count Graveston. We''ll use that opportunity to fish for information. In the meantime, keep him under observation." "Understood, my lord." Victor stood, delivered a bow and left. Hubert finished the rest of his tea, and sighed. The competition for the throne was starting to get messy, and this Mike character was adding to the complications. ------------------------------------------------------ Mike sneezed suddenly, drawing the ire of nearby students in his Magic Theory class. He was having a hard time staying focused on the instructor''s dry lecture on the composition of the elements, especially after he heard something similar the day before. Rebecca and Aine hadn''t attended this class either, and he wondered if the redhead was actually alright. [They kept saying she would be fine, but maybe I should go visit, and offer to help. I don''t know if her problem can be treated with Healing Magic, but it might be worth a shot.] The instructor was wrapping up his lecture, before giving a few announcements. "Remember that the day after tomorrow we will be having the quarterly welcome party in the picnic area of central campus. While you are not required to attend, it will be an excellent opportunity to network with other students in and outside of the department. Additionally, I have been told that the Navy will be conducting a demonstration that afternoon as part of the festivities, which may or may not incorporate one of their prized airships." An excited murmur passed through the students in response to the news. [Huh, it might be worth going just to see an airship. I wonder if they will let us on board.] As soon as the class dismissed, Mike started moving towards the door. He needed to get a quick meal in before heading to his next destination, and every minute counted when dealing with the crowds of desperate students that flooded the cafeteria during the short, thirty minute break. [I really need to start packing lunch, or work on a method of conjuring food. This is getting ridiculous.] He thought as he elbowed his way through the press and ordered a sandwich from the counter. It was the only thing they had available at the moment. Leaving with his spoils he made his way down to the pavilion for his Summoning Magic class. He was hoping that Madeline would have some answers for him regarding the pizza summoning incident. Rounding the corner, he saw that Red was still occupying the majority of the area, despite his best efforts to compress himself into a ball. It looked like a very uncomfortable position to be in. The two other students were waiting outside. Carol was staring at the dragon with undisguised fear, while Killian was standing with his eyes closed. Unsurprisingly, Madeline hadn''t shown up yet. He walked up to the pair, and after exchanging awkward greetings, waited in silence for the teacher to arrive. Or at least he would have, if it weren''t for his overactive familiar exploding out of his pocket to glide over to her favorite playmate. Mike could only shake his head as the other students looked at him curiously while she began to fiercely attack Red''s tail. The larger dragon simply raised his head, glanced in Audra''s direction before laying back down, completely unconcerned. [These two are going to cause me some headaches.] Chapter 119: Multi-dimensional "So you have another dragony-thing?" Carol asked. "You could say that. I found her egg by chance, and have been raising her ever since." Mike answered. "Despite her tendency to attack my summoned creature, she''s quite harmless." The three of them turned to watch the little dragon continue to violently claw at Red''s tail, accomplishing nothing of note in the process. "I see what you mean¡­." The sheep beastman replied. They continued to watch the spectacle quietly, until Melinda finally arrived about thirty minutes later. She ran up in her now trademark fashion, and stopped to catch her breath. After taking a few minutes to get herself in order, she faced her students. "Good morning, class! I hope you are ready to learn. Before we begin, though, I''ll need to speak to Mike privately for a moment." She pulled him to one side, and explained to him animatedly, "So I did some investigation into that dragon of yours, and I have to say it is a miracle of magic." Mike found himself a little overwhelmed by the intensity of her excitement. "As far as I can tell, it''s been unconsciously converting your supplied mana into its physical structure, bringing it more fully into existence. I don''t know if it''s the way your spell was cast, or perhaps some strange quality of the record that the spell drew upon during its casting, but this is remarkable." "What does that mean exactly?" He asked, finding it a little hard to follow her explanation. "To put it simply, the longer your conjured dragon remains here, the closer it will get towards a ''real'' creature. It''s almost like your Conjuration spell morphed into a long term Calling spell that allows for protracted mana provision rather than requiring it all at once. I don''t know how you did it, but this could be the solution to a number of problems Summoners have been working to fix for generations!" She grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him a little in her exuberance. Laughing awkwardly, Mike replied while being thrown around. "Haha¡­glad to help, I guess." "So, I need to ask, are you able to sustain the spell for a while longer? I know the mana drain must be severe, and I think I have a solution. Thanks to a special research grant I was able to push through this morning, I got access to the department''s treasury, so that I could secure these." Melinda held up a small pouch as if it were a treasure of great value. "Um, I suppose it''s a nice pouch¡­." "What? No, this is just a minor extradimensional sack. What''s inside is the real treasure." She opened the bag, and drew out a small metal vial, handing it to him. "This is a mana potion, simply drinking it will restore a portion of your mana." Mike used Appraise immediately. ------------------------------------------------------- {Tier 1 Mana Potion} Magic Potion (Tier 1, Rank 3] An alchemical product that serves as a reservoir of mana. Individuals who are able to use mana can consume this potion to restore a portion of their reserves. The amount varies by the tier and rank of the potion. ------------------------------------------------------- [I was wondering when I''d run into something like this. I guess I can make them with Alchemy at some point in the future.] "Go ahead. Drink up! There are plenty more where that once came from." Melinda exclaimed pushily. Since the mana he''d expended in his Elemental Magic class hadn''t fully recovered yet, he went ahead and drank the potion. It tasted a bit like ginseng, and he found himself wondering if a mana potion had much in common with an energy drink. A small surge of power flooded into him, almost topping off his mana reserves. It was a pleasant, rejuvenating feeling that he could get used to. Unfortunately, it seemed like the amount of mana provided by the potion was a mere drop in the bucket compared to his normal supply. If he had to express it numerically, he''d say it restored about 1% of his reserves. "So? How is it? Do you think you''ll be able to maintain the spell for a while longer?" Melinda asked hopefully. "Yeah, I think I will be good for now." "Excellent, you can go ahead and take the rest of these. They only gave me ten, but if you stretch them out, it should let you hold out for longer." She passed the pouch over, which he quickly appraised. ------------------------------------------------- {Minor Extradimensional Sack} Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 4) A creation of Space Magic, extradimensional sacks are the most basic form of extradimensional storage, allowing their users to easily carry large amounts of material. The sack itself functions as a permanent portal to a self-contained dimension tied to the material realm. Storage space varies by item tier and rank. -------------------------------------------------- [Haha! I finally got my hands on one of these! With the power of extradimensional storage, there is nothing I cannot achieve!] "Unfortunately, you will need to return the sack once we are done with the ''experiment.'' They tend to get a little protective with those things." Melinda said in passing as she moved over to the dragon. [Crap¡­.] "This seems pretty useful. Do you perhaps know where I can buy one?" Mike asked, holding up the bag. "The sack? I think they sell them at some magic item shops in town, but I know they''re pretty expensive. Unfortunately, Space Mages or Arcane Mages that can create Space Magic effects are rare." She said distractedly, while pulling out the lens from yesterday. "More importantly, what''s with this small dragon that appears to be trying to eat your summon in an inefficient manner?" "Hmm, that''s just a pet of mine¡­" He trailed off as he noticed her expression. She was standing slack-jawed, starring at Audra through the lens. [Whoops.] Knowing it was probably too late, he threw himself in front of the instructor anyway, blocking her view while trying to stammer out an explanation. "Yep just found her somewhere, an acquaintance of mine thinks she''s a Water Drake. Crazy, haha¡­" Melinda gave him a bewildered look that slowly morphed into one of understanding. She leaned in close to avoid being overheard by the other students who were still patiently waiting. "I think you and I both know that creature isn''t something as banal as a drake. Where in the twelve hells did you find it?" She hissed. "Wyrmrest Lake¡­" Melinda put a hand against her forehead as if she was suffering from a massive headache. She stood like that for a few moments before looking at him. "I''m not even going to ask how you managed to bind something like that as a familiar¡­.." She sighed, "We''re going to have to keep it a secret. If it got out that you have a Wyrm in your service, even a young one, people all over the world will try to monopolize you. By force if necessary." "That certainly sounds like a lot of trouble." He mumbled. She gave him a glare, "Honestly, the only other person that would command such attention would be the Hero. That''s how rare and powerful these creatures are." Mike tried hard to control his features at the mention of Hero, but something must have slipped out, because Melinda gave him a suspicious look. "You aren''t¡­..I mean there''s no way¡­.." "What, me? A Hero? No way. I''m just a guy with a powerful dragon familiar." The instructor continued to stare at him. Hoping to avoid any more informational leaks, Mike quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, shouldn''t we get class started? I feel pretty guilty taking up all of your time when you still have students in need of instruction, especially after how long they had to wait for you to show up." Melinda blanched, "Oh no. I can''t afford any more official complaints." She ran to grab the other two. "Sorry about that, I just had a few logistical problems to work out with Mike here. Anyway, you learned how to do basic Conjuration yesterday, so I intend to continue in this mien. Carol, I didn''t get a chance to ask yesterday, but was the scroll sufficient to unlock your skill?" The sheep beastman nodded absently, eyes still fixed on the dragon fearfully. Of course Audra chose this moment to attempt to take a bite out of Red''s left wing, something that was a little more sensitive than the rest of him, apparently. He jerked as if bitten by a flea, lifted his head, and gave the little dragon an angry glare. Unfortunately, the group happened to be standing on the other side Audra when he did so, causing them to fall under the full brunt of his gaze. Carol emitted a short ''meep'' and promptly collapsed, once again unconscious. Melinda sighed, and looked over at Mike. "We''ll need to find someplace for this guy to stay for the time being. He''s starting to interrupt class a little too often. Oh well, I kind of expected this to happen, which is why I came prepared!" She pulled a bottle of clear liquid from one of her pockets, opened it, and held it under Carol''s nose. After a few seconds, the beastman snapped awake with a shudder. "There we go, all better. Now, since you''ve all acquired the Conjuration skill, and we''re running short on time, so I''ll give a brief overview of Calling before we start practicing." Melinda helped Carol to her feet before starting her lecture. "As I mentioned yesterday, Calling is one of the three types of Summoning Magic. To make it more complicated, there are actually three different kinds of Calling magic that vary based on their planned effect. The first of these is known simply as Movement Calling. This type works by attaching a magical signature on an object or creature, which will allow you to summon it to you with a spell. The farther the distance they must move, the greater the mana cost." [Sounds pretty useful.] "The second type is Gating, in which a summoner attempts to call an existing object or creature, without marking it beforehand. Unlike other types of types of Summoning Magic, this requires the use of a ritual circle and elaborate preparation. Otherwise the mana requirements would be prohibitive. When a summoner wants to bind a permanent servant, they have to use this type of calling to achieve it." Melinda paused to take a breath. She was clearly trying to get this out as quickly as possible. "The last type is Creation, which is similar to Gating, but much more difficult. It works by pulling information from the System to spontaneously generate something. While this means that you can basically use this method to create almost anything, the mana requirements are astronomical, even with a ritual. This is almost exclusively used to create small objects, but there have been a few recorded instances of powerful summoners creating short lived beings." She looked over at Mike, "However, researchers are finding new ways to use magic skills every day. Who knows what the future might hold. Alright, now that you know a bit about Calling, lets get you working on your Conjuration. We still have a bit of time left in the class, so I can teach you a few pointers." Chapter 120: On the Horizon Emmanuel Garthun sat heavily in the comfortable leather chair, resting his weary feet. He''d developed the bad habit of teleporting places he needed to go, and therefore found the long climb up to the conference room in the Spire a major chore. Unfortunately for him, whatever material the structure was made of blocked Space Magic transfers, forcing him to take the stairs once he had arrived at the ground floor. He sighed as his heart rate finally started to slow down. [I''m getting too old for this.] The other members of the University Board hadn''t arrived yet, which was not surprising, since the emergency meeting notification was only sent out a half hour ago. The Headmaster wasn''t there either, but Emmanuel figured that the man wanted to make one of his trademark dramatic entrances. Eventually the other department chairs arrived, starting with Emmanuel''s least favorite person. Amanda Beasley, chair of the Arts Department fluttered through the door in a riotous blizzard of color. He could tell that the thin, middle aged woman had designed a new outfit for herself, which seemed to consist of dozens of multicolored strips of cloth sewn into a loose framework of cord. Only one end of the strips were attached, allowing the rest of them to fly freely, and showing a bit too much skin for his taste. "Ahh, Emmanuel. Good day! We have been blessed by such excellent weather today, it makes me feel like bursting into song." "Please don''t, the last thing I need right now is a headache." "Haha, you always have the best jokes." She said with a laugh as she selected a chair and gracefully sat. "I''m completely serious." This only earned another laugh. Master Liam arrived next, nodded his greetings to the two current occupants, and took a seat as well. Emmanuel never really knew what the quiet Martial Arts Department Head was thinking, but he made sure to listen whenever the other man spoke. Following closely behind the martial artist, was a severe looking, bespectacled woman dressed the brown tunic and pants of the Finance Department. Victoria Sharpe took her seat, and without so much as glancing at the others began looking through a pile of papers she had brought with her. Emmanuel shook his head at the sight. He knew Victoria loathed wasting any time that could be better spent managing the complex and intricate web of financial contracts which helped fund the University, in addition to her duties as department chair. That said, she could at least spare a little time for a simple greeting. The last one to arrive was Agari Junthin, the Science Department Chair, who was pulled in by a disgruntled looking student. This student promptly left after Agari was seated. Judging from the female rat beastman''s appearance, it was clear that she had just been forced to leave some kind of experiment. She was still dressed in a tattered lab coat, gloves, and safety goggles, and was looking around as if trying to figure out where she was and how she got here. Five of the six seats in the conference room were now filled, and exactly as Emmanuel expected, the Headmaster chose that moment to enter. The door was flung open, and the bald headed man strode in, his boots creating staccato notes on the wooden floor in the silence that had descended. Tall and broad shouldered, Alexander Potrarian, cut an imposing figure. From the top of his shaven head to the thick military-style boots, the man looked more like a general than a teacher, and indeed he had served as such during the most recent war with Tennundi. He stopped in front of his seat and addressed the council. "Thank you for gathering at such short notice, but I have dire news that demands immediate attention." Finally sitting down, he made sure to look each department chair in the eyes before continuing. [This sounds pretty serious. I haven''t seen him this intense in a long while.] His deep baritone voice rang out again, "I''m sure you are all aware of the conflict currently taking place in the Court. Traditionally, the University has avoided taking sides in any dynastic dispute. At the same time we have the responsibility of protecting our students from harm, regardless of the origin of that harm." Emmanuel felt his heart sink. He had a feeling that the royal twins would cause him some trouble. After a brief pause the Headmaster continued, "It has come to my attention that a group of radicals may be seeking to kidnap or assassinate some of our students. You should all know who among your rolls would be a potential target. I ask that you take care to provide them with every available security resource. I will be mobilizing the University Guard as well as the reserve forces for the next few weeks." Agari, the Science Department chair, raised her hand, "Do we have any idea specifically who is in danger? I can''t think of anyone in my department that would be involved in politics." "The two in the greatest danger are enrolled in the Magic Department. I trust you know who I am speaking about Emmanuel. The others are spread among the Finance, Art, and Martial Arts departments." Alexander replied. The beastman nodded, her short, rounded ears flicking in mild annoyance. "Then, why am I here? I was in the middle of an important experiment when the announcement hit." "A fair question, one that will be answered by my second piece of news. You must understand, what I am about to say doesn''t leave this room." He paused to give the board another glare. "It was reported early this morning that Tennundian troops had invaded the Western Marches and are laying siege to Kadin Citadel." A stony silence fell on the group as they digested the news. They all understood the danger of an invasion, especially now, when the country was so divided by internal conflict. Emmanuel broke the silence, "What is the current situation?" "General Grant is holding steady in Kadin. He is well supplied and equipped, and, barring any sudden changes, can withstand the siege for months. Marshal Forint is on the move in the north. He looks to relieve the fortress within the week. Marshal Jurien has already started mobilizing forces around the capital, but it will be at least a week before they are ready to march. She plans to take a levy of the knightly orders to rendezvous with Forint in the mean time. Admiral Lothrain has already skirmished with the Tennundian Navy, and judging from their actions, they are looking to keep our ships occupied while they push for a ground victory." Emmanuel never really knew where the Headmaster got his information from, but he was almost always aware of important events in the kingdom, long before it reached the general public. The mage tried to picture the various elements in his head, and came to one dreadful conclusion. "If the citadel falls, we are looking at a potential assault on the capital itself¡­. You called us here because you suspect the Prime Minister will issue a general Call to Arms." This got the attention of the board. "Surely it won''t come to that, we have the entire Western Army between us and them." Amanda spoke, sounding like she was trying to convince herself. Alexander closed his eyes for a second, "It hasn''t been released by the authorities yet, but Marquis Ulric was found dead earlier this week. With the confusion in the court, no one has yet been appointed as marshal of the Western Army. It seems our longtime enemy has timed their invasion well. We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility of a Call to Arms." Even in the best of times, the Almiran military was a confusing patchwork of different noble''s troops, peasant levies, knightly orders, national soldiers, and hired mercenaries. Only through the leadership of the marshals, military leaders chosen by the king himself, could anything resembling an organized effort be mounted. With the death of, arguably, Almir''s most effective marshal, the Western Army would be hard pressed to determine who was actually in charge, let alone how they should conduct a defensive war against an invading force. So, rather than fixing the existing problem, it seemed like the government had largely given up on the army, and was preparing for battle to reach the capital. Due to a long history of invasions, when war kicked off, there were dozens of laws and regulations which allowed the nation''s rulers to call on virtually anyone to join the ranks of the military. The most frequently used was the Call to Arms, which allowed general conscription in times of national emergency. The students of the University, although young, had the advantage of being some of the best trained and skilled combatants in the region. Combined with an existing organizational structure that could be co-opted in times of need, and it was a ready-made militia force. Emmanuel tried to remember the University''s procedures in the event of a Call to Arms. He knew that the school was tasked with building a comprehensive military organization in times of war, with each department providing their own specialized services. Both students and faculty members were expected to participate in the defense of their nation. Administration provided command and control, with the Headmaster in charge of operations. The Magic and Martial Arts departments were the primary strike force, using the University''s Guard troops to supplement their numbers and experience. Finance would command the logistics efforts along with the Science department, while serving as engineers and armorers as necessary. Finally the Arts department provided manpower for any task the other groups needed, since they lacked skills that would be readily applicable in wartime. While it sounded good on paper, the University hadn''t been subjected to a Call to Arms in more than a century. The current staff was filled with indolent professors who were more at home in the library than on the battlefield. Expecting them to lead squads of students converted into soldiers was ludicrous. At least the majority of the students were aristocrats. While it had started to fall out of general favor in the upper classes, it was still considered honorable for nobles to serve in military conflicts. As such, most of them had been trained from an early age to fight in war. The Headmaster spoke again. "Although I want to avoid a general panic among the student body, I intend to hold a mobilization drill next week. Do what you can to calm their fears. Additionally, I will be sending a detailed list of my expectations for all of you in the near future, so keep an eye out for that. Are there any questions?" Speaking for the first time since the meeting started, Master Liam weighed in on the subject. "My students will be ready, should it come to that." Similar messages were expressed from around the table. "Good." Alexander said while standing. "Then this meeting is adjourned." --------------------------------------- Morris crumpled the letter in his hand and threw it into the fire angrily. What was his father thinking?! After making him travel to the city of Gold Spear to negotiate with members of the Anti-Royal faction for the last week, the Count had the gall to send him a letter ordering him to abandon his efforts and march north in all haste. It was almost as if the Serpent was saying that Morris''s work had been a pointless waste of time, and that he merely wanted his son to have a plausible reason for waiting in the city until it was the time to act. [If he wanted me to be on standby, all he had to do was say so. Why does he continue to manipulate me in this way?] With a sigh, Morris finished venting. He knew there wasn''t any other option but to follow his father''s wishes. He''d given that option up in Wyrport. There were a lot of preparations he need to start taking care of, and judging from the tone of the Count''s letter, he needed to move quickly. As for the mission itself.....well he''d figure that out on the way. [Seriously, why is he so desperate to build an alliance with the Ashborn all of a sudden?] As he was packing his bag, he couldn''t help but remember his last encounter with the tribe. He pictured the giant beetle mount of the warrior that had almost killed, and had to suppress a shudder. [Hopefully this Talgratha figure will be open to the alliance...why does that name ring a bell?] Chapter 121: Seeing Red Melinda finally concluded the class after each of them had proven capable of conjuring several small objects in a row. She gave Mike a rather serious glare when he started participating effectively, showing that he was capable of using conjuration despite the spell he''d used to summon Red. He wasn''t surprised when she had him stay after class. She stared at him for a good minute before speaking. "I''ve decided that I don''t want to know any more information about you, so I''m going to pretend our conversation from earlier never happened. For now, I think we should concentrate on figuring out what to do with your dragon. Keeping him here any longer will only make others suspicious." "Are you done experimenting already?" Mike asked, surprised that she was willing to let her valuable research subject go like that. "No, but I''ve learned about as much as I can without knowing the specific chant you used. Since you seem to have forgotten it," She gave him an exasperated look, "I''m going to have to figure something else out." "Anyway, I believe your best bet is to have him hide outside of the University. There are some woods to the northwest that would be a good fit. Since he can fly, it will be a simple matter to get him across the bay. Of course, I would like a chance to study him every so often. Maybe you could call him back once a week. I need to track his progress in self manifestation, after all." "That should be fine, but aren''t there defenses that will trigger with him just flying over the wall?" "As a summoned creature, your dragon shares your mana signature, so you might have to answer a few questions if you have him come back too often, but overall, it should be fine." Mike nodded, "Sounds like a plan then." He paused to consider a couple of possibilities. "How should I go about contacting him if I need him?" Miranda blinked, before laughing. "Sorry, sometimes it''s hard to remember that you''re still a newbie when it comes to Summoning Magic. As a conjured creature, you should have a mental link with him, allowing you to give him commands from a distance. It should work a bit like your familiar bond, but more informational and less emotional." [Right¡­. There was that. I don''t remember having any kind of mental connection to Audra, at least that I could feel. Do I just¡­think at him?] Mike tried to mentally tell Red to look at him. He felt accomplished when the dragon regarded him questioningly. "I would suggest having him move at night, that way we can avoid any problems that might arise from him being seen." Melinda commented after watching the proceedings. "I''ll take care of it tonight, then." Mike said his farewells, and after recalling Audra, who had gotten tired and spent most of the last half of the lesson curled up into a ball on Red''s back, headed to his next class. He sat through another round of excruciatingly painful pronunciation practice in Chanting, before heading over to Alchemy. It was a little less crowded this time. From the sounds of the muttering going on around him, if a student failed to unlock the skill in the last class, the University would forcefully kick them out of the class. Apparently it was considered a waste of resources to try and teach individuals without the talent for the skill. The course of instruction today was on making Crystal Salt, an alchemical material that saw high demand among blacksmiths. It could dramatically increase the durability of steel when mixed with it during the forging process. As such it was another staple alchemical product. He quickly succeeded in making a bowlful of the substance, which mainly involved mixing the blood of an Ironhide Boar with the diluted resin of the Crystalshard Tree. The resulting solution formed a pinkish sediment that, once dried and heated, formed into Crystal Salt. The whole process reminded Mike of chemistry class, and he had genuine fun mixing the fantasy materials, but he wondered when they would be allowed to choose their own projects. He had a feeling that, given the chance to do a little experimentation, he could come up with some interesting things. Lily, of course, barely succeeded in creating the Crystal Salt, after going through four separate flasks. Two of them exploded in her usual fashion, but the third actually imploded, creating a vaguely condensed block of pinkish material with shards of glass embedded in it. Mike was so confused by this process he used Appraise on the product, in an effort to figure out what happened. ------------------------------------------------ Sedimentary Crystal Material (Tier 1, Rank 1) A byproduct of a failed alchemical process. Has no intrinsic value, but may function as a paperweight. ------------------------------------------------- [I always wondered if the System had a sense of humor. Now I know.] Mike spent the rest of the class quietly practicing his Air Magic under the table. It proved more difficult than he originally intended to keep the small swirl of wind both contained and silent, but he managed to do so. Before the class was over, he felt the familiar clicking sensation as the skill finally ranked up. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he returned to the dormitory. He''d initially planned on finishing the history book, but decided to take a break from the author''s dry writing style. He briefly flipped through the tome on magic theory and found it to be more or less what he was learning in class, so lacking any better options, he picked up "Monsters of the Central Continent." Ever since he summoned a Lesser Fire Dragon, he''d been curious about what other types were out there. An entire chapter was dedicated to draconic creatures, starting with ''True'' dragons, and working into draconically influenced monsters. Unfortunately, the section dedicated to dragons was relatively short. According to the author, while dragons had been fairly common on the central continent in the past, the Day of Ashes changed that. The hostile environment which currently encased the Ash Mountains drove the dragons living there to other continents. Only a few species remained, specifically those who made their homes in Forest of Shadows, and along the coastline of the central continent. That said, the author was able to determine a few basic facts that seemed prevalent across all of the various species. All ''true'' dragons are elementally attuned, magical in nature, and can gain access to a range of magical abilities as they develop. While the most basic of these is flight, since it would be impossible to create enough lift for the creatures with muscle power alone, almost every variety can perform a number of unusual feats involving their attuned elements. For instance flame dragons are known to breathe fire and utilize rudimentary Fire Elemental Magic. The remaining details were scant, but the author included some secondary sources of questionable veracity, to pad the section a little. He went on to explain that dragon physiology is not well understood, but most accounts agree that they are pretty much the most advanced kind of life form on the planet. Apparently dragons are capable of eating just about anything, are functionally immune to disease, can live for thousands of years, heal at a significantly faster rate than other creatures, have abnormally dense and resilient tissue that render them far more durable than most living beings, and have innately higher attributes. All this combined with their incredible intellects means that an angry dragon is on par with a natural disaster in terms of destructive force. Thanks to the efficiency of their digestive systems, they didn''t even need to expel biological waste. A fact that Mike had been worrying about for some time, having noticed the tendency in Audra. Thankfully, the majority of dragon varieties are known for their sluggish and easy-going natures. So long as they are provided regular food supplies, they generally won''t engage in violence unless threatened. Mike skimmed through the rest of the book, taking note of some interesting monsters. When he had the time, he was planning on trying his hand at summoning some of the draconic creatures listed within. While not as powerful as an actual dragon, they could prove useful in certain circumstances, especially if he could find a way of summoning multiple creatures at the same time. When he heard the bell tower ring ten times, he went down and got a quick dinner before heading over to the summoning pavilion. The others hadn''t returned yet, and Mike figured they must still be training hard. When he arrived, Red was already up and waiting for him. With a great deal of care, Mike was able to direct him through the support pillars without causing any serious damage. There were a few scrapes that would be hard to explain, but considering the alternative, he called it a win. As quietly as he could manage while leading a multi-ton creature, Mike headed towards the eastern wall, past the Elemental Magic building. When the wall was finally in sight, he turned and looked at Red, ensuring that he had the dragon''s full attention. "Alright buddy, I know this is a little cruel, but I''m going to need to you to go hide in the woods for a while. Can you do that?" Red nodded his head solemnly. [I wonder if he can understand me because he''s a conjured creature, or because of my Communication Magic. Oh well, I guess it doesn''t matter.] "Take care of yourself while you''re out there, make sure to eat regularly, and don''t get into too many fights with the other monsters." The dragon rubbed his head affectionately against Mike. Mike felt an odd sense of loneliness. [Is this what it feels like when your child leaves home? Parenting must suck.] A female voice broke his reverie. "What.....what is this?" [...crap...] Chapter 122: Moonlit Encounter "Quick! She went this way!" The guard shouted as he ran past the hollowed tree Andrea was hiding in. She waited until the rest of the group had passed before slipping away into the evening darkness. Although she felt a pang of guilt about escaping from her longtime bodyguard Jordan, she was glad to be rid of the others. Ostensibly for her protection, she had grown increasingly stifled by the detail from the University Guard. Finally, when she caught one of the guardsmen ogling her when he thought she wasn''t looking, she decided she''d give them the slip. Escaping her guards had proven easy enough, but losing them was a bit more difficult. After dinner, she had expressed the desire to go for a walk, and pushed past their objections to force the issue. While they were moving through a slightly wooded area near the division between the dormitories and central campus, she made her move. Summoning a thick cloud of sand, Andrea ducked into the wood line while the guards were distracted. Unfortunately, they were surprisingly well trained, and once the cloud had subsided, the quickly started catching up. She led them into a slightly wild patch of trees in the north east corner of the Magic Department''s grounds, eventually succeeding in evading them entirely by hiding in a dead, hollowed out tree. Once clear of pursuit she made her way to one of the outbuildings that served as practice rooms for the department''s Elemental Mages. It had been deemed necessary to isolate the volatile group on the far eastern side of campus to avoid any unseemly.....explosions. The building was locked, as expected. Sighing, she walked around it until she found an oddly shaped boulder. It was strangely regular, with a slit carved into it, but looked comfortable enough, so she sat on it. She was starting to regret her impulsive behavior. The thrill of her escape had worn off, and she couldn''t help but consider the ramifications of the act. Andrea was acting childishly, or worse, foolishly. Running away wouldn''t accomplish anything besides aggravating her protectors. More than likely, they would use this as an excuse to limit her freedom even further in an effort to keep her ''safe.'' She sighed again, and looked up towards the starry sky while listening to the chirping of nocturnal insects. The crescent moon rested picturesquely on the horizon, providing a little light to the world below. [At least it''s a pleasant night.] She thought. Suddenly, the insects went silent, as a massive creature moved through the trees nearby, crushing underbrush and snapping branches. She could see its vague outline in the darkness of the night, and its sheer size left her feeling cold. Holding as still as she could manage, she waited with heart hammering until the thing had passed. [What was that?] She could still hear it moving towards the wall surrounding the University. Now that the danger seemed to have receded, she found her curiosity acting up. [There''s no way a monster that size got past the University''s defenses without triggering some kind of an alarm¡­..unless¡­] Unless there was a traitor inside the University that allowed it in. Andrea''s mouth felt dry. She felt she needed to investigate. Who knew what sort of nefarious deeds would be committed if she just pretended like she didn''t see anything. Indeed, it was her duty as a member of the royal family to get to the bottom of this. She crept along, following the creature''s obvious path. Hopefully, she could remain unseen until she''d gotten a clear idea of what was going on. After a while, the creature broke into a clearing and stopped. So sudden was the change that Andrea nearly followed it out into the open space. Thinking quickly, she dodged behind a nearby tree. From her hiding spot, she could hear the quiet murmur of a male voice somewhere on the other side of the creature, the tone solemn and little sorrowful. Curious, she peaked out at the scene. A massive reptilian creature was sitting hunched over in the center of the clearing. A pair of membranous wings were held loosely to its scaled flanks. With a start she realized she was looking at a dragon. One that seemed to be conversing with some humanoid figure she could only see the legs of. "What¡­.what is this?" She spoke unconsciously before slapping a hand over her mouth in panic. The dragon whipped its head around and delivered an intense glare in her direction, its baleful red eyes glowing malevolently in the night. It rose to its full height, wings splayed and ready to pounce. Fear overwhelmed her all at once, and she felt her legs give out from underneath her. Wracking her brains, she frantically tried to think of something, anything, she could do to stop the beast before it attacked. "That''s enough, Red." A male voice called. In response to the command, the dragon relaxed visibly and settled down on to its haunches, tail curling around its forelegs. A human was standing by the creature, wearing a deep crimson cloak with hood raised. For a moment, Andrea thought the man''s face was bathed in shadow, but she realized he was wearing a mask of the purest black, which covered everything, including his eyes. She''d never seen someone look so suspicious. The cloaked man stepped forward, placing himself between her and the dragon. "So, what is a princess doing out here by herself, at this time of night?" Her mind blanked for a moment, completely unready for the sudden change in circumstances. With an effort, she regained her feet, "What I am doing is my own business. Besides, I''m not the suspicious one here. What are you doing with this¡­..dragon?" She trailed off a little bit, still feeling awed by the majestic creature now staring down at her in an arrogantly dismissive manner. "Why shouldn''t I summon the guard right now?" --------------------------------------------------------------- Mike heaved a mental sigh. [What is the princess of Almir doing here? Why do these things have to be so complicated?] When he''d heard the voice from the other side of the clearing, he had feared that he''d been discovered. Luckily, Red''s bulk had hidden him long enough to apply a makeshift disguise. Donning the hood of his Salamander''s Cloak, he quickly summoned a mask made from Dark Magic to cover his face. Thanks to the practice from earlier today, he was even able to create slightly tinted lens over his eyes, allowing him to see, albeit dimly. Almost immediately, he''d had to calm Red down, since the dragon had looked ready to attack the intruder. Even after he''d settled down, Mike could sense a degree of tension in his posture, almost as if he was upset at the woman. While talking to the princess, as an effort to buy some time, he briefly considered a number of options. He dismissed any violent actions, suspecting that this world likely had access to some magical forensic techniques that would definitely be employed in the event of the princess suddenly disappearing. Without knowing how to avoid detection, it would be too dangerous to attempt it. He figured that if he could convince her that he wasn''t an enemy or threat, at the very least, she would only report it to the authorities. So long as he hid his identity, he should be in the clear. Mike was also confident in his ability to get away, should negotiations. [If only I had some kind of mental magic I could use to alter her memories or something. I''m going to have to look into that in the future.] So he used the next best thing. Enhancing his voice with Communication Magic and mana, he made his case. ------------------------------------------------------------ The man answered her question in a deep, rich voice that seemed to vibrate through the clearing. "My business is also my own, princess, but rest assured I am not your enemy nor the enemy of this country. Indeed, in the past I have often fought to protect the people of Almir, risking life and limb to do so. As to summoning the guard, it would be inconvenient for me, so I would ask you to refrain from it." Andrea found herself believing his words, even though she had no reason to do so. Something about the way he said it, was just so¡­.convincing. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Well, even if that is the case, you picked a bad place to meet up. The University Guard has been conducting patrols through campus recently. You''re going to be discovered soon." The man considered this before answering. "You have a point, and I shall be remedying it momentarily." He turned towards the dragon, who promptly lowered itself, allowing the man to climb onto its neck. Andrea was slightly overcome. She''d heard the stories, but had figured they were mere legends. Could he really be¡­..? Her thoughts were interrupted as the dragon stood up and spread its wings once more. With a rush of wind, the massive creature threw itself into the air and began ascend, wings flapping steadily. Before she knew it, her legs had started moving, pushing her out into the center of the clearing. "Wait! Please! Are you really one of them?" The man regarded her from his perch atop his dragon mount, before yelling above the wind. "I''ll be seeing you, princess." The dragon turned, and with a few strong beats of its wings, flew out over the wall and disappeared into the night. She stood in the clearing for a long time after that, musing about what she had seen. A small smile played about her lips as she spoke quietly to herself. "I can''t believe it. I thought they were a myth. A real Dragonknight..." -------------------------------------------------------- Mike immediately regretted his decision, once Red had gotten up to speed. He was forced to cling to the dragon''s neck with all his strength to avoid being thrown off by the force of the wind. They were flying at speeds that shouldn''t be possible considering the dragon''s size, and general lack of aerodynamics. Magic had to be involved. Even though he''d never experienced it, he assumed that this is what it would be like to try to cling to the side of a plane while in midair. If it wasn''t for his superhuman abilities, Mike would have fallen off a long time ago. As if sensing his discomfort, Red started slowing down to the point he could relax slightly. Reaching a good soaring altitude the dragon simply extended his wings and started gliding. Finally, Mike could take a moment to evaluate his situation. However, he was distracted by the scenery. The moon was in the process of setting, making it seem like it was resting on the surface of the ocean to the west. The entirety of the capital was laid out behind him. He could faintly see the glittering lights of the city. The Span reflected the moonlight strangely, making it appear to glow in the dark. A vast forest now stretched beneath him, which seemed to extend towards distant foothills, jutting up against a dark mountain range to the north. For a moment, he simply enjoyed the feeling. Here he was, flying on the back of a dragon through the sky of another world. This was everything he had hoped for when he reincarnated. This brief moment of contentment was brought to a sudden end when Audra, awakened by sudden violence of their departure, attempted to launch herself into the air in an effort to mimic the larger dragon. "Oh no, you don''t." Mike said as he caught his familiar in mid leap, and placed her back in her dedicated pocket. "You can see just fine from there." He directed Red to swing by the lighthouse near the dormitories. As soon as they reached the building, he jumped off of the dragon''s back and used Air Magic to direct his fall inside of the University''s walls. Once he''d landed, he set off towards the dorms. With any luck, he''d avoided any further detection. Chapter 123: One With the Wind In a small room in the basement of the Administration Building, a crystal orb, resting in a metallic stand, flashed twice with a blue light. A box shaped device built into the stand displayed the name, ''Michael Rasmussen'' twice in succession, before going dark. A little while later the process repeated. Ordinarily, this would have caused a small stir amongst the guards whose job it was to monitor these devices, since it represented an unusual anomaly in the detection system. However, recent events had prevented them from doing so. "You know what that thing does?" A man dressed in black leathers asked as he cleaned the blade of his dagger. "Not sure. I think it''s some kind of security system." His partner replied as she stripped the uniform from the guard she''d dispatched earlier. "Heh. I guess it doesn''t work that well, then." He started doing the same with his own target. "When''s their relief supposed to be arriving?" "These two were on the night shift. The next crew isn''t supposed to be arriving until early tomorrow morning, but by that point they should have been replaced by our other agents. You should know all this. It was covered in the briefing." Came the terse reply. "You know I barely pay attention at those things. As soon as they tell me where to go and who to kill, I just blank on the rest." By this point he had the guard''s tunic most of the way off, but frowned when he saw the amount of blood staining its front. A quick application of Lifestyle Magic cleaned it up quickly enough. The woman dropped the boot she was trying to pull off her victim''s foot. "And that''s why you are always screwing up the important bits. If I wasn''t here to stop you from doing stupid shit every few minutes, you would have gotten yourself killed a long time ago!" He just smiled at the familiar exchange. "That''s why I keep you around, rabbit. You always got my back." Scoffing at the old nickname, she went back to the task at hand. "Yeah, yeah. Someone has to." "So when are the others supposed to be coming through?" The woman grimaced at her partner''s complete lack of concern. "They should be moving now. I sent the message just a few minutes ago. Gods! You are so irresponsible!" "Haha. What can I say. It takes real talent to be like me." Issuing an inarticulate sound which could only be called disgusted rage, the woman lit into her partner a second time. They were so distracted by their argument, that they completely failed to notice when the crystal ball began flashing quickly, this time in red. Dozens of messages started popping up on the attached box. Each of them reading ''UNKNOWN.'' ------------------------------------------------------- Mike snuck back into the quiet dorm. It seemed like the residents had largely gone to sleep by this point, although he did run into a maid who was working late. She gave him a respectful bow before continuing on with her duties. He slipped into his room as quietly as he could, wishing he had gotten his hands on some kind of stealth related skill. Apparently, he hadn''t been spending enough time and energy avoiding attention just yet. Judging from the soft snores, Brenden was soundly asleep. Mike guessed they must have had another difficult day of training. Hopefully, their efforts would show results. Slipping into bed, Mike considered the events of the day as he drifted off himself. His run in with the princess had been a close call. Luckily, it looked like he had gotten away with it. The next morning he got up early again. This time he waited in the living room, wanting to speak to the others about a few of the things going on, and relay the news about the event taking place tomorrow. Not surprisingly Tal was the first one up, and after brewing her customary pot of tea, she sat in a chair across from Mike. "Up early. Came in late." She commented in a monotone. Mike sensed she was a little displeased about it. He sighed. "Had an issue to take care of in the Magic Department. I needed to limit the chances of being seen while I did so. Besides, I''m not the only one waking up early and coming late." "Suspicious. Only training." "I''m aware you''re only training with the other two. Anyway, I''m not trying to keep it from you, but I was hoping it would be a surprise. If we end up going to Sera''s initial request this weekend, I''ll show you what I''m talking about." The elf lapsed into a slightly awkward silence, as if she didn''t know how to respond before finally giving a simple nod. "Anyway, I was hoping you could pass a message off to the others. We have a couple of things going on in the next couple of days, and I was hoping that you plan accordingly. Tomorrow, there is going to be some kind of initial welcoming party for the whole University. It''s not required, but it might be a good chance to take a break from training and get to know some of the other students." Tal nodded again, but didn''t seem too enthused. "I''ve been told that there is some kind of naval demonstration going on at the same time, and it might involve one of their airships. I was planning on going for that much at least, since I''m interested in seeing one." "Never seen one up close, either. They''re only really available to the super-rich and the military." Brenden commented as he sleepily joined the conversation, fully clothed this time. "It might be fun to see what all the fuss is about." "Speaking of the super-rich, we were invited to Broderick''s place for a small gathering this weekend. Assuming Sera''s request doesn''t take too long, we should aim to attend." "Fair enough." He yawned. "Anyway, Tal, it''s time to wake our student, don''t you think?" "Indeed." Was the simple response. While Tal got the half-asleep Oracle up and moving, Brenden spoke, "If you have time after class, you should swing by the Martial Arts department''s north east training yard. Sera''s been making some pretty significant progress. I think you''ll be impressed." "Sounds good. There shouldn''t be any problem with that." Mike watched as Tal pushed a groggy Sera out the door, and Brenden trailed behind, only stopping to grab his sword. Once the three of them had departed, Mike got ready himself, and went down to breakfast. On impulse, he grabbed the history book before leaving. He planned to make use of the extra time afforded by his Chanting class, since the lessons were basically useless to him. After a leisurely meal he made his way to his Elemental Magic class. He was the first to arrive, and for once, wasn''t accosted by anything in the process. A notice was posted on the door stating that class was canceled for today due to unforeseen circumstances. Students were asked to attend the rest of their usual classes and resume their normal schedule at the start of next week. Judging from the tone of the message, it definitely wasn''t posted by Instructor Johnathan. Shrugging, Mike decided to take the opportunity to practice on his own. He felt close to a breakthrough with Air Magic, and wanted to focus on it. The feeling of riding on the back of a dragon had inspired a desire to fly through the air under his own power. He wandered through the semi-deserted part of the department''s training area until he found a good clearing. Sitting in a shady spot, he started focusing on his mana. For a while now he''d been feeling a kind of imbalance in his Air Magic, almost as if he were using it improperly. When he focused on it, he was capable of some very intricate work. However, he usually found himself simply using it as a brute force tool of either distraction or transportation. When he did so, he felt a kind of resistance, almost as if he was working against himself. At first, he''d assumed this disturbance would vanish once he improved the skill, but the more he thought about it, the more it felt like he was missing something fundamental to the process. Since he had the time to concentrate now, he wanted to explore this aspect. With a surge of will, he summoned a tiny cyclone in the palm of his hand. Instead of observing the effects visually, however, he tried to feel the mana as if flowed through him. An unusual change was occurring to the energy once it exited his hand. He could sense it clearly up to that point, but afterwards it felt¡­..distant and fuzzy. Unsure of what it would accomplish, he tried forcibly expanding his perception to incorporate the tiny cyclone. He felt a level of resistance, like he was trying to press against some kind of limitation. [Well, I''ve had good luck pushing through these kinds of things in the past, let''s just give it a shot.] Unbeknownst to him, as he forced his mind against the barrier, a powerful wind started blowing around Mike, forming a small tornado that began to strip nearby trees of their leaves. The harder he pushed, the stronger the winds became. Growing frustrated with the barrier, Mike unconsciously channeled some mana into his Water Magic, and allowed it to seep into head. His eyes turned blue under their closed lids, as his mind stilled. With surprisingly little effort he mentally shredded his limitations, expanding his consciousness beyond his own body. The wind that had been whipping around him stilled completely, allowing the suspended greenery to fall back towards the ground. The world seemed to stand still for a moment, as he suddenly comprehended his surroundings with perfect clarity. He could feel each of the falling leaves, and could even count them despite having his eyes closed. He realized he had a perfect grasp of everything the air touched, as a part of his mind somehow translated the subtle air currents traveling through the clearing. The moment was broken as soon the wind returned. A sudden burst of motion in the air made him feel dizzy and slightly overwhelmed by sensory overload. He opened his eyes, took a few breaths and waited for the vertigo to pass. [Looks like I accidentally unlocked some new skill again.] He pulled up his [Status] briefly, only to shake his head at the information revealed. Evidently the last few days had been eventful, since his newly acquired skill was only one in a long line of changes that had taken place since the last time he''d looked. -------------------- Status update below. Please feel free to skip to the next chapter. -------------------- -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (High) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Antagonist Wyrmkin Fortuitous Alchemist (NEW) Known to the Other (NEW) Dragonknight Aspirant (NEW) -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Healing Magic (Rank 5) Analyze (Rank 2) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 3) Basic Air Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Earth Magic (Rank 5) Basic Light Magic (Rank 1) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 1) (NEW) Basic Alchemy (Rank 2) (NEW) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 2) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 3) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 3) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Riding (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Haggling (Rank 3) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Basic Unarmed Fighting (Rank 4) Basic Chanting (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Dual Casting (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Aerosense (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 2) Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Poison Resistance (Rank 5) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 4) Basic Mental Resistance (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Moderate Mana Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Moderate Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 2) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 1) Basic Willpower Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 3) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- Titles: -------------- - Fortuitous Alchemist - By virtue of your exceptional curiosity and luck, you have a created a rare alchemical item from common materials. Minor increase to material efficiency when performing alchemy. Positive mutation rate increased by 1%. - Known to the Other - You have stared into the Abyss and the Abyss has stared back. By communing with the source of Elemental Darkness, you have garnered the attention of an entity that inhabits a realm beyond the bounds of reality. For good or ill, you will bear the weight of its gaze in both life and death. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Dark Elemental Magic. - Dragonknight Aspirant- You have cleared the most fundamental condition required to ascend to the lofty ranks of the Dragonknights, a bond with a true dragon willing to serve as your mount. With time and proper training, you may one day join their ranks. --------------- Skills: --------------- Primary Skills: --------------- - Basic Dark Magic (Tier 2, Rank 2) - One of the advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Dark magic allows the user to create, manipulate, and give substance to darkness. Characterized by versatility, it lacks the explosive power of other elements. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. - Basic Conjuration Magic (Tier 1, Rank 2) ¨C The most basic form of Conjuration Magic. Allows the user to conjure objects and creatures based on mental images, summoning them into existence for a limited duration. Higher levels of skill improve mana efficiency. - Basic Calling Magic (Tier 1, Rank 1) - The most basic form of Calling Magic. Allows users to permanently call objects and creatures to their locations. Can be used to recreate things that currently exist or once existed in exchange for a requisite amount of mana. Higher levels of skill improve mana efficiency. - Basic Alchemy (Tier 1, Rank 2)- A production skill. Alchemy is the process of altering magic and mundane materials into finished products. Although the methods vary based on the particular recipe, all alchemical products bear some trace of magical influence. Allows user to create basic alchemical items, retain memories of recipes, and develop an intuitive understanding of the subtle aspects of the craft. Current mutation rate: 0.01%. -------------------- Secondary Skills: -------------------- - Intermediate Spear Fighting (Tier 2, Rank 1) - A more advanced skill of the Spear Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using spears and other, similar weapons in combat. Minor system correction to the usage of spears in combat. - Basic Summoning Magic (Tier 1, Rank 2) ¨C The most basic form of Summoning Magic. It allows users access magic skills for the three primary forms of Summoning Magic: Conjuration, Calling, and Binding. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Summoning Magic skills. - Aerosense (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Only available to practitioners of Air Magic. Allows users to sense the subtle vibrations in the air, and use them to understand their surroundings with near perfect clarity. Higher levels of skill increase sensing range, reduces disorientation caused by over stimulation, and increases cognitive understanding of nearby space. ---------------------- Passive Skills: ---------------------- - Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 1) - You have developed the ability to control your body''s physiological responses to a large degree. Provides moderate resistance to the negative effects of physiological responses. Chapter 124: Knightliness [I''m a little concerned about the ''garnering the attention of an entity beyond the bounds of reality'' bit.] Mike thought to himself as he reviewed the information in his [Status] screen. Combined with a rather concerning increase to his Mental Resistance skill, it appeared that some disturbing things had been happening to him without his knowledge. He still felt fine, but maybe he should start regularly using Healing Magic on himself, just in case. [And what''s this about a Dragonknight? They act like riding a dragon is a huge deal.] Despite the interesting new ability he gained with the Aerosense skill, he still hadn''t broken through to the next tier in his Air Magic. It seemed that more practice was necessary. Brushing a few leaves off of himself, he was about to start concentrating again, when he heard a few voices approaching. Guessing that his actions with the windstorm had attracted unwanted attention, he swiftly moved into the tree line to avoid detection. Walking as quietly as he could manage through the underbrush, he left the area and headed towards the main campus. [I guess I''ll do something else in the meantime.] The Magic Theory classroom was currently empty, so he took his usual seat and opened "A Brief History of Ea," and started reading where he left off, with the gradual dissolution of the Second Pyrathien Empire. Thanks in large part to the efforts of the council, which had remained even after the Empire fell apart, the newly formed nations were able to maintain a tentative peace for centuries. Calling itself the Circle of Nations, the council provide a centralizing force that compounded existing diplomatic and economic ties. Minor skirmishes, however, were commonplace as the countries exercised their newly found freedom. This all changed when the Inland Sea region was invaded by an external power. While there had been a few instances of interaction with peoples from other parts of the world prior to this, the Inland Sea was geographically isolated by several naturally occurring barriers. As such, little was known about the regions beyond. So, they were unprepared when an army of giants crossed through the mountains south of the Vale of Silence and assaulted the Fledgling nation of Dovistan. Quickly overrun by their powerful and organized enemies, the Dovistanis appealed to the Circle for aid. Surprisingly, all of the nations answered the call, and mobilized their forces. What followed was a long and brutal war that eventually saw the giants repelled, at great cost. Determining that they needed to be prepared to resist a similar attack in the future, the participating members of the Circle of Nations singed the Treaty of Medun, which promised mutual support in the event of an external invasion. Unfortunately, the wording of the treaty failed to account for internal acts of war, a fact that was rounded denounced by the author. The centuries that followed saw regular warfare between nations, leading to much suffering. While the Circle was always quick to condemn the participants, they did little to halt the conflict, fearing that any attempt to exercise its authority would lead to its dissolution. It was during this time that the Knightly Orders rose to prominence in several countries. Following the traditions of military units dating back to the Second Pyrathien Empire, these organizations brought about a new kind of warfare. Rulers quickly learned that it was easier and cheaper to maintain a small group of skilled warriors than it was to leverage a large army in every conflict. As a result, the battlefields of the era evolved to place greater emphasis on small elite units that were capable of shattering lesser troops with ease. While large conscript armies never fell completely out of favor, they were seen as the tool of last resort. The majority of the Knightly Orders went about establishing their own unique roles or styles of combat, but a few broke the mold and became something else entirely. The first of these was the Order of the Shield, which had been formed to protect the populace from monsters. Due in large part to economic forces, it eventually became the Adventurer''s Guild after getting into conflict with the early Almiran royalty. It is now a multinational organization with branches in nearly every country in the Inland Sea. A small segment of the order remained true to their original title, and now make up the current Order of the Shield, which focuses primarily on defensive engagements. A second outlier was the Order of the Dragon. Arising from the wilds of eastern Theldholm, this group quickly came to international attention due to their unique abilities. Through a method that remains shrouded in mystery, they were able to bond with true dragons, and ride them into battle. Led by their Grandmaster Jovanis Drakheln, the order offered their services to the Circle of Nations. They were quickly put to use in bringing the age of warfare to an end. The Dragonknights, as they came to be called, proved so dominating in combat that even a handful could turn the tide of the battle. Eventually, the mere threat of their involvement proved sufficient to prevent open hostilities. They, in effect, became a policing force that brought order and peace to the region. [Ah, that title makes a little more sense now. Hopefully, it doesn''t come with too much baggage.] After a few centuries of relative stability, the stewardship of the Dragonknights was nearly brought to an end by a coalition of dissatisfied organizations that chaffed against the enforced peace. Through a combination of well-timed assassination, corruption, and general chaos, this coalition succeeded in its primary task of destroying the secluded redoubt in eastern Theldholm that served as the Order''s training grounds. In doing so, they annihilated an entire generation of prospective Dragonknights and their mounts. It was a blow that the Order of the Dragon could not recover from. As their numbers began to dwindle, they proved unwilling or unable to recruit new members. In time, the survivors asked to be relieved of their duties to the Circle of Nations, so that they might regroup and rebuild. They were denied. Unfortunately, their request came at a difficult time for the Inland Sea region, as troubling problems were occurring one after another. First, the Dwarven kingdom of Galaglacia disappeared in an event that came to be known as the Day of Ashes. The cloud of dust and ash that was formed by the event covered the region for months, blocking the sun, and leading to widespread illness and famine. On the central continent, the situation grew so difficult for the western portion of the Kingdom of Almir, they actually seceded and formed the independent duchy of Tennundi. A civil war broke out as the Kingdom attempted to bring them back into the fold. By the time the Dragonknights were able to bring the conflict to an end, it had left tens of thousands dead and even more as refugees. Coupled with the suffering brought on by the creation of the Ashmourne, the populace grew increasingly restive. Fearing a general uprising, both the King of Almir and the Duke of Tennundi used the Dragonknights as scapegoats, blaming them for the people''s suffering. Even though this went against hundreds of years of selfless service, the traumatized populace was all too ready to believe the worst of the proud knights who soared over them on the backs of their powerful mounts. While the nations of the Inland Sea were distracted by the aftereffects of the Day of Ashes, a new threat grew in the east. A plague of the undead arose in the now extinct country of Yolindau. Led by the powerful Archlich Corridan, the horde swept through the nation, extinguishing all life, and growing larger with each victory. The few remaining Dragonknights led a coalition of armies to the city of Batai, the last bastion of Yolindau''s people. In the largest battle seen since the giant invasion centuries past, the combined forces of the entire Inland Sea region met below the walls of the city. By all accounts the fighting was brutal, raging for nearly three straight days. In the battle''s darkest moments, when all hope seemed lost, a talented mage, that would one day become the Archmage, defeated the Corridan in single combat. Knowing that killing the lich would only release his horde of undead on the world, a threat the nations of the Inland Sea were poorly equipped to deal with, the future Archmage offered him a deal. In exchange for halting the expansion of his empire and becoming a signatory of the Treaty of Medun, the lich would be allowed to rule his new kingdom. Corridan reluctantly agreed to these terms, and pulled his armies back, giving the remaining Yolindans a month to leave his land. The Archlich named his new nation Lacot, and built the city of Mur to serve as its capital. The author explained that, although many of his contemporaries widely condemned the choice, it has largely become the consensus among historians that the Archmage''s famous deal was, in truth, a calculated move that took the future into account. While the full scope of the legendary mage''s actions are not yet clear, it is believed that he made the choice that most benefited the people of the Inland Sea. The Kingdom of Bone, as Lacot came to be called, has since honored the terms its agreement, keeping its conflict with other countries minor in scope. Nevertheless, it is widely believed that the Archlich is only biding his time. Waiting for the powerful mage that stands at the center of the Mage''s Guild to die. After all, he need not fear death through aging. Despite the ambivalent political results, the Siege of Batai marked the final action of the Dragonknights. The handful that survived unilaterally withdrew from the public eye, disappearing into the eastern wilds beyond the Brittlepeaks. The official history of the Order of the Dragon had ended that day. [Of course the title comes with a bunch of serious baggage. Why wouldn''t it?] The rest of the tome dealt with a few minor political upheavals and, comparatively, minor wars. It was clear that the author felt that nothing of great historical significance had happened in the last two hundred years. [I find myself with more questions than answers at this point....Kind of wish Morris was here to talk about these things. I guess I''ll just have to pick up some other historical works when I can. Speaking of which, I need to find some time to stop by the Spire and swap out this book for a new one.] The other students had begun to filter into the classroom. Mike even saw Aine and Rebecca. The redhead seemed a great deal more subdued, and even looked away fearfully when she noticed his gaze. Seeing her like this was quite depressing for him, but he wasn''t sure how to fix it. Anything he could think of was more likely to backfire than help. He was eventually distracted when the instructor came in and announced that a ''routine'' mobilization exercise will be held in the middle of next week. Every student was expected to see their advisors about their responsibilities during the event. Something about the announcement bothered Mike, but he couldn''t place it. He soon forgot about his concerns when the instructor began lecturing on Earth Magic in detail. They had already gone over the fundamentals of Elemental Magic yesterday, and now they had started focusing on each element individually. He hoped that the lesson would give him some insight to improve his command of Earth Magic. By the time the class had ended, he felt he''d gained a new perspective. When he had the time, he was definitely going to put it into practice. Leaving the department, he hurried over to the Spire. With a little luck, he could secure a new book and make it back in time for his Summoning class. Chapter 125: Fortuitously Alchemical Clutching his acquisition from the library, Mike rushed back over to the Summoning pavilion, making it there shortly before the clock tower started chiming. Catching his breath, he caught sight of a notice posted on one of the support pillars. It was clearly written by Madeline, since it had her lackadaisical approach to wording and structure. As far as he could tell, she''d cancelled classes because the department had called some kind of big meeting that was taking place all day today. However, she encouraged her students to practice what they''ve learned so far. [You barely taught us anything, yet. How can we practice?] It looked like there was something big going on at the moment, which involved the majority of the teachers. Thinking back to the ''mobilization exercise'' mentioned earlier, he guessed the two were related. The whole thing gave him the feeling that he was going to be dragged into another major event in the near future. [Hopefully, this isn''t a precursor to being attacked by another horde of demons or something. I could use a break from apocalyptic scenarios.] Sighing, he made his way back to the Magic Department''s main campus, stopping by one of the cafeterias to get lunch, and moved into the large courtyard underneath the Tower of Will. Finding an open bench, he pulled out the book he''d picked out earlier. "Basic Elemental Chants: Foundational Spells for the Four Primary Elements," was a thick leather bound volume that went into excruciating detail about the specific pronunciation and wording for each of the roughly one hundred commonly used Tier 1 elemental chants. Apparently, even this level of knowledge warranted special considerations, since he received a rather stern lecture from the librarian about properly taking care of the book, and ensuring that he didn''t inadvertently share the information it contained to anyone outside of the University. Mike settled down to start learning chants seriously, since he''d been slacking in this aspect lately. While he had the excuse of not wanting to call attention to himself for his ability to modify existing chants on the fly, he knew that this was the next category he really needed to improve on. Cracking the book open, he started on Earth Magic chants, and was able to make it up to Water Magic spells before he needed to head to his next class. The chants themselves were fairly simple, and it took no real effort to learn them, especially with his Communication Magic assisting. He did run into one problem, however. Memorizing the exact wording proved difficult for Mike. [I need to start putting together a notebook for these things. Something I can reference on the fly in the event I forget.] Deciding that further reading could wait until he had something to record them in, Mike walked to his Chanting class, half expecting it to be canceled as well. Unfortunately, the lesson took place as usual, and he was forced to sit through the students moving from pronouncing individual sounds to stringing them together. Apparently High Elven was one of those obnoxious languages where a symbol had different sounds attached to it depending on its placement in relation to other symbols. It gave him time to skim through the rest of his book, and get a clear idea of what sort of chants it had to offer for each element. Finally, after a painfully long hour, the instructor ended the lesson early and gave the same announcement as the Magic Theory teacher. He also made sure to reiterate about the event that was scheduled for tomorrow, and encouraged everyone to attend. Finally, he released the class after emphasizing the need to speak to their advisors in the near future. Mike walked to Alchemy, expecting it to be canceled for sure. Once again, he was surprised, pleasantly this time, to see the class continuing, only with a senior male student leading instead of the usual instructor. Something had come up suddenly, and he was asked to fill in at the last minute. Without anything in particular planned for his juniors, the student simply gave them access to the basic supply closet and had them perform their own experiments. Thankfully, Lily wasn''t there today. Mike could only imagine the number of casualties that would have occurred if she had free reign on the supply closet. Most of the other students took this opportunity to slack off, throwing a few random ingredients into a pot, and using the time spent waiting to chat with their friends. Mike thought it was a bit silly to waste this opportunity, but supposed that this was a common problem among the young of any world. Mike dug through the haphazardly arranged closet, looking for some promising materials. Picking out three, he returned to his table and laid them out. He''d located an unusual black fluid, a desiccated liver from some kind of animal, and a red mana core the size of a golf ball. Before launching into his experiment, he took some time to use Appraise on each of them. ------------------------------------------- {Evernight Swamp Water} Magic Material (Tier 1, Rank 4) An alchemical material. Water drawn from the Blighted Swamp without filtration, this fluid has been aged in a mana infused cask for 100 days, enhancing its potency. As a Dark attuned material, it is commonly used in recipes that involve darkness or deception. When mixed with a mana source, this water is also known to release airborne toxins. -------------------------------------------- {Dried Basilisk Liver} Magic Material (Tier 2, Rank 1) An alchemical material. Due to the Basilisk''s highly toxic diet, their livers retain vast amounts of harmful chemicals in comparison to its size. Dried, this organ is most commonly used as a poison, but also sees frequent use as medicine. -------------------------------------------- [Red Mana Core} Magic Material (Tier 1, Rank 3) The condensed mana left over when a dungeon monster is slain. Mana cores are categorized by color and size. Red cores are the weakest of all mana cores. ----------------------------------------------- [¡­..Why are there so many toxics ingredients in a beginner''s class? Anyway, it looks like whatever I try to make with this stuff is going to be dangerous.] After considering the problem, Mike decided that he would just use a basic method and hope for the best. Since he could use Healing Magic in the event he poisoned himself or others, he wasn''t too worried about any accidents. Taking the liver and the mana core, he ground them up with the mortar and pestle, creating a dark red powder that gave off a slightly acrid smell. He poured the swamp water into his pot and added the powder, replacing the lid quickly. He was about to turn the furnace box on, when he had a sudden flash of inspiration. Using Water Magic, he added nearly a liter of pure water, enhanced with mana, before sealing the pot. Finally he decided to place the box on a low heat, and wait to see the results. After a few minutes he grew impatient, and increased the heat. Almost immediately the pot began shaking violently. He rushed to turn the heat off, but before he could, the shaking stopped. Curious, he cautiously lifted the lid. The pot was now full of a copper colored liquid that swirled in a slightly mesmerizing fashion. ------------------------------------------ {Low Grade Panacea} Alchemical Potion (Tier 3, Rank 2) Said to have been first refined by the Star Elves, panaceas are the most well-known and well respected type of alchemical remedies. Depending on the grade, they can treat virtually any illness or cure almost any poison. ----------------------------------------- [Alright! Looks like my Fortuitous Alchemist title is paying off.] He quickly collected a few vials and spooned the coppery substance into them. As he was filling the fourth, he noticed a small black bead at the bottom of the pot. Suspecting that this might be something of interest, he tried Appraise. ---------------------------------------- {Evernight Bead} Alchemical Item (Tier 3, Rank 2) Occasionally created when mixing potent poisons with Evernight Swamp Water, this bead is a concentration of the harmful substances used in its formation. When broken, it produces a dark cloud of deadly poisonous gas. --------------------------------------- [Going to have to be careful about this one. Maybe storing it in the extradimensional sack would be the best option.] He gathered up the finished products, putting them away. He was starting to build up quite the collection of useful items. Since he still had a little bit of time left, Mike tried a few more combinations, but was unable to make anything of interest. When class was dismissed, he made his way over to the Martial Arts department to honor his promise to Brenden. It was the first time he visited this part of the campus. Simple brick buildings, laid out in regular grid patterns dominated the landscape. Several training yards, obstacle courses, and vast swaths of open ground made up the rest. Apparently, the students of the department spent a great deal of time outside. Speaking of which, as he wandered through the area, trying to locate the specific training yard that Brenden mentioned, he was attracting a lot of the wrong kind of attention. In general this consisted of slightly dirty looks from the crimson clad youths, but every now and then he heard muttered conversation behind his back. His Detect Hostile Intent skill wasn''t fully engaged, but he felt a sort of low grade hostility from the students. Now that he thought about it, he didn''t recall seeing any Martial Arts students near the Magic campus. It seemed that there was some friction between the two departments. This was somewhat disappointing to him, since he had planned on taking some Martial Arts classes in the future. Keeping his head down, he tried to avoid any trouble. Fortunately, he was able to locate the training yard without causing an incident. He spotted Tal, Brenden, and Sera standing in a deserted corner of the yard. Sera was practicing with her bow, shooting at a vaguely humanoid dummy made of straw. As he watched, she lifted another arrow, pulled it back and released, striking near the center of a painted target on the dummy''s chest, placing it next to several others which were likewise embedded. [She''s really improved. I''m impressed.] He was just about to head over and greet the trio, when he noticed a group of Martial Arts students heading that way as well. Led by a tall, blonde haired man with a cocky grin, it definitely looked like they were up to no good. Mike had read enough books to know where this was going. However, he felt slightly conflicted. His friends had likely been dealing with this situation for a while now, but had not told him about it at all. He wasn''t sure if just didn''t want to bother him, or were concerned about causing him trouble, but part of him was a little uncomfortable about the idea of stepping in at this point. Besides, as a Magic student, involving himself could cause problems for them later on down the road. Now that Sera had found herself a mentor of sorts here, he was hesitant to do anything to mess it up. Finally, he decided he would watch from a distance, and only take action when he felt like it was truly necessary. Wishing, once again, that he''d picked up some kind of stealth related skill, he circled the training yard until he could find a well-placed tree to hide behind. Chapter 126: Archery Lesson Walking home from another day spent in miserable toil, Carson was in a foul mood. Instructor Hugh had been giving him extra duties for the last few days, and unpleasant ones at that. After two full days spent cleaning the department''s indoor training facilities, by hand since Lifestyle Magic was forbidden while on extra duty, he''d had enough. As if that humiliation was enough, Lord Hubert had expressed his displeasure with the result of Carson''s earlier actions, and warned him against making any other moves. It was tantamount to saying that the Lothrain heir didn''t trust him to get the job done! While he''d never been the cleverest of men, Carson had been blessed with martial talent and good looks. Combined with his background as the second son of a wealthy baron, and he never faced a challenge that he couldn''t overcome. As a result, he''d come to think of himself as someone to be counted on. That given the right resources, he could accomplish anything he set his mind to. Being stymied by that upstart commoner girl and her non-human friends had been eye-opening. The dog beastman, in particular, had irked him, since he had the gall to look upon his betters with such intense hostility. Just thinking of the look on his face while standing protectively in front of the girl, was making Carson furious. A dim part of the young man''s mind recognized that he was working himself in a frenzy, but he''d never been one for self-reflection. Cedric, his long suffering bodyguard remained nearby, as the young noble got increasingly angry. This had been a common scene over the last few days, so he tried to keep a straight face when his master started muttering under his breath about ''dirty peasants.'' In this rage fueled state, Carson realized that he was a short distance from the northeastern training yard where the shameful event had taken place. Perversely, he had the sudden desire to see the location. He changed directions and stalked in that direction. When Carson caught sight of the three commoners, still using the training yard as if they didn''t have a care in the world, he felt a surge of rage. [So they think they can just come over here and snub me like this? Well, I think it''s time to teach these fools a lesson.] "Cedric, go get Bryce and the others. We have work to do." He commanded in a low voice. The bodyguard hesitated, perhaps sensing that his master was not in his right mind. "Are you sure about this?" "GO!" Carson roared. The other man sighed, and started heading towards the group''s usual hangout. It was clear that his master was about to make a serious mistake, but Cedric''s only duty was to ensure the young man''s life, at least on the surface. He made sure to send a message to his other employer while on the task. As he waited for his crew to arrive, Carson found himself growing increasingly excited about teaching these upstarts a lesson. [This is going to be¡­satisfying.] ------------------------------------------------------------- Sera drew back the string of her bow, sore muscles of her arms and back complaining under the strain, and lined up her shot. Her hands were steady, and after a long exhalation, she released. The arrow struck near the center of the target with a satisfying ''thwack.'' "Another bullseye." Tal commented in monotone. It wouldn''t seem like praise to most, but after the last few days, Sera was beginning to get a feel for the elf''s moods. "Thanks." She replied. "I couldn''t have gotten this far without you two, and Master Liam." Brenden chuckled, "Don''t know how much we helped, but if you feel indebted to us, who am I to say otherwise." Frowning, Sera rounded on the beastman grumpily, "Why can''t you just let me thank you? Why do you have to make things so difficult?" Laughing again, "Because it amuses me." Gritting her teeth, Sera was about to launch into a tirade on the infuriating man, when she noticed a change in his demeanor. He''d gone from relaxed to alert, and was directing a hostile gaze over her shoulder. Turning, she noticed a group of Martial Arts students walking in their direction, led by the arrogant noble from a few days ago. [Great, just what we need. And not an instructor in sight.] She thought while mentally preparing herself for the confrontation ahead. The group was composed of six students, including the one called Carson, and the reluctant bodyguard, who was following behind. They were armed, as was common in the Martial Arts department, but she hoped that it wouldn''t come to violence. Not because she was worried about getting hurt, but because it would be difficult to keep her more volatile comrades from going too far. Brenden in particular seemed ready to commit murder, and the waves of killing intent rolling off of him were enough to set her on edge. Sera placed herself at the front of the group, bow held loosely in one hand. "Good day, my lord. How can we help you?" She tried to keep her voice steady despite the unease she was feeling. Carson grinned more broadly, probably enjoying the sight of her submission, as cursory as it might be. "You can help me by removing your filthy self from my sight. I''m offended that such unrefined garbage is polluting the campus atmosphere." This verbal abuse elicited a round of chuckles from the rest of the students, although she could sense a current of unease. Sera took a calming breath, and tried hard to suppress her anger. She decided to give in to the bully and leave. There was nothing to be gained from holding to pride in the face of a noble, and much to lose. "If that is all you require, my lord, then we shall acquiesce." Turning to face the other two, she whispered. "Let''s go. It''s not worth a fight." Brenden grumbled something under his breath, but turned away, ready to leave. Tal nodded slightly, but kept her gaze focused on the students, evidently ready to act should they interfere. Gratefully, Sera started leading them away, hoping that this would prove sufficient for Carson. Unfortunately, it seemed that the young noble had something else in mind. Smiling cruelly, he spoke again, once their backs were turned. "Would you look at this? Leaving your equipment just lying here, like someone else is going to clean it up. Not only are you wasting the University''s precious resources, but you''re creating more work for the next person who wants to use this yard." Sera mentally cursed. In her haste to escape the situation, she had forgotten about the practice arrows still sticking out of the target. It was a small matter, that at best would have earned them a warning, but it gave Carson the excuse he needed to start a conflict. Grabbing one of the offending arrows and pulling it from the dummy, he examined the blunted head. "What do you think, Bryce? What sort of punishment would fit this most heinous crime?" A ruddy, brown haired man who was built like a brick house, and looked about as intelligent, laughed at his boss''s suggestion. "She should clean up her mess." "That goes without saying, but it hardly constitutes a punishment if all you make her do, is what was expected of her in the first place. We need to come up with a method that will ingrain the proper behavior into her. Something truly memorable." Carson started pacing in mock contemplation. Sera had a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She could feel the growing anger of her companions, and she knew that they would act before long, but she couldn''t think of any way to avert the coming fight. The noble idiot seemed bound and determined to cause a scene, probably convinced that his status would protect him from any consequences. "I know!" He exclaimed with hand raised and index finger pointed to the sky, "Why don''t you do it naked? You''ll be sure to remember the lesson, that way." The suggestion inspired another round of chuckles from his crew, this time accompanied by lascivious grins. The students no longer seemed unsure, and instead were expectant. Sera stared at the man, wishing she had the ability to kill a person with her thoughts. Glancing to her left and right to confirm that her friends would support her, she answered, "I won''t be doing that, and you don''t have the right to ask it of me." This answer seemed to excite Carson, "Oh? Well then, boys, it looks like we''re going to have to teach her the lesson personally." He motioned for the others to spread out and encircle the small group. Weapons drawn, they advanced menacingly. "Ready?" Tal asked. Brenden had already drawn his sword, and the palpable bloodthirst it emitted gave the cocky students pause. Sera nodded, already knocking one of the blunted arrows. "Let''s show them who they''re messing with." ------------------ Carson was confused. This wasn''t playing out how it was supposed to. Almost immediately after the fight started, the group was hit with a wave of Earth Magic, knocking them from their feet. The elf was apparently a mage. He''d been ignoring her, since she hadn''t said anything on either occasion, but knowing that she could swing the battle with her magic, he ordered Cedric to take care of her. Thankfully, the veteran warrior had maintained his balance in the initial attack. He launched himself at the mage, only to be intercepted by the beastman. The two engaged in a furious exchange of blows. Bryce was trying to stand when an arrow blasted him between the eyes, knocking him out cold. Cursing, Carson rolled to his feet as well, deflecting a second arrow with his sword. "Close in on the mage! We need to stop her before she casts again." The advice came too late as the elf finished a chant and slammed the palm of her hand on the ground. Carson dived to his right, but the rest of his crew weren''t so lucky. Slightly tilted pillars of stone emerged from the ground at high speeds, launching the students into the air. Unable to help themselves, they flew for a few seconds before crashing into the ground with sickening thuds. While they didn''t seem to be dead, Martial Arts students were durable at the very least, it didn''t look like they would be of any further help. The sound of broken metal filled the air as the confrontation between Cedric and the beastman was concluded with the former''s sword shattering. The hapless bodyguard was thrown by the force of the final blow, colliding with one of the stone pillars and sliding down to the ground with a pained grunt. Carson realized, to his horror, that he was the last of his group still standing. He looked over and saw the girl knocking another arrow on her bow. "Wait! I''m a noble. You won''t get away with this! There will be a price to pay for this, peasant!" He said while readying his sword to block. The beastman was circling around to his right, and the elf was preparing another spell, but it was the silver haired girl he was focused on. She held her shot steady for a moment, hesitating. A look of determination flashed across her face. "So be it." The girl fired three arrows in quick succession, each aiming at vital points. He dodged the first and blocked the second, but couldn''t stop the third. It struck him in the center of his chest, and he felt his sternum shatter under the force. Unable to breathe, and vision going hazy, Carson fell to his knees. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him, was the girl....no woman standing proudly, defiantly. [How....] ----------------------------------------------------- When the noble finally collapsed into the dirt of the training yard, Sera let out a breath she hadn''t known she was holding. That had gone a lot more smoothly than she dared hope. Now it was time to deal with the aftermath. She glanced over at her companions, "What do you think we should do? He was right about one thing. Attacking a noble like this, justified or not, could lead us into some serious trouble." Tal remained quiet, her consternation clear despite her lack of facial expression. Brenden grimaced and slammed a fist against one of the stone pillars. "I don''t know.." "I suspect that won''t be an issue for you." The bodyguard broke in from his seated position. Sera had honestly forgotten about him in the heat of the moment. She was going to have to work on that in the future. "Why is that?" She asked, making sure to keep her distance from the man. "Its a bit complicated, but Carson, that fool over there that I have the misfortune of serving, is a follower of Lord Hubert, heir to the house of Lothrain." Sera grimaced. The Lothrains were the most powerful Almiran noble family outside of the royalty itself. Making enemies out of them was tantamount to suicide. Seeing the look on her face, the bodyguard laughed and then grimaced, holding his side. "Ow, that hurts. Anyway, I''m not telling this to you as a threat. In truth, my master was ordered to leave you alone, mainly to avoid offending the Serpent, I believe. However, Carson is a fool. I suspect that, so long as your master agrees, Lord Hubert would be quite willing to bury this issue." "That would be most generous of Lord Hubert." She replied with a smile. "Would you be so kind as to pass on a message for him? Please ask him to keep a better eye on his subordinates in the future. Do so, and we will be willing to let this issue slide." The bodyguard raised an eyebrow, then chuckled again, eliciting another pained groan. "Oh? Its like that, is it? Very well, I''ll pass the message along." "Thank you-" Sera''s response was cut off by a sudden roar of pain-fueled rage. Bryce, face a mask of fury was swing his mace at her. She tried to dodge, but could already tell she was going to be too late. [Damn....forgot about him too.....some Oracle I am.] She squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of the coming blow. There was a rush of air, and the sound of flesh colliding against flesh. A silence descend on her surroundings. "All that big talk, and you let the fat guy get a jump on you? I''m a little disappointed." A taunting voice said. Her eyes flew open and she saw Mike''s cocky grin. The brutish Martial Arts student had collapsed into a heap nearly 5m away. A visible, fist shaped imprint was still embedded in the man''s face. Looking up at the infuriating individual who had once again saved her, she only had one thing to say. "Well, its about time!" Chapter 127: Dividing the Spoils Victor couldn''t believe what he just saw. One second he thought that fool Bryce was about to complicate the already difficult situation by killing the archer girl, the next he had collapsed in a boneless heap and a man dressed in black robes had taken his place. While he wasn''t the most martially gifted of Lord Hubert''s followers, Victor considered himself competent. However, he hadn''t been able to follow the man''s movements at all. It was almost as if he teleported. He thought back to the confrontation in the Spire, where he nearly pulled a knife on that man. Seeing him in action, Victor was glad that his lord had ordered them to stop. It would have been a disaster. As if that wasn''t enough, the man appeared to have a group of frightfully competent people serving him. The speed and efficiency with which they dispatched the martial arts students showed what they were capable of. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he moved forward to talk to the group. He had to clean Carson''s mess up now. Hopefully, they''ll be amicable, since he suddenly found he didn''t want to get on their bad sides. -------------------- Mike laughed, "Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. Would it kill you to say thanks sometimes?" Sera grumbled something under her breath, turning away with arms crossed. He laid a hand on top of her head, "You''ve gotten stronger. I''m proud of you." She brushed his hand off, but couldn''t hide the blush of embarrassment that blossomed on her face. He chuckled again, before turning to face a newcomer who was walking up. Mike recognized the man as Victor, the assistant to the slightly overweight noble he''d met in the library. Looking surprisingly calm walking through the aftermath of the short battle, he finally stopped next to the twitching body of the one called Bryce. "What can we help you with?" Mike asked while keeping his gaze focused on Victor. From the sounds of it, his companions had fallen into supporting positions behind him. Victor sketched a quick bow. "I''m here on behalf of Lord Hubert. He wishes to apologize for the trouble caused by one of his followers, and assure you that Carson," he motioned to the still form of the blonde haired noble, "acted on his own, and in fact, contrary to my master''s commands." "Understood, but that doesn''t change the fact that your men attacked my household." Sera stepped up beside him, raised a warding hand, as if to say ''I got this,'' before starting to speak, "I think what my friend here is trying to say, is that this kind of incident demands some kind of...compensation." Victor relaxed visibly. Evidently this was precisely what he was hoping for. "Indeed, miss. Lord Hubert has authorized me to offer a small gift from his personal assets, to express his willingness to start again." "Lord Hubert is quite generous, please make sure to pass along our thanks. I hope that this unfortunate incident does not harm future relations between your master and ours." Sera replied with a slight smile. [Ours?] Victor frowned momentarily, but his smile soon returned. It happened so quickly, that Mike was half convinced he imagined it. "Lord Hubert will be most pleased to hear that." "What''s going to happen to them?" Mike broke in, motioning to the injured and unconscious martial arts students. A cursory glance indicated that none of them had yet perished, but a few of the more seriously hurt ones may soon do so. Victor gave them a dismissive glance. "We have a team of medical specialists on the way. They will live. However, they have proved themselves unworthy for service in the Lothrain household, and indeed for attendance to the University in general. We''ll make sure they are put to good use somewhere they can''t do further harm." His smile took on a slightly sadistic cast, "I think there is a garrison in the western Ash Mountains that is looking for some new bodies....I mean recruits. We''ll see about accommodating them." [Yeah, I should probably avoid pissing off powerful nobles in the future. It sounds....inconvenient.] Figuring he would fall back into the role Sera seemed to be casting him as, he nodded once to say that was acceptable, before turning to walk away. "My companion finds that agreeable. Thank you for your time." Victor gave another bow, before turning to Cedric, motioning for him to stand. The bodyguard did so, no longer appearing to be in pain. The two of them started dragging the injured students into a loose pile. Mike led the group away, back towards the dorms. Once they were no longer within earshot, he asked, "So, do you want to tell me what that was all about?" The three of them exchanged looks, before Sera finally answered. "Just a noble fool who wanted to throw his weight around. We had a run in with him before, but it escalated this time." "I see. Do you think this will cause any problems in the future?" He asked, cautiously. "I don''t think so. Judging from the way the Lothrains decided to handle it, they don''t want to caused any strife with the Gravestons, at least not at this junction. The idiots don''t seem to be particularly valuable to them, so they''re willing to sacrifice them to keep the status quo. Indeed, they may be thinking of using this opportunity to strengthen ties." Mike frowned, as he contemplated the implications. "What will happen if they find out we aren''t working for the Gravestons?" "Then we simply have to make them fear the four of us just as much." She said with a slight smile. [Ooooookay, not disturbing at all. What the hell happened in last few days?] He shook his head, dismissing his concerns. Worst case scenario, he would just have to apply himself to destroying a powerful noble family. Once they had gotten back to the dorm and eaten dinner, Anna the manager flagged them down as they were heading upstairs. "You have a package." She said airily, and pointed them to a locked chest, about 50 cm by 30cm in size. A note was attached, simply stating ''Courtesy of Hubert Lothrain.'' Mike took the key Anna proffered, and opened it. Inside was a pile of gold coins. Closing it quickly, he carried it upstairs. After counting it, he was able to determine that the chest contained 1,232 golden wrens, a small fortune, even by noble standards. To call this a ''small gift from his personal assets'' was ridiculous. "What do you think this means?" He asked Sera. "Huh?" She was staring at the pile of money with a rapt gaze that betrayed her thoughts. Mike forcibly turned her head. "This money. What are they trying to tell us?" She frowned in consideration. "They are clearly trying to impress us with their wealth. It could be a means of warning us against trying to go against them. Alternatively, it may be their attempt to show how valuable of an ally they can be. It''s a little hard to say with nobles. They like to keep things ambiguous." Mike shrugged, "Well, I won''t worry about it too much, then. So what are you going to do with it?" She gave him a look, "You mean my share? I have a few ideas, but I think I want to explore the market a bit before making my decision. What about you?" "Nah, I didn''t do anything to earn it. It was the three of you that got caught up in this mess, so I think you should figure out how to split it three ways. Besides, I don''t really need the money." Brenden cut in, "What are you talking about? You go through weapons and armor like crazy, your familiar will probably have massive food requirements, and didn''t you just start practicing Alchemy? I''ve heard that it takes a few years of practice before you succeed often enough to turn a profit." "Meh," He replied carelessly. "Most of that is being covered by the scholarship and stipend the Count is providing. I''m doing just fine, monetarily. That does remind me however, I have a few things for the three of you." He pulled out his extradimensional sack, and withdrew three vials of the Low Grade Panacea, the Fortifying Ice Tonic, and two of the Tier 1 Mana Potions. "I had some luck in my classes, so I wanted to spread the wealth a bit." "What''s all this?" Sera asked, eyeing the bottles suspiciously. "Some kind of poison?" "What? No. These are potions for each of you. I would recommend keeping them on your person for the time being." He said while handing each of them a vial of coppery liquid. "What is?" Tal asked curiously, although her subtle excitement suggested she already had an idea. "These are Low Grade Panaceas. You can use them to treat illness or poison-" He started explaining, before being interrupted. ""WHAT?!"" Brenden and Sera yelled in unison. "You mean that stupidly expensive medicine that''s supposed to be able to cure any disease in minutes? That Panacea?" Sera asked, slight stupefied. "And you just happened to make it in a beginner''s Alchemy course?!" Taking a step back from her intense interrogations, Mike answered, "I suppose? They gave us the chance to do some experimentation with the ingredients in the supply closet, and I got lucky, I guess. It''s still only low grade." "Do you have any idea how expensive a panacea, even a low grade one, can be? Just one of these is worth hundreds of gold, easily." She paused for a second, as if finally listening to the words coming out of her mouth. "Say, do you think you''d be able to make more of these?" "Probably, but I would need to have the same ingredients again. I searched the entire supply closet and couldn''t find another Desiccated Basilisk Liver. The rest was more commonplace." Sera stared down at the vial in her hand, evidently working through the economics of the situation. "Are you sure about giving this to us? You are already letting us split the noble''s payoff money, and we really haven''t done anything to earn our keep so far. This seems a bit much." Brenden spoke up in a slightly hushed tone. "What''s wrong with making sure my friends can cure themselves if they get poisoned, or are stricken down by illness?" He asked in a somber manner. The group lapsed into silence for a few moments. "Besides, I made this stuff by accident, and I don''t really have a need for it myself. I think I might be functionally immune to disease by this point, and anything I don''t resist can be cured with Healing Magic." Sera made a slightly disgusted noise in the back of her throat, before walking into her room. The group could distantly hear her yell, "IT''S SO UNFAIR!" Brenden just sighed, as if this was to be expected. "Yeah, not really feeling guilty about this, anymore. So what''s the rest of these?" Mike handed Tal two vials. "These are Tier 1 Mana Potions I got from one of my instructors. Are you familiar with them?" Tal nodded, "Thanks." "I have more if you end up needing them. Just let me know." He picked up the last vial. "This is a Fortifying Ice Tonic, which allows you to stand extremely low temperatures. Supposedly, it also has a chance of unlocking the Cold Resistance Skill. I was trying to decide who to give it to, and I''m leaning towards Brenden." "Me? Why?" The beastman asked a little surprised. "Well, you''re the vanguard, and therefore the most likely to be in the midst of combat. If we come across a monster that can use cold as a weapon in some way, you would be the one most likely affected." "Agreed." Tal added her own opinion, before moving into her room. Brenden sighed, "That makes sense, but what about you? Why don''t you use it on yourself?" Mike yawned, and tossed the vial to Brenden, who caught it in a panic, juggling it for a few seconds before securing it. "It shouldn''t be hard for me to unlock the skill, just a little painful. Anyway, it''s been a long day, and I think I''m going to head to bed early." He said, walking into his own room. Chapter 128: Catching the Signals Viscount Wendel strode across the deck of the mighty vessel he''d recently ''acquired.'' Tanya followed at a slight distance, once again feeling intensely uneasy about the entire plan. She moved out of the way, as a troop of soldiers pushing a small covered wagon nearly ran her over in their haste to meet the Viscount''s tight schedule. The wagon vibrated slightly as the beast inside it shifted in its sleep. "My lord, are you sure this is a wise idea? The University is rather well defended. What should we do if we can''t capture our targets?" She asked hesitantly. "Don''t worry. Even in the event of abject failure, some of our objectives will still be achieved." He gave a short laugh at his own joke. "That''s not really what I am worried about." He shrugged, "Our forces have already infiltrated. The University''s defenses should be compromised. Any serious resistance should be quashed before we even make landfall. So long as the students themselves don''t put up too much of a fight, it should be a simple matter." Frowning, she asked, "Isn''t that a valid concern? There is an entire department dedicated to training those students into future military officers." Resting his hands on the railing, the Viscount stared out at the ocean for a moment before looking back at her. "Those students, for the most part, have never known war. They have never seen battle. When we come upon them like the righteous vengeance of an angry god, they will break. Especially since the instructors should be largely taken care of by then." [But what about the students that have seen battle?] Tanya was still uneasy, but decided that she would just hope for the best. "Very well, my lord. When do you wish to depart?" He tapped his chin with one finger, deep in thought. "Our friends should have the Almiran navy occupied by now, so within the hour would be best. We should be able to reach the University by noon. With any luck, our other agents will have completed their tasks by then, so it should come as a complete surprise." She was about to reply, when the beating of heavy wings drew her attention. She saw five small specks in the sky, which gradually grew larger as the creatures approached. "Sounds like our other friends are almost here." ------------------ Mike woke the next day feeling rested and reenergized. Uncharacteristically, Audra was up before him, rolling playfully in the folds of his cloak. This bothered him slightly, since the garment was hanging from a hook last night, at least until a mischievous dragon pulled it down. He walked over and lifted a corner of the cloak until he could see a curious head peeking out. Audra gave a high pitched chirp, which could be roughly translated as ''hungry!'' before launching herself awkwardly up into her favorite spot on his shoulder. Giving the troublemaker a scratch behind the head, Mike walked into the kitchen to find something to assuage the ever present hunger of his familiar. After a while the other three woke and congregated in the living room. "Thanks," Mike said, accepting a cup of tea from Tal, "So what''s the plan for the day? We don''t have classes, but there is some sort of gathering taking place at five bells. Would you be interested in going?" "This is the one with the airship, right?" Brenden asked while lying down on the couch in a laconic manner. "I''d like to see it." "Agreed." Tal chimed in. "When you say gathering, do you mean some kind of school hosted party?" Sera asked. "It sounded a bit like a picnic. We''re supposed to meet in central campus. There''ll be food, and some kind of naval demonstration." "Was there an established dress code?" Mike thought back to the classroom, trying to remember what his instructor said. "I think he mentioned something about not having to wear a uniform, but making sure you have appropriate attire on." She got up and started pacing, "I think I already know the answer to this, but what were you planning on wearing?" "I figured I would just wear some of the clothes we got the other day." He said, slightly defensively. She nodded, "There were a few casual outfits in that selection that would fit the occasion. However, now that I think about it, we have nothing appropriate for Broderick''s gathering." "I don''t think he''d care too much about what we were wearing. He said it was supposed to be an informal occasion." "He is from a ducal house. If we showed up looking like vagabonds, it would be an insult to our host. None of us have anything fitting¡­No choice, we have to go shopping this morning." A small chorus of groans sounded from the male members of the group. "Can''t we go some other time? I was looking forward to having an easy morning." Mike complained. "We don''t know how long the event in central campus will take, but it might last until evening. All the best stores will be closed by then. Tomorrow will be fully occupied with my request, since I can''t afford to delay it any further. Since I can''t trust you to pick out your outfit on your own, now is the best time." "Ugh, fine¡­." He reluctantly agreed. "We need to move quick if we want to make it back in time. Come on!" She urged them up and started forcing them out the door. The Oracle essentially dragged the three of them through the gates of the university, and into a rented carriage. They spent close to three hours wandering the various stores geared towards the nobility before rushing back to campus to change in a hurry. "I still don''t see why I needed three new outfits for this weekend. It''s not like I''m going to change clothes in the middle of it." Mike commented as he buckled his sword belt into place, before attaching the new steel longsword he''d purchased. Apparently, it was considered a minor faux pas for nobles to not be armed when out in public. "Because, we don''t know when you''ll be invited to another event, and we need you to look the part. If you show up in the same outfit twice, people will assume you are too poor to clothe yourself properly, and judge you accordingly." Sera''s voice called from the other room, where she was getting ready. Mike sighed. He looked himself over in the mirror. His grey tunic with dark blue highlights and black pants made him looked older than he was. Or at least older than his body was. He decided to leave his cloak behind, guessing that it would stand out a bit too much in the summer heat. "Ready?" He asked Brenden, who had just finished slinging his own sword over his back. He was dressed in elaborate brown leathers, since it had been decided he was too rough around the edges to play the part of a noble himself. As such he would take on the persona of a bodyguard or militant servant, something that suited him just fine. The beastman just nodded lackadaisically. Mike could tell that his enthusiasm for the event had waned dramatically since being forced to participate in a shopping trip. "Cheer up. At least there will be free food." He said while heading out to the entry way. Brenden gave him a dirty look. "You know, technically, all the food here is free because of your scholarship." "That''s the spirit." Mike replied, since he was distracted by Tal exiting her room. She was wearing a forest green sundress which accentuated her long legs. Her hair was done up with a green crystal pin, showing off the graceful curve of her neck and her pointed ears. [A little on the nose for an elf to be wearing green, but it does suit her. Although, she could do with some jewelry. Now that I think about it, I wonder if there is some kind of accessory making skill.] "Well?" She asked simply. "You look great!" He answered with a thumbs up. A gesture that confused the other two in the hallway. Brenden smiled and nodded his support of Mike''s statement, before going back to looking miserable about the whole affair. Sera exited next, wearing a slightly more formal dress, which matched the blue of her eyes. Clear crystal pendulum earrings adorned her ears, while her long, silver hair was tied back with an ornate sapphire hair clip. She stood several centimeters taller than usual due to her elaborate heels, however, this merely put her close to the same height as Tal, slightly shorter than Mike, and significantly shorter than Brenden. "What do you think?" She asked, looking embarrassed. [Not bad at all, although she still looks a bit like an awkward teenager on her way to a dance.] Mike thought to himself as he stared at the Oracle, enjoying the sight of her blushing furiously under his silent gaze. Finally, she''d had enough, and threw a weak punch at him. "Say something, idiot!" "That dress suits you. You look very pretty." He said sincerely. She paused for a second, as her blush extended to the tops of her ears. Mumbling something that sounded like ''took you long enough,'' she pushed past him into the hallway. "Let''s go! The party is starting soon." She called, already moving. Chuckling, Mike followed in her wake. ------------------ Sergeant Gregory yawned intensely. The summer heat was beginning to get to him, and he wanted nothing so much as to lay down in the shade of a nearby tree. Unfortunately, he was in charge of guarding one small section of the northern perimeter while the rest of the army forded the river. His captain had given him strict orders to keep a wary eye out, since the Almirans were at their most vulnerable right now, something that the seasoned campaigner was very aware of. Unfortunately, the work had slowed down immensely when one of the heavy supply wagons had become mired in the slow flowing river, blocking up traffic. It had taken two Earth Mages the better part of three hours to finally get the thing moving. By that point, the heat of the day had set in, and the soldiers, exhausted by their hard march up to this point, understandably started dozing off, much to the consternation of their officers. Gregory yawned again. While he understood why his superiors had him stand out in the woods, he was ready for their relief to arrive. The Tennundians were supposedly to the south and west, so it would be unusual to see them on the north eastern side. Neverthless, his commandera had scouts combing the woods, just to be safe. Although, now that he thought about it, he hadn''t seen the scouts in his sector report back in a while, something that made him a little uneasy. Private Kenny, who had been standing next to him, jerked awake, having nearly fallen asleep on his feet. Rubbing his face, he spoke sleepily, "How much longer you think it''s going to be, Sarge? At this rate we''ll be missing lunch as well as breakfast." Gregory sighed, "Could you think with something above the neck, for a change? We''ll be done when we''re done, and not a minute sooner." Kenny scratched his neck where a few days of scraggly beard growth had been left untrimmed. He would probably never be able to grow a decent beard, but that never stopped the young man from trying. "That''s all well and good, Sarge, but what if I pass out from the heat and hunger, and the Tens launch a sneak attack or something? I could be strung up for failing my duties. You wouldn''t want me to get strung up, would you, Sarge?" "If it would get you to shut up for a moment, I''d build the scaffold myself." He growled, but tossed the younger man an apple he''d been saving anyway. "Now quit complaining and keep an eye out. The scouts are running late, and I have a bad feeling about all this." "Roger that, Sarge." Kenny replied with a gap toothed grin before promptly engrossing himself in eating the apple, to the exclusion of all else. Gregory sighed. This new generation was hardly worth the trouble of training them. A snap of branches brought his attention back to the woods in front of him, and he locked gazes with a humanoid figure, right as it released a thrown javelin. Relying on instincts honed from years of battle, he dropped and rolled to his side, grabbing the signal horn hanging from his neck at the same time. The javelin flew through the space he had just been occupying. For a moment the veteran and the thrower simply stared at one another. Gregory realized he was looking at an unusually well-armed orc that bore the typical markings of the Skulltaker tribe. When the bushes surrounding the orc started to move as well, he knew it was time to run. [An orc raid, from the looks of it. Although, I don''t know why they would try to attack an army our size.] Kenny was staring slack jawed at something, apple forgotten, so, after getting to his feet, Gregory pulled the fool behind a tree. He took a deep breath and sounded the horn, its piercing cry resounding through the river valley. As soon as he stopped, he heard the sounds of answering horns from the other sentries. "We''ve done our part, Kenny. Let''s fall back and join up with the others¡­.what are you staring at?" Gregory asked, following the private''s gaze. He felt his own jaw fall slack at the sight of it. A veritable tidal wave of orcs was streaming out of the trees. It looked like an entire army of them had descended from the Ash Mountains. Gregory could hear the sounds of combat as the orcs slammed into the hastily formed Almiran lines. Signal horns sounded from the other side of the river, catching his attention. In the distance he could see another group assaulting the lead elements of the army. He felt his heart sink. This situation had all the hallmarks of a crushing defeat. So obvious was this fact, that even Kenny seemed to realize it, since the private turned towards him with tears in his eyes. "It''s been an honor, Sarge." Gregory just nodded with a sad smile, hand tightening on the grip on his sword, as he listened to the orcs draw nearer. Chapter 129: A Relaxing Afternoon The group reached central campus with little time to spare. Luckily, it seemed that a number of the students had planned on being fashionably late, so they blended in with the slow moving crowd that was approaching the venue. Circular tables, capable of seating groups of eight, had been set up in a wide grassy area, and a small army of servants went around providing the students with refreshments prior to the actual meal. A raised platform with an erected podium stood on one side, suggesting that a speech would be part of the festivities. At the moment it seemed like the students were mostly talking in small groups, the event taking on the air of a upscale social gathering. "I guess this is where we mingle." Mike said uncertainly, looking around. Sera pulled his arm, to ensure she had his attention. "Alright, think of this as a test run for tomorrow. You are supposed to be the head of our household, which in noble society means you need to act with dignity and restraint. Try to remain calm at all times, don''t say anything embarrassing to anyone important, and whatever you do, don''t get into any duels." Brenden chuckled, "I think that last bit is going to be hard for him. I''m honestly surprised he doesn''t end up getting attacked by monsters every time he leaves the dorm." "Hey! I''m not the one who got into a brawl yesterday." He replied, slightly annoyed by the exaggeration. The Oracle pulled his arm again. "Focus. You need to avoid reacting like that. It will only show weakness." "Alright, alright. I''ll be careful." He assured her, before spotting a familiar face. "Now if you excuse me, I''m going to go say hi to an acquaintance." He walked up to the callow young man who was trying to hide himself in the shadow of a nearby tree. "Hey, Edgar. I didn''t expect to see you at an event like this." The dhampyr jumped at the sound of his name, but relaxed when he saw Mike. "I normally wouldn''t be attending this kind of thing, but my advisor said it was required¡­" He trailed off while looking at his feet. Mike realized that the other students nearby were whispering quietly amongst themselves, while shooting glances at the pair of them. It seems his attempt at a friendly greeting had only made Edgar the center of attention. "Sorry about this. I figured I would say hello, since I saw you." He explained. Edgar was wringing his hands in an anxious manner. "Please do not apologize. It''s really your reputation that will be affected by association with me. If anything I need to apologize. "Don''t worry about it. I have the bad habit of becoming a target for rumors anyway." He replied while waving it off. A woman''s voice, amplified by magic, rang out over the gathering. "Attention students and guests, please make your way to your seats. The meal will begin shortly." "Alright, I''m heading over to join my friends. Do you already have a seat?" Mike asked. Edgar brightened momentarily, before returning to his gloomy self. "I¡­..do¡­" He said quietly. [Probably plans on hiding somewhere until the event is over with, to avoid causing me trouble.] Looking at the uncomfortable young noble, he was reminded a little of his past self. Although he never had to face Edgar''s level of persecution, he''d spent most of his life as a loner. He had discovered that there were few things more miserable than being alone in a crowd. "Want to sit with us? I think we have room." Mike said, scanning the crowd to locate his companions. It looked like they had set up on a table near the rear edge of the gathering. "Are you sure? I wouldn''t want to cause you any trouble¡­" Edgar asked, with a hint of suppressed hope in his voice. Wrapping an arm around the dhampyr''s shoulders, Mike pulled him along. "It''s fine. Trust me, I get into all kinds of trouble regardless of who I associate with. Hanging out with you shouldn''t make any difference." He halfway dragged the young man over to the table, and made him take a seat. Mike was surprised to see Aine and Rebecca sitting next to his friends. There were only three open seats, so he chose one next to Sera for himself and placed Edgar on his right. As soon as he sat down, Sera rounded on him angrily. "What''s this I hear about you being attacked by this redhead?" Swallowing nervously, he replied. "I wouldn''t really call it an attack. It was more like a heated argument that went a little too far." Aine broke in quietly, trembling slightly and unable to meet Mike''s gaze. "I lost control of my temper, and I had every intention of attacking you, before you¡­..stopped me. I can only apologize for my indiscretion." Edgar was looking between the two parties in a slightly panicked manner, as if he didn''t know what he should be doing. "Why didn''t you tell us about this?" Sera hissed at him, clearly upset. Brenden, on the other hand, looked mildly amused by the whole situation, and Tal appeared impassive. "You were busy, besides it wasn''t that big of a deal." He whispered back, before clearing his throat and addressing his classmates. "Although you may have been the first to act, I am not without fault in this matter. I suggest we let bygones be bygones, and start fresh. Would that be acceptable?" [Didn''t I already have this conversation with Rebecca? Why is it coming up again?] He looked over at the quiet woman, and was surprised to see a slightly mischievous expression on her face. Clearly, she had engineered this for some reason. Aine blinked at him, as if taken aback by his response. Finally she nodded, looking more confident now. "If that is alright with you, I would like that." Sera sighed, knuckling her temples in a manner that suggested a developing headache. "We''ll talk about this later. Anyway, would you care to introduce us to your acquaintances?" Mike went around the table, giving introductions. There was a flash of calculation in Rebecca''s expression when he used their last names. He realized his mistake afterwards, since his classmates had never mentioned their full names. He concluded with Edgar, who for once seemed rather upbeat. [He must be starved for social interaction.] Lunch was served soon afterwards, which proved to be as delicious. Brenden ate with a relish, getting seconds on several occasions. The others were less gluttonous, but nevertheless looked immensely satisfied. Sera even started dozing in her chair. He looked around the area, and seeing that most of the other participants had finished as well, he wondered what would be next on the agenda. Judging from the expressions on their faces, the large meal and pleasant afternoon sun were taking their toll. Although, the servers were quick to ensure that none of their charges went without refreshment, even after the meal was concluded. [That''s odd, it looks like there are more servers now, than during the meal.] While observing the proceedings, he noticed his advisor standing off to one side. Since, he had a few things to discuss with Emmanuel, Mike stood and excused himself to his drowsy tablemates. He walked over to the senior mage, who was engaged in a hushed discussion with another instructor, and waited patiently for him to notice. Emmanuel was talking in a low, intense voice, "¡­.find out. We need to make sure that nothing happens today." The other instructor nodded and moved away. "Ah, Mike. What can I do for you?" The department chair asked with a forced smile after he noticed his student. "I hope I''m not interrupting, sir. I just had a few questions I was hoping you could answer." "Now''s not the best time¡­" He began, before sighing. "Never mind, what can I help you with?" "Well, first I was told to speak with you regarding the mobilization exercise, and what I''m supposed to do during it." Emmanuel nodded, thoughtfully, "The first step is to report to the courtyard under the Tower of Will. From there, an instructor will take charge of you. He or she will have a detailed assignment for you based on your instructors'' opinion of your abilities. As an experienced adventurer, you''ll probably be assigned a role in the main combat force. However, this is merely an exercise, so don''t worry too much about it." "Fair enough. My other question was of a more academic bent. I recently came into possession of an extradimensional sack, and it has been an immensely convenient tool ever since. I was wondering, how might someone go about making one of these?" Mike asked, barely controlling his eagerness. "Ha! You''re quite the ambitious one, aren''t you? The first major hurdle for making something along those lines, is finding a Space Mage with sufficient experience to create extradimensional spaces. This means, at the very least, they would need to be a mid-Tier 3 Elemental or Arcane Mage. I''m sure you are aware of how rare we are. To create the item itself, a Tier 2 Artificer is necessary." [So I would need to improve my elemental magic, acquire and improve Space Magic, and learn what I can only assume is a crafting skill in order to make one. This might have to be a long term project.] "Are there classes at the University to train the Artificer Skill?" "Artifice is the term, and yes, although it''s usually only available to Arcane Mages. I think there are a few rare classes that might be able to acquire the skill without Arcane Magic, but I would not get my hopes up about it." He said with a slightly sad smile. "I''ll take that under advisement, sir. I did have one more question, should you be willing to entertain it." "Go ahead, but make it quick. The headmaster should giving a speech soon." Mike nodded, "It''s a bit obscure, but I was reading about the history of Ea, and I came upon a passage about the High Elves making portals to other words. It didn''t go into any details, but I found the concept fascinating. Do you know anything about it?" Emmanuel gave Mike an appraising look, one filled with calculation. "If I didn''t know better, I would suspect you were trying to improve my opinion of you by asking about my research. I have devoted the better part of my life trying to recreate the portals of the High Elves, but I''ve unfortunately made little progress as of yet. While it has proven possible to travel to the other realms created during the First Age, the ones attached to Ea, going beyond is incredibly difficult. The mana requirements for even attempting it are staggering, and it''s only with the aid of a specially built magical device that I''ve had any success at all." "I see¡­" Mike said, lost in thought. [Another long term project then. Oh well, I''m not in any hurry to leave this world.] His attention was caught by a large, bald headed man who had moved to the podium. He spoke with a deep, magically amplified voice. "Thank you all for attending this welcoming event. I am Alexander Potrarian, and I have the honor of being the 131st Headmaster of the University of Almirn." The imposing man paused for a polite round of applause before continuing. "We are gathered here today primarily to welcome our newest students, may their time here be fruitful. However, we are also here welcome the coming of a new quarter, one that-" The Headmaster stopped as a large shadow fell over the crowd. Looking up, Mike saw something unbelievable. A massive wooden vessel seemed to be riding on the air itself, as it slowly drifted over the gathered students. Mike had half expected to see a blimp or something similarly ungainly, but this was something else entirely. If he had to describe it, he would say the ship appeared elegant and deadly, as it seemed to swim through the air like some kind of flying shark. Fin-like sails of a shimmering substance extended out from the vessel''s hull in several places. He could see them shifting slightly, guiding the airship along invisible air currents. The streamlined appearance of the ship was broken, however, when several gun ports opened along its side. The black, circular mouths of cannons could be seen sticking out from them. "That''s odd," Emmanuel commented. "They''re early, and I thought we decided against a gun salute." Mike had a sudden rush of unease, which was compounded as he felt a familiar internal click, as one of his skills increased in tier. A quick glance at his [Status] showed that his Poison Resistance skill had improved dramatically since the last time he''d looked at it. [That means that¡­.] With a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, he looked over at the table, unconsciously taking a few steps in their direction. Most of the students were barely awake, a few of the more resistant were glancing around, confused. Tellingly, the servers had cleared the area, leaving a perfect killing ground. "It''s an attack!" Mike yelled, turning towards his advisor. He had just enough time to register a man in a butler''s outfit standing behind Emmanuel, as he plunged a knife into the mage''s kidney. Chapter 130: Getting Serious As had become habit for him in stressful situations, Mike circulated mana into his head, enhancing his Willpower through Water Magic. His eyes turned blue, as the world seemed to slow down around him. Already moving, he took a second to establish his plan. The assassin had started with a kidney blow. From what Mike recalled about kidney injuries, they caused a debilitating amount of pain, and can lead to death if untreated. A few of the stories he''d read in the past mentioned that is was one of the most effective means of quietly killing someone from behind, since it prevented them from taking any action for a few seconds, even when the would-be assassin was moving in for a killing blow. Judging from the manner in which the man had pulled the dagger free and was angling it towards the Emmanuel''s throat, he evidently planned to do just that. A small part of Mike''s expanded consciousness registered two other men, dressed as butlers, which were approaching swiftly. After identifying a few critical steps, Mike put his plan into action. While turning to face the assassins and drawing his sword, he sent a current of mana into the combatants'' shadows. A spike of pure darkness erupted from the ground, impaling the man, before quickly dissipating. With his next step, Mike placed a hand on Emmanuel as he fell forward, and channeled an intense blast of healing magic. The older mage gasped as he landed on his hands and knees. With another step, Mike brought his sword up to block the strike of the assassin on the right, while emitting an intense beam of fire with his left. As the second assassin fell back with smoking hole burned through the center of his chest, he swept the dagger of the last remaining enemy aside, and decapitated him with the backswing. Mike exhaled the breath he had been holding, and turned back towards his advisor. "Sir, the cannons!" He exclaimed, before moving in the direction of the increasingly panicky students. Emmanuel looked at him for a second, before the horrifying realization dawned on him. He glanced up at the air ship, and began chanting quickly, under his breath. Sprinting back to his table, Mike could determine that, assuming the enemy had timed it correctly, the cannons should fire before he could get there. So he summoned up as much mana as he could hold, preparing to do one of two things, should his advisor prove unable to stop the assault. With a deafening roar, the airship fired. Cannons belching torrents of fire as a broadside of shells were launched in the gathering''s direction. A small part of Mike''s mind realized that he had unconsciously activated his Aerosense skill, and was using it to calculate trajectories and arrival times. The rest of him was too consumed with the task at hand to pay it much attention. Emmanuel finished his spell, creating a series of small portals in the air, which swallowed the shells, sending them somewhere else presumably. However, he missed two of the lethal projectiles. Determining the proper alignment based on their trajectories, Mike used Earth Magic to propel two tables into the air, in an effort to intercept the shells. They collided with a titanic explosion, causing shrapnel to rain down on the crowd. Several students were injured in the process, but he didn''t have time to worry about that right now. Mike couldn''t figure out the enemy''s objective. If they simply wanted to slaughter the gathered students, bombarding them from a distance would be sufficient. Getting close like this seemed foolhardy considering the number of mages present in the crowd. It was almost as if the broadside had been cursory, a sort of expected distraction, and their true objective was somewhere else. Keeping that in mind, he suspected that, with the length of time required to reload and the failure of the first round, they would take a different course of action now. As he watched, the ship began to descend, and a large number of humanoid figures starting lining up on deck. A quick glance at his companions told him that they would not be of assistance without detoxification, as all of them were in various states of unconsciousness. Brenden had even fallen from his chair, and was lying on the ground. Mike also noticed that the servers had begun to return, now armed with a variety of weapons. The few students and instructors who had either not partaken in the meal, or resisted the effects of the drug, were engaging the vanguard of this new enemy group. Surveying the situation, Mike determined that he needed to either move the students to a safe location or cure them of the drug and allow them to defend themselves. The former be difficult to achieve with his own power, and the latter would take too long without some means of curing multiple people at the same time. So, he sent a quick mental message, and then devoted a portion of his mind to working on a magical solution. Meanwhile, he summoned another portion of his magic, and began reciting a chant he''d learned recently. "Protect that which is mine, and reject that which is not. [Earthen Barricade]" A wall of earth sprung up from the ground creating a barrier between the erstwhile servers and the unconscious students. It stood nearly 3m tall and spanned dozens of meters in both directions. Unfortunately, it wasn''t particularly strong and not nearly long enough, so when the disguised assassins overcame their shock, some of them began tearing down the wall, while the rest started moving around it. Mike figured he had less than a minute till they bypassed it in some way. A solution to his current problem had finally formed in his mind, so he focused the entirety of his enhanced Willpower on putting it into use. He began chanting a spell in a forgotten language, one composed of lyrical, flighty tones and complex, musical grammar. A spell that had never existed before this moment. "In the tides of ancient memory, I bring forth thine mercy. With hands bound by strife, I plead for thine touch. For the salvation of my people, I offer my gratitude. Cleanse that which is tainted, and succor that which is true. [Mists of Cleansing] Mike felt a tremendous amount of mana surge through him as he bent his will into blending two forms of magic into one. A wave of pure white mist, glowing softly in the afternoon sun, exploded from his outstretched hands, covering the area in an impenetrable cloud. He held it for as long as he could manage before dropping to his knees, feeling lightheaded. His enhancement magic also faded when his mana reserves fell to critical levels. From the sounds of it, the students were already waking up, now he just needed to get them to start moving. The mist would dissipate in a minute or two, and he needed them to be ready to defend themselves so he could move on to the next phase. He took note of the sounds of combat from another part of the crowd. The enemies on the airship had apparently arrived. Mike pulled out three of the Tier 1 Mana Potions, and drank them one after the other. Feeling his mana recover to minor degree, he stood and enacted the next part of his plan. "Come to me, that which is marked, and render thine aid. [Call Marked Object]" He chanted, causing his Salamander Cloak to appear in his hand. He wasn''t sure it was going to work, but felt pleasantly surprised that it did. With a gesture he summoned a mask of darkness across his face, completing his disguise. Turning to his slowly awakening party members, he issued a few commands. "Sera, Tal, Brenden! We are under attack. Rally the students as best you can, and try to deal with the attackers. The mist will fade in less than a minute, so be ready to take action." He heard the three of them respond quickly, although they were still concealed by the mist. "Right." Tal replied quickly. "Airship? When did that get here?" Brenden asked groggily. Evidently, he hadn''t recovered from his much larger dose of the drug. Sera asked, "Wait. What are you planning on doing?" By this point the mist had cleared sufficiently to let him see vague shapes. "I''m going to make sure that the airship doesn''t fire again, and with any luck I''ll have a powerful ally to help me." He said, as he burst into action. ----------------------------- Viscount Wendel frowned at the developments taking place below him. The agents he''d assigned to deal with the Magic Department Chair were easily dispatched by a figure in a grey tunic, allowing the powerful space mage to deal with the majority of their broadside. He was already sending a mental message to one his followers on the ground, instructing them to keep the mage occupied, when someone succeeded in intercepting the remaining two shells with a pair of tables. Almost immediately afterwards, a wall of earth popped into existence between the students and the rest of their agents. It appeared that a talented Earth Mage had managed to avoid being drugged, and acted in a timely manner. Tanya, standing to his right glanced at him with a look of concern etched onto her face. It was clear to her that things weren''t going according to plan. Without taking his eyes off of the conflict taking place below, he spoke reassuringly, "Don''t worry, my dear. They may be putting up a better fight than anticipated, but I doubt they will be able to handle the full range of the forces I''ve brought with me." He turned towards the soldiers gathering on deck in preparation for the assault. "Remember, securing the princess is our primary task. All else is secondary. Succeed and you will all be well rewarded." A round of hearty cheers greeted the sentiment as the soldiers threw rope ladders over the side and began descending into the confusion below. The Viscount gave a small smile, before addressing Tanya, "Have the handlers get the beasts ready. We''ll need them for our retreat." A sudden mist exploded over the gathered students, shrouding them from view. The viscount frowned again. "It seems we need to reexamine our contract with the guild. This is twice they''ve failed to disable a powerful mage before they had the chance to act. It appears that we are paying them too much." With a shrug he turned his gaze skyward, as his most effective allies descended into view. [Perhaps it was for the best that we allowed them to cloak themselves in mist. The revelation of what they are fighting will be that much more scarring.] Five leonine roars split the sky, as the monsters descended into battle, bearing their dangerous charges. Chapter 131: An Aerial Exhibition Mike ran through the increasingly panicked crowd of students. [They need some kind of direction, or else they will be more of a liability than an asset.] He thought to himself as he dodged around a trio of male finance students who were desperately trying to take cover under a table. It was at that point, that the rough, male voice of the Headmaster overwhelmed the noise of the crowd. "Students and faculty! We are under attack by an unknown enemy. Until help is able to arrive, you will need to defend yourselves. Members of the Martial Arts department, you are our vanguard. Protect the other students. Mages, do what you can to support them. Everyone else, grab whatever weapon is available to you and ready yourself." [Well that works, I suppose.] Mike broke free from the remnants of the mist, and was immediately faced with an entire squad of hostile soldiers, approximately twenty in number. Dressed in suits of banded mail and carrying a variety of weapons, they were moving in a disciplined, although loose, formation. Red tabards covered their torsos, with the emblem of a white stag''s head emblazoned upon it. The soldiers stared at him for a second, obviously confused by his disguise. This gave him all time he needed to close in on them and cut his way into their ranks. Falling into the Roaring Flame stance, he stabbed forward into the leading soldier, catching him between two plates on his armor. While the man was falling backwards, Mike ran up his torso, wrenching his sword free in time to deliver a powerful overhead blow on the next enemy which nearly cut him in half. The soldiers had finally started to react by the time he had landed. One of them, who looked to be in charge of the group, started yelling. "What in the hells?! Surround him, don''t let him get away." Mike deflected a blow from some kind of poleaxe, and was about to counterattack when he was forced to dodge a sword blow aimed at his chest. ''Watch it! He''s a slippery one." One of the soldiers yelled as he attempted to impale him with his spear. They had formed a circle around Mike, making it necessary to continuously avoid and parry their attacks. [Alright, I think I''ve had enough of playing fair.] Closing his eyes, and summoning a small burst of mana, he released a blast of intense Light Magic, momentarily blinding his enemies. While they were still crying out and reeling, he dispatched another four with quick, efficient strikes. Just like that, the encirclement was broken, allowing him to begin devastating the visually impaired soldiers from behind. In a matter of seconds the squad had been reduced to a pile of corpses. He took a deep breath to quell a sudden trembling in his hands. Despite the cultists he had killed in the cavern beneath Wyrport and the assassins he''d dispatched on a few minutes ago, annihilating the soldiers disturbed him slightly. In the novels he''d read in his past life, the main characters often had to kill another human. While there reactions varied, typically it proved to be a traumatic experience for them. Although there was a portion them, the sociopathic antiheroes that had come to dominate a large section of modern fiction, which were able to kill with impunity from the very beginning. That he was only feeling some minor discomfort was slightly concerning. [Maybe one of my skills is preventing me from suffering the emotional consequences of killing humans.] Five simultaneous roars split the sky and awakened him from his ruminations. Looking up, he saw large, winged shapes were descending from above. For a second Mike could only stare blankly, since he felt like he was looking at a quintet of flying cats. A quick Appraise filled him in. ------------------------------------- Ateshan Chimera Age: 12 Race: Lesser Chimera Class: Bound Chimera Title: Tamed Beast ------------------------------------- [So I can safely assume it''s a chimera. A little plain though.] The creatures looked pretty much like winged lions, although they were a reddish color, reminiscent of dried blood. Indeed, the only really remarkable thing about them was their size. With roughly 15m wingspans and bodies the size of small cars, the chimeras would have been quite terrifying to most normal people. Although, Mike was not impressed. [A little scary I guess, but the others should be able to take care of them.] He thought to himself as continued towards the airship. As the chimera approached the struggling mass of students, however, he noticed a detail that had originally escaped him. They had riders, who promptly started dropping spherical objects into the milling group. Fearing that they might be some kind of weapon, he focused a portion of his dwindling mana reserves into summoning a powerful blast of wind. The spheres were pushed away from the students and landed on the far side of the earthen barricade. Mike expected an explosion, but instead saw a burst of green smoke over the top of the wall. Judging from the screams of the disguised servers, which started soon afterwards, the spheres contained a slightly more insidious threat. He sent another mental message, this time with more urgency. They desperately needed air supremacy. [Looks like I need to take care of these things now, or they are going to decimate the students.] Summoning the remaining dregs of his mana, Mike prepared to launch himself in the direction of the flying monsters, but stopped when he saw one of the chimeras cut from the air by a trio of nearly invisible wind blades. The other four backed off, and started circling the crowd warily. [Nevermind, looks like Tal has this under control.] "Matthew! You bastards!" A harsh female voice yelled. Looking over, he saw a group of soldiers dragging a familiar, platinum blonde student towards the airship. She was bound with a rope lined with glowing arcane runes, and slung over the shoulder of a particularly muscular man. Tears were streaming down her face as she struggled futilely to get free. Following her gaze, Mike saw a trio of crumpled human forms lying on the ground nearby. He had started running towards the group of soldiers, when Andrea looked over at him. After a brief moment of shock, she nodded at the bodies with an imploring look. "Please, help him!" "Shut up!" One of her captors yelled while cuffing her. Her head bounced against the steel plated armor of the soldier who was carrying her, and she sagged noticeably. Gritting his teeth, Mike changed direction to the group of still forms. He would honor her wishes, even if it might lead to her capture. When he got close, he recognized the royal twins'' bodyguards as two of the still forms lying on the ground. Judging from their wounds and the open, staring eyes, they were beyond his help. The third turned out to be the princess''s twin, Matthew Almir. He had been gutted by a massive blow that had nearly cut him in half. Torn entrails and blood coated the ground around the young prince, but the shallow rise and fall of his chest betrayed a small spark of life yet remaining. It was a critical injury, one that would have meant death under normal circumstances. Luckily for the prince, he happened to run into one of the few people on the continent qualified to save him. Mike kneeled down next to the stricken youth, pulled another mana potion out, and downed it. He reached out with a hand, already channeling mana, and laid his palm on the prince''s chest. In his concentration he felt a feeble grip on his arm, and glanced up to see Matthew looking at him with clear, imploring eyes. He was trying to say something, but couldn''t issue more than a whisper. Since it was going to take a few moments for him to finish the healing anyway, Mike leaned over and listened. "Save¡­..Andrea¡­..please¡­.." Came the hoarse, breathless words. Mike sighed, "Yes, yes. I get it. You''re good, loving siblings who each want the other to be saved first. I was planning on heading there next, so just relax." The prince gave a strained smile, before his eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed back onto the ground. Once Matthew''s injuries had closed, and his life was no longer in any danger, Mike stopped his spell. He didn''t have the mana to spend on bringing the man back to full strength. Standing back up, he nearly stumbled when a wave of vertigo swept over him. This was starting to be a little too much for Mike to handle on his own. Almost as if on cue, a mental message reached him. Grin forming under his mask, Mike thought to himself. [Its about time. Let''s see if the bad guys planned for this.] -------------- Andrea opened her eyes, and immediately regretted it when a debilitating dagger of agony stabbed into her brain. Squinting in agony, she waited for the pain and sudden burst of nausea to abate. Once her head had cleared enough to look around, she determined she was on the deck of ship of some kind. Only there were no sails..... The airship! Memories flooded her mind, and she recalled the events of the last few minutes. Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt hot tears begin welling in her eyes. Her brother had been disemboweled in front of her, and she was powerless to do anything about it. She couldn''t even struggle as the Tennundian soldiers carried her away, leaving him bleeding on the ground. [Some magical genius. I couldn''t even protect Matthew from a bunch of armored brutes.] Andrea thought bitterly. Wait.....There was something else, right before she blacked out. A vague image of a man in a crimson cloak formed in her mind. She tried to concentrate on it, but was interrupted by an arrogant male voice. "Ah, it seems our sleeping princess is finally awake. I apologize for the rough treatment, but I''m sure you know how hard it is to get good help these days." She wrenched her neck in the direction of the voice, already recognizing its owner. "Wendel, you bastard! You''ll pay for this. I won''t rest until I see each and every one of you traitorous monsters hang." "My, my, my. That''s hardly refined behavior, princess. I expected better of you." He clicked his tongue mockingly, "Well, no matter, we have what we came for." He turned towards a short haired woman, dressed in plate armor. "Have the handler''s release the beasts, and then tell the captain its time to depart." "What about the rest of the soldiers?" The woman asked uneasily. "If they haven''t made it back by the time we''re ready to depart, leave them. They understood the risks when they volunteered for this mission, and we can''t delay. The royal guard should be here any time now, and we can''t afford to tangle with them." "Ha, that''s right! The royal guard will hunt you to the ends of the Ea for this. You will never again know peace, Wendel." Andrea broke in viciously. He looked over her and frowned, before motioning to a nearby soldier. "Drag her over here. I want to make sure she sees this next bit." Andrea was roughly manhandled into a standing position near the railing. With a smug smile, Wendel began monologuing, "You may be wondering why I chose to take you alive. Well, the answer is quite simple. As we speak, agents positioned near your older siblings are putting an end to this undeclared civil war, in the most permanent way possible. And since your twin is probably cooling in a pile of his own viscera and excrement, this means you will be the heir to the throne of Almir by default." A red haze descended over her eyes, as she was filled with rage. "Monster...when I get out of these bonds, I''m going to tear you apart!" Wendel gave her a backhand slap which would have sent her spinning to the floor, if not for the soldier holding her up. "This is what I get for trying to be polite, I suppose. You are lucky the Tennundians want you unharmed. Of course, that will probably only extend until the wedding." She felt her heart freeze. "Wedding?" "I thought that might get your attention. Yes, the Duke of Tennundi seems to think that by marrying you, he will be able to use your claim to legitimize his rule of Almir. Once they''ve conquered it, of course." He said offhandedly, while frowning at something going on in the chaos below. With a start, Andrea realized the airship had already taken off, and they were slowing raising into the air. "On second thought, he might not have you killed until after you''ve given birth. A child of both bloodlines would certainly improve his claim." He continued thoughtfully. Tears filled her eyes again, as she fought back against the crushing despair that was threatening to consume her. "It looks like the fight''s still going. I have to admit, that I''m surprised by the level of resistance those spoiled brats are putting up. Not that it matters. I paid good money for a squad of Ateshan Death Wings. Even if the students manage to defend themselves from their Ruination Globes, the Deathspeaker will put an end to this fight. In fact, he should nearly be done with the ritual....." There was a wave screams from the students, as something took place on the ground below. "Ah, there we go." [Isn''t there anything I can do to stop this madman. Isn''t there anyone...] Suddenly the image of a masked figure entered her mind. The figure she''d seen emerging from the mist just a few minutes ago. She''d nearly forgotten. Chuckling to herself, Andrea spoke quietly to the would-be victor. "You''ve planned this quite well. It looks like you''ve thought of everything." "Done with the anger already? Or has this broken you? I thought the royal family would have been made of sterner stuff." Wendel replied with a scoff. "But you didn''t plan for the return of a legend." She continued with a smirk. "I fail to see where you are going with-" A roar shattered the battlefield. A roar that filled the milling combatants of both sides with a primal fear they didn''t understand, but simply felt in the animalistic parts of their minds that governed the most base of emotions. A roar that told them they were in the presence of a superior lifeform. As one they turned their gazes to the sky. A red streak, moving faster than the eye could see, swept past two of the chimera, sending them spiraling to the ground, bodies shattered by the force of barely perceived attacks. Although, no one paid attention to the fallen monsters. Silence descended on the battlefield, as all attention was drawn to the majestic creature that was hovering in the air with seemingly effortless strokes of its massive wings. The two remaining chimera were the first to respond, turning tail and fleeing despite the commands of their riders, overwhelmed by an instinctual fear. However, they didn''t get far, as the dragon took a deep breath and enveloped them in a cloud of scorching fire. "Impossible!" Wendel yelled, hands gripping the railing, knuckles whitening. "How is there a true dragon here?!" Andrea started laughing. She''d caught the sight of a familiar figure landing on the deck of the ship. One wearing a deep crimson cloak, and a mask of the purest darkness. Chapter 132: Stolen Thunder Sera jumped back, narrowly dodging the sword of a large man dressed as a waiter. She grabbed the closest weapon at hand and threw it at him. The man easily deflected the bowl, but was momentarily blinded by the vegetable soup it contained. During that brief opening, Brenden flashed by, neatly decapitating her attacker before moving on to other enemies. She took a moment to catch her breath, deeply regretting coming to this event in heels. Taking the elaborate shoes off would have taken too much time, so she was forced to fight with them on. [I''m never wearing heels again! I don''t care how good they make my legs look. Bah! I can''t believe how much time I spent working on my archery, and here I am fighting with a bunch of assassins, armed only with soup.] When the mists had finally cleared, Sera''s table, being near the back, almost immediately came under attack from the traitorous servers. Despite an earthen barricade that Mike apparently summoned before running off somewhere, they were quickly getting overrun. Too many of the students nearby were unable to put up a decent resistance, since it seemed like the majority of the Martial Arts Department had decided to sit near the front of the gathering. [At the very least, they should be able to protect our backs.] On the other hand, this meant that their defense force was composed of a handful of teachers, a smattering of students and bodyguards with some martial training, a couple of mages, and Sera''s group. Luckily, they seemed up to the task. Aine was proving to be a fairly competent Fire Mage, and had been skillfully picking off individual enemies. Rebecca had been concentrating more on defense and support, protecting her friend, while using snaking tendrils of water to throw the servers off balance at just the right moment. Edgar, on the other hand, had been looking around wildly, unsure of what he should be doing. Since Tal had been forced to defend against the aerial attacks, Brenden was providing the lion''s share of the defense. He was moving so quickly, and killing with such efficiency, it looked like he was everywhere at once. However, Sera could tell that he was slowing down, getting tired. [We can''t keep this up much longer.] Screams sounded throughout the area, as a wave of strange, dark energy swept through the fighting. Sera felt an instinctive revulsion as the wave passed through her, leaving her skin crawling as if it was coated by insects. Beyond that, there didn''t seem to be any other effects. "What was that-" She started asking Tal, who was standing nearby, still focused on the group of chimeras circling above. She was interrupted, however, by something grabbing her leg and pulling, sending her sprawling. Looking back, she was horrified to realize it was the body of the man Brenden had just decapitated. The corpse had locked its fingers around one of her legs, and was pulling her closer. "Necromancy!" Someone yelled from nearby, as similar horrified screams arose from other parts of the fighting. Sera struggled against the iron grip of the zombie, but to no avail. She wasn''t strong enough to shake herself loose, and was forced to watch as it pulled her into range of its sword, which was poised to strike. Just before the zombie brought its arm down, it froze. With an audible creak, it relaxed its fingers, allowing her to escape. Sera pushed herself away from the moving corpse before standing back up with a wince. Her ankle would likely have a hand-shaped bruise for the next few days, at least until she could pester Mike into healing it. She was trying to figure out what was going on with the zombie, when Edgar stepped up beside her. He had his hand outstretched, a look of concentration on his face. He gestured at the corpse, causing it to stand. Whirling, the zombie then threw itself at the mass of enemies still fighting. "You can control them?" Sera asked with slight trepidation. "Some of them, if I focus." He replied sheepishly. "How many?" He paused to consider. "Maybe twenty?" "Good. Do that. Keep the enemy occupied, and I''ll work on getting us some support." Sera looked behind her, at the milling mass of noncombatants who had taken shelter behind turned over tables. Seeing their staring, fearful faces made her furious. If they wanted to survive the next few minutes, they''d better do something to help. However, it looked like the Headmaster''s message had not inspired them to act. They would need some impetus. Grumbling to herself, she carefully climbed onto a chair, and from there stepped onto one of the few tables that remained upright. She faced the cowardly group that was cringing behind their makeshift barriers. "Braze citizens of Almir! Students of the University! Hear me!" She yelled above the clamor and noise of the battlefield. "I know you are frightened, that this cowardly and unjustified assault has thrown you into confusion, but we cannot give in to fear. Look around you. We are surrounded by an enemy that wishes our destruction. One who is desperate enough to animate their fallen comrades with Necromancy, in order to continue the fight." A group of assassins pushed past Edgar''s controlled horde, and ran towards the table Sera was standing on. She didn''t spare them a glance, knowing that to falter now would ruin the effect. Trusting her comrades to see her through, she continued her speech. "But we cannot give up. To surrender is to die." Sera paused dramatically, and was relieved to hear the sounds of combat behind her, as Tal and Brenden moved to intercept the group seeking to silence her. "So, rise up! Fight! Teach these cowards the strength of our people! Know that every second you earn through your valor, is one second closer towards victory. Powerful allies are on their way here, as we speak. But we must hold out till then. So, rise and defend yourselves!" Silence pervaded the area, and for a second Sera was afraid that her message had fallen on deaf ears. But then a female student, wearing a tattered dress, stepped out from behind her makeshift barricade. Hefting a broken chair leg, she took a deep breath and raised her improvised weapon into the air before charging the enemy with a battle cry on her lips. Like water through a broken dam, the rest of the student body followed suit, grabbing whatever was available to them and throwing themselves into battle with reckless abandon. Sera felt a surge of bittersweet pride. Her words had inspired them to action. Even if she wasn''t individually strong, she could make a difference in this battle. Grabbing a pair of dinner knives, she got ready to charge the enemy herself, when everything changed again. A roar, reverberating to the very marrow of her bones, split the sky, momentarily bringing the combat to a halt. Sera watched, open mouthed as a flame dragon, of all things, destroyed the remaining chimeras with contemptuous ease. As soon as it had done so, the remaining zombies dropped to the ground, dead once more. Clearly the necromancer had been among the chimera''s riders. The spell was broken, when the dragon left to chase after the airship, which had taken off in the confusion. Guessing that the legendary creature was on their side, the students'' morale surged. With a deafening cheer, they once again threw themselves against their enemies, who in turn started fleeing, evidently demoralized by the easy defeat of their trump card. Within minutes, combat had effectively ceased. Surrounded by relieved and victorious cheers, Sera couldn''t help but feel cheated. Her bright and shining moment had been overshadowed by a preposterous turn of events. Although she had no proof, her gut told her that Mike was to blame. After all, when the improbable occurs, he''s usually in the thick of it. Besides, considering Audra, it wouldn''t have been a stretch from him to have befriended a true dragon somehow. She sighed and moved to join the rest of her friends. At least things seemed to have calmed down now. Sera gasped as a stabbing pain shot through her head. An image took form in her mind. Mike was standing in a moonlit field of white flowers, hair rustling in the breeze. He looked older, more mature, and was dressed in an exquisite black tunic. He smiled and offered a hand to someone sitting on the ground. She couldn''t make out the figure, but the expression on Mike''s face caused her heart to skip a beat. It was filled with a warmth and tenderness that she had never seen from him before. It was an expression of love. Just as slender, feminine arm reached out to accept Mike''s offered hand, the vision ended, leaving her gasping on her knees. [What was that about? And really? This is the vision you wanted me to see, after all this time? Not something about that noble idiot, or the attack we just barely survived, but one about Mike on some kind of romantic getaway?] Grumbling to herself, she fought her way back onto her feet. In the depths of her anger at her abilities, she noticed an ache in her chest, which she couldn''t quite describe. She resolved to blame this on Mike as well, since it was surely his fault too. ---------------- Landing on the deck of the ship, Mike resolved once again to get Red some kind of saddle. If riding the dragon was difficult before, trying to avoid being blown off in the middle of combat had been another thing entirely. Still distracted by the fireworks, the soldiers on the deck of the airship were sitting ducks, as Mike began to scythe through them with ruthless efficiency. He was able to bring down three before they knew what was happening. This was stopped by a short haired woman wearing heavy plate armor. Moving with a speed that that was astounding, she launched a series of devastating strikes with her mace that Mike was forced to defend against. Eventually, he caught a small opening in her attack routine, and was able to deliver a kick to her solar plexus. Unfortunately, this merely forced her back against the railing of the airship. Even her armor remained unblemished by the blow, which would have been sufficient to crush a boulder. After regaining her balance, she moved in front of an aristocratic looking man who was standing next to the captured princess. Taking a moment to survey the situation, Mike determined that he was surrounded by eight soldiers, who were warily maintaining a rough perimeter. Although they weren''t particularly dangerous to him, they could distract him from the real threat. "What is this? A fairy tale? The heroic knight conquers all odds to save the captured princess from the clutches of the villain?" The aristocratic man growled mockingly. His face was twisted into an angry mask. It seemed that the man wanted to engage in banter. Mike decided to play along, hoping to give his mana time to regenerate. He mentally messaged Red to keep his distance for now. When the time was right, he would act. "My lord, he''s strong." The armored woman spoke in calm, but worried tones. "Can you take him?" Came the whispered reply. The woman looked Mike over, appraisingly, then shook her head slightly. Gritting his teeth, the lord calmed himself visibly. "You are not a member of the royal guard, nor a servant of the crown. Judging from your frame you''re still quite young....a student perhaps? Or maybe a bodyguard in service to some noble." Andrea laughed at his guesses, "You are a fool, Wendel. You stand before a living legend. Surrender now, and your death will be quick." [...That''s quite a haughty attitude for a hostage. Although, I suppose its part of being a member of the royal family.] He used Appraise on the aristocrat. ------------------------------------ Wendel Authinel Age: 37 Class: Binder Title: Mastermind ----------------------------------- [Yep. Classic villain.] The man called Wendel, frowned down at the princess. "I refuse to believe that a real Dragonknight has seen fit to expose himself like this, just to save the descendant of the king that betrayed his order. But enough of this." He shifted his gaze to Mike, "You have been awfully silent. What do you have to say for yourself?" Mike took measure of his mana reserves, and felt he had a sufficient amount for the next step. Summoning a portion of his strength, he channeled it into his limbs, causing a glowing nimbus of fire to coat his form. "My identity is not important. I take action because I choose to. Nothing more." He settled into the Roaring Flame stance. The armored woman started, and ran forward while yelling. "Get back, my lord!" Almost as if her cry was a signal, the remaining soldiers attacked as one. Sinking a further portion of mana into his stance, he held his sword in the low ready, and coated it with a layer of flame. With blinding speed, he whipped the weapon in a circle around himself, a phantom lash of fire following the swing. Taking two steps in rapid succession, he moved past the bisected bodies of the soldiers as they were in the process of falling to the ground. The armored woman stepped up to stop him, bringing her mace up to block, but proved unable to withstand his enhanced strength. She was sent flying, leaving nothing between him and the aristocrat, or so he thought. A cloud of dark mist appeared in front of him, condensing into a vicious maw. Mike dodged to the left, dispersing the cloud with a hasty swing. However, it started reforming almost immediately. Nevertheless, he path was now clear. "Regardless of your identity, it seems you have bested me." Wendel laughed as he grabbed Andrea by her bonds, "This particular prize is no longer worth the cost, so I''ll let you have it." With a flick of his arm he threw the woman over the side. She only had time for a brief, "Huh?" before she vanished from sight. A scream followed soon afterwards. Mike sighed internally, this was becoming increasingly troublesome. Dropping his enhancement, he launched himself overboard with a burst of Air Magic. He needed to move quickly to catch up. Chapter 133: Fall and Chase Mike was in free fall. The ship had evidently gotten quite high while he was fighting, and he found himself falling towards the distant ground, the entirety of the capitol spread out beneath him. He quickly spotted the screaming princess, who was spinning uncontrollably. Straightening himself, with arms against his sides and legs together, he pushed forward with his Air Magic. He needed to catch up before they hit the ground. However, he was starting to become concerned about his dwindling mana reserves. Assuming he managed to catch up, there might not be enough left to kill their momentum before they hit the ground. "Red!" He called once he had gotten into arm''s reach of Andrea. "A little help?" Of course the wind prevented his voice from traveling very far, so he included a mental message as well. Stretching, he eventually succeeded in catching the woman, and stabilizing her fall. A look of surprised relief appeared on her face, as her scream finally petered out. He redirected his Air Magic towards the ground, drawing on every last scrap of mana to kill their momentum. They were slowing down, but it had taken too long to catch up, and they were only a few dozen meters above the ground. When his consciousness was starting to grow faint, he saw a familiar red blur speeding in from the corner of his vision. [About time. You certainly know how to make a dramatic entrance.] He was rewarded with a slightly smug feeling transmitted over the summoners bond. Red was apparently quite pleased with himself. Mike and Andrea slammed onto the dragon''s back painfully. Although Red had done his best to soften the blow, they were still falling rather quickly when they hit. [Oof. That hurt. I don''t know how they make this look easy in the movies.] He looked over at the princess, who appeared to have had the wind knocked out of her. "You alright?" He asked with a cough. Nodding, she coughed a few times as well before gasping for air. "That was unpleasant." Chuckling, he untied her, while using Appraise on the rope. -------------------------------------------- Rope of Arcane Binding Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 2) A length of rope designed to bind and incapacitate a mage. Will prevent the usage of any form of magic at the level of mid-Tier 2 or lower. More powerful mages are able to break through this restriction. ------------------------------------------- [That could come in handy.] He thought to himself, as he stored it in the extradimensional sack. Andrea was absentmindedly rubbing her wrists while staring at the scenery in wonder. "I had always dreamed...." She began before trailing off. Hesitantly, she placed one hand against the dragon''s neck, a childish smile forming on her lips. Red was flying in a lazy circle around the outskirts of the city. It seemed he wanted to give them time to catch their breath. With a mental command, Mike had him start chasing after the now distant airship. The sudden wind pressure nearly flattened Andrea, but Mike was able to hold her in place. Spending a small amount of his almost extinguished mana, he formed a small barrier against the wind. "Where are we going?" The princess yelled, a slight flush on her cheeks from the sudden physical contact, well intentioned though it might have been. "I don''t know about you, but I''m not one to let the bad guy get away unscathed." He said with a grin behind his mask. Wendel had thoroughly pissed him off, and Mike wouldn''t feel satisfied until he''d destroyed the noble''s plans. Her features warped into an expression of savage anger. "Oh, I can''t wait to get a hold of that traitorous bastard. I have a lot to pay him back for." She blinked for a moment, in sudden realization. "Matthew, my brother. Is he..." She couldn''t finish the question. "He''s alive and well, although it may be a little while before he wakes up." Several questions seemed to form on her lips, but in the end Andrea simply gave a heartfelt smile of relief. "Thank you." She whispered in a quiet voice that was nearly overcome by the wind. Mike nodded, "Now, lets go catch the bad guy." --------------------------------------------------------- Watching the approaching dragon, Viscount Wendel knew that he wouldn''t be able to escape this way. Although the naval airship was one of the fastest things in Ea, it simply couldn''t compete with the true rulers of the sky. Sighing, he backed away from the railing and walked over to the door leading to the captain''s cabin. With a wince, Tanya followed after, still injured from the previous battle. The small handful of surviving Tennundian soldiers were milling around, confused. With the exception of the four in charge of the bridge, virtually the entire command staff had been on deck when the supposed Dragonknight arrived. As a result, they were leaderless and directionless. "Um...Viscount, sir? What do we do now?" A skinny young man dressed in the uniform of a messenger asked. "We just need to keep heading towards the border. Once we cross, our pursuers will be forced to break off." He replied with a reassuring smile, not bothering to check to see what sort of response his words had garnered. [It seems this mission has been a colossal failure.] Entering the cabin with Tanya in tow, he went to the magically locked chest that rested at the foot of his bed, and opened it with a key he carried around his neck on a chain. Inside was a pile of coins, gems, and jewelry. Enough concentrated wealth to be called a fortune, even to one of Wendel''s resources. However, he paid no mind to the money. Dumping the chest''s contents onto the floor, he removed the false bottom, revealing two blue crystal orbs, roughly 50 cm in diameter. The one on the right had a large crack running down the middle of it, but was still holding together. He moved to grab both, but hesitated, before selecting the one on the left. Even though these things had cost him dearly, he wasn''t sure what would happen if he tried to bring the second along with him. From what little he understood about the mechanics behind he item, doing so might cause unfortunate side effects. With a sigh, he straightened. He tried not to think about all the time, effort, and money that had gone into acquiring the one on the right, damaged though it might have been. Tanya coughed once, before speaking quietly. "I''m sorry, my lord. I wasn''t strong enough." "No, don''t blame yourself, my dear. No one could have predicted the intervention of a Dragonknight Battlemage. Especially one as skilled as that masked fellow." Wendel shivered slightly, thinking back to the lethal strength and speed the knight had used to butcher his way though every obstacle. It was almost inhuman. The airship rocked violently, and he could hear the screaming of the Tennundian soldiers in other parts of the vessel. "It appears its time to make our escape." Grabbing onto Tanya''s shoulder, he poured his mana into the orb, activating it. A blue, spherical field of energy surrounded the two of them, gyrating intensely as it scythed into the floor with a hiss. A low pitched hum could be heard, growing louder as the energy rotated more violently. With a flash, the pair of them disappeared, leaving nothing besides a smoking, hemispherical hole in the decking. ---------------- Mike was surprised to see that the airship was able to support Red''s bulk. He''d halfway expected the vessel to break into pieces under the force of their impact. Instead it simply dipped in the air for a few moments, before righting itself and resuming its course. Although, Red was forced to cling to the side of the ship, since he couldn''t fit his entire body onto the deck itself. He''d initially thought about simply having Red incinerate troublesome thing, but judging from the crest emblazoned on its side, it belonged to the Almiran Navy, and he suspected that they''d be rather upset if he ruined it. So, he decided that if it survived the initial impact, he would try to salvage it to the best of his ability. Besides, he figured the government would give a much better reward for recapturing it. As soon as the ship had stabilized, he hopped onto the deck, sword ready. He''d halfway expected Wendel to still be there, but it was currently deserted. He heard the sounds of Andrea descending behind him, so he turned to look at her. "I''m not sure what to expect here, so its probably better for you to stay with Red." "Hmph, while I''m grateful to you for saving me, you aren''t my father. I''m going to go deal with that traitor, and you can''t stop me." She replied angrily, a haze of flame dancing along her arms. "You do remember that you were captured not too long ago, right?" He asked incredulously. She flushed slightly, and shot him a dirty look. "They caught me by surprise, alright? This time, I will be ready." Mike scratched the back of his head. [Why can''t I ever rescue normal people?] He thought for a second, before drawing his sword and facing the open doorway leading below decks. "Come out! I know you are there!" He yelled. A young soldier hesitantly walked up onto deck. As soon as he laid eyes on the dragon holding onto the ship, he froze, mouth moving soundlessly. Noticing that the soldier wasn''t carrying any weapons, Mike called over to the man. "Surrender, and bring me the one called Wendel, and I will spare your lives. The soldier gulped, nervously flicking his gaze down to Mike before looking back up at Red. "My-my-my lord. W-w-w-we surrender, b-but I c-can''t bring you Viscount Wendel." "Why not?" Mike asked, starting to lose his patience. "H-he''s not here anymore." The soldier stammered apologetically. Mike had the man bring everyone but the ship''s pilot back onto deck, and disarmed them. With a great deal of effort he was able to convince Andrea to stay there with them, in order to be their ''guard.'' After making the pilot turn around and set a course for the University, Mike searched the captain''s quarters, the last place Wendel and his armored servant were seen. The smell of burnt wood filled the small room. He was surprised by the strange, circular markings in the floor, which nearly extended to the next deck. A small fortune was scattered around the room, which he quickly moved to secure. After all, he''d been through the ringer today. It was about time he received a reward for his efforts. Picking up a coin near the circle, he noticed that it had been cleanly carved in half. The cut was so smooth, he suspected something like a laser was responsible. Working his way towards an overturned chest, he spotted something unusual in it. A cracked blue orb was sitting in a specially made packaging in the chest''s false bottom. A similar depression to its left suggested that it was one of a pair. Curious, he picked it up and used Appraise. ----------------------------------------------------- Orb of Translocation (Cracked) Magic Item (Tier 4, Rank 2) One of the legendary orbs said to date back to Second Age. Created by the High Elves through a method now lost, these orbs formed the keystones of their portals. Although meant to be one small part of something larger, they can be used individually to momentarily translocate two points in space. The effective range is determined by the amount of mana given to the orb as part of its activation. It is possible to travel to other realms with a sufficient amount of mana. Note: This particular item is damaged, lowering its Rank from 5 to 2. Due to the damage, the destination cannot be set, and will instead be random. ------------------------------------------------------- Mike blinked. He looked down at the burned section of decking, then to the empty space in the bottom of the chest, and finally back at the cracked orb in his hand. "Shit...." Chapter 134: Tentorium "What do you mean, he escaped?!" Andrea yelled. "Well, it appears he had access to an artifact from the Second Age, which allowed him to teleport somewhere. At this point he is beyond our reach." Mike replied. The princess walked over to the railing and gave it a solid kick, before sulkily crossing her arms and staring into the distance. The remaining Tennundian soldiers briefly shifted their gazes to the temperamental woman, before looking down at the ground. All told, they appeared to be demoralized and beaten. Believing that his presence was no longer necessary to keep them in line, Mike had Red let go of the ship and fly alongside it. Now, all that was left to do, was drop the ship off at the University, sneakily escape in the confusion, and find a way of blending back into the crowd of surviving students to make sure that no one suspected his absence. [I''m beginning to see why superheroes are always complaining about having alter egos.] While he was debating on the precise method he would use to achieve all of that, he heard a woman shouting distantly. "PRINCESS ANDREAAA!" It sounded faint, but grew louder near the last syllable. Mike looked around. They were still a kilometer above the ground, at the very least. Confused, he walked to the railing where he heard the sound coming from. "PRINCESS ANDREA! I''M HERE TO SAVE YOU!" Something moving extremely fast flashed by, and Mike''s vision was suddenly filled as a woman in golden armor flung herself in his direction. If it wasn''t for the sudden burst of hostile intent, Mike would have been at a loss to respond. He quickly dived to his right, narrowly avoiding a powerful spear thrust which shattered the portion of the deck he''d been occupying just seconds before. His attacker was tall, roughly 1.7m and dressed in ornate golden plate armor. The center of her breastplate was etched with the royal crest of Almir, a skyward pointed sword between a pair of blue lions on a field of red. A white cape extended from her shoulders giving her a heroic air. Her shoulder length orange hair was tied back in a ponytail. "Release the princess, you fiend!" The woman said while leveling her spear at Mike. "Alright." He responded nonchalantly. "Very well, I will have to make you...eh?" The knight blinked, head tilted slightly in confusion. He took this opportunity to use a quick Appraise. -------------------------------------------- Leona Albright Age: 26 Class: Dragoon Title: Almiran Royal Guard -------------------------------------------- "Leona! Stand down! That man saved my life!" Andrea called while marching over. "Ah?" The woman apparently called Leona replied with a slight head tilt. "Ah! Princess you''re alright." She rushed up to Andrea and crushed her in a tight armor-plated hug. "I''m so relieved! When I heard you''d been kidnapped, I stole a courier hippogriff and rushed here straight away." "Urk! Leona! Let go! You''re crushing me again." "Ah! Sorry, princess." "I take it you two are familiar with one another?" Andrea pushed herself free of the other woman, "Yes. Leona here is a member of the Royal Guard, and has been my chosen knight and companion since I was a child. She has been my protector as long as I can remember." "Indeed!" The golden knight replied before rounding on Andrea with stern disapproval written on her face. "If you had only allowed me to accompany you during your studies, this would have never have happened." Andrea opened her mouth, ready to deliver a fiery comeback, but hesitated. After a few moments, she spoke in a quiet, depressed voice. "Yes. You are right. I overestimated myself and my abilities, and others paid the price." "Princess¡­." Leona muttered, clearly overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. Now thoroughly feeling like he was intruding on a private moment between two close friends, Mike surreptitiously moved himself towards the side of the ship once more. He hopped up onto the railing, pausing to face the pair. "Well, it seems like you are in good hands, Andrea. I believe it is time for me to take my leave." She looked over at him in surprise, "Wait! I still don''t know your name!" "I''ll be seeing you." He fell backwards off the ship, neatly landing on Red''s back, as the dragon flew by. He glanced back long enough to see Andrea staring after him from the railing, raised a hand to bid her farewell, and directed his mount to find a good place for him to jump off near the city, finally settling for a small sandbar near the northern shore of the bay. [Thanks for the all the help today.] He message Red while watching the dragon depart. [You were a real lifesaver.] Just before he was out of sight, Mike heard a loud draconic roar, which his Communication Magic translated as something along the lines of "No problem, boss." Dismissing his mask and storing his cloak, Mike started making his way back towards the city. Judging from his location, he would have to jump the walls. Luckily, his Air Magic had finally increased in tier, and he was now only a few steps away from being able to fly himself. He eventually succeeded in throwing himself over the University''s walls without being seen, but it was a close thing. The guard had been tripled, likely due to the attack, and he had to time his magic just right. Once he''d reached the lighthouse near his dorm, he could finally relax. It seemed as if he''d successfully completed two of three tasks. Now if he could just reintegrate into the crowd on central campus, all would be well. Except, now that he thought about it, there were at least three people who knew he''d summoned a semi-permanent flame dragon. The same dragon which had promptly turned the tide in battle and had been instrumental in saving the princess from her kidnappers. For a brief moment, Mike seriously considered simply leaving it all behind and living in the woods. With his ability to talk to animals, he could probably have a fulfilling life in the wild. However, he would miss the conveniences of city living. Especially the food. [Oh well, I''ll just deal with it, if it becomes a problem.] By the time he''d made it back to central campus, the cavalry had arrived. Not just figuratively, but literally as well. Mike was forced to dodge as a group of armored knights on horse and dinosaur back rode past, heading towards the walls. University guards and soldiers wearing the heraldry of Almir were everywhere. Now that the danger had passed, it seemed that they were trying to go overboard on security to make up for their initial blunder. Just to get into the area where the other students were receiving treatment he had to answer a battery of questions. He was forced to come up with a story where he had been separated from the rest of the students in the chaos, and was chased by a group of enemy soldiers. Eventually, he was able to escape them thanks to his knowledge of the terrain. Although the guards that were questioning him didn''t look fully convinced, they let him through once he showed them his student card. [Should have just done that from the beginning, I guess.] He quickly spotted his companions, and was glad to see that they looked uninjured. They were standing a little bit away from the rest of the students, talking quietly. Tal was the first to spot him, waving tiredly as he approached. "Welcome back. Glad okay." At the elf''s words, Sera and Brenden turned to look at him with very different expression. The Oracle looked slightly depressed at the sight of him, but quickly became angry. Brenden, on the other hand, grinned. "Looks like you had a rough time of it." Mike looked down at himself, and realized that his fancy new clothes had been damaged and dirtied during the long string of fights he''d been involved in. He was also coated in healthy quantity of blood that he hadn''t been aware of. [No wonder everyone was staring at me oddly up.] With a quick application of Lifestyle Magic, he removed the accumulated blood and dirt, leaving his clothes merely battered. "Anyway, are you all alright? It looked like you had it under control, but I was a little distracted at the time." He asked. Sera glowered at him a little. "You''re responsible for the dragon, aren''t you?" The other two looked at him curiously. Rubbing the back of his head. "Well¡­.I was meaning to surprise you all on Saturday. His name''s Red, by the way." Tal gave him an unreadable look, while Brenden chuckled to himself, "I''m surprised, but I really shouldn''t be." Sera reached out at him for a moment, hands bent into claws like she wanted to strangle him. Instead, however, she sighed and sagged in defeat. "That''s it. I give up. You are a complete anomaly." "That''s the spirit." Brenden chimed in while slapping her on the back. "The sooner you come to accept it, the easier it will be." Tal nodded her agreement. "That hardly seems fair. I''m not that bad, am I?" Mike asked, feeling a little insulted for some reason. The three of them just gave him a neutral look without answering. "Fine, whatever. I''m the ridiculous one." He said with mock emphasis. He noticed that a silence had descended on the area. Looking around he saw that the airship had finally arrived, and was descending into central campus, much to the consternation of the milling guards and soldiers. It was only the sight of the princess standing next to a golden armored woman at the ship''s railing which kept them from attacking. "Looks like the princess was rescued." Brenden commented, "I don''t suppose you had anything to do with it?" "....No comment." ----------------------------- Count Graveston contemplated the flames of his study''s fireplace, while waiting for the last of his messengers to arrive. He''d already burned the hastily scrawled note from Morris, in which he had related rumors of a mass exodus of orcs from the Ash Mountains. By now, that was old news. A familiar presence had occupied a corner of his study, little more than a slightly darker shadow. The count paid no attention to it, knowing quite well that it was merely here to observe. There was a knock on the window. "Enter." Was his simple reply. He didn''t bother to watch as a cloaked figure quietly slipped into the room, before falling down to one knee. "My lord, I bring news." The figure spoke in a rough male voice. "Speak." "There have been assassination attempts on all of the royal heirs with the exception of Princess Andrea, who was briefly kidnapped." The count frowned briefly before motioning for the man to continue. "We''ve manage to foil the attacks the First and Second Princes, although the First Prince was critically injured. Due to his location on the front lines, it''s unclear whether or not a sufficiently talented healer will arrive in time to save him." "What of the twins?" The man hesitated, as if unsure how to respond. "Our resources in the capital are currently limited. Viscount Wendel was able to distract our agents long enough to seize control of a naval airship and launch a multi-pronged attack on the University while they were hosting a welcoming ceremony. In the confusion, Prince Matthew was stricken with a fatal blow, and Princess Andrea was kidnapped." "So, it was a failure on our part." The count asked with a raised eyebrow. "¡­There was an unexpected circumstance. While reports are still unconfirmed, it appears that a Dragonknight Battlemage saw fit to intercede." The man paused again, as if waiting for an incredulous response. "Oh?" "He was able to heal the Prince of near fatal injuries, while his mount dispersed the remaining enemy forces. Almost immediately afterwards, he single-handedly launched an assault on the airship, which was carrying the kidnapped princess, and successfully rescued her before vanishing mysteriously." The count tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Is there anything else?" "Only that this Dragonknight appeared to be skilled in multiple kinds of magic, made use of at least one spell we have no record of, and yet defeated the majority of his enemies with a sword." "I see¡­.you are dismissed." With a nod, the man vanished. Count Graveston rang a bell that was sitting on a nearby table, which in turn summoned Carlton, one of his trusted butlers. "What can I do for you, my lord?" The man asked as soon as he''d entered. "Send a message to the Druids of the Splintered Oak. Tell them I am calling in a favor. The First Prince is in dire need of a competent healer." "It will be done." Carlton replied while leaving. The count pondered for a moment, before shooting a sharp gaze at the shadow that had been occupying the corner throughout the proceedings. "It seems you ploy has failed, old rival." A low-pitched whisper answered, "Has it? Perhaps this is as planned." "Perhaps." The count replied with a knowing smirk. The shade gave a dry dusty laugh. "Next time, Serpent. I will show you something grand." With that it faded back through the wall, and vanished. The count''s arrogant smile faded from his lips, as he pictured the strange, golden-eyed youth which he''d planted in the capital. He considered once again, what secret would be powerful enough to drive Morris back home? What secret would his son sacrifice his freedom and principles to hide? Chapter 135: Marshaling of Force Emmanuel nursed a growing headache as he watched the airship descend a second time. Using Space Magic quickly, like he did earlier, always left him with a sharp pain at the back of his head, for some reason. Having to hastily deflect the shots from the airship''s cannons, and dealing with the subsequent waves of enemy soldiers had been straining. Quite frankly, it was all a bit much for an old man like himself. "It seems we have escaped disaster this time, old friend. Although, it could have gone better." The Headmaster spoke up, having arrived silently, as was his custom outside of meetings. Emmanuel glanced at him, and took in Alexander''s torn and bloody clothes. It looked like he had been fighting on the front lines. "How bad was it?" He felt himself asking, despite not truly wanting to know. "Ten instructors, 32 students, and roughly 153 staff members were killed over the last couple of days. We are still tallying the injured." "Gods¡­the fight looked rough from my vantage, but I didn''t think we would be losing so many." The mage replied while shaking his head, and then immediately regretting it, as his head throbbed in response. "Most of the staff casualties were caused earlier, as the enemy''s agents killed and replaced whole sections of the guard without anyone noticing." "Is that possible?" Emmanuel replied in disbelief. "It shouldn''t be, but they evidently found a weak spot in our security." Alexander shook his head, as if dispelling the dark thoughts. "Anyway, most of the remaining deaths were actually caused by the monsters that were released shortly after the enemy''s arrival. Even as we speak, there are still a few which have apparently gone to ground somewhere on campus. Since we don''t know exactly how many were released, the guards will be combing the University for the next few days." Emmanuel swallowed hard. It felt like his headache was only getting worse now. "I can have a few of the Magic Department instructors sweep the campus as well. There are a couple that are skilled sensor type magic. They should at least be able to narrow down the monsters'' locations." The Headmaster patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you. That would be most helpful. In the meantime, I want to issue a curfew. No student should be outside after ten bells. Additionally, I''m going to issue a recommendation that all personnel should travel in groups until the situation is resolved." The mage frowned, "So we aren''t closing the University until the danger has passed? The student''s families won''t like that. Although, they''ll probably be furious about this whole situation to begin with." Alexander hesitated, before shaking his head with a sad smile. "Under ordinary circumstances, I would agree, but considering recent developments, we can''t afford to let the student body disperse." A cold chill started creeping up Emmanuel''s spine. "What happened?" Looking around to check for eavesdroppers, Alexander continued. "I''ve received word that the Northern Army was wiped out." "What?! How?" "Keep your voice down. The last thing we need right now is a panic. They were apparently ambushed at a river crossing by a combined force of Tennundians and orcs from the Ash Mountains. Preliminary reports list their numbers at close to twenty thousand. With the force laying siege to Kadin Citadel, we looking at nearly thirty thousand taking part in the invasion." It was a sobering thought. Even though Almir could field a force of well over one hundred thousand under the right circumstances, doing so in the middle of an undeclared civil war, was impossible. With the Western Army still in disarray, the Northern Army effectively destroyed, and the Central Army still in process of mobilization, there was little they could do to halt the Tennundian advance. The Headmaster continued. "The only good news to come of this, is that Marshal Jurien was delayed on the road by an assassination attempt on Prince Johnathan, who was riding with them." "That''s good news? What happened to the prince?" "It meant she avoided sharing Marshal Forint''s fate, at the very least. According to the last report I received, the prince was still in critical condition. There is some uncertainty about whether he will live." "I see¡­" Emmanuel had no particular affection for the prince, since, by all accounts the man was a bit of a meathead. However, his death would alter the balance of power among the royal heirs. It would likely mean the ascension of the Second Prince, who would have the best claim to the throne. This, in turn would cause problems for the University, which was currently seen as tacitly supporting the Third Prince and Princess, even though they tried hard to remain neutral in the matter. "In any event, Marshall Jurien is now attempting to rally the Western Army, no doubt seeing it as the best chance of resisting the invasion. They will need to assemble from their garrisons and fall back to the Ophon River, or risk being flanked and crushed against the ocean." Emmanuel was stunned as he realized the implications of Alexander''s words. "She''s abandoning the Western Marches¡­." The Headmaster sighed, suddenly looking much older than he already was. "Yes. Although, I doubt she has much choice in the matter. If Jurien can''t get them moving in time, we are looking at the potential destruction of over half of the country''s regular fighting force, as well as the loss of three Marshals." A sudden realization struck the mage. "You''ve been asked to return to service, haven''t you?" Alexander Potrarian, once known as the Hammer of Almir, met his old friend''s gaze. "The Prime Minster has asked me to take charge of the Central Army, and all auxiliary forces in the capital region." "Did you accept?" "I did. You know me, Emmanuel, I could never turn my back on my country in its time of need." The Headmaster, and soon to be Marshal replied. The mage nodded. "I know. When will you be issuing the Call to Arms?" "Soon. Probably in the middle of next week. There are a few administrative niceties I must undergo, before I can exercise my full authority. Until that time, we should do everything we can to prepare the students. With the lion''s share of the Central Army''s experienced fighters following Marshal Jurien, the University may very well be our best hope." Emmanuel shuddered slightly at the thought. Looking over at physically and emotionally battered group of students who were still recovering from the rigors of battle, he couldn''t help but mourn. [Why do they all look so young?] Alexander followed his gaze, a momentary despair present in his features, before resumed his usual stony fa?ade. "Do you anything about the Dragonknight that intervened here today? No one seems to be aware of his identity. If we can count on their aid...." Emmanuel thought back to his mystery student, who saved him from death with a display of skill that was astounding to behold. He wasn''t sure, but he suspected that the young man even used Healing Magic at some point during the fight. That he disappeared into the heat of the conflict, shortly before the dragon''s arrival, seemed too much of a coincidence. "I have a suspicion that he might actually be one of my students, although I have no proof." He replied after considering the quandary for a while. Alexander paused thoughtfully, "That would make sense, considering the timeline. Are you willing to share this individual''s name?" "A new student, by the name of Michael Rasmussen, who has already been causing a stir amongst the faculty because of his abilities. He was admitted under the recommendation of Count Graveston. Considering his general lack of background, I had identified him as a possible planted agent for some faction." "Do you believe that an actual Dragonknight would consent to being the Serpent''s pawn?" "It''s hard to say. Who knows what they have been up to over the last few centuries? Perhaps they have fallen to the ranks of mere mercenaries. Nevertheless, I have spoken to the student on multiple occasions, and I have a hard time believing him capable of being a hardened agent, or a member of an ancient military order for that matter. He is amazingly talented, but ignorant and ill-trained. As such, I''m not quite sure how to categorize him." The Headmaster sighed, "Since he seems inclined to aid us, but wishes to keep his identity hidden, I''ll leave it to you. Proceed as you see fit, but be careful. It sounds like this student, if he is trustworthy, will be a major asset in battle. Especially if he and the Dragonknight are one and the same. It would be shame to drive him away with untoward questioning." "I''ll take care of it." Emmanuel replied. It seems like, in addition to planning for a war that was looking grimmer by the day, he would have one more problem to give him a headache. ----------------------------------- The princess''s safe return, and subsequent reuniting with her twin brother was a major ordeal, as multiple layers of security were enacted as soon as she touched ground. Mike watched the proceedings from a safe distance, glad that Matthew had been alright. He''d realized after the fact, that it may not have been the most responsible of actions to leave the young man simple lying in the middle of a battlefield, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Soon, it was announced that the royal twins were safe, and the assault on the University was defeated. The students were told to return to their homes and resume normal activities. Additional information would be put out during their usual classes next week. In the meantime, the Headmaster ordered a curfew, and recommended that they travel in groups for the foreseeable future. Not seeing any reason to remain, Mike and the crew started walking back to the dorms. He quickly noticed that, in addition to the mildly disgruntled Oracle, Brenden was in a sour mood as well. Moving alongside the beastman and speaking quietly, he asked, "What''s the matter?" Brenden glanced at him briefly, before grumbling, "This whole situation bothers me. I don''t know how you managed it, but if it wasn''t for you, everyone there would have been butchered in their sleep. All because of some pointless political game. I nearly died because I happened to attend the same event as a princess." Mike noticed Sera nodding along with the sentiment. Tal looked neutral, but it was clear from her body posture, that she didn''t disagree with Brenden''s assessment. "I get what you''re saying. No one likes being dragged into other people''s messes against their will." He commented tentatively. Brenden snorted. "That''s a little ironic coming from you." "Hey! I don''t do it intentionally." The beastman chuckled slightly. "Whatever. Anyway, it looks like you''ve gotten stronger again. What do you say to a rematch?" "Maybe later. Right now I have an appointment with my bed, which I need to keep." Mike replied, sagging a little bit under the mental fatigue. "Come on. I''ve been preparing for this ever since our last match." Brenden complained while taking up a combat stance. Feeling a little mischievous, Mike turned towards the beastman. "That may be, but have you prepared for.....Pocket Dragon!" Audra launched herself out of her usual pocket and affixed herself to Brenden''s face, claw first. "Ah! She''s trying to eat my eyes! Get her off!" He yelled, rolling around on the ground and futilely trying to catch the offender. Laughing at his friend''s misfortune, he started walking away, but was stopped by Sera who faced him with a look of determination. "We need to talk." Chapter 136: Serious Thoughts [We need to talk? That brings up some bad memories.] "What''s wrong?" Mike asked. "What''s wrong, is that those soldiers that were attacking us, were wearing the crest of Tennundi. This is tantamount to them declaring war on the kingdom. Have you given any thought to the repercussions of that kind of action?" Sera responded seriously. [Why am I slightly relieved that this is what''s bothering her?] "I haven''t yet. I mean, it only just happened a little while ago, but I see your point. You are asking whether or not I feel we should get involved in a war, right?" "That''s correct. It''s a serious question. I know some of us are native to Almir, but it''s not like we have any real ties here. There''s not much to stop us from simply getting on a ship to some other region. Then there is the question of whether or not you even should involve yourself in war. Not only are you¡­" She looked around furtively, before quietly continuing, "...the Hero, but people might think you are a Dragonknight as well. You should know that this will have consequences." "I understand. Truthfully, I haven''t really decided what to do yet. There is a lot to consider. What are your thoughts on it?" He asked the group. By this point Brenden and Audra had stopped their horseplay, with the little dragon sitting triumphantly on the grumbling beastman''s head. He nevertheless spoke up, "I certainly don''t owe this country anything, and I have no desire to die in its defense, but there is one thing we need to consider. There are a lot of opportunities for both monetary and social advancement in war. With our strength and Mike''s inherent ridiculousness, we could get a lot of benefits from joining in." Tal cut in, "Risky. Can go wrong." "True." The Brenden replied. "We could all end up dead, just because someone wants to wear a pointy golden hat, but this really goes back to the original question. What is it that we are trying to accomplish? I know we averted the apocalypse not too long ago, but what else beyond that?" The group fell silent for a moment, contemplating the question. Audra contributed her opinion by hopping up onto Mike''s shoulder and curling up in the crook of his neck, which garnered a jealous look from Sera. Looking around at the other students who were still milling about, Mike suggested that they continue this conversation in the dorm. The others agreed. When they were settled into the living room, he was the first to speak as well. "So, I think we need to decided on the path we want to pursue as a group. What is it we wish to accomplish? What goals do we have?" Sera frowned, "Well, you are the leader. What do you think?" He thought about it for a moment, "I just started my education, and I think that it would be beneficial in the long term to continue it. Personally, I would like to remain here, at least until becomes too difficult to do so. As to whether or not to join in on the war, I kind of agree with Brenden. If we choose to stay in Almir, then fighting might be the best option. I would need to just try and keep a low profile." Brenden snorted. "I don''t think that''s possible for you. Anyway, I concur. Like I said earlier, I''m not fond of this country, and I certainly don''t want to die for it, but at the same time I don''t want to see it overrun by hostile invaders either. If we can get rich in the process, so much the better." Tal simply nodded, seemingly content to follow along with the rest of the group. "That''s all well and good, but as the Hero, you have a duty to the entire world. The gods have given you power for the sake of all the living beings of Ea. Using it to take sides in a territorial war could backfire. Especially if you need to build an international coalition in the future, for any reason." Sera pointed out. "I understand where you are coming from, and even putting aside the benefits, Almir is the closest thing I have to a home. Much like Brenden, I don''t want to see it destroyed. Especially if I have the power to prevent it. Besides, we already averted an apocalypse once, surely the world won''t face another one so soon." There was a moment of silence, as all three of them realized Mike was really just trying to convince himself of that fact. Sera finally sighed, "It seems like you''ve already made up your mind then. So, the next thing we need to figure out is, in what capacity are you wanting to assist the kingdom. I can tell you with a great deal of confidence, that if all you want is to gain the most benefit from the process, you could approach them in your Dragonknight persona. The government would give you practically anything in exchange for your aid." "Surely you are exaggerating." "I don''t think you understand the legacy of the Dragonknights. While they may have had a poor public image a couple hundred years ago, that has changed. The people of this country forgot what the Dragonknights were, and have instead built an image of what they represented. They''ve become figures of chivalry, heroism, and virtue. Now you can go to any low class bookstore and find cheap novels about the exploits of the Dragonknights. Exploits that are exaggerated, if not outright fabricated. Plays are held in which the hero or heroine of the story mounts a dragon to face their final challenge. The Dragonknights have become legends in Almir, and if you claim to represent that legacy, the people will worship you for it." "So pretty much the same thing that would happen if people found out about my Hero title." He shot back. Sera thought about it for a moment, before nodding her agreement, "More or less, although the whole Hero thing would be more troublesome in the long run. The Dragonknights were never expected to save the world." "Nevertheless, I think I would like to pass on that level of attention, at least for now. Since I''ve already gone to the trouble of crafting a memorable disguise for my ''Dragonknight persona'' as you call it, I can use it when we''re in need of a powerful draconic ally." She shrugged, "If that''s what you want. Then what we need to do is figure out how we will be participating, and in what capacity. Since you are a low ranking member of the Adventurer''s Guild, there shouldn''t be any problem serving as a mercenary. Alternatively, you could enlist in one of the armies, or try to find a position in service to one of the major houses. Nobles are expected to finance their own military units during wars." "Would there have been a problem with it, if I was a high ranking adventurer?" Mike asked, curious. Brenden fielded this one. "The Guild is, in theory, a neutral international organization. As such, its a problem if high profile members take part in wars. This really only extends to Rank 7 and up, though, and its not uncommon to see mercenary contracts for low ranking adventurers during wartime." "That makes sense. I guess that means the guildmaster from Wyrport won''t get involved." The beastman grimaced, "Well, the Crimson Disaster probably wouldn''t be a part of it, even if she wasn''t in the guild. I suppose you don''t know much about the strategic considerations for Tier 4s, do you?" "What do you mean?" "Tier 4s are kind of like trump cards for nations, especially in the case of Tier 4 mages. They can single handedly change the course of a war, and most countries try to keep one or two in their service. The problem is that, if one side brings their Tier 4 into the conflict, its not uncommon for the other country to do likewise. This usually only increases the amount of destruction to both sides." [Ah, they''re basically being treated like nuclear weapons.] Mike thought back to the way the guildmaster acted during the Night of Ruin. It actually made a lot of sense. Sera followed up, "So, its unusual to see any of them actually becoming involved unless the fate of the country is in question. However, we''ve gotten sidetracked. Have you thought about how you want to get involved?" "I''m not really sure at the moment. I''d like to think about it some more." He said reluctantly. "That''s alright, we probably have a few weeks, at least, before they make any major moves. Worst case scenario, they''ll issue a Call to Arms, which will forcibly conscript anyone of the appropriate age, effectively making the decision for you." Mike felt a slight sense of foreboding at the thought. [Why does it feel like some flags were raised recently.] This effectively brought an end to the conversation, and the group separated for their own purposes. The womenfolk took the opportunity to use the fancy bathroom to the fullest extent, spending the better part of the afternoon enjoying it. Brenden, on the other hand, simply took a nap on the couch. Left to his own devices, Mike went to his room, broke out the leather-bound journal he''d picked up while shopping, and started copying down chants from the basic Elemental Magic book. He was enjoying the simple, mindless task as he thought about the future. [Well, as I told Selenica back when I was being reincarnated, I really only wanted to live an interesting life. It seems like that particular wish is being fulfilled a little too effectively. Other than that, there isn''t much else I want.] He''d reached the point that his material needs were being taken care of, he had access to a wealth of knowledge, he had a group of companions he could rely on, and he could continue to improve and expand his skills without any real risk. Quite frankly, he didn''t really need much more to be satisfied. [Is it wrong to not have any other ambitions?] He stopped his writing, when he realized that the sentence he was trying to record didn''t make sense. The flow of the language seemed to be a little more disjointed than the others he''d copied down up to this point. The spell in question was supposed to created a sphere of quickly spinning wind. According to the description, it was mainly used to protect against arrows or other lightweight projectiles. Considering the phrasing, he modified the chant slightly, trying to make it flow better. When he was finished, he ran the sentence through his mind, feeling satisfied. [I can''t wait to try this one out.] Chapter 137: Airy Disturbance Mike quietly snuck out, not wanting to disturb any of his companions. He needed space to experiment with this idea of his. Leaving the dorm, he headed to the fairly deserted section of campus that he''d already used a couple of times for similar purposes. While walking, he took a moment to re-examine the new category in his [Status] which gave him the idea in the first place. -------------------------------------------------- - Intermediate Air Magic (Tier 2, Rank 1) ¨C One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Air Magic allows the user to create and manipulate wind and air. It is characterized by its speed and constancy of motion, providing strong offensive power, mild defensive strength, and some utility. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Oscillation - Oscillation ¨C Due to a greater skill in the fine manipulation of air, practitioners are able to create minute movements in wind, causing vibrations. These vibrations can in turn be used to create sound. --------------------------------------------------- At first he figured that, at the very least, he could work on creating some kind of music producing magic. Otherwise, he was mainly unimpressed with the new effect gained at first. However, while he was in the middle of copying the spells into his new Grimoire (journal), he had a sudden epiphany. Finally finding the clearing where he discovered Aerosense, Mike concentrated his mana and started the newly improved chant. ------------------------------------------------------ "Do we really need to be out here as well?" Marcus complained, not relishing the idea of wandering the deserted sections of campus while there were monsters on the loose. As a junior instructor of the Magic Department, and one of the few capable of using detection magic, he was forcibly volunteered to join the guard in sweeping the University. Marcus had barely survived the attack on central campus, as the dragon''s appearance prevented him from being impaled by a woman dressed as a waitress. He would be the first to admit, that his marginal talents in Arcane Magic didn''t lend themselves well to combat. So, after being rejected by the Mage''s Guild, he''d eventually managed to land himself a position as an assistant instructor at the University. He''d assumed his life would be set from that point onwards. However, he had been dragged into a major military conflict and after barely surviving, was forced to hunt monsters. Life was just so unfair. Luckily, he''d managed to convince Brad, his friend and colleague, to come with him. Brad had some experience serving as a military mage, and would therefore be much more useful if they actually found one of the monsters. Marcus was depending on him almost exclusively, since he didn''t have much hope for the guards. They''d let the attack happen in the first place, after all. Brad sighed, "Yes, Marcus. We need to be here. According to the reports, they released at least twenty Tier 2 monsters into the campus. So far they''ve only caught fifteen. Do you really want a student running into one of them?" Having the decency to look a little shamed by his friend''s reprimand, Marcus nodded, "I know, but I''m not like you. Just thinking about running into one of those things is giving me the creeps." "Don''t worry about it, I''ll protect you if we get into trouble." The combat mage replied with a reassuring smile. "Thanks, Brad, you''re a real-" Marcus stopped when his passive life detection spell triggered. "I think I''ve got something." He whispered a quick chant to help narrow down his field of detection. Whatever was triggering his senses was big. Terrifyingly so. He could feel his heart starting to pound, and his breath coming quicker as the panic threatened to overwhelm him. "There," he said quietly, while pointing into a copse of trees, "It''s about 30m that way." After he determined that the creature wasn''t moving, the trio of University Guards took the lead, weapons at the ready while Marcus and Brad followed after. [Oh gods, please don''t let me get killed and eaten by some kind of terrible monster¡­] Another life sign suddenly entered his scanning radius, heading directly towards the monster at a quick pace. Judging from the size, it seemed like a person. He quickly whispered his revelation to Brad. "There is someone up ahead who is moving towards the monster. We got to do something." "Shit." Brad replied, before issuing a quick command to the guards. "Forget about stealth, we''re moving forward at double time. We have a person to save." So confident and authoritative were his orders, the guards snapped quickly into action before they remembered that they technically didn''t answer to the mage. By that point it was too late, as they were already crashing through the underbrush. The five of them broke into a clearing just in time to witness the confrontation between the two parties. A student, judging by the clothing was in the midst of casting an Air Elemental spell at the monster, which appeared to be a spider of titanic size. With long, slender legs and a gossamer carapace that reflected the afternoon sun, it could almost be considered pretty, if it wasn''t so terrifying at the same time. Eight red eyes were fixed on the student, as is flashed forward in a sudden rush. Fanged mandibles dripped unidentifiable fluids as they worked excitedly. The guards broke into a sprint, trying futilely to reach the student. Brad started casting his own spell, but it would take too long to complete. There was nothing left to do, but watch the tragedy occur. Or so Marcus thought. With a mournful howl, a ball of rapidly spinning wind appeared in the young man''s hand, about 0.5m in diameter. Looking up at the monster with a slightly surprised expression, as if this was the first time he even noticed it, the youth simply pointed the ball in the spider''s direction. The howl increased in pitch and volume as the wind ball impacted on the spider''s head, and then kept going. Marcus didn''t really understand what happened until he saw the ball hit a tree behind the spider and start carving a hole through it. The winds seemed to be eating their way through the material. In less than a second they had bored their way through the spider and into the forest behind it. A perfectly round tunnel had been carved through the monster''s head and abdomen, killing it instantly. The youth noticed them, and with a slightly embarrassed smile started rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry about that." None of them knew how to respond. ---------------------------------------------------- [Well that was unexpected.] Mike thought while looking at the spider again. It had surprised him when he was in the middle of his chanting, emitting a burst of hostile intent and charging. He''d wanted to put the idea of vibrating air currents to use in an offensive manner, and so he hit upon the idea of concentrating the area of the previous defensive spell, while adding a vibration component to the wind itself. Judging from other accounts he''d read about the process of augmenting spells, he''d assumed that it would have ended in failure, but some combination of his skills and titles, and his Communication Magic had made the whole process simple. He needed to look back through his status again sometime soon. Now, however, he needed to deal with the current situation. Judging from the information he gleaned from Appraise, a group of University Guards and Magic Department instructors had witnessed the spell, and were currently staring at him in shock. After a few moments, a reddish-blonde haired man with an open and steadfast face, who was apparently named Brad, started walking closer while talking. "Are you alright?" "Yes, I''m perfectly fine. I was just a little startled." Mike replied with an awkward laugh. [Now, how should I talk my way out of this one?] Brad looked relieved, "That''s good. Anyway, what were you doing out here by yourself? Didn''t you hear the announcement about traveling in groups for the next few days? There are monsters like this one scattered around campus, and we are still hunting the last of them down." [Then why didn''t you say so when you made the announcement. If I knew there were monsters roaming the University, I would have acted differently....or at least paid a little more attention....Never mind.] With another awkward laugh, Mike replied. "Is that what this was about? I would never have been out here if I knew about it." Another instructor walked over. This one was called Marcus. He was a skinny brown haired specimen, which brought to mind one of those yappy little dogs that was always terrified of everything around them. Leveling a slightly suspicious gaze at Mike, he asked. "What was it you were trying to do out here? This section of the campus is pretty much deserted." "Well, I was practicing my Air Magic. I wanted to do it in an isolated location, in the event that it backfired on me. I was involved in the battle earlier, and it was mortifying to see how little I was able to contribute. I felt absolutely helpless. I want to improve myself, so I won''t have to feel that way again." Mike answered, trying to speak as truthfully as he dared, without giving too much away. Brad smiled at that. "A fine sentiment, young man, but you should head back to the dorms where it''s safe. You may have gotten lucky this time, but there is no reason to press your luck. I''ll have a couple of the guards see you back." Mike looked mournfully over at the spider corpse. He had planned on trying to extract some alchemical ingredients from the thing, but decided that maintaining his deception was more important. "Thank you. That is much appreciated." Sighing internally, Mike followed two of the guards as they started leading the way back to the dorms. [Looks like it''s going to be a bit inconvenient to go out for a while....Although, this does mean I can go monster hunting without having to leave the capital.] Gleefully, he started planning on what he would do once he''d gotten away from the guards. -------------------------------------------------- Scanning the area, Marcus thankfully didn''t detect any other monsters. With their reduced entourage, he didn''t want to think about getting into a fight. He thought back to the strange student, and wondered again what was going on with him. There was something suspicious about the man that he couldn''t quite put his finger on. Brad, who was examining the spider corpse, glanced up at him. "Look at this thing! Have you ever heard of an Air Magic spell that could tear through a Tier 2 monster like this?" "Maybe if the caster was an accomplished mage, it would be possible, but I can''t think of anything a student could do that would fit." Marcus replied while walking over to examine the tree with a newly formed hole through its trunk. "The edges of the cut are so smooth, it looks like it was made with a cannonball or something." Brad was saying, but Marcus was no longer listening. The hairs on his neck were standing on end. "Brad. Come look at this." He said quietly. His friend walked over with a questioning look on his face, "What?" "Look right there." "What am I looking¡­my gods. How is that possible?" Marcus shook his head, completely unable to take his eyes off the sight. A hole had been carved into the trunk of the tree, and the one behind it, and the one behind that. As far as he could tell, the passage of the spell continued until the walls of the University itself. Chapter 138: Hunting and Experimentation After ditching the guards, leaving a message with his friends to let them know he would be out late, and grabbing the ''Monsters of the Central Continent'' book as a reference, Mike spent the next few hours hunting. Thanks to a newly acquired Basic Stealth skill, he was able to evade the roaming patrols of the University Guard while in the process. The monsters, on the other hand, proved much more sensitive, finding him almost instantly. Wanting to practice the new applications of Air Magic he''d unlocked, he focused on taking them down with magic. He''d finally learned the Wind Blade spell, which Tal used to great effect on a number of occasions, and tested both the standard and modified version on a monster that looked like a cross between a snake and a bear, which was apparently called a Baratu. According to his Appraise, the creature was highly valued for its smooth, and flexible skin. His initial attack had been effective, but not fatal. It created a deep wound across the creature''s torso, which staggered it and left it open for his follow up attack. Using a slightly modified version of the same chant, he fired another blade of wind that cut completely through the beast and deeply into the ground underneath it. It seemed that the inclusion of vibrating air currents merely increased the cutting power of offensive Air Magic. Since doing so effectively doubled the mana cost of the spells, it was a tool to put into practice when necessary. He made sure to annotate the modified version in his grimoire (journal). After killing the monster, he''d gone through the beasts various component parts, before finally determining that only the skin and the things gall bladder were worth the effort of collecting it. His skinning of the creature was clumsy initially, since he was relying on what little information he''d picked up throughout his previous lifetime, but got better when he unlocked the Basic Dismantling skill. [Two useful skills in one night. I''m on a roll.] While he was in the process of dismantling the Baratu, he considered disguising or hiding the rest of the body, but eventually decided not to. On one hand it would show that someone had killed the thing and harvested certain pieces of it, but considering the militancy of the student body, it wouldn''t be surprising that some individuals would be capable of it. At the same time, it was clear that the University was in the process of hunting these monsters, and leaving their corpses would give them proof that they''d been dealt with. Mike figured that they wouldn''t expend too much effort in determining who was responsible for doing their job for them. Once he''d acquired all he could from the bear-thing, he moved on, interested in practicing other abilities. By advancing his Air Magic to Tier 2, he''d unlocked two other forms of composite magic he was keen to experiment with. Since Mike hadn''t felt threatened by either of the two monsters he''d encountered so far, this seemed like an excellent opportunity to do just that. When he ran into another of the giant spiders, he decided to use Lightning Magic, due to the cool visual effects. The spider immediately charged once he''d gotten in range, so he started focusing his mana as soon as he detected the hostile intent. Much like steam, using the lightning composite element took a good bit of concentration and mana. As soon as he started channeling, a crackling nimbus of electricity surrounded him, causing him to glow slightly. It was accompanied by a tingling sensation all over his body, and the smell of ozone. Obviously sensing danger, the spider halted its forward movement, and started backing away slowly. With a thought, he directed the surging current of energy at the monster, creating a bolt of crackling lighting from his outstretched hand. He maintained it for a few seconds while the spider started to cook inside of it exoskeleton. When he finally released the spell, it collapsed into a smoking pile. Appraise listed this creature as an Obsidian Crawler, a commonly seen monster in certain portions of the Ashmourne. He took a moment to consult his reference book. According to it, the only portions of the Obsidian Crawler that were considered valuable, were its poison glands and its spinnerets. Both had to be handled carefully, and were sensitive to extreme temperatures. Overheating could render them worthless. He paused for a moment to look at the still smoking corpse of the spider, feelings of regret washing over him. It seemed like there was nothing else to be gained here, so Mike chalked it up as a loss and moved on to find his next target. After dodging a few more patrols he ran into an unusual looking creature that was attempting to tear into a storage shack in the Arts Department grounds. Vaguely humanoid, but hunched over and brutish in appearance, the creature was in the middle of ripping the door off its hinges when he finally encountered it. He took a moment to observe the monster and use Appraise, trying hard not to look at the dark grayish-green flesh which was currently bared to the world. --------------------------------------- Sgkykurl Age: 45 Race: Swamp Troll Class: Swamp Troll Title: Lord of the Swamp --------------------------------------- [I can guess where Wendel found this one. It looks like it''s somewhat intelligent. Should I try to communicate with it first?] He took a moment to consult his reference book while the creature was busy ransacking the shack. There wasn''t an entry for Swamp Trolls specifically, but the volume did explain trolls as a general category. Apparently there were several different varieties of the creature, who had adapted to various environments. This meant that there was a wide variety of the things that inhabited almost every known region. However, there were a few standard traits that spanned the broad family of monsters. Trolls tended to be of rudimentary intelligence, often times only barely able to understand complex thoughts. They appeared to have some means of communication which consisted of grunts and growls, but it is the general consensus of the scientific community that they are only a little more intelligent than most animals. Almost as if to make up for it, trolls had a number of powerful physical abilities that made them dangerous opponents. All known varieties possess high vitality, high speed regeneration, and a thick hide capable of shrugging off all but the most powerful of blows in short order. This combined with a disproportionate amount of strength for their already massive size meant that they were difficult to deal with in melee combat. Trolls tend to lead solitary existences, and there have been several accounts of multiple trolls fighting over territory. They rarely interact with other humanoid races, usually content to keep to the rural and deserted places outside of civilized regions. However, when times are lean, they have been known to attack humanoid settlements and devour some of the inhabitants. As such they are usually considered a ''kill on sight'' monster, but due to their relatively innocuous actions the majority of the time and the difficulty in fighting the creatures, they are usually ignored. The author of the book noted that troll biology was, as of yet, something of a mystery. The beasts appeared to reproduce asexually somehow, and didn''t seem to age. Some leading scholars propound that they aren''t even an animal at all, and are instead a type of highly developed fungus. In either case, troll blood is considered a valuable alchemical ingredient in the manufacture of potions and tonics related to healing and vitality. [Huh, interesting. It would be pretty cool to get my hands on some of that blood¡­but I suppose I''d better try talking to it first.] Deciding on his course of action, Mike stepped forward and announced his presence to the ransacking creature. "Hello there! I come in peace." The noise inside the shack stopped, and the creature pushed itself back out into the night, shattering some of the door frame in the process. He had a chance to get a good look at the roughly 2.5m tall troll as it started growling at him. "Mine! Get away! Mine!" It was saying in a burst of guttural quasi-speech. "Calm down. Let''s talk about this. If you keep destroying that shack, the guards are going to come and kill you." Although, looking at the troll''s broad, muscular form, they would be hard pressed to do so. This elicited a more furious bout of growling, "No kill me. Kill you!" The creature tensed, ready to spring at him. [Well, I tried. If anything this is harder than talking to bees. At least they were somewhat logical and understanding.] Concentrating his mana, Mike decided to try Ice Magic this time. As soon as he began pulling up the mana, he noticed the temperature around him starting to drop, as his breath started steaming from his mouth. Not really sure what to do with the new form of magic, he simply directed a blast of it at the charging troll. A wave of frigid air swept the area between them, instantaneously creating a coating of frost on the ground. The monster didn''t even have a chance to respond as it was flash frozen, stiffening into a solid block of ice. He kept it up for a minute, until the hostile intent faded, letting him know that the creature''s life had been extinguished. He sighed. This kind of magic was even more draining than the lighting magic for some reason, and it left him feeling kind of drained. Looking over his handwork, a newly formed ice sculpture of a troll in mid leap, Mike realized he would have a hard time harvesting the things blood at the moment. With another sigh, he channeled some mana into his Fire Magic, in an effort to start thawing the creature. Taking the troll''s infamous vitality into account, he made sure to decapitate the beast once he thawed it sufficiently. This also allowed him to drain the creature''s blood into a wide bowl produced through Earth Magic, which he converted into a large jug once he had finished. Unfortunately, this jug was far too large for the extradimensional sack, so he was forced to carry it. [Well, this seems like a good place to stop for the night. I''ve tested my new abilities, and acquired a few new ingredients to use with my alchemy. All while making the campus a little safer.] Mike felt quite pleased with himself as he walked back to the dorm carrying his jug of troll blood. Little did he know, that his actions would cause the University staff a major headache. The eventual discovery of the three mangled monster corpses, combined with the fact that none of the hunter teams took credit for the kills, led the guard to assume that a truly dangerous monster had been mixed in with the others, and was now hiding somewhere on campus. The person responsible had no clue, as he stored the jug in the kitchen (lacking a better place to put it), crawled into bed to the sounds of a snoring beastman, and reviewed his [Status] until he fell asleep. ------------------------- Status update follows. Please feel free to skip to the next chapter. ------------------------- -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (High) Title: None - Multiverse Traveler - Blessed One - Hunter of Renown - Battlefield Healer - Kal''Thel - Philanderer - Hero - Dungeon Savior - Undinekath - Saint of Healing - Nemesis of Demons - Antagonist - Wyrmkin - Fortuitous Alchemist - Known to the Lurker - Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline - Dragonknight (EVOLVED) -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Healing Magic (Rank 5) Analyze (Rank 2) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Air Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Earth Magic (Rank 5) Basic Light Magic (Rank 1) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 2) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 1) Basic Alchemy (Rank 2) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 2) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 3) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 1) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 3) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Riding (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Haggling (Rank 3) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Basic Unarmed Fighting (Rank 4) Basic Chanting (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Dual Casting (Rank 2) Aerosense (Rank 1) Basic Stealth (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Dismantling (Rank 2) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 2) Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Rank 1) Advanced Poison Resistance (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 4) Basic Mental Resistance (Rank 5) Moderate Mana Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Moderate Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 2) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 2) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 1) Basic Willpower Enhancement (Rank 3) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 3) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- - Dragonknight - By virtue of skill, deeds, and popular acclaim, you''ve ascended to join the hallowed ranks of the Dragonknights. Though you haven''t explored the full mysteries of the sacred bond with your dragon companion, its presence grants you power. You are a hero to the weak, a terror to the evil, and a protector to the just. Large increase to Charisma when interacting with individuals favorable inclined to the Dragonknights. (Only applies when active) Minor increase to all attributes of bonded dragon. - Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline - Your powerful connection to draconic creatures has colored your Summoning Magic. Moderate increase to Draconic Summoning Affinity. Minor increase to the mana efficiency and duration of Conjuration spells used to summon draconic creatures, and beings carrying a draconic bloodline. - Basic Stealth (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The art of not being detected. Through the suppression of one''s presence, bodily control, and a good sense of timing, the user can hide themselves from others. Higher levels reduce the chance of being detected, and the amount of concentration necessary to maintain stealth. - Basic Dismantling (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The process of dissembling the bodies of slain enemies. Minor system correction to dismantling. Higher levels of skill reduce material waste and increase the likelihood of harvesting useful materials. - Advanced Poison Resistance (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Frequent exposure to harmful substances has increased you body''s ability to resist them. Provides large resistance to poison and poison based effects. Chapter 139: Literary Concerns Mike awoke the next morning refreshed as usual. From the sounds of it, the others were already up and getting ready, so quickly throwing on some plain traveling clothes, he moved out into the living room. "Good morning, everyone! Ready for the request?" He announced cheerily. Sera nodded as she was inspecting her selection of arrows, "We were thinking about heading out soon. According to the locals, the island can get pretty crowded in the afternoon. Our best bet of finding those herbs is to get there before anyone else." "Fair enough. Do you want me to come with you? I know you were a little hesitant on account of my aura of dramatic luck." He asked with slightly forced nonchalance while pouring himself a cup of tea. He frowned when he realized that it was lukewarm, although a quick application of Fire and Water Magic fixed that. "I appreciate the offer, Mike, but I want to do this on my own as much as possible. The request should be an easy one to accomplish, even if I were to go by myself. Brenden and Tal will just be there to make sure I don''t run into anything too dangerous in the process." She replied in a consoling manner. "You should take the day to relax and recover from the events of yesterday." Judging from the flash of guilt he saw in her expression, he could tell that she understood how this might be construed. Nevertheless, he knew how things tended to go when he was involved. So, while it hurt a little to be excluded, he did not begrudge them their choice. "Now worries. There was a couple of things I was thinking about doing today, anyway. Just make sure to be back in time for Broderick''s gathering." "Ah! I almost forgot to mention." Sera exclaimed while running back into her room and returning with a folded piece of paper. "This note arrived last night while you were out." Mike looked over the impeccably written letter from Broderick. With many more words than was necessary, he apologized profusely for the inconvenience, but due to safety concerns, the party he was planning on hosting was canceled. Instead there was to be a larger gathering utilizing the resources of his house tomorrow night. He understood if Mike and his group wouldn''t be able to attend due to the short notice, and he hoped that they would forgive him for the trouble. In its concluding section on page three, he explained that his sister, Elaine had been asking after them, and would very much like to meet once more. As such, he hoped that they would see fit to make an appearance. "Huh, looks like they''re making an event of it." He commented after finishing. "Even though it is in a slightly unorthodox way, we''ve been invited to a party held by the main family of a ducal house. There is a lot of baggage that comes with this kind of thing. Actually, him inviting us in this manner is a bit of a faux pax as it is. We''ll talk more about it later, just know that you will need your wits about you tomorrow." Sera lectured before leading the other two out. Mike sighed, and took a relaxing position on the couch. Now he needed to come up with something to do today. After some internal debate, he decided to finish recording the remaining elemental chants into his grimoire (journal), and visit the library to return some books. Depending on how long that took, he was thinking of doing a little shopping. He wanted his own set of alchemy tools so he could start practicing the skill outside of class. He also entertained the idea of tracking down professional crafters in the local community to see if they could teach him the basics of their crafts, and figured he would look into it while shopping. Since Mike had already recorded the majority of the book''s chants, it didn''t take long at all to finish. While he was writing, he already noticed several small improvements he could make, given enough time to do some experimentation. Making a mental note to look into it later, he packed up and headed to the Spire. While turning his books back into the collections desk, he ran into Rusilka again. Apparently she worked long shifts on the weekend in order to cover the cost of her tuition. Taking the opportunity to speak to an expert about the matter, he asked her a few questions. "Say, you wouldn''t know where I could go to buy books like these? While I certainly appreciate the Library, I keep running into circumstance where it would be beneficial to have reference books on hand, and the one-week check out limit is troublesome in that regard." He asked as politely as he could manage. The bookish dwarf gave him a hard look anyway, before answering. "Depending on the nature of the work you are talking about, I may know a few places. Anything to do with magic is strictly regulated. So, unless you can convince the Mage''s Guild to sell you some of their collection, you''d be hard pressed to find willing sellers. Books that pertain to skills, their improvement, and their acquisition can be rarely found in the general market, but they are almost exclusively sold to the nobility. It''s virtually impossible for commoners to get their hands on them." Mike frowned, this news was expected considering the unenlightened way the kingdom handled its spread of information. Nevertheless it was disappointing to hear. [Maybe I can come up with some sort of magical means of replicating texts.] "As to books of a less sensitive nature, there are a few ways to acquire them. Often, its easiest to simply find an individual willing to sell from their personal collection, especially if they''ve recently acquired but have no use for. I know for a fact that the Acquisitions Director here at the Spire keeps an eye on noble estate sales for that exact purpose. Another option is to attend an auction in which rare works are sold to the highest bidder." Mike made an appreciative noise. An auction, especially if it hosted other rare items as well, could be just what he needed. Rusilka sighed, before glancing around surreptitiously, "Look, I don''t know what kind of fancy pants background you came from, but if you have the right connections, there is a third option. Here in the capital, there is a store that sells valuable books. Now, they only accept customers on the recommendation of existing clients, and I''ve heard that their prices tend to be rather extreme, but it may be your best bet to acquire what you are looking for. Legally, at least." "Does this store have a name?'' Mike asked, brimming with curiosity. "It''s currently being referred to as the Nook, although the owners change the name and location every so often for unknown reasons. I would recommend talking to some of your classmates, friends, and instructors. Chances are, someone here at the University has access to the store, and can get you a recommendation. When you go, just remember your old friend Rusilka." She replied with a knowing wink. "I''ll keep you in mind should my efforts prove successful." He said, while admiring the sheer shamelessness of the dwarf to call herself an old friend after knowing him for a week. Considering how difficult it was to get a hold of books in this world, he didn''t exactly blame her doing so. [Emmanuel can probably get me that. Saving his life should be worth at least that much. Alternatively, I can see if Broderick knows anyone who might have access.] After exchanging a few more quips with Rusilka, he went upstairs to select three new books to check out. Since he was still limited to the level one restricted section and general collection, he was limited in the choices he could make use of. [That''s another thing I need to extort (ahem) request from him.] It didn''t seem like there were any texts that dealt with Intermediate Elemental Magic in the section, so he took the opportunity to select an introductory book on Summoning Chants. He followed that with a basic compendium of alchemical recipes, which included a rather lengthy discussion of the various kinds of equipment used in the practice. This would give him a good idea what to base his shopping list on. With his first two selections decided, Mike had a hard time figuring out the third. There were three works that had caught his eye. First was an introductory martial arts manual for an unarmed combat style, which seemed useful considering his long streak of broken weapons. Next, there was a volume covering the basics of Scrivening, the practice of charging written works with magic that could be discharged at a later time. Finally, there was a tome which dealt with the proper wear and fitting of leather based armors. He had been looking at this last one out of curiosity, since he was a little confused why something like that would be included in the restricted section. However, that changed when he read through the introduction, which called the book ''a tool to guide future warriors through the process of mastering their armor skills.'' [Wait¡­there are skills for that?] Mike had largely given up on wearing armor, since every enemy he''d fought up to this point had been able to punch through it without any issue. He''d had a vague notion that he must be doing something wrong, but finally decided that focusing on dodging would be a more effective method of avoiding damage. Besides, anything he couldn''t avoid or resist with his natural endurance, would be taken care of by his regeneration. However, if there was a skill based method of improving the utility of armor, it may be worth considering. Thus, he engaged in a deep internal debate. Finally, Mike decided to go with the book on Scrivening, which would hopefully give him some insight into the Artifice skill he needed to make storage items. Additionally, having the ability to store spells in a consumable object would go a long way to helping with his mana problems. Besides, it wasn''t like the war was going to kick off this week. He should have more than enough time to get the benefit of the book and exchange it for one of a more martial leaning. Before leaving, he took some time to look for information on Wyrms, hoping to get some idea of what to expect with his familiar. Unfortunately, there were only a few generalized mentions of them, which either lacked details or gave horrible inaccurate ones. He figured that he would have to explore the higher level restricted sections for better information. While he was checking out, he waved to Rusilka, who was busy dealing with a rude customer. She returned the gesture half-heartedly with a resigned expression on her face. It looked like there were some definite downsides to her job. The dwarf mouthed, ''Kill me,'' before focusing once more on the long list of complaints the middle aged woman was leveling at her. He caught a few pieces of it from where he was standing, and it seemed like she was whining about not having access to the restricted section. Rusilka broke in long enough to mention something in a forcibly calm voice, which only caused the annoying woman to complain louder. [Looks like customer service is a pain in every world.] He thought while walking over. "Excuse me ma''am, what seems to be the problem here?" He asked in a confident voice. The woman started, momentarily blushing as his Charisma took over, before launching her diatribe. "Like I was telling this rude receptionist, I was prevented from accessing the restricted section for some reason. As the wife of the heir to the Westwood Barony, I should be well within my rights to access any book I please." Mike glanced over at Rusilka, and took note of the disgusted shaking of her head. Obviously, the future baroness had an unreasonable impression of her own power, and would not listen to reason when it was presented to her. Luckily, Mike had seen this type of person before, and he knew just how to deal with them. "I''m sorry to hear that ma''am, I''m sure this is all some kind of mistake. If you happen to have your copy of the Form 382-B, I''ll see about getting this worked out." "Form what?" The woman asked, suddenly out of her depth. "Form 382-B, the Request for Expanded Access form. You should have received it after checking in at the Administration building." He explained quickly. "If you have your copy on hand, we can get this straightened out quickly." "Why, I never got any copies of any forms! Is this going to be a problem?" "Not at all ma''am, I''m sure there was some mistake during your check in process. There is a relatively simple procedure to correct this issue. You simply need to bring a copy of Form 783-D to the Archives in the basement of the Administration building, and they will be able to provide you a copy of your 382-B." "Oh good heavens, where should I go about finding that one?" She asked, starting to get exasperated. "That one is easy. You just need to report to the guard post in front of the University at six bells precisely. They close quickly, so don''t be late. It''s a relatively simple process, assuming you bring along three different types of identification, proof of nobility, and-" "Forget it!" The woman yelled, cutting him off, before storming out while grumbling about ''overly complicated bureaucracy.'' "Thanks for that." Rusilka said with a laugh. "But you know she''s going to be right back here in a few days complaining about the same thing." "Are you working then?" He replied with a mischievous smile. She just laughed again. "Good point." "Anyway, I''ve got important things to do today, so I better be off." He said with a wave as he started walking away. Returning the gesture again, she called after him, "By the way, impersonating a staff member can lead to a lifetime ban from the library. Just for your information." Stumbling slightly, he quickly resumed walking, not willing to give the satisfaction of looking back to see if she was kidding. Chapter 140: Buying Game After grabbing lunch and feeding his ravenous familiar, Mike left the University and caught a coach to the market district. Climbing down off of the contraption, he was once again overwhelmed with the sheer number and variety of people crowding the area, filling the air with the sounds of industry and commerce. While taking a moment to soak it all in, he was nearly run over by a wagon pulled by a car-sized lizard. He managed to get out of the way as it blazed past him creating a cloud of dust. A stream of invective from the driver could be heard as the wagon continued on, not even bothering to stop to see if he was alright. Coughing, Mike took a moment to clean the dust off himself with a quick application of Lifestyle Magic. [Well, that spoiled my mood.] Sighing, he started winding his way through the crowd, looking for a store that might sell alchemical goods. He''d taken some time to review the alchemy book he''d picked up in the library, and had compiled a list of things he thought he would need in the future. While he was walking, his attention was drawn to a slightly unusual group who were operating a stall selling jewelry and accessories. The designs were full of elaborate whorls and patterns with an almost jarring mix of colors between the component parts. As far as he could see, only a few pedestrians made anything more than a cursory attempt to examine the group''s wares. Something he suspected was due to their appearance. There were five of them minding the stall, each of oddly thin figures stood a little shorter than 2m tall. They wore a sort of chitinous armor made of overlapping blue-gray plates, which appeared to have been crafted from the exoskeleton of some kind of gigantic insect. The most fascinating part of their appearance, however, was their heads. They were bald and almost featureless. Only a pair of flat, pitch black orbs interrupted the expanse of pale white flesh that extended from their armor. Curious, Mike used Appraise on the leading figure. ------------------------------------------ Liolweth Age: 234 Race: Sarn (Hinguth) Class: Warrior Merchant Title: Guardian of the Five Coins ------------------------------------------- The other four had the same race and class combinations. Figuring that he had the time, Mike sauntered over to see what the Sarn had to offer. He gave the merchants a polite nod, and started appraising the collection of jewelry, looking for anything of interest or special value. While certainly pretty, in a somewhat alien manner, most of the accessories were simply for display. Figuring that he might as well pick up a few good looking items for his female party members, he spent a fair amount of time contemplating his options. Finally he settled on two pieces. For Tal, he chose a necklace made of a white, flexible metal, studded with sea-green stones that looked almost blue in the right light. For Sera he picked out a thin copper bracelet, with elaborate, almost organic looking, etchings and a large red gemstone set in its center. Just as he was about to start the process of haggling, he caught sight of an unusual ring he''d missed completely. It was simple band, seemingly carved out of a single piece of obsidian. Curious and sensing that it might be more than it appeared, he used Appraise. ----------------------------------------------------------- {Band of the Evernight} Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 2) This ring was carved from a piece of Elder Obsidian, hailing from the realm of Noctunis, realm of the Evernight. Enchanted by Kalthuwn, master artificer of the Juilit caste of the Sarn, it blesses its wearers with the power of the dark place of its birth. Moderate enhancement to the effect of stealth based skills used at night. Minor increase to the efficiency and effectiveness of Dark Elemental Magic. Allows wearer to see clearly in darkness. ------------------------------------------------------------- Slightly stunned about stumbling over such an item amidst the rest of the jewelry, he wasted no time in adding it to the other potential purchases. "How much for these?" He asked distractedly while contemplating the uses he could put the ring to. Liolweth, the Sarn merchant he directed the question to, responded by making a strange vibrating noise that seemed to be an exclamation of surprise, before speaking in a humming buzz that which emerged from the skin of its head. "You know the language of the Sarn?" Realizing his mistake, Mike thought quickly, forcing himself to speak in the common tongue of the region. "Ah, I picked it up in my travels, I only know a little bit." The merchant also switched, conversing in a low, buzzing voice that sounded a bit like someone trying to talk through a fan. "Still, your pronunciation was perfect. This one commends you for your skill. Not many of your kind could create the sounds necessary to form an interrogative statement. To answer your question, however, I will need to consult with my kin. If you don''t mind?" "Please, go right ahead." Despite the merchant''s unusual appearance and method of speech, Mike was finding himself forming a slightly positive impression of the Sarn. Although, he was having trouble trying to discern how he should refer to the creature. The five strange merchants huddled together and engaged in an intense round of high speed buzzing in their native language. The conversation went so quickly, Mike didn''t have a chance to catch more than a few words. As far as he could tell, they were working out how much they should sell the ring for. Finally, Liolweth turned back with an offer. "We can part with these two pieces," the merchant motioned to the necklace and bracelet, "for ten golden wrens. For the ring, we will require 152 golden wrens, and 13 silver spears." He handed over the gold for the first two, not bothering to negotiate over an amount that was now trivial to him. "Why is the ring so expensive?" "I believe you are aware it is an item of great mystical power. Crafted by one of the finest artificers of our race, this ring was meant as a gift to one of the ancient Swarm Lord''s finest warriors. Alas, the warrior fell in battle with the Shade before the ring was finished. Since then it has passed from brood to brood, never finding a true home. It eventually came into our hands by the will of the Void, and now we seek to give it to a new worthy master." The Skarn blinked, a process that involved at least three eyelids that Mike could see. "Fair enough, but I do feel the need to ask. Why is it such a specific number for the price?" "Ordinarily, such an item would be almost priceless. However, since you bear the mark of the Other''s attention, it is clear you would be a worthy owner. The price merely reflects our expense incurred as part of the journey to this city." Mike felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise at the Lioweth''s words. He didn''t know how the Sarn had noticed the effects of his title, but it proved that it was possible for others to do so. [I need to find a way of disguising myself, and my titles. Maybe there is a magic item capable of such a thing.] Mike cleared his throat. "Hehem. Well, in that case, I would be willing to purchase this ring under one condition." "Which is?" The merchant replied placidly. "I would like to ask you some questions regarding you and your race." Liolweth acquiesced, and led Mike to a small alcove behind the stall where they would have a little more privacy. After exchanging money for the ring, Mike started his barrage of questions. He learned that the Sarn were a race of humanoids that hailed from the realm of Noctunis, a world of perpetual darkness created during the Second Age. While the Sarn''s origins were shrouded in mystery, Liolweth admitted that his people preferred to believe that they had always existed there, coming into existence along with the realm itself. The Sarn were a divided society, based on five distinct castes determined from birth. Liolweth and the others, belonged to the lowest caste, which was relegated to the strangely intertwined roles of traveling merchants and warriors. The rest of the Sarn rarely left Noctunis. When asked how they went about travelling to and from Ea, Liolweth explained that their home realm had a mystical connection with the dark places of this world. Utilizing the magic inherent to their race, they could traverse the planes of existence with a ritual. According to the merchant, members of the Hinguth caste would make the journey to Ea a few times every year in order to barter for goods that would be unavailable in their home realm. [It sounds like I could make quite a killing in trading if I could work out the specifics of inter-realm travel.] "I have just two more questions for you." Mike said, after he''d finished digesting the information up to this point. "First, how did you manage to detect the ''Other''s attention''? Second, what can you tell me about this Other?" Liolweth made a sort of gurgling noise that Mike took for a hum of consternation. "Noctunis is close to the boundary between Ea and the rest of the multiverse. As such, it bears the...hm¡­..I suppose influence would be the appropriate term, of the Other. In Noctunis, things bearing the touch of the Other are dangerous, so, my species has developed the ability to detect it as a survival mechanism. We can detect the minor changes in the surrounding mana streams that signify the Other''s attention. As to the other question, I am afraid that I cannot answer." "Why is that?" The merchant made a low pitched hum of apology, "As a member of the Hinguth, I am unworthy of speaking about the Other. Doing so is taboo. Should you ever find yourself in Noctunis, though, the members of the Cathini caste may teach you of it." Realizing that he''d hit a dead end, Mike thanked the Sarn for answering his questions and finally introduced himself. Once properly acquainted, he said his good byes, put the ring on, and stored his other purchases. He didn''t really notice any difference, and figured he would have to try it out at night to get a real feel for the item''s abilities. Putting it out of his mind, he resumed his hunt for an alchemical goods store. After nearly an hour of wandering, Mike was starting to regret not asking for directions, when he came across a possible location. A small, ramshackle building was squeezed between a massive tannery (judging from the smell) and a blacksmith''s shop specializing in carriage parts. A wooden sign hung above the door with the words ''Alchemical Needs'' proudly displayed below a stylized mortar and pestle. Ready to take any lead he could find after his search, Mike opened the rickety door, and stepped inside. Chapter 141: A Proven Mixture As soon as he stepped in, Mike was overwhelmed by the smell of the place. The store was filled with the riotous and choking scent of hundreds of different chemicals all rolled into one. Combined with the omnipresent dust, it would take someone with a decent Endurance to even enter through the front door, let alone peruse the shop''s wares. He surprised that such a place could stay in business. He glanced around the dimly lit chamber, examining the menagerie of unusual sights. It reminded him of an old antique store, filled with unusual treasure, but suffering from years of neglect. Bits and pieces of occult paraphernalia were scattered around the room. Shelves lined the walls, and tables covered the majority of the floor, both of which were covered in an odd assortment of vials, jars, boxes, and other miscellaneous alchemical accoutrements. As far as Mike could tell, the proprietor wasn''t present, so he spent some time wandering the floor, randomly appraising the things he found. The majority of it was composed of Tier 1 materials, some of which had the ''spoiled'' condition listed in their description. Spotting a pull cord hanging from the ceiling near something that looked like a sales counter, Mike gave it a tug, assuming it was some kind of signaling device. However, the cord refused to move, so he gave it a slightly harder pull. Still no luck. Finally, he jerked it hard, putting some of his enhanced strength to the task. With an audible snap the cord broke. [Whoops.] Looking around for a place to put the now useless length of rope, he was startled by a wheezing cough from the depths of a nearby display. He quickly shoved the cord into the mouth of a stuffed bear head, before turning to face the person making the noise. An ancient looking woman emerged from a pile of dusty furs, having blended in so thoroughly that if she hadn''t moved, he wouldn''t have noticed her at all. Dressed in a dirty gray dress, and stooped from age, she glared blearily around the store, before finally settling a pair of watery eyes on Mike. "Don''t recognize ye, boy. What are ye doing here?" The woman croaked grumpily. Mike took a moment to use Appraise, before answering. ------------------------------------------ Gail Ignathian Age: 96 Race: Human Class: Grand Alchemist Title: Mistress of Mixtures ------------------------------------------ [Well, at least I know I''m in the right place.] "My apologies ma''am, I didn''t mean to...wake you?" He shook his head before continuing. "I had hoped to buy a few alchemical goods." "A customer then. I hate customers." The woman replied while shuffling over to stand in front of him. Mike didn''t have any time to work his head around that paradox, before Gail spoke again impatiently. "Well, out with it. What do ye want? If ye can''t tell, I don''t exactly have a lot of time to waste." [Weren''t you just sleeping in a pile of old furs?] Mike kept the impolite thought to himself. "I''d like to pick up a number of items." He said while fetching the list he''d built over the course of the last few hours. Gail accepted it skeptically, while pulling a massive set of spectacles from the one of the many pockets of her apron. She squinted at it for a few minutes, before handing it back to him. "Hmph, what are ye, a novice? This is all basic stuff ye could get at any crafting supplies store." [Good to know, I guess.] "That''s correct. I''m actually a student at the University, and I recently started practicing Alchemy. I had hoped to acquire the tools necessary to start working on it while at home." He replied in as ingratiating a voice as possible. Taking off her glasses, Gail squinted up at him. "Ye''d best go find a supply store. I only sell to serious alchemists." Giving a dismissive wave, she turned and started walking back over to the fur pile, grumbling about ''interrupting her nap for such a thing.'' [Oh no, I''m not hunting for some other alchemy store in the midst of this confusing district. I refuse to give up.] "Who said I wasn''t a serious alchemist?" He asked sharply. Gail gave him a cold glare over her shoulder. "Yer a beginner, plain and simple. Ye don''t even really know what kind of tools ye need to ask for. Instead yer blindly trusting the guidance of some book, am I right?" He had to give her that one. "Although that might be the case, it doesn''t mean I am not seriously pursuing the path of alchemy. I have every intention of mastering this profession. In the short period of time that I''ve practiced it, the things I''ve seen and created have shown me that it''s a course worth following." "Ha, easy enough to say. Ye are still a novice. What could ye have made that was so impressive?" Figuring that he would need to double down in the figurative sense, he wordlessly pulled a vial of coppery liquid out, and placed it on the counter. The sight of it caused Gail to freeze for a second, before she hurried over to inspect the item in question. Removing the stopper, she took a whiff. "This is Panacea, although it''s a low grade one. Where''d ye get this?" She asked in a slightly confused voice. "I made it." "Ha! Do ye have any idea how much effort is required to make this kind of potion? If any novice could do it, it wouldn''t be such a rare item." Frowning, Mike replied sternly. "I can prove it. Let me use your materials and equipment, and I''ll make it in front of you." The old woman grimaced while giving Mike a speculative look. "Yer asking a lot. When ye fail, I''ll be the one to suffer a loss, while ye''ll walk out of this store no poorer than when you entered it. Hardly fair." "Then, why don''t we make it a wager. If I can''t make the panacea, I''ll pay you for the materials and another 50 gold on top. However, if I can make it, I get to keep the product and you give me everything on this list, free of charge." "Yer trying to rob an old woman! If ye win, I''ll let you take half of the product, and I''ll give you a 25% discount on the items you are looking for." "I''ll give you one quarter of the finished product, if you give me a 75% discount. Since you''ll probably benefit from the recipe, it should be a small price to pay." He said, as he felt the familiar click of one his skills leveling up. After a little grumbling, Gail reluctantly agreed, offering her hand to shake on the wager. "Alright, what do ye need for this little failure of yers?" "A covered pot, a furnace box, and a mortar and pestle for the base equipment. As far as ingredients, I need a flask of Evernight Swamp Water, a Desiccated Basilisk Liver, and a red mana core." "That''ll get ye a powerful poison, but little else. Ye better have the money for all this." Gail commented, while hunting for the things he''d asked for in various places throughout the store. Once everything was gathered, Mike started following the process he first used in class. All throughout, Gail was smirking arrogantly, as if completely certain of the outcome. However, we got to the point of adding mana infused water, her expression changed. A look of sudden realization crossed her face, before it lapsed into deep concentration. Mike did his best to ignore the old woman while making the final adjustments. After a few minutes of waiting, the pot shook violently, before resting once again. [That was a lot more violent than last time. I don''t think I did anything differently, though. Hopefully, it turned out alright.] Turning off the furnace box, he opened up the lid to reveal a simmering pool of coppery liquid. [Whew. Looks like it worked.] He was just about to turn to the old woman, smugly, when he caught a flash of a lighter color out of the corner of his eye. Welling up from the center of the pot, was a small stream of silver liquid that formed a film over the top of the concoction. Gail sucked in her breath at the sight of it, and almost pushed Mike over in her rush to examine the product. In hushed tones, she muttered, "This is mid-grade. Boy, do ye have any idea what ye just did?" "Won a bet, from the looks of it." "Now''s not the time to be cute, boy! Ye''ve just overturned centuries of alchemical research! If it''s possible to make mid-grade panacea with such inexpensive ingredients¡­." She trailed off, as if trying to imagine the outcome, before snapping her gaze back at him. "Who else knows this recipe?" "A couple companions of mine, but no one else." He said with more confidence than he felt. There wasn''t anyone paying attention to him when he made the first batch in class, was there? "That''s good. If this had gotten out, there would be riots." With nimble and experienced fingers she removed the top layer of mid-grade panacea and poured it into a glass vial. There was barely enough of the silver fluid to fill it. Suspecting that the woman was planning on hiding the vial away, he took a moment to use Appraise on it. ------------------------------------------------------ {Mid-Grade Panacea} Alchemical Potion (Tier 3, Rank 5) Said to have been first refined by the Star Elves, panaceas are the most well-known and well respected type of alchemical remedies. Depending on the grade, they can treat virtually any illness or cure almost any poison. ------------------------------------------------------ [About what I expected.] Mike held his hand out, urging Gail to return the vial. She clutched at it protectively for a moment, before reluctantly handing it to him. Although, her gaze remained fixed to it as he moved to set it down next to the low-grade panaceas he''d been filling absentmindedly. "Alright, ye won. I''m a lady of my word, so I won''t be trying to cheat. How about I take that vial over there, and in exchange, ye can have the rest. I''ll even throw in a selection of equipment and starter ingredients. I promise it''ll work out better for you than your list." Gail could barely conceal the greed in her eyes. Evidently, she really desired this Mid-Grade Panacea for some reason. Although, he still didn''t really need the potion, thanks to his skills, he suspected that it would be quite valuable based on the price commanded by its lower grade equivalents. "How about this? I''ll let you have it, but in exchange I''ll take the set of equipment and ingredients, the rest of the panacea, AND," He emphasized this word for effect, "I want your assistance in future alchemical endeavors. Ingredients, equipment, and guidance, all for a discounted price." "You''re asking too much. Valuable though that vial may be, it is not worth obligating myself to you in such an open-ended way." "Then, how about this?" Mike replied with a smile, "Help me with my work, and I''ll make sure to provide you with some of the more valuable products at a steep discount." Gail looked indecisive, gaze wandering back to the vial of silver fluid. [All I need is another push.] "Look, I''ve been practicing Alchemy for less than a week, and I''ve already discovered a recipe capable of revolutionizing the field. Just think about what I can accomplish with the assistance of a skilled mentor." "Fine. You win. I can''t pass that up, even if you are robbing me in the process." Gail sighed, and offered her hand to shake on it. "It''s a deal, then." Chapter 142: The Final Ingredient Mike walked out of ''Alchemical Needs'' feeling quite pleased with himself. His extradimensional sack was now carrying a selection of alchemical items which would jumpstart his pursuit of the craft, he had a skilled practitioner to offer him guidance when he got stuck, and it had cost him was something he could make with a few cheap ingredients and a fair amount of luck. All in all, he''d come out ahead. So with a bounce in his step he strode back out into the busy streets. There were still a few more places he wanted to visit before he headed back to the University. With any luck his next couple of stops would be a lucrative as this last one. ------------------ Gail watched the strange young man walk out of her door and made sure he wasn''t coming back, before looking down at the vial of silver liquid in her hand. She ran a finger along the cool glass reverently. How long had she been searching for the last component of her great recipe? Now, after she''d given up hope, it had come to her in the hands of a lucky novice who''d stumbled upon it through pure coincidence. She suspected that he''d figured out the recipe by accident, and was merely bluffing about future discoveries, but it mattered little. Her only regret was that it wasn''t a High-Grade Panacea. The Mid-Grade would serve, but its lower potency would degrade the overall effect of her recipe. Unfortunately, it seemed the golden version of the potion only existed in legend, as even the Star Elves themselves had lost the means to make it. Gail took a deep breath. No matter. The Mid-Grade would serve well enough. With a forced calm, she walked over and locked the door to her shop, ensuring she wouldn''t be disturbed by any nosy customers. Then, taking out a key that she hadn''t used in several months, she moved over to the trap door hidden under a rug in the corner. Unlocking it, she pulled the door open with a grunt. It was taking more and more effort to lift it, and she knew that there would a time when she lacked the strength to even shift the heavy wooden contraption. [Or, at least there would have been.] Knees cracking and popping in protest, she carefully descended the stairs. The last thing she needed right now, was to fall and break a hip. Given her lack of friends, family, or even regular customers, it would likely lead to a long, slow death in the basement of her own store. So, it was with some measure of relief that she finally placed her feet on the stone floor. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she moved over to her pill furnace, and started the process of igniting the mammoth contraption. Cursing her lazy past self, who neglected refilling it with the specially treated coal, she began shoveling the dark pellets into the furnace. With much effort, she eventually got the thing working, and started gathering the laundry list of items that composed her greatest accomplishment. Water distilled from the melted snow of Kargathi Peak, dried Ancillus Moss, tears of an Emerald Sphinx, the fang of a Vampire Lord, and many more ingredients were poured into the crucible. Two hours into the process, she removed the vial of panacea from a pocket. Removing the stopper, she waited near the door to the furnace. She needed to time this next part just right, or risk spoiling the entire process. Gail watched the bubbling surface of the mixture patiently. As soon as it still, she poured the entire vial in. It was regrettable that she wouldn''t have enough to make a second attempt, but she couldn''t afford to be stingy. Slamming the door shut, she increased the heat, knowing that she''d done all she could, and the only thing left to do, was wait for the results. After several minutes of hissing and vibrating, the furnace stilled, and she feared that she''d failed. Finally, a cloud of steam exploded out of the furnace, tearing the door off of its hinges. Fortunately, Gail was standing far enough away to avoid injury. When the steam had cleared, she hesitantly stepped forward to observe her work. Resting inside of the crucible was a pearlescant sphere that glowed with a soft, silvery light. Reverently, she grabbed it with a pair of tongs, and dropped it onto a waiting plate to cool. She could hardly contain her excitement. Her entire career as an alchemist had led up to this point. With shaking hands she reached out towards it, taking the time to notice how thin and wrinkled they were. Clutching the pill, she brought it carefully to her mouth, not wanting to risk any mishap. It tasted sweet, melting on her tongue, before she shallowed it and waited for the effects to take hold. For a moment, nothing happened. Then an intense bout of pain doubled her over. It felt like her guts were trying to tie themselves into knots. Waves of white hot fire seemed to sweep through her form, burning her from the inside out. She couldn''t breathe. She couldn''t think. All she could do was wait for the agony to pass. An unknowable time later, she found herself laying on her side, drenched in sweat. She brought her hands up in front of her face, and couldn''t suppress a groan at the sight of her wrinkled, arthritic hands. It seemed to have been a failure, but she felt strangely energized at the same time. Standing, she marvelled at the recovered strength of her limbs. It had been decades since she could rise to her feet without a myriad of aches and pains. She felt 40 years younger, if only on the inside. Glancing at her status, she saw her age remained the same, but her Lifespan Attribute had almost doubled. [So more of a partial success than a complete failure. Oh well, at least I feel young again. Never was much of a looker, anyway.] Grumbling to herself in an effort to assuage her vanity, Gail cleaned up the basement, and climbed back upstairs, easily. Despite her mixed feelings about her new ''student,'' she found herself looking forward to his next visit. If he could make legendary medicines out of some junk found lying around a school storage closet, then it will be interesting to see what he''ll end up creating with proper supplies and guidance. ------------------ Sitting at an open air caf¨¦ where he had stopped to eat dinner, Mike took a moment to examine the spoils of his shopping. He''d eventually found one of the crafting supply stores Gail had mentioned, and took some time to peruse the wares. Unfortunately, the basic alchemy supplies they offered were overpriced and poor quality. He could see now why Gail was so quick to dismiss it. With a shrug, he moved on to scrivening materials. According to the book he''d picked up from the library, creating scrolls only required three basic components. First was the parchment or paper used as the base. While it was technically possible to use any solid material for this purpose, the guide recommended using high quality paper, since it improved the flow of mana through the scroll. Knowing that there would probably be a lot of trial and error while he was learning the skill, he had already picked up a pack of cheap paper from a stationary merchant. Second was the ink which stored the Mana used in the spell and channeled through the scroll''s runes to create the desired effect. This ink was actually created through a simple alchemical recipe from powder mana cores and pigments. While the store did sell the pre-made varieties, he felt pretty confident in his ability to produce the ink on his own, so he grabbed a block of treated charcoal that the book recommended as a pigment. The last item he needed was a specially designed quill with a minor enchantment, which allowed it to store and steadily distribute the magical inks used in Scrivening. Of course this was the most expensive part, costing at least twenty gold. Higher end models were sold for more than a hundred, and had to be specially ordered. Since he wasn''t planning on making a career out of it, he went ahead and picked up the cheapest version available. Feeling hungry he took a moment to stop at the open air cafe, eat, and consider how to spend the rest of the evening. He''d more or less completed everything he''d set out to do. [I guess I can go look for a new sword.] The one he''d used yesterday had been warped by the intensity of his Fire Magic, rendering it nearly useless. He was starting to like the idea of unarmed combat more and more, since unlike broken weapons, his fists healed. Paying his bill, Mike stood and started canvasing the district a third time. He mentally prepared himself for spending a good amount of money on a decent, hopefully enchanted weapon. Until he learned how to make one himself, it would be necessary to have a good one he could depend on. That or simply buy a whole bunch of cheap ones and swap them out when they break. The idea was a strangely appealing one. More so when he considered the possibility of one day using Space Magic to store and fire them like projectiles in a way that would satisfy his inner nerd. However, he was still a long way away from doing anything like that. Shaking away the fantasies, he spotted a promising looking shop. Built on the corner of two major streets, the smithy was clearly separated into two distinct parts. One serving as the storefront, and another devoted solely to the actual workplace. Judging from the sounds of clanking metal and waves of heat rolling out of the open door, the occupants were still working. He headed over to the store side, taking note of the lettering written above the door. Entering ''The Cracked Anvil,'' the first thing Mike noticed was the smell, a strangely pleasant mixture of steel, leather, and oil. As a multipurpose smithy, the store carried a variety of metal tools and products, and only a third of the sales floor was devoted to displays of weapons and armor. "Welcome." A gruff, bearded man called from behind a counter. With his slab-like arms and fierce appearance, he looked like a stereotypical blacksmith. A quick Appraise told him otherwise. ------------------------------- Gearhart Age: 43 Race: Human Class: Storekeeper Title: Honest ------------------------------ [Well, at least he''s honest.] Mike nodded his greeting, before moving over to inspect the displayed weapons. Unfortunately, it didn''t look like there was anything that would really suit his needs. Wondering if they might be keeping some of their more valuable items somewhere else, he approached the counter. Gearhart looked up from the ledger he was currently reviewing with an expectant gaze. "I''m looking for a new longsword. Preferably a durable one. Do you happen to have anything like that in stock?" Mike asked. "You''ve already seen the weapons we currently have on sale." The storekeeper replied while gesturing towards the display he''d already looked over. "Everything else needs to be custom ordered. I can help you through that process if you want, but keep in mind that it will require a deposit and may take a few weeks to complete." Mike frowned. While that wasn''t a major problem for him, he was hoping to have a solution for the issue in the short term. Then it hit him that his might be the chance he was looking for. "Do you perhaps offer lessons on blacksmithing?" Gearhart gave him a level look. "We do take on apprentices, but that usually incurs a labor debt of at least three years. More, if you want to actually master the craft. We do not, however, offer lessons." "Would you be willing to make an exception? If you can give me a few hours of instruction, I''d be willing to pay for it." Mike replied, taking a moment to flash a handful of gold coins. The shopkeeper stared at him, evidently doing some mental calculations, before sighing heavily. "Alright, let me ask my wife." Chapter 143: In the Forge Leaving those words hanging in the air, Gearhart motioned for Mike to wait while he went through a door leading to the smithy portion of the shop. After a few moments, the sounds of banging of metal on metal halted for a second, only to be followed by a loud and brash female voice. "What? Why would I do that¡­Gold? So? I''m busy¡­alright, alright. I''ll do it, but only for an hour. I''ve got things to work on." [I wonder what the state of the soundproofing industry is like in this world.] Gearhart returned swiftly and walked back to his place at the counter. "My wife agrees with your proposition. Before we begin, I would like to discuss terms. Since my wife, Brigitte, is one of the finest smiths in the capital, it''s only reasonable to place a high price on her time. As such, I cannot ask for less than five gold per hour." Mike cocked an eyebrow at that. Five gold seemed extravagant by the standards of this world. After living modestly for much of his reincarnated life, he''d developed a vague understanding of how much the average person made over the course of a work day. [Are they trying to test me? I suppose a wealthy noble with more money than they know what to do with would be willing to pay that kind of ridiculous price.] "Are you sure you didn''t get confused? Five silver sounds much more reasonable." Mike replied with the false smile he used while bargaining. Returning the smile in turn, Gearhart, shook his head. "Dear customer, I did not misspeak. My wife hails from Theldholm, the same Theldholm which is famous for its skilled blacksmiths. She is also the sole heir of an ancient family of metal workers. Due to tragic circumstances, she was force to flee to Almir where she started this store. It is a rare opportunity to study under the tutelage of a real Theldon master smith, well worth the price of five gold coins. However, since you seem like an enterprising lad, perhaps I can offer you a small discount, just this once. Four gold per hour is the lowest I can feasibly go." [So that''s how he wants to play it.] "While that is indeed an impressive background, I still can''t quite bring myself to pay such a steep fee for a hour of your wife''s time. Perhaps I should look elsewhere. I''ve heard good things about the ''Hammered Bronze'' smithy down the street¡­" Mike let his words hang in the air as he started to slowly turn, as if seriously considering leaving. "Dear customer, I must advise that you desist with these ideas of yours. Malin, the owner of ''Hammered Bronze'' is a drunken sluggard who doesn''t know the difference between a cross peen and a chasing hammer. If you want to waste your time beating ineffectually on a slab of metal, then be my guest. However, if you want to learn proper blacksmithing then you need look no further than our worthy store. Since I would hate to see a promising young student like yourself at the hands of such a terrible teacher, I would be willing to offer the one-time price of three gold, five silver per hour." [Ah, I have you now.] Mike paused as if to consider, "I had not heard that about Malin. Your words have definitely given me much to think about. Nevertheless, I am not so rich as to spend my money in such an irresponsible fashion. Perhaps a second opinion is in order." "Now, now, dear customer, why don''t we talk-" Gearhart started before he was interrupted by the door slamming open. A giant of a woman, dressed in a blacksmith''s apron stomped in and swept the pair of them with her gaze. She blew an errant strand of blonde hair out of her soot-streaked face before speaking in a thunderous and confident voice. "What''s taking so long? Is this the guy you were talking about? Feh, he''s all sticks and bones. I''m sorry lad, but you''ll never make it as a blacksmith with arms like that." Suppressing a chuckle at Gearhart''s sour face, Mike took a moment to use Appraise on his prospective teacher. --------------------------------------------- Brigitte Steelblood Age: 36 Race: Human Class: Master Smith Title: Storm Driven Survivor --------------------------------------------- [Assuming Master Smith is and advanced version of the Smith class, she''s definitely qualified.] "You must be Brigitte, your husband and I were just working out the details of the payment-" He started, before being interrupted as well. "Just pay him a gold and be done with it. Come on, we have smithing to teach you." She gave him just enough time to drop a single coin on the counter before picking him up with ridiculous ease, and slinging him over one shoulder. Under different circumstances, he might have found Gearhart''s resulting facepalm entertaining, however, it was a little difficult to enjoy it from his uncomfortable perch. The smithy Brigitte carried into him was a disorganized mess by any standard. Tools, partially finished projects, and half-eaten plates of food were scattered around without any rhyme or reason. The entire room was sweltering, thanks to an elaborate forge in one corner of the room, which was currently filled with softly glowing coals. After dropping him haphazardly next to one of the anvils, Brigitte handed him a set of leathers that were a little too big for him. "Here, put these on. We''ll get you trained up right. At least for the hour you''ve paid for." She laughed at that, "Ha, I feel like one of them painted ladies. Anyway, hurry up. I got a sword blade in the forge as we speak. That''s what you want to learn about, right?" Mike quickly put the protective gear and followed the meandering path the woman cut through the miscellaneous junk that clutter the smithy. By the time he got there, Brigitte already had a set of tongs in hand, and was pulling a glowing rod of metal out of the forge. Without any preamble, she handed it to him, and pointed to a nearby anvil. "Put it down there, and start hammering." [That''s it? Shouldn''t I get a little more instruction?] Deciding to go with the flow, Mike picked up a promising looking implement and prepared to start swinging, but stopped when Brigitte called out. "Not that one, use this one." She handed him an almost identical hammer. "Alright, go ahead. You don''t want it to get too cool." With an internal sigh, Mike fell into the rhythm of work, trying to recall how they did it in the movies. Every time he thought he was starting to get the hang of the complicated process, Brigitte would break in with her ''instruction.'' "Not like that. Hit it harder¡­Too hard! Try to make a ''bink'' noise every time it lands. No, not like that." This continued for one sweltering, mentally exhausting hour, until Gearhart called from the open door, signaling that the time he''d paid for had ended. "That''s it, then. Not bad for your first time." Brigitte commented while ushering him out of the smithy. "Next time we''ll work on actually making something." Before he knew it, Mike was standing outside, feeling slightly nonplussed. The last hour had been a blur of confusing commands, but somehow it felt like his body had figured out what to do. He took a moment to check his [Status] and confirm his hunch, not surprised to see the new skill. ------------------------------------------------------ - Basic Blacksmithing (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The art of fashioning a variety of implements and items out of forged metal. Minor system correction to practitioner''s knowledge and ability in regards to smithing. Functions as the Prerequisite and Limiter for all other forms of smithing. ------------------------------------------------------ [I wonder if that means I need a second skill to make weapons and armor.] He took a moment to clean himself off with Lifestyle Magic, since he was covered in soot and smelled like the inside of a furnace, before hunting for a coach to take him back to the University. Judging from how dark it had gotten, he was getting close to the curfew. Doing some mental arithmetic, he realized just how short on time he was. Cursing his lack of foresight, he picked up the pace. A short carriage ride, and run through campus later, Mike slid into the dorm with only seconds to spare, startling a few of the maids who had congregated in the lobby. Apologizing for his actions, he went upstairs. The others had returned already, looking strangely exhausted. They had collapsed in the living room, and hadn''t built up the energy to move just yet. Amused, Mike went around a delivered small doses of Healing Magic to restore their stamina, before asking how things went. "We were doing fine initially," Sera explained tentatively, "The island was relatively deserted by the time we got there, and finding the herbs was pretty simple. In less than an hour, we''d gathered enough, and were heading back to the boat, when¡­" She trailed off. "When things became Mike-worthy." Brenden filled in with a dark laugh. "So what happened?" He asked, feeling slightly vindicated. Sera seemed unwilling to answer, or even look him in the eye, so Tal filled in. "Attacked. Sanghuin." He gave her a blank look. "She means angry fish people." Brenden explained. "The whole island was attacked by a small army of the things. We had to rally the newbie adventurers to hold them off long enough for reinforcements to arrive from the city. Luckily, they seemed to be unused to fighting on land, so even the Rank 1s could hold their own. At least until the higher tier monsters started showing up. There were handful of dangerous Sanghuin warriors, and even a Tier 2 mage. The three of us ended up taking those ones on by ourselves. Which was difficult, but manageable, until some kind of mutant shark thing rose from the waters." "So many teeth¡­" Sera said while staring into the distance with a bleak look on her face. "Don''t mind her, she had another close call. Anyway, we eventually managed to take it down by sealing its movements and letting Tal drop a massive pointy rock on its heads." [Heads?] "Is everyone alright?" Mike was starting to feel slightly guilty about not being there. "Miraculously, we managed to avoid any deaths, but it was a close thing. One of the newbies turned out to be a fully established Teunite Priest, who had joined the Adventurer''s Guild mostly out of curiosity. He''s still working his way up the rankings, so he picked up the same herb gathering request we had. We''re luck he did, since his healing and support spells really made the difference." The beastman continued. "Wow, sounds rough," was all he could say once Brenden had finished his account. The group lapsed into silence for a moment. "Day off?" Tal asked, emotionless eyes more unreadable than usual. "My day? It was pretty tame all things considered. Very relaxing. Couldn''t have been more peaceful." Sera whimpered slightly. It looked like she was ready to cry. "Anyway, you guys rest up. We don''t have much going on tomorrow, so why don''t you all focus on taking it easy." Mike suggested, feeling slightly guilty for a different reason. The others agreed, evidently too mentally tired and demoralized to even argue. Mike watched them go about the preparations to sleep with mixed feelings. [I need to figure out a way to communicate with them over long distances. Something to add to the list I suppose. Anyway, at least nothing really unusual happened during my day off.] He thought to himself. He paused for a second, then face palmed. [Did I really just raise another flag? Why do I do this to myself?!] He waited, looking around warily. After a few minutes, and a few confused glances from his party members, Mike finally relaxed. [Looks like I''m safe this time...¡­damn.] The building started shaking violently, making it difficult to even stand up. He heard the sounds of breaking dishes in the kitchen, and the panicked cries of his party members. It felt like they were caught in an earthquake. "I don''t know what''s going on, but I feel like its Mike''s fault!" Brenden yelled from another room. [One day. Why couldn''t I just have one day.] Chapter 144: Aftershocks After a few minutes, the building stopped shaking. Mike stood from his position on the floor of his bedroom, underneath a fallen dresser, and checked on Audra. Reassured by the curious chirp she emitted from the depths of his pocket, evidently woken by the strange rumbling, he tried to take stock of his surroundings. He coughed to clear his mouth of the dust that was filling the air. "Is everyone alright?" Brenden called from the hallway, "I''m good. Legs just feel a bit rubbery." "I am fine, and you better not come in here!" Sera yelled from the bathroom. Tal''s calm voice could be heard coming from the kitchen, "Assistance requested." Mike made his way over to her, and was a little shocked to a portion of the roof had collapsed onto the elf, pinning her to the floor. The debris looked stable at the moment, but he lacked the experience to make a definitive guess. Knowing that this situation could end badly if he wasn''t careful, Mike cautiously lifted the chunk of wood and plaster until the elf could pull herself out. She gasped slightly in the process, and Mike quickly noticed the reason as he was lowering his burden back to the ground. A splinter of wood, the size of a small knife was embedded in the muscle of her left thigh. Judging from the amount of blood pooled on the floor and flowing from the wound, it had hit an artery in the process. He hurried over and had Tal lay back on the ground. He was going to have to remove the shard, which was going to be painful, and the last thing he wanted was for her to pass out in the process and give herself a head injury. Considering how pale she was getting, it needed to be sooner than later. "Alright, I''m going to pull it out really quickly and heal the wound. I''m not going to lie, it will hurt." He spoke as reassuringly as he could manage in the circumstances. A soft hand was laid against his cheek, causing him to look up from the injury. Tal was looking at him steadily. She appeared calm, even to his practiced eye. "It''s alright. Trust you." Mike was momentarily taken aback. His expression must have been terrible if she was trying to console him. He took a deep breath, gave her a grateful nod, and got back to work. Finding a solid grip on the splinter, he started summoning his mana in preparation for the healing magic he would need to perform immediately afterwards. With one quick motion he pulled the shard of wood out, eliciting a second gasp from Tal. He focused on applying the healing and, after a sudden burst of inspiration, added a layer of Lifestyle Magic to clean the wound in the process. A few seconds later, there was nothing left of the injury save smooth, unblemished skin. He heaved a sigh of relief. This was not the first time he''d used healing magic on someone seriously injured. Hell, he''d even technically brought someone back from the dead. But this was the first time he''d used it on one of his companions, and it shook him. If that roof had fallen in a little differently, or if he''d still been gallivanting around in the merchant district, Tal could have died. The logical side of him knew that it was unreasonable to hold himself accountable for such an instance, that whatever was happening was beyond his control, but he couldn''t help but feel some responsibility. A quiet voice, in the depths of his mind asked, [Would there even have been an accident if you weren''t here? Would things in this country be as bad as they are if you hadn''t made that wish? Aren''t you to blame for this? Aren''t you to blame for everything?] Someone patted his head, breaking him from his dark thoughts. "Thank you." Tal said quietly with a subtle smile. For a moment, Mike''s head was blank. Then he became intensely aware that he was still holding onto Tal''s thigh while they were in a highly compromising position. Brenden''s cough from behind was all it took for the embarrassment to take hold. He quickly stood, before helping Tal up. "Yes...Well, I''m glad you''re alright." "Hmph!" Came Sera''s exclamation from the hallway. She had folded her arms and was facing away grumpily. Brenden shook his head, "Anyway, if you are done flirting, maybe we should consider moving down to the ground floor. If the roof can cave in, that could mean the dorm''s structural supports are unstable. I, for one, don''t want to get caught in a collapsing building." "Agreed. You three head down first. I''m going to sweep the floors as I go, to make sure no one else is trapped." Mike replied while getting ready. Sera turned as if to make an argument, but evidently thought better of it. "Alright, be safe." "Move quickly." Tal added. With Brenden in the lead, the three of them headed down the stairs. Luckily, the earthquake damage hadn''t extended to that portion of the dorm. Figuring that Lily and her butler were probably durable enough to survive for a while, he headed over to the other side of the hallway first, only to find the other two rooms empty. Evidently, their occupants had already evacuated. Since he didn''t see any more debris that might be hiding an injured person, he returned to his neighbor''s door. It was closed but unlocked, so he thrust it open, only to be engulfed in a wall of acrid smoke. Coughing, he channeled a quick burst of Air Magic to clear it, flushing it through the shattered windows at the end of the hallway. It looked like something had caught fire in the room. Moving into the apartment, he heard a series of coughs from a doorway to his right. Lily''s butler William was on one knee, catching his breath in the now clearer air. Mike hurried over to help the man, but was shaken off. "I''m fine¡­," the older man wheezed. "Please, help Lady Liliana." Seeing the desperation in the butler''s face, Mike couldn''t refuse. "Alright, but you need to get out of here." After seeing the nod of confirmation, Mike headed deeper into the apartment. Noticing smoke wafting out from under a door, which should be the bathroom, he braced himself and pushed it open. A wash of fresh heat and smoke blasted into the hallway, until he was able to flush it out again. Quickly scanning the room, he saw that it had been converted into a makeshift laboratory. A large supply of gear and reagents were scattered about in a seemingly haphazard fashion. A table had been set up along one wall, which was the origin of the fire. Blue flames rose from a shattered collection of glassware. The wall above the table was scorched and blackened, as the fire spread. At the rate it was going, it wouldn''t be long until the roof started burning as well. He willed the fire to extinguish itself, before flushing the remaining smoke out of the room. Scanning his surroundings, and located the still form of Lily in one corner. Judging from her positioning, he figured the earthquake must have caused an explosive accident which flung her across the room. He rushed over and started applying Healing Magic. Her arms and torso were covered with burns, which mended quickly, leaving him holding a well-endowed woman, whose only clothing was the tattered remnants of a pair of coveralls that bare extended past her waist. Distracting as this was, he did his best to concentrate on the task at hand, since his patient still wasn''t breathing. [Twice in one day? I hope I''m not developing any other luck related abilities. I don''t think I can handle it. Anyway, she must have inhaled too much smoke. Crap, how do I do CPR again? Wait¡­Air Magic, of course.] Summoning his mana, he forced the stale breath out of Lily''s lungs and replenished it with a fresh air. While maintaining his concentration on the process, he stripped off his outer tunic and draped it over the woman''s still form, leaving him in his undershirt. Audra pushed herself out of her pocket, and hopped up onto his shoulder with a little squeak of protest. Recalling a little from a CPR class he''d taken in high school, Mike took a second to check on Lily''s pulse, and was relieved to feel it beating strongly. After a few more cycles with his newly developed application of Air Magic, she sat up suddenly and started coughing. Once her breathing had steadied, she looked around confusedly for a moment, before focusing on Mike. "Oh, hello. You''re the boy from Alchemy class. What are you doing here?" Mike suppressed a chuckle at her nonchalant reply. "I''m here to help. It looks like something you were working on caught fire. I was checking on everyone after the earthquake, and found you unconscious." With a look of horrified realization, she stood abruptly. "Ah! My experiment!" She exclaimed before rushing over to the table, dropping his tunic in the process. Sighing, Mike picked up the discarded garment, and while trying his best to avert his gaze, started speaking, only to be interrupted by William rushing into the room. "Milady! You are alright, thank goodness!" The butler had tears of relief forming in his eyes for a second, before it was replaced with a scandalized look. "Ah! Just look at the state of you! You know better than to walk around like that." "But William, everything I was working on went up in smoke." Lily replied in a despondent voice. Her evident depression clearly had an impact on the old man, as he replied in a consoling manner while draping his coat around her shoulders. "I know, Milady, but such things can be replaced. You, however, cannot." Feeling slightly awkward about still being in the room, Mike started sliding out surreptitiously, only to accidentally step on the blackened remains of some kind of bulbous root. It created a cracking noise which immediately grabbed the attention of the rooms other occupants. "Sir Mike! I was so distracted with Milady, I almost forgot you were here. Please accept my deepest apologies and greatest thanks for your timely aid." William exclaimed dramatically. "Don''t worry about it, I was doing what any good neighbor would. Anyway, it looks like there might be structural damage to the building, we should evacuate, just to be on the safe side." Mike replied, trying to change the subject. "What about the rest of my equipment?" Lily asked. "I can''t just leave it here, it represents years of my work." William looked torn. He clearly understood the danger, but seemed unwilling to push her mistress into pursuing the more reasonable course of action. Sighing, Mike pulled out his extradimensional pouch. "Alright, what are you unwilling to leave here?" Chapter 145: A Change of Priorities Barth dispensed with the usual formalities, since the five Creator Gods met with more haste than usual. In a matter of hours they had assembled around the circular table at the heart of the Convergence. "I''m sure you are all aware of the reason for this meeting." Aminatrea, Goddess of the Sun, spoke in a solemn tone, "Our ancient foes are finally stirring, and it won''t be long their minions become capable of breaching the boundary into Ea. We have a few years, a decade at most, before the invasion begins." "So, what''s the plan?" Teun, Goddess of the Earth asked. Aminatrea opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the slender youth to her right. "Besides running away, you mean?" Mone, one of the twin Gods of the Moon, answered. "Are you suggesting we abandon our world? Everything we''ve built?" Aminatrea replied icily. Lysande, God of the Stars, broke in. "You are both forgetting that we are irretrievably tied to this realm, and the system that governs it. We cannot escape without sacrificing a great deal of our power. Assuming, of course, it is even possible." "Your fools if you think we can confront their combined might in our weakened state. Even should we succeed in throwing them back once, it will cost us almost everything. It will be a challenge to even survive the struggle. And then who will stop them the next time? No, we need to consider exit strategies, and I, for one, pride myself on always having an escape plan." The Moon God said with a smirk. Sparing the youth a level gaze, Lysande replied. "You''re speaking of the device you''ve hidden in the depths of your Divine Realm, are you not? Do you really believe it will save you from what is coming?" Mone''s eyes turned pitch black, as his face elongated, forming into a set of snarling jaws. "How do you know about that?!" He growled menacingly. "Who do you think built it in the first place?" The God of the Stars answered with a dry grin. With groan of frustration, Mone vanished and was soon replaced by his sister, Mona who took up his seat, before speaking, "We always knew creating the System would limit our options, so it should be a surprise to no one that we must now face the consequences. However, I have a hard time believing that none of you have thought of a solution to this impending crisis." "We may have spent much of the last ten thousand years marshaling our forces, but even in our prime we were closely matched. Now...." Lysande replied quietly. "What of our appeal to the Ancient Ones? Have they come to a decision?" Mona asked in regards to their plea for intervention that dated to the time before Ea''s creation. "I sent another message when I detected the quake. However, I have received no reply. It seems we must face this on our own." Aminatrea answered, bitterly, causing the assembled gods to exchange concerned glances. "This one has a suggestion." Yilon, God of the Void spoke in his monotone, buzzing manner. Teun grimaced. "So help me, if you suggest we embraced the inevitability of oblivion, I will find a way to hurt you before this is over." There was a pause before the floating orb of darkness replied. "This one rescinds the suggestion." "That''s what I thought. Does anyone else have any bright ideas?" Silence descended on the group, all of whom were at a loss. Finally, an unlikely commentator broke in. "What of the inhabitants of Ea? Can they not assist?" Barth asked from his position in the shadows along the rooms'' sides. The five Creator Gods looked at the speaker incredulously. This was the first time in millennia that the dedicated servant deity had spoken out of turn. "Are you crazy?" Teun started. "Do you really think a bunch of mortals can stand against their armies?" "Alone? No. Divided as they are currently? Certainly not. However, should they unify behind the banner of a particularly powerful individual, one who can lead them to victory, then I believe they would be a force to be reckoned with. Isn''t that the reason you tried to grant the Heroic Destiny on that mortal child, Lady Aminatrea?" All eyes swept towards a new target. "As I have said before, I bestowed the destiny so that he might confront the Demon God Anhilus, should its followers succeed in summoning it. However, knowing that our enemies were stirring, I had hoped that the Hero would unite the forces of Ea in the coming conflict." "Which would make sense, if not for someone stealing the destiny." Teun growled. "So we are back where we started, or actually worse, since we have to contend with the variable of an unknown and potentially hostile Hero. For all we know, he or she could be an agent of the enemy, set to strike us at our most vulnerable." Barth chuckled in a manner that could be construed as impolite, something that he had not done since taking over the Convergence. "My lady, there are many possibilities concerning the current Hero. One of which is that he or she will stand in the defense of Ea. Rather than mourning the other outcomes, why not work towards ensuring the one most favorable to us? Why not ensure that this Hero will stand with us during the coming conflict?" This caused some consternation among the assembled gods, as it was an option they had not considered initially. After all, why would they lower themselves to begging for the assistance of a thief who had stolen the Heroic Destiny from its chosen recipient? "It could work¡­" Lysande muttered. "The enemy will be forced to break through the barrier to reach Ea, leaving them weakened. If we can direct the fight into the mortal realm, they would also be restrained by the System. With a sufficiently large force, properly prepared and led by an experienced Hero, we might be able to deal them a heavy blow. One that would take them millennia to recover from." "There is a lot of uncertainty to that plan." Mona commented quietly, before shooting a glance at Aminatrea. "How has your investigation of the Hero gone? Are your followers any closer to determining his or her identity?" Trying not to let her own misgivings show, the Sun Goddess replied. "My followers have been able to determine two things. First, while his identity is still unclear, it appears that the current Hero is a young human male. Second, he was directly involved in halting a ritual to summon Anhilus in the middle of the city of Wyrport." "That''s a good sign!" Teun broke in. Lysande nodded thoughtfully. "There is still the possibility that he did so for his own purposes, but I agree that this increases the likelihood of his cooperation. Have you made any progress on making contact with him?" Aminatrea hesitated briefly, before answering. "I had one of my most loyal angels descend into a mortal form to pursue him. As we speak, she is currently on her way to his last known location." Her furtiveness was noticed by the wily Moon Goddess, whose face broke into a mischievous grin. "Oh? Pray tell, who is this loyal angel? Surely you must have chosen your most competent follower for such an important mission." If a goddess was capable of blushing, Aminatrea certainly did so, staring daggers at Mona before clearing her throat to answer. "Yes, well. You all must understand, I was a little short on manpower¡­" While massaging her temples in an effort to stave off a coming headache, Teun sighed in exasperation, "Please, please tell me it wasn''t that fool Cariel." Aminatrea fidgeted quietly in her seat, eliciting a round of uproarious laughter from Mone, who had evidently finished sulking. "Is she at least on track to meet up with him?" The Earth Goddess asked hopefully. There was another pause, while Aminatrea refused to meet any of their gazes, "Well, it''s a little hard to say this, but she may be slightly...kind of¡­..lost." Mone''s laughter only got louder. -------------------------------------- Arms aching from the effort of baling the seawater out of their lifeboat, Julia took a moment to regard her companion, the angel Cariel, who was lying in the bottom of the tiny vessel in a stupor. For the hundredth time today, she considered dumping the troublesome woman overboard, but once again restrained herself. She was already cursed, the last thing she wanted to do was to bring down some kind of divine judgement by killing an angel. Looking down, she saw the boat had already started filling up again already. Suppressing the urge to cry, Julia resumed the hopeless effort of moving the seawater with the battered helmet she''d scrounged up. It had been a difficult couple of weeks for her. Cariel''s gold nuggets turned out to be made of Liar''s Gold, a worthless mineral that merely resembled the precious metal. As such, the beastman and angel duo had been forced to work odd jobs until they had enough money saved up to buy passage to the capitol on a merchant vessel. Things went smoothly until the ship hit open water, where they were almost immediately set upon by pirates. Despite the crew''s best efforts, they were overtaken and boarded. During the ensuing fight, Cariel, who had been single handedly defeating most of the enemies, was crushed under a particularly obese pirate. The spherical man was launched from a specialized catapult-like device, seemingly built expressly for the purpose of throwing him into battle. With their strongest defender unconscious, the merchant vessel was quickly overrun and all surviving crew members captured, to be sold into slavery in the nearest pirate port. Julia and the sailors were spared from this fate by one far worse. Right in the midst of their post-victory monologue, the pirates were interrupted by a violent impact as the merchant ship ran aground on a newly revealed rock formation. While the confused mix of pirates and sailors were in the middle of trying to figure out this strange phenomenon, the lookout sounded a general alarm. On the horizon, but swiftly approaching, was a wall of water that could only be a tidal wave. Panic ensued, as everyone on board tried to find a way off the stranded vessel, Julia among them. Swimming had never been her strong suit, but she had luckily managed to secure a place on a lifeboat before the wave hit. The merchant vessel and pirate ship were almost immediately capsized by the hundred meter tall wall of water, doomed by the same grappling lines that had been used during the attack. Even Julia''s lifeboat had quickly overturned, and only by virtue of her death grip on the planking, was she able to avoid a watery demise Once the wave had passed, Julia was able to right the boat and take stock of her surroundings. It was almost as if the sea had been wiped clean, as only scattered wreckage remained of the two ships which had been previously occupying this patch of water. While she was still adjusting to this sudden change in fortune, the lifeboat bashed into something. Terrified of running aground once more, Julia went to investigate, only to find the unconscious form of the angel, who had been floating face-up until the current had pushed her against the small vessel. Cariel hadn''t woken up during Julia''s lengthy struggle to pull her into the boat, nor during the beastman''s round of cursing once she''d discovered the leak caused by the impact. Without an oar, the pair had been left to the mercy of the current, Julia fighting a losing battle against the encroaching seawater. It was a truly hopeless situation. Julia grumbled to herself while working. "Damn angel and her insane mission to follow some damn adventurer to the damn capital. I could have been living the high life by now if it wasn''t for that idiot and his damn demon curse." She knew this was probably incorrect, but didn''t care at the moment. With a crack, a section of the boat broke, letting a flood of water in. Julia could only stare for a moment, before throwing her makeshift bucket down in rage. "Argh! It''s so unfair!" A distant male voice sounded from behind her. "I don''t mean interrupt, miss, but it seems you are in a bit of a bind. Would you perhaps like some assistance?" Feeling a sudden surge of hope, Julia spun, nearly falling over in the process. "Yes! Please! We need help¡­." She trailed off when she caught sight of the speaker. A weathered old man was standing at the prow of a battered Theldon ship. A handful of ragged men lined the railing, glaring at her in a menacing manner. Even without seeing them in action, Julia knew exactly what kind of people had ''rescued'' them. The old raider from the Barren Isle grinned at her expression. "Ah, that''s a common reaction. But fear not, the Kirathi aren''t without honor. You''re in luck, actually. We''ve recently changed our ways. Of course we aren''t so rich as to offer you passage for free, but I''m sure we can come to an arrangement." [Kirathi?] Julia was thinking of a suitably diplomatic response when the deadbeat angel finally saw fit to wake from her stupor. Cariel sat up and blearily stared at her surroundings. "Eh? What happened? I had a dream about being crushed by a giant pillow." Her gaze fixed on the approaching raiders. "Ah! More pirates! Excellent, I''ve been meaning to try a new take down maneuver. Come at me, sea varmints!" Suppressing the urge to cry once more, Julia sat down in the rapidly filling boat, and decided to simply wait for whatever was about to come. Maybe drowning wouldn''t hurt too much? Chapter 146: Homeless By the time Mike had finished loading Lily''s equipment into his sack and gotten the pair of them moving, the rest of the building had been evacuated. Sera and the others had apparently gone ahead and swept the lower floors as they were descending, leaving Mike''s group to be the last ones out. The residents were huddled in a fearful group a safe distance from the dorm building. Mike could see Sera, Tal, and Brenden standing off to one side, in the middle of a heated discussion. As soon as she noticed him, Sera''s serious expression turned to one of relief, and she started hurrying over to him. She stopped, however, when she notice who was accompanying him. Mike could almost see her jumping to conclusions as she observed Lily sticking close to him (she was worried about the equipment he was still carrying), her worried and dependent expression (again, about her equipment), and the state of her dress (William had struggled to get her to wear anything, and had settled with a loose shift.) With sour look on her face, Sera turned a glare in his direction, before stomping off angrily. Brenden walked up while trying, and failing, to suppress a snicker. "You good?" "Yeah, I''m fine. What''s going on out here?" "The dorm manager''s got them waiting here until they hear back from Administration. It might be a while, since it seems like the entire city was effected by the earthquake." Mike grimaced before shooting a look out towards the capital, wondering if he should head in that direction to help out. As if reading his friend''s thoughts, Brenden broke in. "I wouldn''t worry too much about it. That quake was pretty minor compared to some of the ones we''ve had in the past. Besides, most of the city''s been built to resist this kind of thing, ever since the Day of Ashes and the resulting aftershocks. The only reason our dorm suffered any damage at all, was because it was old and in mild disrepair." Sighing, Mike nodded his agreement and followed the beastman back to rejoin an indifferent Tal and upset Sera. Hoping to remove the source of displeasure, he turned to Lily. "We probably won''t be able to go back to the dorm for a while. I know you are worried about your things, but it would be troublesome to unload them now, and have to carry them elsewhere. Why don''t I hold on to them for the moment, and bring them to you once you''ve figured out where you are going?" Lily looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "That will be acceptable." "Good." Mike replied, relieved. He found a good spot to sit, and settled down to wait for news. This relief was ruined, however, when Lily sat down next to him, and started staring at him curiously. Glancing over at her, he asked, "Um, do you need something?" Frowning in puzzlement, she moved her face uncomfortably close to his. "You have pretty eyes." She stated plainly. "Alright, that''s enough!" Sera yelled while forcing herself between the two of them. "I don''t care if you''re some kind of royalty where you come from, you can''t behave this way." She tried to push Lily away, only to find it impossible. It felt like she was trying to move a boulder. Lily stood, head tilted in confusion as she looked down at the much smaller (in many ways) Oracle. "Who are you? His lover?" Releasing a small puff of steam while blushing furiously, Sera stammered a reply. "W-What I am is none of your business! Just leave him alone!" William finally chose this moment to intervene, pulling his mistress back through a phenomenal amount of effort. "Milady, please! You are being rude to our savior. While I am happy to see you finally taking an interest in the opposite sex, I hardly think it is the time to be thinking of such things." [Maybe I can escape now, while everyone''s distracted.] Mike thought while reconsidering his original plan to live in the woods. Thankfully, the dorm manager, Anna, interrupted with an announcement. "Can I have everyone''s attention?" There was a long pause as the breezy woman stared at her attentive audience before resuming. "Alright, the Lighthouse Dorm is too dangerous to live in right now, so we will be moving to Calius Dorm until repairs are complete. Also, according to the headmaster, no student is allowed to seek accommodations outside of the University." This caused some mutterings of protest. Brenden called from the back of the group. "What about the household members? Can they live somewhere else?" Anna paused, a look of deep concentration on her face, before she hit her right fist into the palm of her hand as if she remembered the fact that had been escaping her. "Household members can, but students are not able to. Silence descended on the group, before Hannah, the enterprising finance student, raised her hand and asked. "Why do the students have to stay here?" The dorm manager frowned again, before replying. "Something about an uncertain ''minty cereal,'' I think?" Another maid took a moment to step forward and answer, a hint of exasperation coloring her voice. "Due to the uncertain military situation following the attack yesterday, the headmaster wants all University students to remain on campus to better provide security and protection." This caused another round of silence before Hannah spoke up again, "That''s all well and good, but where is this Calius Dorm?" "Where was it again?" Anna asked herself with a finger on her chin. This inspired a round of exasperated groans from the group. Wallace, the bespectacled Science Department student stood and announced, "I know the place. It''s close to a where a friend of mine lives." Hannah broke in. "I didn''t know you had other friends! I''m learning all kinds of things tonight." A vein start pulsing angrily on his forehead as he replied. "I don''t want to hear that from you! And we are not friends." "Come on, Wally. I know our relationship is deep and complex, but it''s a little embarrassing when you say we''re more than friends in front of all these people." Hannah replied with a sympathetic smile. With a fantastic effort of willpower, Wallace suppressed his rage with a sigh. "Whatever, everyone just follow me. I''ll take you there." It was a short hike, and in a few minutes, the assembled group of former Lighthouse Dormitory residents were standing in front of their new home. They stared at the building with a mix of facial expressions, all of which were cramped. "What in the hells is this?" Hannah asked, pointing at the small, single story building. It was less than half the size of their previous domicile. "Ah, I remember. Due to the damage done to other University buildings, this was the only one available at the moment. So, we''ll have to share rooms for the time being." Anna announced, looking slightly proud of herself for recalling the important detail. "How many rooms are there?" Mike asked, while resisting the urge to sigh. Anna paused to consider this before replying. "Well¡­It''s usually used for high ranking nobility when they bring a large household. If I recall, there is one master suite and two servant rooms." "Three rooms? That makes this difficult." Wallace broke in, while deep in thought. "By virtue of rank, Lily should get the master suite, along with her butler. As for the other two. I would suggest dividing the rest of us by gender." Lionel, the titled Slacker, who had been silent up to this point, spoke. "That works. Point me to the male room, I have sleep to catch up on." [Not exactly ideal, but I suppose it''s better than sleeping outside.] Mike was thinking when he felt his left arm and shoulder embraced by a warm, soft sensation. He kept his eyes closed, suspecting the cause, but not quite wanting to face it. Unfortunately, Sera''s voice forced him out of his denial. "What in the hells are you doing?! Get off of him!" She was yelling. Lily had grabbed onto him in a distinctly intimate manner, unintentionally making full use of her assets to the shock of the crowd observing. She spoke simply, directing her words to the group at large. "I''m taking him. He can stay in my room." There was a few moments of shocked silence before William started sputtering, "M-Milady! This is hardly proper!" The scandalized maids started whispering to each other while Hannah started laughing excitedly. Mike''s own group had mixed reactions. Tal continued to affect indifference, but he could sense a hint of irritation creep into her posture. Brenden was grinning at his misfortune while trying to restrain Sera, who was thoroughly pissed Lily tilted her head in confusion before replying, "He has what I need. I can''t let him get away." This caused another round of excited commotion from the maids. [Is she intentionally trying to cause misunderstandings? Did the genre change to romantic comedy all of a sudden? Whatever. I can try to explain, but I don''t really want to show off my extradimensional item, if I can avoid it. Might be best to try and roll with it, I suppose.] Wallace cleared his throat loudly, getting the attention of the group. "If Lily wants it that way, I see no reason to refuse, especially since Mike has the largest household. The servant quarters were going to be rather tight, so this works out nicely." "Hey! I didn''t agree to this!" Sera yelled. Calmly adjusting his glasses, Wallace replied in a measured tone. "It is not your decision. As the head of your household, Mike is the ultimate authority." [...shit....] "As such, it will be his choice to make." He finished. Mike felt all eyes turn towards him. He knew he needed to say something, but was still distracted by the pressure on his left side. Despite his best efforts, he''d so far been unable to free himself using gentle means. Judging from the strength of her grip, he would be hard pressed to do so even if he tried seriously. [I guess her giant blood is the cause of this. Seems pretty useful. Honestly though, what is it with me and strong women today?] Knowing that there wasn''t much he could do to avoid the coming difficulties, he resigned himself to playing along. Besides, it was hard for him to turn down the attractive woman''s invitation to share a room. Despite his relatively monastic lifestyle of the last few weeks, he was still a healthy young man. "As someone who is in the middle of an important business transaction with Lady Lilianna, it would be somewhat inappropriate to share living arraignments-" He started, intending to reluctantly agree. "No, you''re staying with me." Lily broke in firmly. A sudden tension rose out of the maid group, who seemed to be waiting for his response. Sighing, he nodded. "Alright then. If she insists, I will accept Lady Lilianna''s gracious invitation." A round of cheers sounded from the maids, and Mike heard one of them mutter, "Oh goodie! A love triangle! Or is it a square? Anyway, this is going to be fun." [At least some of us are entertained. Ah¡­..So this is what it feels like to be a rom-com protagonist. It kind of sucks.] He thought, while feeling the burning gaze of at least two of his companions drilling into his back. Chapter 147: Giantblooded The master suite of the Calius Dorm was composed of four separate rooms, a master bedroom, a smaller second bedroom, a study (unfortunately bereft of books), and a lounge. Unlike their previous apartment, it lacked any kind of kitchen or bathroom. There were two secluded nooks, little more than closets, which were designed for the purpose of waste elimination. The furniture and decorations were impressive, but seemed slightly dated, even to Mike''s uninformed gaze. It reminded him of some of the Victorian Era mansions he''d toured in his old life. So much so, in fact, he felt a little uncomfortable using the furniture. While he was sitting down on an immaculate but uncomfortable chair in the lounge, he half expected some kind of tour guide to pop in and yell at him. Dismissing his ruminations, Mike proceeded to start unloading his extradimensional sack on the floor. He''d taken a moment to run back to the dorm and grab his companions'' belongings. In no way, shape, or form was it an attempt to delay the coming confrontation. Not at all. He made sure to separate the alchemical gear belonging to Lily and set it aside. William had finally managed to push the woman into the master bedroom and force her to put on some proper clothing, somehow scaring up a casual dress for her to wear until bed. He was apparently practiced enough at the procedure, that he even had time to stop by and pick up Lily''s things while she was occupied. It seemed like his companions had already spread out, claiming rooms for themselves. Tal and Sera were taking the servant room, which had multiple beds, while Brenden was setting up in the empty study, evidently planning on sleeping on the floor. The confrontation he''d been fearing hadn''t taken place yet, and he was hoping that he could get a decent night''s sleep in before dealing with the situation. Alas, it was not to be. "I didn''t know you were so close to our neighbor." Sera''s tense voice called from the doorway. Mike took in her guarded body posture, and the slight puffiness of her eyes. Evidently, she was still very upset. "We''re in the same Alchemy class, but I wouldn''t call us close. If you haven''t noticed, Lily''s got an unusual personality. Here''s your stuff by the way." He replied while pushing a chest in her direction. "A shameless personality, maybe. She certainly wasn''t treating you like a simple classmate." He sighed. "I''m not sure if it is the cause, since I have no clue what''s going through her head, but I did save her life. However, judging from her priorities, I think the reason for her attachment had more to do with the equipment I was carrying at the time. She refused to leave the dorm without it, and it seemed like that stuff was her primary concern. I''m sure her desire for us to share rooms is motivated by her love of Alchemy more than anything else." Sera frowned, while muttering to herself. "I don''t know about that¡­" "What?" He asked, barely catching the words. "Nothing. Anyway, why did you accept her invitation? We could have figured something else out." Mike finished laying out the rest of their things, stood, and turned to face her. "If you want to know, there are three reasons I said yes. First, she was very insistent, and turning her down would have only created a scene. I don''t know about you, but I was starting to get tired of all the drama. Second, this would allow the four of us to maintain a level of separation from the rest of the residents. We''ll still have to be a bit more careful in how we handle things, now that we have two more sets of eyes and ears nearby, but it''s certainly better than contending with the entire dorm." She shook her head, a little angrily. "Finally, I think it is very likely that we will be getting involved in the coming conflict with Tennundi, if we haven''t been already. I hope that things work out for us, but should the worst happen, it would be beneficial to have a friendly relationship with the influential members of other countries. You know, in case we have to flee the country. Lily, for all of her eccentricities, is a member of the high nobility of Dovistan. I think you, of all people, should understand the value of staying in her good graces." In response, Sera grumbled something else under her breath, even quieter than before. He barely managed to catch the phrase, "Doesn''t mean I have to like her." "Fine. I understand what you are saying, just make sure you don''t get too close. It would be a shame for your identity to be discovered because you were mesmerized by that cow." She said while walking out, clearly still upset. Mike sighed. It could have gone worse, he supposed. He glanced over at the chest of Sera''s possessions that he''d set out. She seems to have forgotten about it. Almost as if on cue, the Oracle walked back into the room, red faced. Picking up the chest carefully, she gave him a simple "good night," before leaving again. Chuckling, he finished up separating the gear, before delivering it to their rooms. Tal accepted hers with a simple nod of thanks, but Mike could sense a degree of coldness from her that spoke volumes about her feelings. She quickly closed her door before he could say anything else. Feeling slightly dejected, he headed to the study to find his own place to bed down. Brenden had already passed out under a table, so he found himself a spot in a corner to sleep. Thankfully, the room had a thick carpet which was fairly comfortable, all things considered. [Now, let''s see. If this was a real rom-com, I should expect a night raid.] He figured he would have to keep an eye open for any such behavior. As he expected, the door opened quietly a little while later, as a figure crept in stealthily. Fully planning on turning the overly affectionate woman down, Mike was surprised when a male voice whispered in his ear. "Master Mike, may we speak?" William asked quietly, trying to avoid waking Brenden. [Looks like I''m not getting much sleep tonight.] He nodded, and followed the butler to the lounge. "So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Mike asked once he''d taken a seat and made himself as comfortable as possible in the hard chair. William stood in front of him, and gave a formal bow. "I want to offer my sincere apologies for Lady Lilianna''s behavior. I know her selfishness was inexcusable, and I thank you for minimizing the damage her actions caused." Mike was slightly taken aback, but waved it off. "Its quite alright, I''ve only known her for a little while, and I can tell she''s a bit of a handful." The butler straightened with a long-suffering sigh. "Indeed, although it''s not entirely her fault." "What do you mean?" Looking slightly pensive, William continued. "It is due to bloodline. Milady has inherited the legendary blood of the Frost Giants, which occasionally appears within the Dovistani royal family. While this grants them incredible strength and endurance, the giantblooded, as we call them, almost universally have an unusual or difficult personality." [Is it some kind of recessive trait tied with whatever element of their giant heritage enhances their strength? Is that even how this world works, now that I think about it?] The butler continued."In most case it manifests as a violent and volatile behavior. One of Milady''s uncles is also giantblooded, and is well known as one of the most dangerous and powerful warriors in Dovistan. However, he is equally well known for his temper, and has caused the family near constant trouble for the people he has injured or killed in a fit of anger." "Lily doesn''t seem to have that problem, as far as I can tell." "That''s true. Milady is one of a rare few who have the almost opposite temperament. She lacks the capacity to feel anger. Her unusual behavior and difficulty in understanding others is also a product of this particular manifestation of her blood. Or so the records relate. You must understand, there hasn''t been one of her type in a few hundred years." William spoke quietly. "I suppose there are worse conditions to have." "Once again, Master Mike, you speak the truth. However, I hope you can imagine how difficult life must be if you never felt anger, and were unable to disassemble the motivations of others. It is a vital part of being human. Without anger there is no impetus to defend oneself or the things one cares about. It is the stimulating force which creates change. And its absence has left Lily vulnerable to the machinations of her family." The butler''s knuckles whitened on the table where he was resting them. Mike frowned at that. "Is she in danger?" "No, nothing like that, but I am sure you can imagine how a high noble with a powerful bloodline would be considered a valuable asset. Especially if she lacked the desire to protect herself in any real manner." He nodded, feeling a little sick at the idea. William must have caught his facial expression, "My apologies, Master Mike. I did not mean to lay Milady''s burden on you. In truth, it is not as bad as I make it out to be. Milady has her own drives and desires, as I am sure you are aware. She might lack a great deal of common sense due to her sheltered lifestyle, but there are very few people in this world that could force her to do something against her will. It is merely unfortunate that two of those people are her parents." "I see. Although, that is not much better." The old man chuckled at that. "No, I suppose not." "So what about the whole Alchemy obsession thing?" Mike asked, wondering if that might be another aspect of her bloodline. This inspired another laugh from William. "That''s just Lily. Nothing inherited about that behavior, I can promise you. Anyway, thank you for listening to the complaints of an old man. I''m sorry to have troubled you. Have a good night, Master Mike." "You as well." He replied while watching the butler leave. Leaning back in his chair, Mike looked at the ceiling, thinking about what he heard. [I''m really starting to get tired of noble politics. It seems like they get worse every time I run into them.] Standing up, he headed back to the study to sleep. He debated running down to the Adventurer''s Guild tomorrow and picking up a quick request. For some reason, he had the sudden urge to kill something. Chapter 148: Unexpected Promotion The next day, Mike awoke feeling stiff. As comfortable as the carpet was, it was still sleeping on the floor, something he evidently wasn''t used to. However, his skills seemed to compensate quickly, eliminating any hint of soreness after a few seconds of stretching. Not for the first time, he marveled at the usefulness of the Vampiric Regeneration he''d somehow picked up through Blood Collector, a skill which he had not yet figured out how to really make use of. He''d made a few attempts to acquire new inherent skills through it, but there was evidently some additional requirement he wasn''t aware of. Until he figured out what those were, he would have to wait. Besides, since he only had a limited number of Blood Collector slots, he wanted to be sure that he used them well. His thoughts turned to the little dragon still snoozing in his pocket. As a Wyrm, he could only imagine the power held in her blood, perhaps when she grew big enough... Dismissing the slightly disturbing path his thoughts had gone, he got up and poked Brenden awake. The beastman glared at him blearily, "What? It''s still dark outside. Lemme sleep." "Just letting you know, I''m heading down to the Guild and picking up a quick request. I should be back by mid-afternoon. We still have that party, after all." He gave Mike a look, and then nodded. "That''s not a bad plan, actually. It''s little cowardly, but giving them a bit of space right now might work in your favor. Play your cards right tonight, and you''ll be in a much better situation." [Not really my motivation at all, but that works. Hopefully, it doesn''t backfire somehow.] Mike nodded his thanks, and started moving towards the door, but stopped when the beastman added, "Oh! See if you can get them some kind of gift. I know you technically didn''t do anything wrong, but that will go a long way putting them in a forgiving mood." Brenden''s suggestion reminded him of his purchases yesterday, specifically of the jewelry he hadn''t had a chance to give Sera and Tal yet. He dug the items out of his bag. "So, think you can do me a favor?" Looking at what Mike had in his hand, Brenden just shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. I''ll come up with something meaningful to say. Just remember, you owe me one. Especially since it looks like you didn''t get me anything during your shopping trip. If I didn''t know it was because you''re naturally spacey, I might be feeling left out." Rubbing the back of his head, Mike could only apologize. "Sorry about that." Chuckling, Brenden laid back down and closed his eyes. "It''s not a problem man. I just like to complain every now and then." Mike left the dorm quietly, trying to avoid waking any of the other residents, which should have been difficult, since virtually every piece of furniture was currently occupied by a sleeping student or servant. However, thanks to the Evernight Band and his new stealth skill, he was able to do so easily. Before leaving the building entirely, he checked out the kitchen. Judging from the sounds, there was a group of maids already up and making breakfast. Since he wasn''t sure when he might have a chance to eat, he stopped in to grab a loaf of bread and some cheese for the road. A relatively quick coach ride later, he was standing in front of the semi-deserted Guild office. Walking in, he nodded to the sleepy looking guard by the door, and moved to the request boards. There weren''t many promising choices in the Rank 3 section, especially considering his time restriction. He finally selected a gather request for the pelt of a Mosswood Deer. According to the paper, they were found in the woods to the south of the city, across the bay. He had an idea for how to get there quickly and was interested in trying it out. Bringing the notice up to the desk, he was assisted by the only receptionist available this early in the morning. A tall, heavily muscled, and scarred man with a shaved head. A perpetual scowl seemed etched into his rocky features. So intimidating was his appearance that several newbie adventurers were hanging around uncertainly, evidently waiting for someone more welcoming. Before he approached, Mike took a moment to use Appraise. ----------------------------- Bartlett Age: 46 Race: Human Class: Juggernaut Title: Rank 6 Adventurer ------------------------------ [Is he retired, or just filling in?] "I''d like to take this request." Mike spoke calmly once he''d reached the desk without having to wait in line. "Oh?" Came the deep rumbling reply. "Very well. Place your hand here." Bartlett gestured to orb shaped magic device that sat in front of him. Mike complied. "Hm, it looks like congratulations are in order, young man." The receptionist added. "You''ve been promoted to Rank 4." "Eh? But I haven''t done anything yet." Mike said, slightly confused. Bartlett frowned down at the readout, although he never seemed to stop frowning really. "Looks like the promotion was put in a couple of weeks ago in the Wyrport branch. Must have taken a while to process for some reason. Anyway, you''re now a Copper Ranked Adventurer. Good job." It was a little strange to hear those words from someone with such a grim face, but long practice with Tal had built up his tolerance. "Thanks. Do you mind if I go back and look through the Rank 4 options?" "Be my guest." A quick scan told Mike that the higher ranking options weren''t much better, but he did see an extermination request that happened to also be in the southern woods. Apparently, a group of goblins had recently migrated into the area of the village of Kastvale, and were periodically raiding the villagers. Scouting reports placed their numbers at around twenty, no evolved varieties had been spotted, and they appear to be mostly armed with scavenged gear of poor quality. Mike recalled from the "Monsters of the Central Continent'' book that goblins were categorized as a kind of monstrous humanoid that were distinctly different from the peoples of Ea. They were essentially treated the same as monsters, only unique for their higher than animal intelligence, and tendency to evolve into more dangerous varieties once they had reached higher tiers. As far as he could tell, the reasons for their treatment were unclear. It was possible the creatures had evolved naturally in this world, but considering the origins of humans, orcs, and others it seemed likely they had been brought here during the Second Age. Unlike the other races, however, goblins were little more than pests, however at the edges of other civilizations and engaging in scavenging and raiding. Figuring that, at the very least, it would be a decent opportunity to practice his combat skills, Mike pulled the notice down and brought it over to the desk along with the one for the Mosswood Deer hide. "I''d like to take this one, too." "Very well." Bartlett replied solemnly, before handing him a set of documents to take to the village elder of Kastvale. "Good luck and good hunting." Mike thanked the man, left the Guild, and headed towards the southern portion of the Old City. He eventually reached the end of a deserted dock, just in time to watch the sign rise over the flat, motionless bay. It was starting to look like another beautiful day. "Alright, let''s see if this works." Mike muttered to himself while creating an elongated segment of stone. It resembled a surf board, but was much too heavy to float. Stepping onto it, he used Earth Magic to bind his feet to the device, and then Air Magic to throw himself into the bay. Concentrating, he willed the water to support the weight of the board, and then nearly fell over. He''d made the board sharply concave to allow it to slice through the waves, but it added a new level of complexity when it came balancing. After a few minutes, he felt like he''d gotten the hang of it, and moved on to the next step. Focusing his mana into the rear portion of the board, he created a current that began to push him forward gently. Seeing that his idea worked, he increased the flow of mana many times over, causing him to zip forward over the open water. Mike laughed, simply enjoying the moment. He''d never been wakeboarding, but figured it must be a lot like this. Audra poked her head out of his pocket curiously, and gave an excited chirp at the passing scenery. It seemed like she was having fun as well. In order to entertain the little dragon, he cut a meandering path to the edge of the bay. All too soon, he had arrived at the southern shore. With a blast of wind he launched himself into the air, covering the last few meters, and sliding to a stop on land. Pulling his feet free, he let the board disintegrate, the force of his excursions sufficient to cause it to break apart. [That was fun. I think flying is still a bit better, but I can see why some people back on Earth spend so much time on the water.] He tried to remember the map of the area he''d referenced in the guild before leaving. Kastvale was almost directly south of the city, but that still left some room for variance, he supposed. [Oh well, I guess the only thing to do is start walking and keep an eye out for a landmark I can use to navigate. From the looks of the map, there is some kind of road that passes through the woods. If I can find that, I can make my way to the village.] After feeding his greedy familiar half of the cheese he''d secured, Mike sent a quick mental message to Red, letting him know he would be in the woods on the southern side of the bay. He asked the dragon to move in that direction in the event he needed the assistance. Red acknowledged, and passed along that he was in route. [I shouldn''t need him for the requests, but it never hurts to be careful. Especially when considering my luck.] Taking a deep breath of the clear forest air, he started walking into the wood line. Chapter 149: Into the Forest A chorus of insects and birds washed over Mike as he walked through the woods. Speckles of sunshine broke through the canopy of windblown leaves, causing dancing patterns of light on the lush undergrowth. It was peaceful, relaxing. He felt like he could breathe easily for the first time in a while. [Maybe living as a hermit wouldn''t be so bad¡­] He was so busy ruminating about potential life choices, he nearly stumbled when he the forest gave way to a cobblestone road. He''d apparently found the landmark he was looking for, and now just had to follow it in one of two directions. Picturing the map in his mind, he started walking to the southeast. To keep himself occupied during the trip, he started scanning the nearby plant life with Appraise. The majority of it was mundane, but he found a few herbs that could be used as Alchemical Reagents, which he added the rest of his supply in the extradimensional sack. This continued for close to an hour, and Mike was starting to wonder if he was going in the wrong direction, when his Appraise caught something unexpected. --------------------------------- Mosswood Deer Age: 5 Race: Mossowood Deer Class: Mosswood Deer Title: None --------------------------------- This was slightly strange to him, since he had been trying to Appraise a mossy rock. Although, it was admittedly an odd one. The longer he stared at it, the more he felt it was out of place. Activating his stealth, he slowly approached it. Just to be on the safe side, he concentrated his mana into his right hand, and prepared to unleash a wind blade. Once he was within a few meters, the rock exploded into motion, revealing itself as a graceful four legged animal with a mottled grey and green pelt. It stated running almost immediately and would have quickly distanced itself from Mike, if he hadn''t been prepared for just this eventuality. An invisible blade of wind cut the air, neatly decapitating the elegant creature before it had a chance to go too far. The body continued for a few more steps before collapsing. Mike felt a slight pang in his heart, but pushed it aside and began the process of dismantling the creature. The deer had been rather thin, but it still yielded several kilograms of meat. Recalling the advice from a few survival stories, he buried the entrails, once he''d appraised them and determined they had no value. In fact, it seemed that the only body part of any real worth was the pelt itself. --------------------------------- {Mosswood Deer Pelt} Magic Material (Tier 1, Rank 3) Taken from the Mosswood deer, these pelts are often used in the fabrication of leather items. Armor or clothing created from them provide a minor system correction to the effects of stealth in forested terrain. ------------------------------- He packed it carefully and placed it in the sack along with the deer meat. Taking a few moments to clean up the area, he headed back to the road and continued on his way. [Well, that''s one request down. If I can just find this village¡­] Almost as if on cue, he walked around a bend and saw the wooden gates of some kind of settlement built into a clearing. A sign above the gate was inscribed with ''Kastvale.'' It was currently open, and a young man armed with a quarterstaff was dozing in a chair next to it. Mike walked up to the man and stopped. He was skinny and dressed in simple clothes. A wide-brimmed hat, pulled low, shaded his eyes from the sun. [Is this place really in danger of being raided?] A quick Appraise displayed the youth''s information. ---------------------- Keith Age: 17 Race: Human Class: Ranger Title: Unyielding ---------------------- Looking at the sleeping man, Mike couldn''t help but acknowledge that the System had an odd sense of humor. Deciding that he was done waiting for this Keith to wake up on his own, he coughed loudly. "AH! I''m awake!" The youth yelled while falling out of his chair. The hat slipped off his head, revealing a head of shaggy brown hair. Glancing around in confusion, his eyes finally fixed on Mike. "Um...hello?" Suppressing a chuckle, Mike answered. "Hi, I''m here from the Adventurer''s Guild. Can you point me in the direction of the village elder?" Keith looked at him suspiciously, "How do I know you''re from the Guild? For all I know, you could be a bandit in disguise." [...Is he serious? Or rather, why is he in charge of security?] Mike flashed his guild emblem. "Is that sufficient?" Still looking suspicious, Keith nodded, "I suppose that works, but aren''t you a little young to be doing quests by yourself?" In response, Mike displayed his guild card, complete with his current rank. "Alright, fine. I''ll take you there. I suppose they''re promoting anyone to Rank 4 these days." Keith relented finally, and led Mike to one of the larger houses near the center of the village. Along the way, he saw people peacefully going about their daily lives. Men and women were casually working or talking. Groups of children were running happily. The sensation of peace and rural tranquility was omnipresent. [Did I change genres? Or rather, are these people really in danger? They do have a wall set up, so maybe the goblins aren''t threatening enough?] Keith stopped in front a short fence that marked the boundaries of a well maintained garden. A riotous blend of flowers spread like a multi-colored carpet to either side of a cobblestone path, which led to the front door. "The old man should be in, so I''ll leave you here." He muttered before walking back towards the gate, probably to resume his nap. [So, despite his earlier line of questioning, he has no problem leaving me unsupervised in the center of town, next to their village elder''s house. Seriously, what is up with these people?] Shaking his head at the irresponsibility of civilians, he walked up to the door and knocked. After a few moments it opened. His vision was filled with a massive floral apron. Craning his neck upwards, he was able to meet the gaze of person built on a different scale. He used Appraise unconsciously while he figure out the strange sight in front of him. --------------------- Robert Age: 53 Race: Human Class: Brewmaster Title: Village Elder ---------------------- [This guy reminds me of that trio of muscle bound giants from the Wyrport Guild. What were their names again? Why do I feel like it had something to do with an iceberg?] "Well hello there, young man. What can I do for you?" Robert rumbled in a friendly manner. He stood close to 2.5m tall and was built like a keg, nearly as wide as he was tall. A head full of tangled hair, and a bushy red beard, streaked with grey spilled out onto the floral apron which was still throwing Mike for a loop. "Ah, yes. I''m actually here from the Adventurer''s Guild. I accepted the request regarding the goblins." Mike said while handing over the documents. "Oh, is that right?" The elder said with a smile. "Do please come in, I just so happen to have a pot of tea on the fire. It should be ready in a few minutes." Mike acquiesced, and followed the boulder of a man into his spacious home. Now that he saw it up close, it was clear that the whole building had been constructed with the large man''s specifications in mind. The corridors and doorways were wide, and all the furniture was reinforced to bear what could only be a monstrous level of weight. Robert ushered him into a wide kitchen and had him sit at a simple wooden table that looked to be the same size and thickness as the village''s gate. A tin cup full of a pleasant floral scented tea was placed in front of him. "Now then, did you have a safe journey to our little community?" [Safe? Well....] "It was pleasant. Anyway, I''m on something of a time crunch, do you mind if we get started? Could you tell me what you know about the goblins?" He asked, trying to dispense with the pleasantries. The tea was delicious. It tasted a bit like chamomile, but Robert had evidently sweetened it with something. "Oh, of course, of course. Well, lets see. The attacks started a few weeks ago. It wasn''t much at first, you know. Just a handful of the wretched creatures harassing the woodsmen and hunters while they were working. However, their numbers kept getting larger, and they evidently ran across an abandon bandit camp or old battlefield, since it wasn''t long before they were armed with some scavenged equipment." "Do they have a lair that you know of?" Mike asked, starting to get a picture of what was going on. "Yes, actually. A couple of the local boys caught sight of them coming out of a cave to the southwest of here. Judging from the scattered bones in front of the entrance, they thought the goblins must have been operating out of there for some time now." Robert replied with a thoughtful expression. [I really need to ask.] "By any chance, has anyone been killed by the goblins?" "Not that I know of. Everyone whose run into them was pretty skilled. I''m sure you are aware of how dangerous these woods can get. The folks that make a living in them aren''t the type to be done in by a few goblins with rusty daggers. Although, now that you mention it, there was a peddler that''s been missing for awhile now. Maybe he ran afoul of the beasts." [I suppose I should have expected as much from this world.] "Could you get someone to show me to the cave? I''d like to take care of this request quickly." "Sure thing. I believe Tom should be back from guiding the other group any moment now. I''ll get him to take you over there." Mike stopped the man as he went to rise. "Wait, what other group?" "You didn''t know?" Robert pushed the request notice back to him and pointed at a line of small print near the bottom. It read ''Open Request.'' "I....see..." Mike replied, not really understanding. Luckily, the large man seemed to notice his confusion. "I may not look like it, but I was an Adventurer myself, back in the day. Never made it past Rank 5 though. Anyway, an Open Request is one where any adventurer may take it, and only the group that successfully completes it would get the reward. As this was an extermination request, each adventurer will get paid based on the number of goblins they kill. Which, according to this sheet is 5 copper per left ear. Hm, that seems a bit low." [Why can''t these things ever be simple?] "Thanks for explaining that. I suppose I got to catch up to the other group. Hopefully they won''t mind me jumping in as well." "They''d probably appreciate the help, since it looked like the majority of them were pretty inexperienced. Although, there was a Rank 4 leading them, so I''m sure they be fine either way." Robert replied with rather disturbing confidence. "Haha, yeah that''s probably the case." [A group of newbie adventurers take on a quest to kill goblins in a cave. This is exactly the kind of situation I was hoping to avoid.] Sighing internally, Mike waited for this Tom to show up. He really hoped this wouldn''t spoil the good mood he''d managed to cultivate over the course of the morning. Chapter 150: Slaying Goblins Tom turned out to be a grizzled man in his forties who made a living as a hunter and trapper. Much like the other inhabitants of the sleepy pastoral village, he seemed generally unconcerned about the goblin infestation, and went on at great length to explain why the adventurers weren''t really necessary. "You see, it''s cheaper for the village to pay a band of adventurers to clear out the goblins, than it would be to hire some townsfolk to do so, what with us being too sensible to risk our lives for such a small amount of money." Tom was expounding on his belief while casually walking along the forest trail. "Uh-huh. Say how much longer do you think this is going to be?" Mike asked, unable to conceal his growing impatience with the infuriating man. "Not long, nearly there. Anyway, folk around these parts are made of sterner stuff than your average city dweller. If it came right down to it, we''d come from all over the Lower Fold and wipe them wretched bastards from the face of Ea, but a measly score of goblins is hardly worth the effort. No, it''s much more economical to get you adventurers to do it." "You said it wasn''t long a half of an hour ago. How much farther is it really?" Mike demanded, although he was a little surprised to hear the word ''economical'' come out of this man. He assumed it must be some fluke of his translation magic. "Now, now, young man. Don''t be impatient. We''ve got another few hills to cover, and we''ll be there. Speaking of hills, let me tell you, there is a family that lives in the hills to the northwest which makes the best moonshine¡­." Mike started tuning the man out. He evidently didn''t require an active audience. [Well, I''m sure the other adventurers are doing fine. They''ll probably be done with the request before I even get there at this rate.] --------------------------- "Fall back!" Morgan yelled, his voice garbled by the blood which dribbling from his mouth while he braced himself to block the attack of the Goblin Warrior. Ruby took one last look at the Rank 4 adventurer, as the group of fleeing newbies rounded a bend in the cave, taking the light with them. She saw the silhouettes of the rest of their pursuers as they caught up with their de-facto rearguard. With a chill, she noticed the grotesque figure of the thing which had driven them to flee in the first place. "Shit! They''re in front of us!" Lonnie called, panic evident in his voice. He was fumbling with an arrow when two of the others surged past. "They''re just goblins! Quickly! We need to break through." Ophelia commanded, while stabbing forward with her spear, impaling one of the screeching monsters. Ethan followed closely behind, sword moving in a mechanical manner, a thin-lipped look of terror on his face. Ruby tried to recall her training, but the sounds of scrabbling claws on the stone passage behind her was making it impossible to concentrate. All she wanted to do was get away, and when a gap appeared in the ranks of her party members, her feet pushed her forward of their own accord. "Ruby! What are you doing?" Came Ophelia''s cry of despair. A goblin appeared in her path, armed with a sharpened stick, a wicked grin on its face. She lashed out with her staff instinctively, smashing the creature to the ground. It twitched a few times, then laid still, either unconscious or dead. However, she had no time to exult in this little victory, as the sounds of pursuit had gotten closer. Breathing coming in panicked gasps, she clawed her way forward, past the road block of goblins and into the empty corridors, fear guiding her way forward. "Wait! Ruby! The light!" Ophelia called after her. She ran for her life, tears of despair and guilt coursing down her face. In her hands was the bloodstained staff with illumination crystal mounted at the top. The last source of light left to the group after they''d lost their torches. Ruby ran, leaving the other three in the dark. However, she didn''t make it far. In her panic, she barely paid attention to where she was going, so overpowering was the desire to simply get away. As such she slammed headfirst into a solid barrier, nearly breaking her nose in the process. Stunned, it took her a few moments to gather her wits. When she did, it was all she could do to control the rise of bile in her throat. A Goblin Lord stood over her, one of the extremely rare goblins that had succeeded in reaching the third tier. They were well know amongst the members of the Guild as ''newbie killers,'' due to their tendency to appear amongst their lesser kin when least expected. "Nonononoooo!" She yelled, trying to crawl away as quickly as possible. Despair filled her heart, as an iron grip encircled one of her ankles, pulling her back. "Noooo!" A distant part of her mind, not bound by terror, detected the sharp sound of wind, and suddenly the pressure on her leg disappeared. Scrambling until she hit a wall, she glanced back, and in the flickering light of the now cracked illumination crystal, she saw a pile of viscera where the Goblin Lord had once stood. Most horrifying, however, was the severed hand still clutching onto her ankle. She attacked the thing with her hands, ripping it free from its death grasp, and flinging it away. Catching another glimpse of the piled body parts, her stomach twisted, and the contents of her lunch spilled across the floor. "Hmm, no useful components, although I wasn''t really expecting much. Anyway, are you alright miss?" A calm male voice penetrated the fog of her mind. Turning quickly, she caught the sight of a human male standing calmly by the vivisected Goblin Lord. His features were obscured by the hood of his cloak, with the exception of a pair of golden eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light. Despite this slightly disturbing feature, he had an aura that seemed to ooze confidence and power in a manner that was almost soothing, gentle. Ruby was at a loss for words, as a well of emotions threatened to overwhelm her. Relief was foremost, since it no longer seemed like she would die in this stinking pit, however, guilt followed soon after. She had abandoned her comrades, leaving them in this cave of horrors without even a light to see by. They must be dead by now, and it was her fault. Another surge of bile erupted from her stomach, as she doubled over again to vomit on the floor. "Well, that''s a new reaction for me. I''d say take a moment to calm down, but I suspect time is of the essence right now. Where''s the rest of your group?" The man said with a long-suffering sigh, as if this was somehow a tiresome experience for him. Between nauseated gasps, Ruby was able to squeeze a few words out. "I''m not sure...they were coming...I just ran.....I left them...oh gods..." Her vision blurred as a fresh batch of tears forced themselves out onto her cheeks. The golden-eyed man frowned. "I see. Well, don''t beat yourself up too much. This is all far beyond your capabilities. Can you walk?" She nodded hesitantly, using her staff to leverage herself onto her feet, only to gasp in pain. Her injured ankle gave out, causing her to collapse down to her side as blinding spikes of agony streaked up her leg. In the haze of suffering, she was dimly aware of the man drawing near. "Definitely broken, and it looks like it needs to be set. What a bother. Alright Ruby, what I''m about to do is going to hurt, but only for a second." [How does he know my-] Pure agony accompanied the sickening sound of bone grinding against bone, causing her consciousness to dim. After a few seconds the pain faded, and her strength returned. In fact she felt more energized than she had been for weeks. She looked down at her perfectly healed ankle in shock. [A healer! And a powerful one at that.] "Who..." She started. "No time for questions. We have to save you companions, first. Once that''s done with, we can worry about introductions" Feeling ashamed for having forgotten at all, she stood and followed the strange man as he took off down the corridor. ------------------------------------------------------------ Mike took another look at the newbie he''d rescued, trying to figure out why she looked familiar. --------------------------------- Ruby Age: 19 Race: Beastman (Dragon) Class: Apprentice Elementalist Title: Water Touched --------------------------------- [I really need to do some research on beastmen. There seem to be a lot of varieties.] Ruby was slender and bronze skinned. Shoulder length, wavy red hair was left untied. A matching set of robes, now dirtied from her flight, revealed little of her lithe form. She clutched a strange staff topped with a cracked crystal that was glowing with flickering light. Patches of red scales could be seen on her arms, neck and cheeks. [I could swear I''ve seen this combination of traits somewhere. Well, with the exception of her facial expression.] Perhaps as could be expected of an adventurer who had abandoned her companions in the heat of battle, her features were twisted with a sort of horrified guilt that spoke of a lasting psychological trauma. He hoped that her friends were still alive, although considering some of the literature on goblins maybe that wouldn''t a good thing. "Hey, quick question. Do goblins by any chance keep people alive for any reason?" Mike asked, wanting to prepare himself for what he was about to walk in to. "W-what do you mean?" The beastman replied confusedly, a hint of terror in her voice. Sighing internally, and regretting this topic of conversation, Mike continued. "Like do the goblins use people for anything?" "Um...food....sometimes." She answered, suddenly looking a great deal more drawn and horrified than before. [I''m a little relieved, but I feel like I shouldn''t be.] A woman''s scream echoed down the corridor. She sounded like she was in pain. "Ophelia! That was one of my party members!" Ruby exclaimed. "I''m picking up the pace. Try to keep up." Mike said quietly, speeding up his steps. After a few moments, he heard Ruby''s ragged breathing start to fall behind. He wasn''t sure what he expected. One look told him that she was a classic mage-type, and therefore lacked in terms of physical fitness. He supposed he''d been spoiled by Tal''s capabilities. [Is this really a dragon beastman? I feel like they should be more athletically talented.] He nevertheless pressed on, knowing that other lives were in the balance. Rounding a corner, he caught sight of an ongoing battle. Three figures were engaging in a ragged fighting retreat against a horde of skinny, green-skinned humanoid creatures the size of a human child. The newbie adventurers were on the verge of being overrun, and each was covered in a host of wounds. It was surprising to see the spear wielding woman in front even moving, considering the dagger that had been planted in her ribs. Her wheezing, rattling breaths betrayed a collapsing lung, something that the surrounding goblins seemed to notice as well. They began to close in tighter, malicious grins on their faces. Thinking about the situation for a moment, Mike concentrated his mana, sending it into the rock of the surrounding cavern. He needed to focus on this bit to avoid hitting the adventurers. A gasping Ruby finally appeared in the room, and taking in the situation in front of them, managed to call out in horror. "Ophelia! No!" The three adventurers fighting for their lives spared a brief moment to look in their direction, and Mike didn''t fail to notice the expressions of animosity on the faces of the two men. The woman Ophelia looked too injured to notice. While anticipating the awkward situations to come, Mike finished his magic. He simply summoned a wide pillar of stone, and forced it to rise suddenly, crushing the crowd of goblins against the ceiling of the cavern and nearly wiping them out in an instant. A few stragglers that managed to evade the fate of their fellows were dispatched with a round of wind blades. Feeling the stares of the adventurers, including Ruby, he forced the pillar to dissipate, leaving a series of gory smears on the stone ceiling,. "So, it looks like we ended up taking the same Open Request. I hope you don''t mind if I join in." He announced cheerily, earning himself another round of blank stares. Chapter 151: An Old Enemy After an awkward silence, Mike finally moved over to the group and proceeded to treat their wounds. A part of him worried that he might be standing out too much, but he figured that a group of low-ranking adventurers was unlikely to have much influence or contact with other parts of the Guild. Besides, with the coming war, he figured that people would have more to worry about than a strangely talented mage taking part in a goblin extermination request. The dark haired spear woman was his first patient, since as she was on her last legs. With a yank, he pulled the rusty dagger from her side, eliciting a gurgling gasp as her lung began to collapse in earnest. A quick application of Healing Magic treated her injuries, and a little Air Magic helped re-establish the appropriate level of pressure in her chest cavity. [I''m getting pretty good with this life-support magic. Maybe, I should try to turn it into a magic item at some point in the future.] Momentarily distracted by thoughts of revolutionizing Ea''s medical industry, he didn''t notice the look of absolute awe the healed woman gave him as he finished. ------------- The movement of air into her lungs was clearly artificial, the product of unusually precise elemental magic. Ophelia had known her injuries were fatal, especially when considering the sucking chest wound. She''d heard stories about adventurers who survived severe injuries to the torso, and even with the help of healing magic ended up suffocating anyway. The only hope was to find an expert healer who knew the secrets of how the body worked. Yet, this man fixed the issue with ease. According to the common sense of Ea, this kind of healing belonged in the realm of Tier 4 healers. Although she didn''t know it, the people in this world who were capable of fixing her injuries so quickly and completely could be counted on one hand. That this mysterious mage did so easily, without any sign of strain, was far more impressive than the previous display of Earth Magic. She could help but wonder why such a mage was killing goblins in the first place. Nevertheless, this was a chance she couldn''t pass up. She rounded on him while he was in the midst of treating a particularly nasty cut on Ethan''s leg, "Sir Mage! Please help us. We had to retreat from a terrible enemy and leave our mentor behind. I don''t know if he''s still alive¡­" Ophelia had to choke back a sob at the thought of Morgan being dead, "But please help us find him. I''m begging you!" "Um, maybe we should evacuate the cave first. I feel like we would just get in the way¡­" Lonnie commented absentmindedly while his own superficial injuries disappeared under the white glow of the mage''s healing magic. Shooting the cowardly archer a scathing glance, Ophelia concentrated on hooded man. "Every second counts. I know it''s too much to ask for, especially after saving all of our lives, but please, help us." The mage looked at her, and Ophelia felt her mouth go dry as a pair of golden orbs fixed upon her. There was a weight to that gaze that left her feeling weak in the knees. However, this mysterious aura seemed to disperse once he smiled. "Well, I was planning on moving deeper into the cave anyway. There are still goblins to hunt down, after all. You all are welcome to follow along, of course, and if you can point me the direction of the enemies, it would speed the process up." Holding back tears of gratitude, Ophelia bowed low, "Thank you, Sir Mage! I will make sure to repay you, even at the cost of my life." The mage waved it off, as if such vows were commonplace to him, before walking in the direction of their retreat. "Judging from the trail of corpses, you came from this direction, right?" He asked while pointing. She stood quickly and moved to follow after him, "Ah! Yes, that is correct." The others moved to follow as well. Ethan looked fairly calm, all things considered, but Lonnie was clearly terrified. There was one last person in the chamber, but Ophelia didn''t want to think about her. The sting of betrayal was still too severe. The mage seemed to have a different opinion, however. "Hey Ruby, you coming? I wouldn''t recommend hanging out in this cave by yourself." Ethan and Lonnie turned malicious gazes on red-headed beastman still standing uncertainly by the entrance to the chamber. Ruby visibly flinched at the sudden attention. A pained, guilt ridden expression crossed her face as she slowly moved to take a place at the very rear of the group. It was clear that she regretted her earlier actions deeply. [Good.] Ophelia found herself thinking with a degree of venom that was surprising to her. She knew the personality of her childhood friend. In many ways, she behaved exactly as she always had, yet this time it had been different. Ruby had always been timid and shy. Ever since they were kids, it had been Ophelia who had protected her from the bullies that teased her about her scales and lack of parents. Even when it had been discovered that she had the talent for Water Magic, and the village had pooled their limited resources to get her a tutor, it had been Ophelia that had helped her through her difficult lessons. It was also Ophelia''s idea to become adventurers. Together with Ethan and Lonnie, two boys from a nearby village, they formed a party and began completing requests. Before long, they were Rank 2 and had run out of missions that they could easily finish without traveling, something they lacked the resources to do. Morgan changed all that. He''d been a martial arts instructor for the local militia for as long as they could remember. Indeed, all four of them had learned the basics of fighting from the weathered soldier. More than that, he was a soft spoken and kindhearted man who always had a helpful word of advice or a shoulder to cry on when needed. All the children in the area adored him. Right when it seemed that they would have to make some sacrifices in order to travel to the capital in hopes of finding some decent requests, Morgan had pulled them aside. He explained that he was actually a retired Rank 4 adventurer, and offered to guide them through a higher ranking request, allowing them to take some of the reward money. It had seemed like the solution to all of their problems. How foolish they had been. "Um....Ophy....I-" Ruby started plaintively. The old familiar look of uncertainty and dependence firmly in place. Only this time, Ophelia had no stomach for it. In fact, simply looking at her old friend made her feel infuriated. "Enough! I don''t want to hear it. You abandoned us, left us for dead. From here on we are strangers." She growled before whirling and facing forward. The mage had stopped to watch the proceedings, and she detected the hint of a frown on his face, but it disappeared quickly. "Keep up now." Was all he said as he started casually walking, as if he feared nothing. It wasn''t long before they ran into more of the cavern''s inhabitants. A quartet of Goblin Warriors, muscular brutes a little shorter than an adult human, rounded the corner and issued the hooting noise they used when they spotted prey. Ophelia readied her spear, and started to give orders to the other two, but she needn''t have bothered. With a sweep of his hand, the mage unleashed an invisible blade made of compressed wind that cut through the leading two and injured the others. As pieces of viscera rained on them, the wounded Goblin Warriors started crawling away, screeching in fear and agony. She could hardly believe her eyes. The man had not even bothered to use a chant, and seemed to be suffering from none of the ill effects of mana deprivation. With a sudden start, she realized that he had done the same when curing their injuries. [A nonverbal chant? No, it was too fast. Chant Omission? Could he just be using free casting? What kind of monster could throw mana around like that?] Although not a mage herself, Ophelia had helped Ruby through most of her lessons. As such, she had more knowledge about magic than the average adventurer. Everything she knew, told her that this hooded man was a phenomenally powerful mage. [Why would anyone like this bother to take part in a Rank 4 request?] To the shock of everyone present, the mage stepped forward while summoning a spear of hardened stone. With two quick strokes, he killed the wounded Goblin Warriors before resting the spear on his shoulder. "Hm, these ones look a little different, but still nothing of value. I''m surprised anyone bothers hunting these things." He muttered to himself quietly. The mage turned to face them, causing Ophelia to momentarily take a step back. There was something imposing about his eyes at the moment. "There are two passages," He announced. "Which one did you come from? Do you recognize anything?" The three of them squinted in the gloom trying to see what he was talking about. The feeble, flickering light from Ruby''s staff was barely enough to see the mage''s outline, let alone the room behind him. Noticing their confusion, the mage spoke again, as if suddenly realizing the problem. "Ah. You can''t see what I''m talking about. Hold on a sec." A warm illumination filled the chamber, causing the adventurers to momentarily squint against the sudden glare. Hanging above the mage''s head was a ball of light. Already growing numb to further shocks, Ophelia looked around and pointed at the entrance to one passage. "We came out of that one. I remember the marks on the walls." The tunnel had a crudely manufactured appearance, as if the goblins had somehow carved a hole in the wall of the cave using their bare hands and claws. That should have been beyond the capabilities of any goblin, no matter how evolved, but considering the abomination they''d encountered in the depths of this lair, she suddenly felt certain that it had been responsible. "Wait." She called, stopping the mage before he entered the tunnel. "Before we go, there is something you should know. Further down this passage, we might run into the monster which forced us to flee in the first place, a powerful and dangerous creature that has somehow managed to bind the goblins into its service." "Oh?" The mage asked, sounding more curious than anything. "And what kind of creature is that?" She licked her lips, feeling suddenly pensive. "Morgan believed it was a type of depraved vampire, commonly referred to as a Vargul, only evolved somehow." The man looked startled for a second, golden eyes going wide. Surely even this powerful man would have second thoughts about going up against such a beast. Rich laughter filled the air, erasing the tension that had formed. "Don''t worry, I''m quite familiar with them." He replied before turning and confidently walking down the tunnel. Chapter 152: A Silent Scream Mike advanced boldly down the corridor, stopping only to kill the occasional goblin or Goblin Warrior that threw itself at him in a berserk fury. The whooping hoots they issued were being translated as inarticulate howls by his Communication Magic. He didn''t have a lot of experience to draw upon concerning the typical habits of the goblin species, but he was fairly certain that this was unusual behavior. He''d actually tried talking with the first few of the creatures which he''d run across, more out of curiosity than anything else. However, they were even less communicative than animals or insects. It was almost as if their cognitive functions had been impaired in some manner. When the spear wielder named Ophelia explained that the evolved Vargul seemed to be controlling the goblins somehow, it actually made a lot of sense. Vampires were often attributed powers related to mind control in literature, so it wasn''t a far stretch to imagine that it was capable of such a thing. It wasn''t really clear how the creature was managing to do so, but he figured that a little bit of investigation was in order. Shooting a glance back at the fearful adventurers who were following his lead, Mike wondered what he should do with them. While the clear leader of the group, Ophelia, seemed like a halfway decent fighter, and the one called Ethan wasn''t bad either, the other two were practically useless. If it came down to a fight, they would be more of a liability than anything. Not for the first time, he considered simply leaving them, dealing with the rest of the enemies, and then coming back once it was clear. However, there was no guarantee that other groups of goblins might not attack them from behind while he was busy dealing with the Vargul. A part of him wondered why he''d suddenly become responsible for babysitting the group, especially since they were adventurers, and therefore should understand the risks. His benevolent side won out in the end, and he resigned himself to expending energy to make sure they didn''t die in the coming fight. After a few minutes of descending deeper into the darkness, the makeshift tunnel opened up into a large natural cavern. Mike was having flash backs to last few times he''d been in a similar situation. [I know I asked for an interesting life, but that seems to include a lot more dank caves than I had originally anticipated. I''m going to need to make sure to bring that up to that goddess the next time I see her.] The chamber was littered with discarded bones, but otherwise was strangely clean. It seemed whatever nested here was concerned with keeping the area tidy. In a odd recreation of his first experience fighting a Vargul, there was a crumpled form along one wall. "Morgan!" Ophelia called, rushing over to the prone figure along with the silent Ethan. Whatever bond they held with the man evidently overcoming their fear. Mike looked up, expecting to see the monstrous bat creature hanging from the ceiling, but it wasn''t there. "Huh." "Ah! I don''t think he''s breathing. Sir Mage, what do we do?" Ophelia yelled from her position near the fallen adventurer. Mike scanned the room, but didn''t see any sign of the monster, and didn''t detect any hostile intent, although that had been proving a slightly unreliable lately, so he kept his guard up. Looking back at the two adventurers who had remained behind, he motioned for them to follow, and started cautiously walking towards Morgan''s body. He was fully expecting an attack while they were moving, but nothing had happened by the time he''d joined Ophelia and Ethan. Keeping his focus on the two exits to the chamber, Mike took a quick glance at Morgan and concluded that he was dead. The grey haired man, who looked to be in his early fifties, was covered in minor wounds, that spoke of a desperate fight against terrible odds, but were not necessarily lethal. However, something had torn a section of his throat out. Judging from the fact that blood was no longer flowing from any of his injuries, it was clear that the senior adventurer''s heart was no longer beating. Knowing that the newbies wouldn''t accept that pronunciation without some degree of ceremony, he went through motions of healing and even attempted to force some mana into Morgan''s body, but accomplished nothing. "I''m sorry. He''s gone." Mike whispered softly to the man''s students. Ophelia''s face twisted in anguish and guilt, tears already streaming down her face as she started to sob uncontrollably. "W-we should have stayed with him. If he had someone to watch his back...." Ethan and Lonnie broke down as well, sobbing like children. Ruby on the other hand simply collapsed to her knees, a blank look on her face. She was evidently in shock. "I''m sorry for your loss, but we should get moving. I''ll guide you out before coming back and taking care of the rest." On one hand, Mike could sympathize with their grief, but on the other, he was acutely aware that they were still deep inside the lair of a powerful monster that could tear these newbies apart with ease. Mourning could wait. "We''re not leaving him, not again!" Ophelia spoke emphatically between sobs. It seemed to be a sentiment shared by Lonnie and Ethan. Knowing that arguing would accomplish little with their current emotional state, Mike acquiesced. "Alright, but you will need to carry him. I need to be ready in case our enemy shows up." He turned to Ruby, who was still staring blankly at Morgan''s corpse, and sighed internally. This kind of trauma would be difficult to recover from. In his old world this kind of thing would have meant years of therapy, at the very least. However, he didn''t know what the state of the mental health industry was like in this one. Even though it was really his concern, he felt some degree of responsibility to the beastman after saving her life. He knelt down besides the woman, "Come on. Let''s get you out of here for now. We can figure out your next move-" A sudden blast of intense hostility cut him off, and he whirled to face it. A wave of invisible energy surged through the area, nearly driving him to his knees as he developed as splitting headache almost instantly. The adventurers all cried out in pain, holding their ears as if to block out some inaudible sound. The Vargul had silently approached from one of the exits while they were distracted. He wasn''t sure if had been biding its time for the best moment to strike, or had gotten lucky, but it had hit them right when they were most vulnerable. The creature very much resembled the one he''d fought before, looking like a grotesquely overgrown bat that walked on its folded wings. However, this one''s eyes gleamed with a cunning intelligence that clearly separated it from his previous enemy. As Mike looked at it, he could see the muscles of its neck and mouth contracting in a strange manner, almost as if it were speaking soundlessly. While he was trying to overcome the pain in his head, he took a moment to use Appraise. ----------------------------------- Penelope Age: 28 Race: Vampire (Vargul) Class: Greater Vargul Title: Manipulator ------------------------------- For a moment, he was taken aback at the thought of this terrible monster being named Penelope. It was so completely unexpected that he nearly gave in to the pressure on his mind, he now realized had been building somewhere behind his eyes. He suspected that Vargul was using some kind of supersonic frequency in an effort to disable him. Steeling his willpower, he straightened and affixed his gaze on the creature. Penelope or not, the Vargul was dangerous, and had likely been responsible for several other deaths, judging from the number of humanoid bones littering the room. He needed to do something about it, quickly. Marshaling his mana, he prepared to incinerate the beast, but noticed that the newbies had stopped screaming. He took a moment to glance behind him, and saw all four of them staring blankly at the Vargul. As he watched, they turned towards him, faces twisting in snarls of rage. Sighing internally again, Mike sent a wave of mana into the surrounding stone, causing it to flow up and over the adventurer''s bodies, trapping them in place but leaving their faces exposed. He then mumbled a quick chant and chucked a fireball at the monster. It tried to dodge, but he made sure to detonate it as soon as it was close. The creature screeched in pain, evidently stopping whatever supersonic effect it had been creating. His headache cleared up immediately, which was an immense relief. Judging from the angry and futile twisting the newbies were doing in their current stone prisons, however, they were still affected by the Vargul''s ability. [I guess this explains the goblins'' strange behavior. I can probably cure it, but I wonder how it functions. Some kind of magically empowered vocal hypnosis?] He walked over to the monster which was feebly trying to drag itself¡­ or rather herself away from him. Positioning himself in front of her path of escape, Mike addressed Penelope the bat monster. "It''s been awhile since I''ve seen one of your kind, but I don''t recall Varguls having this kind of ability. Are you perhaps, unique?'' The creature looked up at him, a mixture of pain and shock clear even through its bestial features. She spoke in a deep, raspy voice. "You have bested me mage. I know not where you come from or why you are here, but I recognize a true monster when I see one. Kill me, and let''s be done with it." He gave a dark laugh. "An interesting turn of phrase. So be it, I will play the monster." Chapter 153: A Familiar Sight All mirth disappeared from Mike''s face. "Death can come in many ways, some more pleasant than others. I am well acquainted with your kind''s regenerative abilities, and I can make this take an awfully long time, should I wish to. Now, I have a few things I''d like answers on. How long it takes to get those answers will influence how merciful I feel." His quiet, mana-infused voice echoed through the cavern. Shuddering, the Vargul averted her gaze. "What do you wish to know?" She spat. "Well, first and foremost. What is the ability you used to control the goblins?" Glowering at him, she answered reluctantly. "It is called Harmonic Domination, a skill unique to certain types of vampires. With it we can influence the minds of lesser creatures and even direct their actions." "You use extremely high pitched sound to accomplish this, correct?" Mike asked curiously. The Vargul nodded submissively, before exploding into action, claws reaching for the offending mage in an effort to tear him into pieces. He had been expecting something along these lines, and had already prepared accordingly. Barbed spears of obsidian erupted from the ground impaling Penelope in multiple locations, holding her suspended in the air. She screeched in agony and frustration. "I told you. I''m quite familiar with your regenerative abilities. Speaking of which," He sent a wave of flame along the spears, searing her injuries shut around them, and eliciting a horrifying shriek of pain. "Now, I still have a few more questions, so tell me, is your ability permanent? Will those affected by it remain as they are?" Huffing in long gasping breaths, the Vargul fixed him with a look of rage, tinged with a great deal of fear. "It fades in a day or two, depending on how powerful the affected creatures are. Unless I renew the effect, that is." "Alright, moving to another topic, how much contact do you have with others of your kind? Do you answer to any higher power?" This elicited a pained laugh. "Do I look like a pure breed vampire to you? I''m a Vargul, an outcast who failed to make the transition properly. It is only by virtue of his mercy, that my sire has not yet tracked me down and killed me for the shame I bring him by existing." "I fail to see why you would be such a shame. Although you may not be a true vampire in the traditional sense, you have achieved a powerful form while maintaining your consciousness. Surely that reflects well upon you." Penelope gave a dry laugh that morphed into a grunt of pain. One of the spears was lodged slightly below her diaphragm. "That is the only reason I was allowed to live in the first place." "What was your plan here? What were you trying to accomplish by taking control of a bunch of goblins." She hesitated, before answering quietly. "I needed a supply of fresh blood to sustain myself. Once I acquired the Harmonic Domination skill it was a simple matter to turn this band of wandering goblins into a self-replenishing source." "The evolved varieties?" "I would shrug if the situation permitted it, but Goblin Warriors provide much more blood than their smaller cousins. Forcing them to train proved to be an easy way to force them to evolve." Penelope answered. "So, creating a small army was secondary to providing a long term food source for you? Do you expect me to believe that?" Mike asked scornfully. The Vargul scoffed, an unusual process due to her elongated jaws, "Believe it or not, it''s the truth. Ever since I failed the transition and became trapped in this form," She growled in disgust, "I have hoped for nothing, and dreamed of nothing. All that awaits me is death, if not by your hand, then by another''s in the future. It matters little." "What of your sire? What can you tell me about him?" She sneered, "You have no clue how vampire society functions, do you? Prospective vampires are watched for years, then approached quietly and given the offer of immortality. Should you refuse, a quick death follows, but if you agree, you are taken to one of their safe houses and stored until it is time for your transition. Normally, you wouldn''t see your sire until it was time to conduct the rite. However, mine was different." She paused then, eyes fixed on the floor. When she resumed, her voice had taken on a husky, emotional quality. "I still do not know his name, but he came to my cell, spoke to me, and calmed my fears. He was so gentle¡­. When it came time for the transition, I thought I was prepared." A throaty chuckle followed, "What a fool I was¡­" It seemed like she was telling the truth. Either that, or she was a truly accomplished liar. He stared at the Vargul, feeling a fleeting sense of pity. Whether or not she chose to become a vampire in the first place, turning into a monster like this was probably a harsh blow. Although, it was hard to forget that she was a killer, even if it was in the process of defending her home. In any event, it seemed as if this creature had no connection to whatever organization had tried to kidnap him. Or if she did, it had long ago separated itself from her. "Very well, I have but one question left in need of answer." Penelope simply looked at him, reacting only when he placed his hand on her head. "What are you doing?" "I''m curious. Can this condition of yours be cured?" Mike asked quietly as his hand started to glow. Trying to push his mana into the Vargul''s body, he immediately felt a powerful resistance, as if her very essence was trying to fight against his influence. [Hm. It seems this state is considered unnatural somehow. I wonder¡­] Mustering every ounce of his willpower, he forced his mana through the resistance. The Vargul immediately began to writhe and screech in agony. Ignoring the slight pang he felt at inflicting this kind of suffering, he went on pushing, trying to identify the source of the strange sensation. The spear wounds were obvious, and as he worked his magic, he avoided them. However, there was some kind of pervading ailment that seemed to permeate the creature''s very essence. It was this he attacked. ------------------------------------------ At first the strange energy was probing, doing little more than brushing on the edges of awareness, but then it stabbed forward, burning Penelope from the inside. Agony swept through her very being, drowning out all other sensations. She thrashed, screamed, did everything in her power to escape the pain. The taste of blood entered her mouth, and she couldn''t tell if it was hers or not. The suffering reached a new level, and thankfully her consciousness finally fled. The next time she awoke, it was unclear how much time had passed. She was lying face down on the cold stone floor. It hurt to even breathe, and she spent an unknowable amount of time building the energy to lift her head. Within the limited radius of her vision, she couldn''t see any sign of the mage or his adventurer companions. [Is he sparing me?] She tried to bring one of her wings forward, and use it to push herself off the ground, but she was having trouble doing so. Her body felt strange, like it was no longer her own. With a fair amount of finagling, she finally managed to plant one hand onto the ground in front of her, and used it to lift herself. ...¡­ hand? Her gaze focused on the copper-skinned appendage, unable to comprehend what was happening. Suddenly she recalled the words of the mage before the pain blotted everything else out. [Could he really have-] Something prodded her in the back, sending a surge of energy through her limbs. In a second she was halfway across the room in a fighting pose. The mage was in the process of straightening, a soft, white glow disappearing from his outstretched finger. "How are you feeling? Any unusual sensations?" Shaking her head, Penelope growled at the man. "What did you do to me? Why do I look like this?" He chuckled at that, while staring off into space, as if he wasn''t concerned about being attacked. "Well, I think I managed to cure you of your ''Vargulness,'' for lack of a better term. Why don''t you check your [Status] and see for yourself?" Keeping an eye on the mage, she took a moment to follow his advice, gasping when she saw the results. "A True Vampire? How...how is this possible? There shouldn''t be a¡­..Who are you?" "Let''s just say, I''m a particularly skilled healer who had a theory he wanted to test. Anyway, I think the bigger question now is, what to do with you?" Penelope felt a chill, "What do you mean? Are you going to¡­" She could bring herself to finish the statement. Although, his words would have been more threatening if he was looking at her. For some reason the mage was still staring off into space. "What? Do you think I''m going to kill you now? Did you not pay attention to your new title?" He asked. She looked again, and saw it had changed. "Familiar? What is this? What''s going on?" Penelope asked, confused. "Hm, this is a hard one to explain, since I''m not sure how it happened, myself. I suspect it might have happened when you took that chunk out of my arm during the healing process. As to the title itself, maybe a demonstration is in order." He pulled a small, blue creature out of a pocket. It unfurled its wings revealing a tiny, palm-sized dragon. "This is Audra, one of my two familiars." With a curious head tilt, and a slight squawk, the dragon clambered up the mage''s arm, and seated itself on his head. It continued to stare at Penelope from its new perch. Watching the display, his words finally clicked. "You mean.....I''m...but that''s impossible, right?" The mage was in the process of feeding his familiar a bit of dried meat, still staring off in a different direction. "Apparently not. If it makes you feel any better, I had no intention of binding you in this fashion. I have plenty of women troubles as it is. Speaking of which, do you mind...." He gestured in her general direction. "Mind what..." Penelope looked down to see what he was talking about, and quickly realized that she was completely naked. It should have been embarrassing, but after spending years as a Vargul, and never wearing anything besides her own fur, she was nonplussed. "What, does this bother you?" She asked, finding the idea of the powerful mage being bothered by nudity a little ridiculous. "As much as I hate to admit it, yes. Even though I''ve been in this situation far more than I care to admit in the last few days, I am still a man." He replied, sounding disgruntled, before shocking her once more. A blanket appeared, seemingly pulled from a small bag that couldn''t have possible contained it. He handed it to her, sneaking a glance out of the corner of his eye, not that she minded. [An extradimensional item?] "Here, wear this for now. Anyway, we were discussing what to do with you. Tell me, now that you are no longer a Vargul, will your kind look for you?" Penelope wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, intentionally doing a poor job of it. "Maybe? I''m not exactly familiar with their methods. They''ve left me alone for the last few years, so perhaps they''ll continue to do so." Frowning while keeping his gaze fixed on her face, the mage continued, "Well, that''s all well and good, but it seems were are now connected by a bond that I''m not entire sure how to break. As such, I can''t exactly allow you to run free." The thought was an interesting one. As much as she still held some aversion to the man who invaded her home, killed her minions, and caused her a great deal of pain, it paid to be sensible about these kinds of things. She had no idea how the others vampires might react to her, but suspected that they wouldn''t exactly be welcoming to a former Vargul. Indeed, they might feel the need to experiment to determine what allowed her to make the change. So, to avoid that rather nasty fate, she would need find support to protect herself with. This mage was obviously powerful, and seemed to be well equipped, suggesting either decent backing or wealth at the very least. She could do worse as far as allies go. Besides, if he proved too weak to serve her needs, she just needed to kill him. "Alright, your the boss. What do you want me to do?" The mage cocked an eyebrow, "Your surprisingly calm about this." "You forget, I accepted an offer from a group of bloodsucking monsters which included centuries of servitude in exchange for eternal life. Then when I failed in my transition, I spent years hiding on he fringe of society, never knowing when they might decide to finally track me down and end me. So, serving a powerful mage like you is hardly the worst destiny I might have ended up with." "Fair enough." He replied with a nod, "Alright, so what do I call you?" She could tell by the beating of his heart that he was being dishonest for the first time since they''d met, but it was unclear what he could be lying about with that question. "Penelope was my name as a human." She replied with a shrug. "Not a very good name for a vampire though. Lacks the right kind of chutzpah, you know?" "What?" "You know, vampire women have to be named something like Victoria, Bella, or Catherine, you know something elegant but haunting. Ooh, like Selene. I loved those movies." The mage was saying animatedly. She felt a strange internal click that she only ever associated with changes to her skills. Curious, she took a look at her [Status], and couldn''t believe what it now said. The newly christened Selene had but one question. "What in the hells?" The mage gave her a funny look, seemed to concentrate for a second, then burst into an awkward laugh. "Um, that was unintentional, I promise. On the plus side, its a decent name?" Chapter 154: Living On ---------------------------- Selene Age: 28 Race: Vampire Class: Rogue Title: Familiar ---------------------------- The former Vargul was average sized for a woman of her apparent age, standing about the same height as Mike, and had every appearance of a vibrant person in the prime of her life. Copper colored skin and dark brown, curly hair bespoke ancestry from somewhere beyond the shores of the central continent. If Mike didn''t know any better, he would have assumed that she was a human, and with the exception of slightly elongated canines, there were no outward signs of her vampirism. [So, it seems like her class changed in response to her new form. I wonder if she used to be a rogue or if it was adjusted in response to her current status.] "I''m not entirely sure how this naming process works, but I might be able to change it if it bothers you." Mike mentioned, feeling slightly embarrassed. ''Selene'' shrugged. "It''s just a name, and I''ve been called a lot worse in my time. More importantly, what do you want me to do from here on out? At the very least I would like to move somewhere more civilized. I''m not exactly fond of spending all my time in caves." Thinking about it for a few moments, Mike nodded once before answering. "Very well, I''d like you to move to the capital, blend in with the populace, and collect information. I am in need of more complete understanding of what''s going on in the city, especially with the coming war." "War?" Selene replied, sounding mildly intrigued. "Apparently, Tennundi is in the middle of some sort of campaign against the Kingdom of Almir. They launched a strike on the University in an effort to kidnap Princess Andrea." She blinked, "I have been away for a while, so this is all news to me. Anyway, if that''s all you want me to do, boss, it won''t be a problem. Never been to the capital, but it should be like any other major city." Mike tossed her a pouch, "Here''s some money to cover your expenses for a while. Try to avoid drawing attention to yourself, I don''t know how much the vampires will want to keep tabs on you. Speaking of which, is it a problem for you to go out in the sun?" If she had to limit her activity to the hours of darkness, it would be a severe hindrance. "It will be a little bit of a pain to switch my sleep schedule, but otherwise it shouldn''t be an issue. We aren''t nearly as vulnerable to sun as they make us out to be in the stories." She replied with a yawn, before looking through the pouch, "This is all gold." Resisting the urge to yawn as well, Mike nodded. "Yes, is that a concern?" "No, I was just once again recognizing the difference between myself and the wealthy." Selene explained with a shake of her head. "Alright, boss. I''ll do as you ask. How will we get in contact going forward?" Not sure how much he should trust his new familiar, especially with how cooperative she''d been up to this point, Mike decided to keep some of his information close to the chest. "Don''t worry about that, I''ll find you when I need you. Just focus on laying low, gathering information, and improving your skills." "You''re the boss." "Besides the main entrance, do you have a means of exiting this cave system?" She nodded, "Two others, actually. Why¡­..Ah, you don''t want me to be seen by those adventurers that I presume are still hanging around the entrance. Don''t worry, I''ll sneak out the back like a good vampire." Mike sighed. "Do you still have control over the remaining goblins in the cave?" "There shouldn''t be many left, but I can check." Selene opened her mouth and emitted a sound too high pitched to be heard. "Looks like I can still use Harmonic Domination, at the very least." "We will be reporting that the cave has been cleared, so make sure that any of the survivors are taken care of. I''ll leave the method to your discretion. Make sure you are set up in the capital by this time tomorrow. I recommend building a viable alias before you arrive." He replied, then started walking towards the exit. Selene clicked her tongue, before muttering under her breath. "Tch, such a slave driver. Alright, will do boss." The newbie adventurers were still clustered in a small group in the woods next to the cave entrance. Ophelia and the two boys were sitting next to Morgan''s corpse. They looked hollowed out, but at least they had stopped crying. Ruby had seated herself against a tree several meters from the rest, and had her arms wrapped around her knees. As Mike watched, he saw her tremble slightly before settling down once again. He made sure to keep his face in the shadow of his hood, obscuring his features. It was a little late to completely hide his identity, but he hoped that the confidentiality of the Guild would prevent him from being completely exposed. Although, a part of him felt that the time for secrecy was soon coming to an end. Once the war kicked off in earnest, he couldn''t afford to hold back. "The cave is clear," He called to the group. "Once you''ve gotten a chance to rest and recover, I would recommend coming back to gather goblin ears for the turn in." Ophelia stood up shakily, a look of profound guilt evident on her face. "But we didn''t do anything. You saved us twice over, and killed the majority of the goblins. If anyone should turn in the request, it should be you." "I have what I came for, and I have no need for the paltry sum the Guild is offering for this request. Collect the ears or don''t, it matters little to me." Besides, he''d already pocketed a few of the ears so he could get credit for the request. Looking down, Ophelia nodded. "Thank you¡­." "Anyway, I must be going." Mike spoke while orienting himself to the north. Looking slightly panicked, perhaps at the idea of suddenly being left in charge. "Wait! How can we repay you? We don''t even know your name?" Fixing the woman with a cold stare, "Oh, don''t worry. I always remember a debt. When I have need of you, I will come to collect." Ophelia''s mouth worked slightly a few times before she closed it with a gulp. [Hopefully, this will keep her off my back for now. If I can avoid running into them in the future, it will be perfect.] Ignoring the stunned silence, Mike started walking to the north, quickly leaving the group behind. If he moved quickly, he would still have time to stop by the Guild to turn in the requests before heading back to the dorm to get ready for tonight. However, there was one last thing he knew he needed to take care of, he just hoped that it wouldn''t take too long. ------------------ Ruby stared at her hands, mind still refusing to come to terms. The others had already left, carrying Morgan''s body, and shooting accusatory looks in her direction. Lonnie and Ethan had been ready to attack her, but Ophelia interceded, inspiring a small amount of hope in Ruby''s heart. Hope that was very soon crushed. "I said it in the cave, Ruby. We are done. I will not be doing you any more favors. You will have to find someone else to be your nursemaid." "But Ophelia¡­.please..." Ruby had pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "No more, never again." Ophelia spat, before turning on her heels to join the others. "From this moment forward, you are dead to me. I never want to see you again." And just like that, Ruby''s only friend walked out of her life, leaving her utterly alone and lost. She had messed up, and clearly had no means of fixing it. "What should I do?" She whispered to herself, drawing her knees up to her chest in an effort to block out the pain that was still stabbing at her heart. [I should have died in that cave.] The thought came unexpectedly, and with it a sense of release. Yes, maybe everyone would have been better off if she had died. "Your death will accomplish nothing, save invalidating Morgan''s sacrifice." Ruby glanced up and saw the mage looking down on her with those golden eyes. She hadn''t heard him approach. Once again, she was struck by the sheer aura that seemed to surround him, as if his mere presence was bending the world around him. "How did¡­." "It was easy to see," "Then what am I supposed to do?!" She yelled through another round of tears, "I was a coward. I abandoned my companions, I betrayed my only friend. Now I have nothing. The world would be better off if I was dead¡­" She trailed off before collapsing back against the tree. The mage was silent for a few moments after that outburst, simply staring down at her. "If you''re seeking pity, look elsewhere. You ran away from your friend, and now you are running again. If you want to take the coward''s way out, I will not stop you. However, I would like to ask you a few questions before you do." Ruby looked up at him, confused. "What do you want to know?" "You are a dragon beastman, correct?" "That''s right." "Then why are you so weak?" He asked mercilessly. A pit seemed to form in Ruby''s stomach. She knew that she wasn''t strong in any sense of the word, but to hear that denunciation from the lips of the man who had saved her was a hard blow. "I don''t know. Maybe there is something fundamentally wrong with me. I was abandoned by my parents, after all. Maybe they didn''t want to raise a failure." She felt the cruel grasp of despair around her heart. Turning his eyes to the sky, the mage replied. "Well, that answers my second question. Anyway, I doubt you are somehow inherently flawed in any category save personality. It seems to me you are holding yourself back. Letting your fear and self-pity consume you." The words stung. She''d heard something similar from Ophelia for much of her life, only she''d never really listened. To hear it from the mouth of the powerful figure in front of her was....painful. "In any event, I don''t have time to sit here and try to talk you out of suicide. Just know, that dragons are among the strongest beings to inhabit this world, in many ways. As a dragon beastman, you have inherited a portion of that strength. Do not let it go to waste." A blast of wind swept the small clearing around the cave entrance, momentarily blinding Ruby with a wash of leaves. When it cleared, she felt her jaw drop. The mage had disappeared, and in his place was a creature of legend. A true dragon, the color of flame towered over her, red eyes fixed upon her seated form. It should have been terrifying. After all, the creature could crush her in an instant, should he desire to do so. However, she only felt awe, and a strange kinship that resonated deep within her bones. The dragon stretched its wings, and flapped but once, creating another storm of wind, blinding her once more. By the time she opened her eyes again, he had vanished, leaving her alone in the clearing. It took her until nightfall to get her thoughts and emotions in order. By then, her stomach was growling. Silently thanking the man who had saved her life thrice, Ruby stood and started walking. There was an inn not too far away that was famous for its stew. She''d never had it before, but today seemed like a good day to try. Chapter 155: The Noble Choice Once Red had put some distance between them and the small clearing, Mike finally released his pent up breath, before climbing up into a more comfortable position. Not that there really was one, since dragons seemed to be made exclusively of horns, scales, and sandpaper-like skin. [Really need to work on a saddle design.] Red, who was lazily flying in the direction of the capital, gave a slight snort, apparently not particularly enthused by the idea. Mike took in the scenery for a moment, before directing the dragon to fly faster. Judging from the position of the sun, it was starting to get late, and he needed to get back soon, or face the ire of his party members. [Well, I''ve done it before. I can''t imagine it being particularly difficult in this case.] Under his urging, Red flapped his wings once, propelling them through the air at ridiculous speeds in a steep climb. Mike planned on passing over the Old City at high altitudes in order to avoid frightening the citizens of the capital. Once they had reached a position above the University, he thanked the dragon for the ride, and jumped off, and used Air Magic to guide him towards his target. The wind was roaring in his ears, plucking at the fabric of his clothing. He kept a hand over Audra''s pocket to keep her from jumping out at an inconvenient time. It proved somewhat difficult to recognize his new dorm building from above, though. The Spire was a good landmark, and he used it to find a rough location on where to land, hoping for it to be clear. With a powerful blast of air, he slowed his descent, coming in hard amidst a small grove of trees, punching his way through the branches and creating a small crater in the ground. Surprisingly, he wasn''t really injured in the process, making him suspect that he''d somehow become more durable since the last time he''d attempted something similar. [I feel like it''s related to my attributes somehow, like increasing my Endurance somehow improves my resistance to damage. However, that doesn''t really make sense. I suppose that''s just another thing I need to look into at some point. I really should be writing these down somewhere.] Brushing a few loose leaves off his cloak, he started walking towards the dorm, but stopped when he noticed a disturbance in the air a few meters away. He stared at it curiously for a few seconds, before two figures appeared with a quiet ''whumpf'' of displaced air. Mike recognized the first of these as his advisor, Emmanuel, but was unfamiliar with the second, a tall, muscular man with a shaved head. Something about him was pricking at his memory, though. The Magic Department Chair looked over at him, "I''m glad we finally caught up. You''ve been a little hard to get a hold of recently, Mike." "What can I do for you, sir?" He asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the circumstances. [They seem to have some sort of magical means of tracking me. I''m guessing my student ID is responsible. I wonder what''s so important they have to use Space Magic to meet me.] "Well, it''s not so much me, as the headmaster that wished to speak with you." He gestured at the other man. "Please, call me Alexander." The headmaster said with a smile. "I''ve been looking forward to meeting you. We have a few things to discuss." "What can I do for you, sir?" Mike asked, now convinced that things had gotten more serious than he wanted. Hopefully, his cover hadn''t been completely blown. The bald man stared into the distance for a moment, "I have been speaking to your instructors, specifically Johnathan and Madeline. It''s quite rare to see a student take classes in different schools of magic over the course of their studies, let alone in their first term. However, both had nothing but good things to say about you and your potential. Madeline in particular was forthcoming with her praise. The term she used was ''revolutionary,'' I believe." Understanding what Alexander was getting at, Mike nodded, feeling secretly relieved that only one layer of his identity had been revealed. "I see, and is there a problem with that?" "Let''s cut straight to the chase, shall we?" The headmaster said with a smile. "You aren''t a member of the Dragonknight Order, right?" "I have never claimed to be." The younger man replied neutrally. The headmaster''s grin widened. "Fair enough, but you are the individual responsible for rescuing Princess Andrea, yes? The one that did so from the back of a Flame Dragon?" "What is it you are looking for, sir?" Mike asked, allowing his redirection to serve as his answer. A serious look returned to Alexander''s face. "I am sure you are aware of the coming conflict with Tennundi. Very soon, we will be putting out a general Call to Arms in preparation for the defense of the capital. As an Almiran student of the University, you normally would be expected to serve. What remains to be seen, is in what capacity?" "You are making several assumptions, headmaster." Mike spoke in a grave manner. "Not the least of which, is that I am willing to serve at all." The grin returned, "Of course. There is very little we can do to stop someone like you from simply leaving the country. However, your actions during the Tennundian attack suggest that you aren''t the type to abandon others in their time of need. While you could be acting under the orders of someone, your sponsor for instance, my gut tells me that you are altruistic by nature." "Hardly. I''m more of a hypocrite than anything else. Regardless, that doesn''t explain why you think that I might help you. Altruism is rarely a reliable motivation." "That is part of why I came to speak with you today. The two of us," Alexander gestured at Emmanuel, "and a handful of others, are aware of your actions during the attack. You saved many lives, including our own. I would like to honor and reward you for your efforts, but your choice to take those actions while in disguise leads me to believe that you are uninterested in glory or fame." "I find anonymity preferable." "Then, allow me to offer you my gratitude." The headmaster bowed low before returning to his upright posture. "We have prepared a few rewards for your heroics." Emmanuel handed Mike an elaborately carved and polished box. "This is something we dug up from the University''s vault. Considering the amount of dust that was piled on top of it, I''d be surprised if anyone actually noticed it was missing. However, I would avoid flashing it around." Inside the box was a leather bracer, etched with tiny and intricate runes. Three disks of a silver metal were embedded into it in a triangular pattern. A quick Appraise told him more. -------------- {Flawed Bracer of the Master Mage} Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 3) Made from Eldritch Wyvern hide and disks of mana attuned silver, this bracer was meant to serve as a focusing device for a war mage. However, due to a flaw in its runic inscriptions, it may only be used as a mana battery. -------------- [So it can be used to store and release mana? That''s pretty useful for something that''s considered flawed.] "That item should be close to two hundred years old, judging from inscription style. A little outdated, but still quite handy for a young mage who free casts as much as you do." Emmanuel commented while. Alexander hopped in. "By the way, we''ve also increased your restricted section access to level three. There had been some mention of simply giving you full access, but one of your instructors felt that it might encourage you to do something reckless with knowledge that was beyond you at this time. However, I was assured that once you prove capable, that limitation will be lifted." Even though the item was nice, this was much more important to him. If he wasn''t already running late, he would have taken the opportunity to run down to the library and explore the collections he now had access to. Perhaps seeing Mike''s eager expression, the headmaster raised one hand to catch his attention. "There is one final reward, in this case prepared by the Prime Minister himself. I''ll let you read for yourself." He said while handing him a sealed envelope. The material was heavy, and he could almost feel the importance of the documents contained within. He broke the seal and pulled out a bundle of parchment. The very first page was a letter written in small, neat letters. ------------------------------------------------------------- To the Hero of the Day, I would first like to thank you for your actions. The nation owes you a debt of gratitude. One that I would like to see repaid. A royal decree is attached to this letter. The contents are dry and legalistic, so I will summarize and translate here. It is a Patent of Nobility that will serve to create the Baronial House, with you placed at its head. This title will be hereditary. Alas, due to the current era of civil strife, it would be a poor move on my part to grant you status as a royal vassal complete with landholdings, since you almost certainly be targeted by competing factions in a manner that would be difficult for you to resist. Once stability has been restored, and territorial borders reestablished, you have my word that this issue will be addressed. You should note that this decree has not yet been issued by the crown, and as such, has no power. I have not yet done so for a simple reason. It would be the height of ingratitude to burden you with the mantle of aristocracy should you find it onerous. Nobles of the Kingdom of Almir are bound by obligations and restrictions that few commoners would believe. I will not mince words here, but accepting this reward will create great opportunities for you. A man of your caliber may rise quickly in such a troubled time. However, your freedom would be curtailed in return. You would be expected to follow the orders of your liege lord, or in this case the current monarch. You will owe a debt of service to the crown and may be called upon to raise, equip, and lead soldiers in times of war. Think carefully on this choice, weigh your options, and when you have decided, let the headmaster know. He will take care of the rest. Know that what ever you decide, you have the gratitude of this humble civil servant. Sincerely, Prime Minister Faril Couthbotan --------------------------------------------- Mike briefly thumbed through the documents in the bundle, which appeared to match the letter''s description. The headmaster patted him on the shoulder. "I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but you must understand that we are at war. If you want to be involved, we will need to know where your loyalties lie." Mike nodded, "That is fair." At some unknown signal, Emmanuel began chanting under his breath. Alexander walked over to stand beside the mage. "You should take some time to think it over. I''ll be waiting for you in your Basic Elemental Magic classroom at three and a half bells. You can give me your answer then." The pair of them vanished, leaving Mike alone in the woods, with much to think about. Chapter 156: Evasive Maneuvers Something exploded amongst the soldiers of the left wing, sending shattered men flying through the air. The sounds of the battlefield were briefly replaced with a high pitched ringing, while Marshal Jurien caught her balance. She had a few seconds to recover before her opponent resumed his attack. Luckily, he had been similarly affected by the concussive force of whatever magic had been unleashed, so she was able to deflect the clumsy blow with the haft of her halberd. The Tennundian officer was left unbalanced, making him easy prey for her follow up swing, which embedded the spiked head of her weapon into his head, punching through his helmet in the process. The man slumped forward in a boneless heap, pushing her backwards with his sheer bulk. She planted a foot on his back, and leveraged the halberd free with a grunt. She then took a moment to survey the battlefield, her experienced eye quickly surveying the situation. It was going poorly. The enemy had more Tier 3 mages, and had been using the advantage to great effect. Most of the common soldiers had been thrown into disorder by the near constant magical attacks, and her own Mage Corps were hard pressed to defend against them, let alone add their own might to the fray. As such, the Almirans were being pushed back in both the left and the center. Long years of experience told her that they were one step away from breaking, which would lead to a massacre. The Tennundian tactician seemed to be planning something along those lines, since it looked like they''d kept the majority of their light cavalry in reserve. The only saving grace was on the right wing, where Prince Johnathan had succeeded in leading a column of knights deep into enemy lines. According to the last report she''d heard, the group had even managed to take out one of the high tier mages that had been giving them so much trouble. From the sounds of it, with a little support, General Yolin and the remainder of the right wing could shatter their Tennundian opponents and threaten the enemy headquarters. It was unfortunate that the Almirans had to commit their reserves to holding the center. [What I wouldn''t give for a company of heavy cavalry right now.] "Marshal! I have a report from Adjutant Ivana." A messenger yelled from nearby. Jurien stalked back towards the sound of the youth''s voice, once again passing through the lines she''d left during her earlier duel. The soldiers respectfully parted and made room for her. It wouldn''t be long before the enemy launched their next assault, and she could see the fear and hesitation in the faces of every man and woman she passed. "What''s the news?" The marshal asked after arriving by the breathless messenger who was taking shelter behind an overturned wagon. "The Adjutant advises that you take what remains of the left wing and center, and fall back to our fortifications in preparation for a general retreat." The man answered in a solemn tone. Jurien was stunned. This was tantamount to asking her to abandon the entire right wing along with the crown prince of Almir. "Did she say why?" She trusted the judgement of her longtime tactician, and ordinarily wouldn''t question one of her strategies, but this move smacked of desperation. "Yes, ma''am. Our scouts have spotted another Tennundian army approaching from the north. Preliminary reports put their numbers at nearly twenty thousand, with the possibility of more in other columns." A chill ran down Jurien''s spine. Ivana''s strategies had been based on the assumption that the Tennunidans would capitalize on their earlier victories by seizing territory to the east, cutting their army off from support, and establishing a stranglehold on the region surrounding the Almiran capital in preparation for a siege. All they would need to do was leave a small rearguard at the only feasible river crossing, and the Western Army would be powerless to stop them. In one fell swoop, they could seize the heartland of Almir without a fight. With the majority of the capital''s elite warriors trapped on the wrong side of the river, there would never be a more opportune time. Yet they were wasting valuable time and resources pursuing her forces. It was simply strategically unsound. What were they aiming at? Even the prince wasn''t worth the effort, since he still had three siblings to take over should he fall. It was baffling. However, she didn''t have time to contemplate the idiosyncrasies of Tennundian military practices. Her forces were in a precarious situation, and there was no way to save everyone. Her choice now lay in deciding how many of her troops would survive to fight in the next conflict. With a heavy heart, she gave the command, signaling the nearby messengers to spread the word. "To all soldiers! We are falling back to our command center. Assume defensive positions there." There was a brief moment of silence, followed by a flurry of activity as the messengers took off and officers began shouting orders of their own. Jurien grabbed the one heading towards the right wing before he could leave. "Tell General Yolin that he is to preserve as many troops as he can, but must fall back as quickly as possible." The man saluted, "Yes, Ma''am!" before taking off once more. She felt a pang of guilt for sending the young man towards almost certain death, but she also knew his sacrifice might spare hundreds of others. Watching as her army began the laborious process of shifting into a fighting retreat, she joined the rearguard, preparing to protect as many of her soldiers as she could. "May the gods watch over you, Your Highness." She muttered under her breath, just before the first wave of pursuers hit. ------------------------------------ "All I am saying, is that there are pros as well as cons. Nobility will bring power, respect, and money, once they get around to assigning some territory. These are all things we''ve been working towards. Why not let them give us a shortcut?" Sera argued. She was dressed in a light pink evening gown that served to accentuate her elegant neckline and slender shoulders. Her hair had been done up with a stylish silver hairpin. However, the only other piece of jewelry she wore was a recently acquired copper bracelet on one arm. She was sitting on side of the carriage, engaged in a heated debate with Brenden while the group was on the way to Broderick''s social gathering. The beastman retorted, "And I''m saying that there is no need for Mike to bend his knee to the king. If you hadn''t noticed, we have already become much stronger, and money hasn''t been an issue. Mike doesn''t need to join the aristocracy to keep it up." He was wearing a tailored suit which made him look particularly dashing. Especially since Sera had managed to convince him to sit still long enough to tame the tangled mess that was his hair. "You are taking extraordinary circumstances as if they were a given." She replied coolly. "Aren''t they, when Mike''s involved?" Sera had to give him that one. "Alright, a fair point, but let me make a rebuttal. All of our recently acquired wealth has come from the nobility in some form or another. There is a reason for that. In every country I''ve ever been in, it is the aristocracy that stands at the pinnacle. They are the ones that hold the power. If Mike chooses to become a noble, then it would open doors we wouldn''t have otherwise." "You''re talking like the nobles rule the world, when you know very well that these systems only exist because those with true power allow it. Aren''t those powerful nobles forced to beg and scrap in front of people like the Archmage?" Brenden asked heatedly. This was evidently upsetting him for some reason. "Are we to compare ourselves to Tier 4s now? Be reasonable." "I don''t know about the three of us, but surely Mike will reach that level one day. Why should we limit his options at this point?" "You think whatever noble position he accepted now would matter, if he achieved that level of power? No, the barony is merely a stepping stone, providing him with the tools and resources necessary to become strong enough for it to not matter." Sera replied haughtily. "Why do you assume he needs the help at all? From what I have seen, he''s doing a fine job of improving himself without being a noble." "Oh?" She said, sounding slightly offended, and turned towards Mike, who was busy copying down as much information as he could from the Scrivening book. He was planning on returning it once he''d gotten everything of value from it. "Remind me Mike, how many Tier 4 skills do you have? According to Brenden it should be easy for you to improve to that point." While Mike was checking his [Status], the beastman broke in, "Now hold on, I wasn''t saying it would be easy, only that I''m confident he could achieve it on his own." Speaking distractedly while he concentrated on his current project, Mike answered Sera''s question. "Currently, just one. Although there are a few that are starting to get close." [Now, where was I? Something about concept ratios in the ink mixtures, I think.] He didn''t notice the silence which had descended on the carriage as all three of his companions were staring at him in shock. Tal finally broke the silence with a snort of laughter, which was delivered in her usual monotone, somehow. "Gods dammit." Brenden cursed under his breath, unhappy to win the argument in this manner. Sera clutched her head, "It''s just not fair." Chapter 157: A Dukes Address Mike had barely finished his frantic copying when the carriage came to a halt outside of their destination. With a sigh of relief, he shoved everything back into the extradimensional sack and flexed his cramping hands. It had taken the entire trip, but he was able to jot down the basics of Scrivening, along with some tips to improving the finished outcome of the process. He was lucky that a large section of the book had been dedicated to bridging the gap between Scrivening and other similar forms of crafting. Apparently, there was a difference between it and Inscription, the process of temporarily adding magic to objects through mana-infused runes. Both skills were in turn classified as separate from Artifice, which was a blanket term for the creation of magic items using the same kind of runic language. Quite frankly, the distinction seemed arbitrary, but Mike figured that the system must have a reason for it. Although, it probably just like messing with people. A footman opened the door, and assisted them down onto a literal red carpet, which led up a set of stairs to a palatial mansion. A small army of servants were attending to a long stream of elegantly dressed guests. The entire affair smacked of wealth and opulence. "Are we in the right place?" Mike asked as the joined the queue. "I thought this was supposed to be a small gathering." "I think this was a foregone conclusion once House Vamith''s main family got involved." Sera replied drily. "They probably want to use the event as a means of reassuring their vassals of the house''s stability. This is all a show, meant to tell the other nobles that everything is as it should be." Brenden snorted in disdain, drawing looks of irritation from a pair of passing footmen. "I suppose it''s too late to back out now." Mike grumbled to himself, while taking the lead. They eventually passed through the front doors of the mansion and were directed into a ballroom. Here, various noble guests were mingling in small pockets while servants darted between them, delivering refreshments. Three crystal chandeliers hung above the gathering, with light emitting crystals providing the illumination. A group of musicians had set up in one corner, and were currently playing a soft, soothing tune which was often drowned out by the sounds of conversation and laughter from the guests. Not wanting to block traffic, they moved off to one side, although Brenden made sure to grab a glass of a fizzy alcoholic beverage from one of the servers. Taking a swig, he made an appreciative noise. "Good?" Mike asked. "Tastes expensive." Was the only response he received. [So, is it good?] Over the noise of the gathering, Mike heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. He turned to face their owner, only to suffer a heavy blow as a small child slammed into his midsection. "Mike! You made it! Is Audra here with you?" Elaine asked with clear excitement. Taking a second to regain his breath, Mike gently lowered the girl back to the floor. "She is, but maybe the middle of the ballroom isn''t the best place to bring her out." "Awww¡­" The ducal heir complained. Mike could see Broderick winding through the crowd towards them, a look of embarrassment on his face. "Tell you what. Once things calm down, we''ll find some time to let you play with her." He offered with a smile. "Yay! Let''s do it after dinner. There will be plenty of time then." "Elaine! You know better than to run off like that. It''s rude to our guests." Broderick scolded while walking up. "They don''t care about me. They''re just here for father." Elaine pouted. The older brother sighed. "I know you don''t like this kind of thing, but do you think you could try to bear with it? For me?" "Fine¡­." Came the reluctant reply. With a tired smile, Broderick greeted the group. "I''m glad you made it." "Glad to be here." Mike returned. "Although, I don''t think this quite qualifies as a ''small gathering'' anymore." The other man sagged slightly, "I am sorry about that. Once the main house got involved, they completely took over. We''re lucky it was on such short notice, otherwise it would have been a much bigger affair." "Now there''s a thought." Brenden commented between bites. He''d somehow gotten hold of a tray of tiny sandwiches. "What are you doing?!" Sera hissed at him. "You''re embarrassing us." "If they didn''t want us to eat it, they wouldn''t be bringing it around." He replied smugly. "You''re only supposed to take one!" Mike reassured Broderick. "It''s not a problem, just a little surprising." Glancing over at his feuding companions, he continued, "I apologize in advance if we end up embarrassing you in some manner. So, what''s on the agenda? I''m a little unfamiliar with how these things work." "First, we have the social hour where the guests are encouraged to mingle here until everyone important has arrived, at which point we will be directed to the dining hall for the meal. I believe the Duke has a speech planned for it. Afterwards, there will be dancing here in the ballroom, a troupe of bards putting on a play in the theater, and the gardens will be opened for strolling and the occasional duel." [So, pretty much the same as in my old world, minus that last bit.] "Who waiting?" Tal asked. "I''m sorry?" Broderick shot Mike a confused look. "She means, who are we waiting for?" He translated. "Ah. Well, I believe the majority of our guests have arrived, but we won''t start until the highest ranking gets here-" "Now announcing Prince Matthew Almir and Princess Andrea Almir!" A voice called from the entrance. Mike spotted the twins at the head of a large party of followers. "Huh, I''m surprised they would show up to something like this, considering what happened the day before yesterday." Mike commented once the hubbub had died down. "Well, I''m sure they have their reasons." Broderick added neutrally. "The reasons being that House Vamith is the most powerful supporter of the Third Prince''s faction, and snubbing the Duke in a public manner would be costly." Sera quickly whispered to Mike, before having her attention pulled away by Brenden again. The beastman had swapped his tray of sandwiches for one filled with glasses of wine, and was sampling the lot of them. Mike left them to their ensuing argument. "So, I take we should start heading to the dining room?" "That would be the case. If you head through that door over there and give the staff member your name, they''ll point you to your seats." Broderick pointed it out, before looking at his sister. "Elaine, why don''t we go say hello to your cousins?" "OK. Oh! I bet Andrea will want to see Audra! Can we bring her too?" She asked Mike. He hesitated for a second, wondering if that might not be an issue, but eventually nodded his acceptance. "If she wants to, that''s fine." "Alright!" Elaine exclaimed before taking off, pulling her brother along behind her. Chuckling at the sight, Mike led the group out of the ballroom and into the dining hall. It was a similarly vast room, but filled with round tables set with elegant and expensive looking plates and cutlery. A raised platform sat on one end of the room, and on it was a long, rectangular table. Evidently, this is where the Duke and his guests of honor sat. The butler manning the door quickly checked a roster before pointing them towards a table off to one side. They moved over to it and sat down. "Welp, I''m screwed." Mike muttered. He was looking over the confusing arrangement of silverware in front of him, thoroughly lost. It must have shown, since Sera took the opportunity to walk them through each of the items, and their intended uses. Although Mike was surprised to find out the fork bent at an almost 90 degree angle was indeed meant to be a back scratcher, most of the utensils made sense once explained. Eventually, the rest of the guests settled in, and a grey haired and bearded man stood up from his position at the head of the table on the raised platform. This prompted a similar response from everyone else in the room. The man spoke in a deep baritone. "Honored guests, I thank you for joining us for the festivities. We are gathered here today to celebrate the rescue of two young woman who had fallen prey to despicable kidnappers. The first was my own daughter, Elaine, captured by cowardly bandits while walking in the markets. Fortunately, she was able to escape with the assistance of a group of adventurers." This announcement sparked a round of applause from the crowd. "Assistance? Didn''t we stop her from getting kidnapped in the first place?" Brenden whispered indignantly, before being hushed by Sera. "We of House Vamith rejoiced in her safe return, and yet it was not even a week before another incident occurred. Princess Andrea, my dear niece, was captured by a group of Tennundians led by the traitor Wendel." A round of angry muttering met this new announcement. "Fortune once again prevailed for the people of Almir, as a hero rose to the challenge, and freed her from the clutches of that diabolical madman. A lone Dragonknight, no doubt acting in the cause of justice, rode forth and shattered the Tennundian troops, eliminated their pet monsters, and recaptured the stolen airship Wendel used for his plot, freeing Princess Andrea in the process. An accomplishment worthy of that vaunted order, and yet he asked for nothing in return. He was content to have seen the wicked defeated, and our princess''s flower of innocence preserved." "Please tell me you didn''t actually say that?" Brenden asked quietly. "Of course not. Can''t you see they are using it for propaganda?" Mike hissed back. "Quiet, both of you! He''s not done yet." Sera broke in. "That man represents the epitome of knightly virtue, a true noble in spirit. Although he asked us to not reward him for his heroism, I hope he will not begrudge me the privilege of honoring him with a toast." He paused to raise his glass, a move that was once again mirrored by the rest of the room. "To the Dragonknight. May the gods illuminate his path." [That''s another custom that seems to come from my old world. I can''t imagine this being a coincidence. Could it be the work of other reincarnators?] Mike thought to himself while taking a drink from his glass of red wine. Unfortunately, it was overly sweet. He''d noticed that the wine palates of the people here tended to be a bit unrefined. Of course, they made up for it with the wide variety of alcoholic beverages they had available. The Duke finished his glass before he finished his speech. "Now, I have been told that my chef has outdone himself tonight with his signature main course, braised Mirithian Venison. I hope you all enjoy." Once he''d taken his seat, everyone else followed suite. This seemed to signal the start of the meal proper, as the musicians started up once more, filling the air with a light and playful melody. Servants began wheeling out the first round of food on covered platters. Brenden grinned, "Finally! This is the part I''ve been waiting for." Mike nodded his agreement. He''d essentially skipped lunch, so the thought of food had been weighing heavily on his mind for a while. His mouth was already salivating at the thought of Mirithain Venison, even though he had no clue what that might consist of. Chapter 158: An Enlightening Dance Mike leaned back in his chair with contented sigh. The food was incredible, easily the most delicious meal he''d eaten in this world. It had consisted of eight separate courses, each more filling than the last. He''d been so focused on eating, and enjoying to sublime flavors each dish brought, it came as a surprise when he finished his last plate. The servers ended the meal by bringing around a spiced cider with a mild herbal taste, that was supposedly good for digestion. "I don''t think I''ve ever been so full." Brenden groaned. Sera sighed after taking a sip of her cider. "That''s because you''re not supposed to eat everything. Traditionally, you leave roughly one third of your food uneaten to show your host that you''ve been properly provided for. If this was a more intimate setting, it could be considered insulting." "What? And waste any of that amazing food? No way." "What now?" Tal asked Mike. Their neighbors had already started getting up and moving towards other rooms. A team of servants were studiously not looking at them, but it was clear they were just waiting for the group to leave so they could start the cleanup process. "Well, it sounds like we have some options. What do you all want to do?" "Oh! I heard the players are putting on a production of ''Lady Esmerelda and the Trial of the Seven.'' I''ve always wanted to see it." Sera exclaimed. "Haven''t heard of that one, what''s it about?" Mike asked curiously. "It''s an old tale, written by Fornaerus, the famous playwright of the Second Pyrathien Empire. It follows the story of Lady Esmerelda, a widower whose children are stolen by seven demons. In order to rescue them, she has to undergo a trial set by each of them. It''s considered a classic story about the power of maternal love, and the value of persistence in the face of impossible odds. Although, I''m sure they chose it due to the recent kidnapping incidents. There''s a lot of subtext in it which serves Duke Vamith''s purposes." "So you want to watch it even knowing that it''s a propaganda piece?" Mike asked, a little confused. "Of course. Pretty much all plays are. I''ve also heard that the troupe playing tonight has a new take on the fifth demon, Hargaunt, which completely revolutionizes the role. I don''t know when I''ll get the chance to see it again." "That does sound interesting, but I promised Elaine I would let her spend some time with Audra. It wouldn''t do to stand up a ducal heir, now would it? There should be no problem splitting up, though. I doubt there would be any danger in a place as heavily guarded as this one." Mike replied after some consideration. He looked over at the beastman, who seemed to be in a semi-doze. "What are you thinking about doing, Brenden?" "Urgh, I suppose sitting here isn''t an option?" Mike glanced over at the group of servants that were getting increasingly annoyed with their continued presence. "Doesn''t look like it." "Fine," He grunted while standing. "I suppose I''ll go to this play. It should be dark enough to take a nap there." Sera shot him an angry glare, before sighing again. "You better not snore." Mike turned towards Tal, and was about to ask the same question, when she cut him off. "Go with you." "Alright, it''s settled. In the case we get split up, meet at the front door at nine and a half bells. We still need to get back before the curfew." He announced as they rose and went their separate directions. It didn''t take long for them to find Elaine and Broderick. The two of them were waiting near the entrance of the ballroom. As soon as Mike and Tal walked in, the girl rushed over. "Can I see her now? Please?" Chuckling at her energy, Mike pulled his familiar from her dedicated pocket. Audra had apparently been sleeping, so when he''d dragged her in to the bright light of the ballroom, it caused her to yawn and look around blearily. As soon as the dragon caught sight of Elaine''s eager face, she stretched languorously and hopped up onto the girl''s head, making herself comfortable. Broderick walked over, smiling at his sister''s resulting laughter. "Thanks for that. It was all I could do to make her sit through the meal." "No problem. There aren''t many people Audra seems to like, much to Sera''s disappointment. I''m glad your sister can get along with her." "She''s always had a way with animals. One time when she was barely three years old, she escaped from her nanny while the family was visiting a beast trader in search of a new mount for the Duke. They eventually found her curled up asleep next to a Dovistani Tiger, who was treating her as its cub. It took them nearly an hour to get it to let her go." Broderick''s smile took on a slightly melancholy cast. "I sometimes think, she would have been happier if she was born a commoner." Mike wasn''t really sure how to respond to that. He knew that nobles, especially female ones, had very little freedom. It was a concept he''d seen repeated often enough in literature. Still, he wondered how someone with a background like Brenden''s would feel about his sentiments. However, that story did raise a couple of questions, so he took the opportunity to use Appraise on the Ducal Heir. --------------------------------------- Elaine Vamith Age: 7 Race: Human (Star Elf) Class: Primal Conduit Title: Beloved Child of Teun ------------------------------------- "Did it have something to do with her class, or a title?" Mike asked unconsciously. Broderick frowned a moment, while studying Mike''s features. Finally, the other man relaxed. "I would avoid asking about that sort of thing in the future. I know you didn''t mean anything by it, but it''s exceptionally rude to do so. I''m not sure how it''s handled where you come from, but in most noble circles, revealing details about ones class is considered a sign of deep trust. It is not something one asks for." [Crap. I forgot about that.] "My apologies, I didn''t mean to offend. Anyway, I take it that the Princess was too busy to visit us?" He asked, wanting to redirect the conversation. "Andrea had to talk to some ambassadors. She said it was going to take a while, because they love the sound of their own voices." Elaine offered cheerfully while scratching under Audra''s chin. Broderick sighed, "She''s been delayed by other duties, but promised to swing by later." He glanced at Tal, before looking back at Mike. "The music should be starting soon, if you are interested in dancing. I know I would be, if I had such charming company." [Well, when in Rome¡­] He took a chance to really look at his elven companion for the first time tonight. Something he knew he should feel guilty about, but in his defense, he''d been distracted by other things. Not that it was any excuse, but she had the most subtle presence of his three companions, so he rarely devoted his full attention to her. In fact, he now realized that he frequently ignored her completely, something that she calmly tolerated without complaint. [I''m going to have to work on that. It''s not fair of me.] Tal was wearing a deep blue, low-cut dress, which emphasized her pale skin, and graceful features. Her blonde hair was done up in a similar fashion to Sera''s, but in the elf''s case, it was pinned up with jade comb that served to bring out the color of her emerald eyes. Around her neck was a band of whitish metal embedded with sea green stones, Mike''s present from earlier. Without warning the lights dimmed, and the musicians started playing in earnest, filling the hall with an energetic tune. Couples began moving out onto the dance floor. In a playful mood, Mike took an exaggerated bow, "May I have this dance, milady?" Tal replied with a monotone, "You may." Although, he detected amusement in her voice. "Don''t worry! We''ll watch Audra." Elaine chimed in. Taking Tal''s hand, he led the elf out amongst the other dancers, before turning to face her. It was then he realized, that he had no clue how they handled dancing in this world. Panicking a little, he quickly glanced around at his neighbors and tried to copy their actions. As far as he could tell, they were doing something similar to a waltz, but every so often they would break into a sort of spinning jig that culminated in a clap. Quite frankly, he was lost. Thankfully, Tal seemed to be familiar with the dance, and gently walked him through the moves. By the time the song ended, he was starting to get the hang of it. He''d even picked up a new skill in the process, which helped greatly when the next song started and the style of dancing changed completely. ----------- - Dancing (Tier 1, Rank 1) ¨C The act of moving one''s body in set patterns as determined by social constructions and established musical rhythms. This skill enhances the user''s ability to perform said maneuvers. Minor system correction to the execution of dances in a structured setting. ----------- The music picked up speed, and suddenly Mike found himself doing something similar to a tango, only with more exaggerated arm movements. It took all of his concentration, but he was able to keep up this time, to the point he was actually starting to feel comfortable with the process when the song changed a second time. Luckily, it was a slow song, and judging by their neighbors, no extra skill was needed. A lifetime of school dances had prepared him for this part. Tal gave a quiet laugh as they slowly rotated. "Getting better." "But of course, I had an excellent teacher." She nodded as if this was expected, before taking a quick look around at the nearby nobles. "Made decision?" She asked. "About the nobility thing? I don''t know. It could be helpful in the short term¡­" He trailed off. "But?" "But, it would cost me in the long term. I''m not sure if I''m quite ready to give up traveling just yet. There is still so much I want to see and do, the idea of being tied down by national allegiance or feudal obligations is a little unbearable. I''m also uncomfortable with the idea of swearing allegiance to someone." She looked at him seriously for a moment, before giving her reply. "Then don''t." "I''m not sure if it is quite that easy." He said with a laugh. "You''re strong. Will be stronger. More important. When ready. Take what you want." Tal commented quietly. If it weren''t for her quirks, he was certain she''d be giving him a defiant grin. He blinked. Indeed, why would he worry about making himself beholden to anyone? Why change his current path at all? Why limit himself by trying to fit into the role of noble, when he could become something more? He''d been so blinded by the possible rewards and benefits, he''d lost sight of the simple fact that he didn''t really need any of it. As things stood now, it wouldn''t be too long before he ascended to a point where even the rulers of nations would have to treat with him on even grounds. Mentally kicking himself for ever worrying about the decision in the first place, he gave Tal a sincere smile. "As always, you cut right to the heart of the matter. Thank you for helping me to see it as well." "Welcome." They finished the dance in companionable silence, and by unspoken agreement moved back over towards Broderick and Elaine. The girl was occupied with trying to feed one of the decorative flowers to Audra, who seemed slightly confused by the pink thing that was bobbing in front of her. "Did you have fun?" Broderick asked with a sly smile. "Yes, it was quite the enlightening experience." Mike answered calmly, ignoring the man''s teasing. Shrugging, Broderick moved to continue when an angry male voice cut him off. "What is that monster doing here?!" The sheer power of the yell enough to disrupt the proceedings. The music died as everyone in the hall turned to see what was going on. Mike quickly located the source, an elegantly dressed male sun elf. He was standing with a group of his kinsmen next to the entrance to the ballroom. A confused looking Andrea was nearby with her own entourage. From the looks of it, she had been in the process of guiding the elven group into the room. For a second, Mike wondered if he was upset about Audra''s presence at the party, at least until he saw what the elf was looking at. Tal seemed to shrivel under the intensity of the man''s glare, unconsciously drawing back while whispering something in elven. Although most of it was too quiet to make out, he did catch a single word. "Brother¡­" Chapter 159: Familial Denunciation "That is an excellent point, Your Highness, but I think we both know what the eventual decision will be. You really have no other choice but to accept our proposal." The most senior member of the ambassadorial party was saying. She vaguely recalled his name being something along the lines Kelith, but it was always difficult to remember the excessively long and complicated names of the Sun Elves. Andrea had to work hard at keeping her expression neutral. The sheer arrogance of these elves was simply unbearable. She hated interacting with their emissaries, but unfortunately, her brother, whose job this usually was, had pleaded weakness and escaped. It was obvious that he was just taking advantage of the events from a few days ago to skip out on an annoying duty. [Damn you, Matthew. I''ll get you back for this.] Andrea thought, while trying to focus her attention on what the irritating man was saying. Perhaps sensing weakness, the elven ambassadors had wasted little time in pursuing their usual agenda. For the last few decades this had consisted of one thing, the elimination of export taxes on certain Almiran manufactured goods. The elves of Nirethial benefited greatly from the natural resources of the Forest of Shadow, but their isolationist nature had led them to fall behind in several of the technological developments that had swept the Inland Sea Region in recent centuries. This, combined with a minor cultural aversion to manufacturing in general, had led to a goods disparity that enterprising individuals took advantage of. It was no surprise, when the few merchants allowed to bring their wares to the small trading post on the forest''s border quickly learned to offer those items which were unavailable to the elves. Consumer goods, cheap magical tools, and alchemical products requiring specialized ingredients proved to immensely popular. Pretty soon, the merchants involved in this trade had become fantastically wealthy. So successful was this trade that Andrea''s grandfather, King Gregory I, instituted a tax on manufactured goods leaving through the eastern border. The move had been one of desperation, as the country had been gripped in an economically devastating naval war with the Ateshi Commonwealth, and the king had merely been seeking any means of replenishing the country''s coffers. The tax, while modest, was roundly denounced by the elves of Nirethial. They declared it a discriminatory policy, and have been petitioning to have it removed ever since. Unfortunately for them, it proved to be rather lucrative for the kingdom during period of otherwise stagnant tax income, and as such has remained in effect till the present. Historically, the elves had lacked the political or military strength to force the issue, but with the current period of instability in Almir, they seemed to think it would be an excellent chance to push for concessions. As such, they were offering to provide the kingdom some support in their war with Tennundi in exchange for a complete abolishment of the tax, and a limited free trade agreement for the next fifty years. While the Prime Minister (regent in all but name) was willing to suspend the tax in the short term, he knew that the kingdom would require all the income it needed to rebuild after the war. As such, the elves second objective had become something of a sticking point, and negotiations had stalled. Ordinarily this would continue until one side compromised or gave up, but recent events had changed that. When a knight rescued her from the Tennundians with the aid of his dragon mount, it had international ramifications. Suddenly, Matthew and Andrea were assumed to have the undeclared support of the Dragonknights, or whatever remnant of them that existed. This catapulted them from uncertain long shots, to major contenders for the throne. Andrea had already been swarmed by a host of newly sycophantic nobles as a result. A week ago, she was more concerned about passing exams and memorizing chants, now she had to deal with demanding foreign emissaries that thought she could somehow influence kingdom policy. It was enough to drive her crazy. "I understand your point, Ambassador. Just as I understood it when you brought it before the council yesterday. My response has not changed since that time. We are still weighing our options, but we will make certain to inform you once we''ve come to a decision." She answered coolly. Kelith who, despite looking middle aged, was probably hundreds of years old, nodded sagely. "Of course, You Highness. We understand that is sometimes takes the Kingdom a while to come to a decision, but considering the suffering of your soldiers fighting against your enemies, I felt morally obligated to speed the process along." "If you felt so obligated to the people of our nation, why not offer your support freely? Why make it conditional at all?" She asked, growing tired of his hypocrisy. "While I could lecture you all day on the complexities of international economic politics, the simple truth of the matter is that Nirethial is suffering under the strain of that unjust tax levied against us. So much so, that we cannot spare the resources to assist you in your plight." The elf replied with an exaggerated expression of sorrow. [Gah! These people are so frustrating!] Andrea thought while trying to once again assume a neutral expression. It was proving difficult. "Perhaps we should continue this another time. After all, this is a celebration of your rescue from the hands of your enemies. I''m sure engaging in matters of state is quite taxing, considering your recent tribulations." Kelith said with a slight smile, clearly enjoying the small victory he''d won. "Thank you for your consideration, Ambassador. It has been a trying few days." One of the envoys, a relatively young looking male elf, broke in at this point. "Speaking of which, where is your savior? I''m very interested in meeting him." "Regretfully, the knight in question has neither the time nor inclination to attend such an event. His duties take him elsewhere, but I will be sure to pass along your desire for a meeting the next time I see him." She replied with a straight face. The Third Prince faction had been tacitly encouraging the belief that they had an ongoing relationship with the Dragonknight, despite the fact that no one had seen the knight since the day of the attack. It gave them a degree of political clout that they could ill afford to lose, considering the growing intensity of the dynastic conflict. Andrea just hoped that the Headmaster of the University succeeded in determining the knight''s identity. The last time they had spoken on the matter, he was in the process of pursuing a strong lead and, from the sounds of it, he was getting very close. Looking at the younger envoy, she continued. "I''m afraid I don''t recall your name. Who may I say is asking for him?" "My apologies, Your Highness. I am Farin Ulithindiel Lorethenica." The man answered with a smug smile. He was dressed in the elegant ceremonial robes of the elven diplomatic mission. Much like the other members of his race, he had long, blond hair left hanging freely. His face was all sharp angles, with high cheekbones and a tapered chin. This made him seem beautiful, at least in the traditional sense, but there was something wrong about his eyes that she couldn''t place her finger on. Andrea had grown used to the Sun Elves being condescending, but something about this man''s mannerisms set her on edge. "Then, I will make sure to let him know that the honorable delegation from Nirethial is interested scheduling a meeting." She said, as neutrally as possible, hoping that they would leave it at that. Lola, one of her advisors, took advantage of the break in conversation. "Perhaps our guests would like to partake in the festivities. I have heard of the legendary grace of the Sun Elves, and I would love to have a few pointers regarding the art of the dance." Kelith blinked, before putting on a condescending smile, "While I am a little too old to be indulging on the dance floor, I''m sure some of our younger members would be happy to assist. Isn''t that right, Farin?" "Of course, Ambassador." "Excellent, then shall we move to the ballroom?" Andrea asked. "Lead the way." The younger elf replied, with a slightly eager grin. [Just have to get through tonight.] The one named Farin fell into step beside her, as she began leading the way, their entourages following in their wakes. In an effort to make conversation, Andrea glanced in his direction. "So, are quite experienced in dancing?" "I wouldn''t say I am an expert, by the standards of my people, but I should be capable of offering instruction to those who don''t have decades of experience like myself." Andrea tried to keep her face from cramping. It was going to be a long night. "My only concern is that my instruction may be too difficult...What is that monster doing her?!" He suddenly howled, a look of abject hate warping his features. For a second, Andrea was too surprised to respond, and by the time she''d recovered, Farin was already advancing on a couple standing off to one side of the dance floor. She dimly realized that the music had stopped, and everyone in the room was watching the events. Her heart sunk, as she moved to follow. She didn''t know what was going on, but it had all the hallmarks of an international incident. The elf had drawn up in front of a young human man, who was standing protectively in front of another Sun Elf, this one female. Judging from his body posture, Farin was ready to attack the man to get him out of the way. "I told you to never appear before me, scum! How dare you show up during my first diplomatic mission?! I should have killed you when I had the chance, you abomination." The elf woman was cringing under the force of his words, although her face was strangely expressionless throughout. The human, who had been caught in between the two parties, spoke in a cold, furious voice. "That''s enough. I don''t know who you are, but you have three seconds to get out of my face, or I will forcibly remove you." There was a strange power to the young man''s voice, which reminded Andrea of the masked Dragonknight. "You are meddling in affairs that are beyond you, human." Farin spat derisively. "My business is with the pile of filth behind you." "One..." The golden-eyed young man stated, his tone carrying an oppressive menace that had the envoy''s guards reaching for their weapons. Andrea felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, she needed to act fast. "Envoy Farin, I would like to remind you that you''re still within the halls of my uncle, Duke Vamith. Attacking a guest of his, regardless of the reason, is a grave insult to both him and the Kingdom of Almir. Please consider your next actions carefully." This rebuke seemed to get through to him, as the elf backed up a few steps, causing the human to relax a little as well, although his posture was still filled with a hostile energy. Farin shot her a harsh glare. "It seems we have overestimated the quality of the Almiran royalty. To be consorting with the likes of a Pact Mage." Suddenly, the whole situation made sense. Pact Mages are often subjected to discrimination due to the source of their power. Although it was not common knowledge, Andrea was aware that the elves of Nirethial had an almost fanatical hatred for them, viewing them as an abomination of the natural order. In fact, Sun Elves in general held negative opinions of them, so it was a bit surprising to learn that the emotionless looking elf hiding behind the young man was a Pact Mage. It was then that Andrea noticed Broderick and Elaine standing off to one side, anxiety written across their faces. A small blue dragon was perched on the girl''s head. The Princess recalled her cousin''s words from earlier. The group of adventurers who''d saved her from kidnappers was in attendance tonight. A group that consisted of two humans, a beastman, and a Sun Elf. Wracking her brain, Andrea tried to think of a way to avert the coming diplomatic crisis while still protecting her cousin''s benefactors. [This is going to be difficult.] Chapter 160: A Fighting Chance In all of his 84 years, Farin had only felt such an overwhelming hatred once before, on the day his dreams were crushed by his sister''s sin. Now that he''d finally managed to claw his way back to something resembling his former influence, she''d appeared a second time. [She is a demon in elven form. Banishment and enslavement were too good for her. I obviously need to make sure this never happens again.] It took all of his will to not throw himself on the miserable cretin, and tear her apart with his bare hands. Well, that and her human protector. The strange golden-eyed youth had set off warning bells in the back of his head. Ones that he was having trouble dismissing. Stepping back once the princess had gotten involved was actually something of a relief. However, every time he caught sight of his sister''s abominably emotionless face, the old anger resurfaced. "I am sure you are well aware that Pact Magic, while frowned upon, is not illegal in the Kingdom of Almir." Princess Andrea was explaining, her posture signaling anxiety, even if her face remained calm. It was laughable the way these humans thought they could conceal their emotions from his practiced gaze. Sneering, he delivered his most withering stare. "A fact that has long been a point of contrition between our nations. However, it matters not. This creature," He growled while pointing at the abomination, a small part of him was thrilled to see her twitch in response, "is a citizen of Nirethial, and as such, is subject to our laws. She committed a mortal sin, and I would be well within my rights to slay her right here and now." A chill suddenly crept up Farin''s spine as ice cold words split the air. "Try it and you will be dead before you take your first step." Turindinal, the Eternal Blade who had been assigned as Farin''s guard during the mission stepped in front of him, blade part of the way out of his sheathe. "I would recommend you stop making this matter more difficult." The princess commented coolly to the golden-eyed youth who''d issued the threat. Turning towards Farin, she continued. "While she may be beholden to your laws, at the moment she is still a guest of our family and kingdom, and as such is afforded the same rights and protections of one of our citizens." It was a stretch, legalistically speaking. The only thing that might give credence to the princess''s words was the Almiran traditions concerning guest rights. Taken loosely, the Duke had an obligation to protect those that sought shelter under his roof, and so protecting the abomination could be seen as an honorable duty. However, Farin had spent most of the last thirty years studying the culture and tradition of Nirethial''s trading partners. He was quite aware that such an obligation only extended to those without an established allegiance, and therefore, didn''t fully protect his exiled sister. However, forcing the issue would require the authority of the Ambassador. Farin was hesitant to involve his superiors, at least at this junction. He''d spent decades rebuilding his reputation, he would like to avoid reminding them of his family''s crime if he could avoid it. The wise move would be to simply bide his time, and have her taken care of quietly. Yet his pride wouldn''t allow it. She was supposed to have died already, or at the very least been subjected to torments and horrors that would have made her wish she was dead. The slaver he''d sold her to had assured him as much. At the time, it had seemed like a worthy punishment. Yet, here she stood, in good health as the guest of a Duke. This couldn''t be allowed. Luckily, there was one more path available to him. "You do your country credit, Princess, to honor your obligations even to one as abominable as this thing. However, I cannot bear to see that monster continue to draw breath after what she has done. She must be made to pay for her crimes. As such, I invoke the Blood Right." Andrea was taken aback, likely not expecting him to even know of the ancient custom. "To do so, you must have a valid claim in the eyes of Almiran tradition and law. Simply being a Pact Mage is insufficient." "The source of her dark powers is but a trifle against her true crimes." Drawing himself up to his full height, Farin prepared to give his declaration. "I Farin Ulithindiel Lorethenica accuse Talitha Valikenateil Lorethenica of the most heinous of crimes." He paused for dramatic effect. "Matricide." -------------------------------------- Mike glanced back at Tal in shock. Admittedly, he didn''t know much about the elf, but he didn''t think her capable of killing her own mother. However, tears were streaming down her otherwise emotionless face, eyes staring in a manner that suggested a horrified realization. Andrea''s mouth moved a few times, before she realized that she needed to continue in her current role. "That''s¡­that''s a strong claim. Do you have sufficient evidence to justify it?" The haughty elf grinned maliciously, "I offer my own account. That monster''s actions, the sins she committed, directly led to her mother''s death. I am justified in making this accusation because the victim is also my mother. I swear as such, as an appointed Envoy of Nirethial." Andrea, looking a little sick turned towards Mike and Tal. "I''m afraid his claims are valid. As such, it is within his rights to demand a trial by blood." "What does that mean exactly?" Mike growled. It was taking every ounce of his willpower to not simply incinerate the offending elf, regardless of his kinship to Tal. He could almost feel events aligning in another clich¨¦d scenario, only this time it was directed at someone he cared about. He couldn''t recall ever being this furious before. Andrea hesitated, "A fight between the disputed parties, until one side yields, is no longer able to continue, or perishes." Mike glanced back at his distraught companion. Judging from her still vacant expression, she was in no state for a life and death battle. Turning back towards the princess, "I assume there is some procedure for a stand-in to fight for the accused, right?" "That is correct. Are you wishing to serve as her champion?" "Yes." Mike answered simplt. "Is that acceptable to you?" Andrea asked Tal. For a second the room held its breath, as the elf looked at Mike with guilt ridden eyes. He mouthed, ''it''s alright, just nod" in an effort to bring this to conclusion. Finally, her head bobbed in acquiescence. "Very well, the accused party is prepared. Accuser, will you be taking part yourself, or selecting a champion?" Mike took a second to use Appraise on the envoy. ---------------------------------------- Farin Ulithindiel Lorethenica Age: 84 Race: Sun Elf Class: Minister Title: Master of Subtlety -------------------------------------- [Well, that''s an inaccurate title.] "I chose Turindinal, my guard, to stand in my place." Farin replied with a smug grin. Andrea nodded, then spoke in a controlled and dignified manner. "Then by my authority as Princess Andrea Almir, daughter of King Gregory II of Almir, I declare this Trial by Blood initiated." Turning towards her aides, "Lola, lead the participants to the gardens and have a dueling ring demarcated." "Yes, Your Highness." The woman said with a bow, before motioning towards the two groups. "If you would all please follow me?" Mike took a step forward, ready to tear apart a haughty elf, but felt something pull on his sleeve. Tal let go, and opened her mouth to say something. Evidently, her words failed her, and after a few moments she close it once more. Giving as reassuring a smile as he could manage, Mike tried to console her. "It will be alright. We can talk about it after I beat his champion." After a few seconds, she replied in a quiet voice, "Careful. Turindinal dangerous. Eternal Blade. Warrior elite. Tier 3. Suggest disabling magic." He nodded, before turning to follow after the rest of the group. He took a moment to flash a confident grin at Broderick and Elaine, who were watching the proceedings with obvious anxiety. "Would you mind keeping an eye on Audra for a few minutes? I might need to really cut loose." Elaine nodded wordlessly as he passed by. The gardens turned out to a vast, sprawling affair that covered a few kilometers square in the area behind the main house. One segment of it seemed designed to function as a training yard of sorts. Here, there was already a crowd gathering around a ring laid in the dirt. Mike caught sight of the elven contingent grouped to one side, and started towards the other. Andrea caught his attention as they got close. "While I am bound by the rules of tradition to adjudicate this event, please allow me to offer my apologies for the trouble you have faced while a guest in the house of my uncle." She spoke while inclining her head in a manner that was probably significant from someone of the royal family. Mike knew that the situation was not her fault, but it was hard to not hold her accountable for the manner in which he was being forced. He quite frankly resented the constraint, and he allowed some of that bitterness to filter into his words. "It is alright, Your Majesty. I''m well acquainted with the fact that no good deed goes unpunished. I will make sure to keep that in mind the next time I encounter a member of the Almiran nobility in need of my aid." He stepped passed her while she was still trying to formulate a response, not really caring how rude he was being. He was seriously considering simply saying ''the hell with it,'' and leaving this country to its probable demise at the hands of its enemies. If it was for the University and his desire to continue his studies for a while longer, it would have been his primary choice. Once he''d reached the edge of the circle, the female aide named Lola seemed to take it as a signal to begin. She spoke to the assembled group. "By ancient tradition, a Trial by Blood has been demanded. The claim has been verified by a representative of royal authority, and champions have been assigned. At this time, both parties please enter the ring." Mike walked forward at Tal''s side. The elf appeared to have her emotions back under her control, at least as far as he could tell. However, he could still sense a tension in her posture that reflected her turbulent thoughts. Once they were in position, Lola continued. "The Trial by Blood is a battle to the death, although it may be ended early by virtue of yielding or inability to continue. There are no limitations on the methods of combat, but participants are not allowed to use abilities that extend outside of the combat ring. In the event that the accuser''s side is victorious, the individual known as Talitha Valikenateil Lorethenica will be surrendered to the accused for judgement under their laws. Should the accused prove triumphant, her innocence shall be confirmed within the Kingdom of Almir. Are there any questions at this time?" Neither side spoke. "Very well. Champions take your positions. Participants, retreat to the edge of the circle." The elven guard Mike had been facing off against earlier remained in place while everyone else took the opportunity to withdraw. He was dressed in a suit of bright, silver scale mail, which created a soft tinkling noise as he moved. Scars crisscrossed the man''s face, giving the elf''s natural elegance a harsh tone. His short cropped blonde hair was hidden behind an open-faced helm, as he readied a glaive with a long, scimitar like blade. Mike used Appraise prior to the start of the fight. ----------------------------------- Turindinal Gulien Opaliental Age: 457 Race: Sun Elf Class: Blade Master Title: Eternal Blade ----------------------------------- [Looks like this is going to be an interesting fight.] "Young man, are you in need of a weapon?" Lola asked once everything was ready. "No. I will be just fine without one." The confidence in his words caused his veteran enemy to frown. Andrea stepped forward, and raised one arm. "Then, by the authority of my father, King Gregory II, I declare this Trial by Blood initiated. May the side of justice prevail. Begin!" She dropped her arm to signal the start of the fight. Before her hand had even reached its final position, the Eternal Blade was already on him. Glaive sweeping in from his left, leaving him with no chance to evade. Chapter 161: Lighting Up the Ring Kelith watched with disdain as everything played out exactly as he''d anticipated. The human Princess had been forced into allowing the trial, and now the abomination''s protector was about to meet his demise. He''d sneered when the man had refused a weapon. Did he think he was worthy of fighting one of the Eternal Blades while unarmed? He''d been upset when his prot¨¦g¨¦ Farin had brought the issue to his attention. While dealing with his heretical sister was certainly important, the current negotiations took precedence. If it could net him the glory of finally putting an end to the abominable tax, he be willing to let a dozen Pact Mages go free. However, the longer he thought on the matter, the more he was convinced that he could use it to his advantage. The abomination could become a bargaining chip. With the life of a royal guest in his hands, Kelith could put a great deal of pressure on the Almirans. If the Duke wanted to avoid a very public embarrassment, he would need to follow through on some of the concessions they sought. [Yes, this could work out quite well.] As soon as the match had started, Turindinal had launched forward with the trademark speed of his order, sweeping forward with a killing stroke. Kelith was slightly surprised to see the move, since it suggested that the veteran elven warrior wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible. However, what happened next was even more shocking. The youth whipped something up in his defense, meeting the elf''s glaive with an audible clang, and forcing the two opponents apart. The Eternal Blade fell back into a guard position, eye''s widening slightly as he took in the human''s weapon. A sword of pure darkness was clasped lightly in one hand, as he casually fell into a stance of his own. Kelith noticed that the young man''s eyes had turned blue, a serene expression giving him the appearance of phenomenal confidence as he spoke. "Turindinal, was it? I''m going to apologize in advance for this. I know you probably have no real choice in who you serve, but due to circumstance, I will have destroy in once sense or another. Please bear with it." [A Tier 2 Elemental Mage, at the very least, and skilled with the sword. Who is this man?] The veteran elf made no reply, but a slight tightening around his eyes betrayed his feelings on the matter. Nevertheless, he did not give into his opponent''s taunting, choosing to remain on the defense. "What are you doing?" One of the elven envoys yelled. "Kill that arrogant human." This garnered a round of angry mutters from the primarily human audience. Yet, Turindinal remained where he was. This was strange. Kelith had known the man for centuries, and he''d always been among the bravest of warriors. While a Tier 2 mage was a concern, it was nothing he hadn''t seen before. Why was he acting like he was facing a dangerous opponent? The now blue-eyed youth tilted his head slightly, "Not going on the offensive? Well, I guess it''s up to me to get things started." An invisible current of air stated to blow around the mage, picking at his clothes. He blurred forward in a graceful maneuver that was hard to follow with the naked eye. The two warriors exchanged a handful of blows before Turindinal started backing up to give himself more room to wield his longer weapon. The human was having none of it, staying close the Eternal Blade and giving him no time to reset his stance. The pair began to increase in speed and ferocity, as the chorus of their clanging weapons seemed to blend into a singular, high-pitched tone. Even to Kelith''s untrained eye, it was clear that the human had an advantage in sheer agility. The man whipped his sword of darkness in an overhead chop that Turindinal was forced to block with the haft of his weapon, nearly falling to his knees under the sheer force of the blow. Staggered, he had little defense against the follow up strike which slammed into his ribs, sending him rolling through the dirt. Only the quality of his armor, and his elven reflexes had saved him from certain defeat. Kelith felt his mouth fall open. How long had it been since he''d seen a human match, let alone beat, one of the elite elven warriors in a contest of speed and skill? The Eternal Blades had a reputation of near invincibility once they''d closed on their enemies, so potent wer their abilities. They embodied one of the prime tenants of combat, that speed was life. Speed was one of the poorly understood higher attributes that existed within the system as a distillation of other lesser qualities. Each of the basic attributes seemed to have one associated with it, and centuries of experimentation had allowed the Sun Elves of Nirethial to confirm the relationship between Agility and Speed. They''d determined that enhancing on of the basic attributes, would enhance its related higher attribute, only to a much lesser extent. Far more effective was enhancing the higher attribute directly. It was a well-kept secret that the title of Eternal Blade granted an enhancement to Speed. This immense advantage was further compounded by a handful of skills unique to the Blade Master class. They were hard on the warrior''s body, but could give them an unbeatable level of speed for brief moments. Evidently sensing the need for just such a thing, an aura of green energy erupted around Turindinal, causing the warrior''s blows to reach a level of speed unreachable by mortal fighters. In a move too fast for any of the observers to follow, the Eternal Blade launched himself forward and landed a powerful slash across the human''s torso, flinging him across the ring in a spray of blood. The human rolled to a stop near the far edge, unmoving. The audience gasped at the sight, but Kelith felt a moment of relief at the outcome. It was amazing that the human had forced Turindinal to make use of his Blade Master''s Aura, even for a brief moment, but it was now clear that the outcome had never been in doubt. Harsh laughter filled the area, as Farin started gloating. "It seems your champion has fallen, abomination. It''s a shame he was so defiant in the face of his superiors. If he''d only left you to your richly deserved fate, he might have lived a while longer." Kelith moved to rebuke his follower. There was no need for his attitude. That their warrior had proven victorious was enough. Anything further would merely serve to damage their relations with the Almirans. However, he stopped when he realized that Turindinal was still in a combat stance, eyes fixed on his fallen opponent. [He couldn''t have survived that¡­] The human hopped back to his feet lightly, idly exploring the new hole in his suit with his free hand. "Aw man, Sera''s going to kill me for this. She specifically told me to keep this one in good condition." [He''s unharmed? But the blood¡­. Could it have been healing magic? Regeneration? Who in the hells is this human?] Oblivious to the shock his apparent resurrection had caused, the youth sighed dramatically. "I suppose I should stop playing around, and put an end to this." He fixed his gaze on the Eternal Blade, and began muttering under his breath. Turindinal reacted quickly, aura once again blazing as he moved to stop the mage before his chant was completed. However, he lurched to a halt without taking a step. The elf''s lower legs were almost completely encased in hardened earth. It seemed that the dirt of the yard had flowed over his limbs at some point while the mage had him distracted. It only took a few seconds for the Eternal Blade to free himself, but by that point the human had finished his spell. Crackling energy coursed over the man''s frame, filling the air with the scent of ozone. Bolts of lighting formed arcs between his raised arm and the ground, as the hum of charging electricity resounded across the courtyard. Kelith felt his hair stand on end, and took an involuntary step back. The amount of power channeled into this spell was terrifying. [What kind of monster is he?] "[Lightning Field]!" The golden-eyed youth announced. The surging energy gathered into his right hand before expanding over the entire ring. Coruscating bolts of lightning filled the circle, creating a wall of sound and light that collectively drove the audience back. Kelith covered his eyes with an arm and staggered backwards. Screams echoed from all around him, barely audible over the sound of thunder from the nightmare of light that had erupted in the circle. After a few seconds, the violent crackling of energy ceased, and the audience was left to squint at the changed dueling ring. Steam issued from the melted and warped earth, which had become smooth and shiny, like glass. The entire circle had been transformed by the spell, with the exception of a small patch of dirt where the mage still stood. [This level of control....he must be at least a mid Tier 3 mage. At such an young age? How have we not heard of this man?] --------- Mike took a deep breath and waited for the pain to disperse. [Alright, just focus on not falling over. Can''t ruin your badass appearance here. Next time, I really need to cast that spell a little farther away from myself. On the plus side, looks like I picked up a new resistance skill.....] Once his regeneration had done its job, he opened his eyes and looked over the desolate expanse of cooling glass created by his lightning. [Alright, that''s pretty cool.] Impressively, his opponent was still standing, although just barely from the looks of it. The once proud elven warrior was reduced to mass of burns and charred metal. His helmet had fallen off at some point, revealing a pain-wracked face. Glaive fallen to one side, the man no longer posed a threat. He turned towards the shocked crowd, picking Andrea out of the mix. "Are we not done here, your Majesty? Must I kill this warrior?" His rebuke seemed to startle her into action. "Champion of the accuser, are you able to continue?" The Eternal Blade bent slightly with arm outstretched, as if trying to reach for his weapon. Unfortunately, this caused him to overbalance and collapse, falling to the ground in a boneless heap. "It seems that he was not able to. As such, I declare the accused the victor in this Trial by Blood. The one known as Talitha Valikenateil Lorethenica, know that in light of the judgment of the Gods, you stand acquitted of the crimes leveled against you." The Princess announced, bringing an end to the fight. Mike turned and started walking back to Tal. He had a feeling that it would be best to leave now. The surrounding nobles were giving an odd mix of looks. Most of them were clearly fearful, quickly moving to get out of his way as he left the ring, but there were a few individuals that seemed to be more....calculating. "Ah..." Andrea tried to call out to him, but was interrupted by a cry of rage. Farin stalked across the ring, face warped in fury. "This is not over, abomination! I will have my revenge, and you will suffer as you have never suffered befo-" A blunt knob of earth had speared forth from the ground between his legs, silencing the raging elf. As he collapsed to his knees and then to his side in the fetal position, mouth twisted into a silent scream, Mike couldn''t help but snicker. [Ah, now that was satisfying.] He looked over at Tal, who had cast the spell. "That''s rather cruel for men, you know." "Deserved it." "Not arguing with you on that one." He agreed, as he scanned the members of the elven group, gauging their reactions. He noticed a rather distinct lack of sympathy for Farin''s plight. [While I''m not quite done with him, its good to know I won''t have to fight a war to deal with Tal''s brother.] Mike thought to himself while leading Tal away. It was going to be a busy night. Chapter 162: The Old Standoff The man dressed in an elaborate demon costume howled with sadistic laughter, "Mwhahahah! Give up! You cannot solve my riddle. Never again will you see your children!" Wearing a simple white dress and looking far too young and fit to be a mother, the pretty heroine despaired. "Alas! Though I have succeeded thrice before, to stumble at this point! Is this truly the end?" The ''demon'' laughed again, and held up an hourglass up for the audience to see. "Surrender! A mere handful of sand is all that remains. Soon it will have fallen, and the lives of your progeny will remain in my hands." The woman''s face twisted in grief for a second, before slackened in sudden realization. "Time¡­the answer is time!" Reeling back in overly dramatic agony, the ''demon'' hissed, "How?! How could you figure it out?" "The answer was in your hand the whole time," The woman replied triumphantly, pointing at the hourglass. Sera felt a surge of excitement at the heroine''s latest victory. The play had been as clich¨¦d and ridiculously overdone as she''d heard, but it was hard not to root for the protagonist. Seeing her defeating a series of challenges using only her wit and the strength of her will, was invigorating. However, not everyone seemed to feel the same. "Oh come on! The demon pretty much gave the answer away with how often he waved the hourglass in front of her face. Anyone with half a brain could have seen the answer immediately." Brenden complained from the seat next to her. He''d been a vocal critic of nearly every aspect of the play throughout the performance, earning him several scowls from the nearby nobles. "That''s because the third''s demon''s weakness was pride. He was so convinced in the difficulty of his riddle, that he assumed it unsolvable, and wanted to gloat over his assured victory. The kindly mage explained all this before she started the trials." Sera hissed back. "That''s another thing. I still don''t see why the mage couldn''t help her during the trials, or just destroy the demons for that matter. He was supposed to be some Tier 4 badass right? Why can he only give oddly specific advice?" "Because it wouldn''t be an interesting story if the mage did everything! This is supposed to be about a normal woman besting demons in battles of wits." She growled quietly, having to resist the urge to yell at the infuriating beastman. Brenden rolled his eyes, "Yeah, some normal woman. She just lives in a mansion surrounded by servants and piles of money. Anyway, why even include the mage character, if you aren''t going to use him properly? It just doesn''t make sense." Sera opened her mouth to respond, despite the dirty looks she was getting from their neighbors, but was interrupted by an explosion of thunder, which vibrated through the room. Distant screams could be heard from outside. With a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach, she stood and walked to the exit with Brenden. They''d moved without needing to communicate, both completely aware of what must have happened, and who was responsible. [Maybe I''ll get a chance to watch the rest another time.] ------------------ Moving quickly, Mike and Tal headed back to the ball room and grabbed Audra, offering a quick explanation to Broderick and Elaine. "Sorry about leaving early, but we need to be going. I think we''ve overstayed our welcome." Broderick looked anxious, "Is everything alright?" "For now, but there are a few loose ends we need to take care of before the night is through." Mike replied casually, trying to not look at the sources of hostile intent which had been following them since they''d left the gardens. "Let''s get together again, sometime, perhaps in a less formal setting." Mike''s easy confidence seemed to convince him. "That would be excellent. I''ll see about getting something organized in the future. I''m sorry that you had to suffer through all that while guests of my House." Smiling, he replied calmly, "Don''t worry. Believe it or not, but this is not exactly an uncommon occurrence for us." Leaving a now confused looking Broderick and a forlorn Elaine they made their way back to the entrance hall, meeting Sera and Brenden in the process. A quick summary of events was all it took to direct them out the door and into a waiting carriage. "So what''s the plan?" Brenden asked when they were underway. "If they make a move, I''m going to try intimidation to prevent them from doing this ever again. Failing that, we''ll crush them." Mike answered grimly. "Are you sure they''d be willing to negotiate at all? From the sounds of it, they have a rather intense dislike for Tal. No offense." Sera spoke up. "None taken." The elf replied calmly. Her earlier storm of emotions had largely passed, but she still seemed to be forcing herself. Mike figured she was holding herself together for the time being, until she had a chance to process. "Unless I judged the ambassadorial party incorrectly, they aren''t fully in support of Tal''s brother, and will be willing to seek a peaceful solution to the issue, especially if I can demonstrate the cost of the alternative." She blinked at him, before frowning in thought. "I know the headmaster has caught on, but are you willing to play that card? There is still a chance that we can keep your connection to Red a secret for a while longer." He fixed her with a stare, "He called Tal an abomination. I''m not going to let him get away with it." Brenden nodded in agreement, before throwing his hands behind his head with a confident grin. "Alright then. When do we get started? It''s been awhile since I fought an elf." Taking a moment to send a quick mental message, and search out the hostile presences that were still hovering around the edge of his detection radius, Mike stood up. "No time like the present. Let''s get this taken care of." ----------------------------------------------------- Aerin clenched her jaw as she maintained her pace through the nighttime streets of Almirn. Her team had been told to trail the target, and nothing more, but it was hard to control her emotions, and the need for revenge. Turindinal, a comrade that she''d served with for centuries was now fighting for his life in a hospital bed, and the perpetrator of his injuries was allowed to go unpunished. A part of her recognized that these feelings were unjustified, considering the nature of the duel that had been fought, but it was difficult to reign the instinctual need to avenge her fallen friend. The target''s carriage was still in sight. From what little information she''d been able to gather during their hasty departure, it was likely that the Pact Mage and her protector were headed back to the University. Despite recent events, the compound was well known for its security. Once they''d passed through its walls, the elves would be unable to continue their surveillance. That they''d also be safe from whatever revenge the Eternal Blades could muster did not escape Aerin. As a captain, and the leader of the squad assigned to the Ambassador''s party, she was aware that any action she took now could result in a diplomatic incident. Assuming they were the ones to initiate it, anyway. [Just give me an excuse. That''s all I need.] The carriage stopped, as if answering Aerin''s silent plea, and the human mage descended from its opened door, quickly followed by the rest of his party. After signaling the driver to continue, they took up a loose formation in the middle of the street. Aerin halted and motioned for the rest of her team to keep their positions before stepping forward, glaive at the ready. Part of her mind bent to planning contingencies. She wasn''t sure how her team was detected, but it was unlikely the cohort of Night Blades that had accompanied them from the manor had been discovered. She felt a grim satisfaction at the coming confrontation, but also a hint of trepidation at the thought of facing the mage in outright battle. She''d witnessed the duel he''d fought against Turindinal, and it was clear to her that he''d been holding back. The Eternal Blades had dealt with powerful mages before, and she was confident that if it came to battle, they would prevail, especially with the assistance of their compatriots from the Night Blades. However, she couldn''t dismiss that slight inkling of concern at the back of her mind. What was his angle? Why confront them now? "What this? You''ve been following us since the manor, all but wearing your hostility on your sleeves, but now that we''ve stopped, you stay hidden? Are the famed Eternal Blades so cowardly? " The golden-eyed mage yelled into the night. Gritting her teeth once more Aerin stepped fully into view. The arrogance of the human was aggravating her. "What is your goal, mage? You can''t believe that we''d allow you disrespect our nation in such a manner and get away with it. You must know that there will be consequences to your actions." She gave a quick hand signal, and her team of Eternal Blades revealed themselves. All twenty of them, forming a semi-circle across the length of the street. The mage fixed her with a cold stare. "Is that a threat?" Anger flaring, Aerin responded vehemently, "You maimed a good friend of mine tonight. Someone I was serving alongside of before your grandparents were even born. Plainly speaking, I am pissed, and if you didn''t know, elven grudges are deep and long. You''ve earned yourself a legion of enemies, and it is only a matter of time before we destroy you alongside your pet abomination." The mage''s eyes narrowed, and Aerin felt a wave of killing intent roll off of him, causing the surrounding Eternal Blades to snap their weapons into the ready position. She could tell without looking, that each of them were prepared to flare their aura in an attempt to close the distance as quickly as possible. "It seems that you have forgotten the fate of your comrade. If you think that simply increasing the number of warriors will even the score, you are sadly mistaken. Even your group still in hiding will not bring you closer to victory." She felt a chill. Was it a bluff? Or had he somehow detected the Night Blades in hiding? There were a few high tier skills that might be able to accomplish that feat, but they were rarely available to individuals with magic focused classes. Could he have used some kind of sensor spell? Surely the Night Blade''s Magehunter would have noticed. Despite her qualms, she maintained a brave front. "You may have caught Turindinal off guard, but that will not be the case now. The four of you won''t be able to resist us." "Five." The man replied simply, "Well, if you want to get technical, six." What was he- A massive object slammed into the ground behind the mage, shattering the cobblestone street with a terrific impact. For a second, Aerin couldn''t believe what she was seeing. Especially when the fallen object drew itself up to its full height, lifting a reptilian head into the air. Two molten orbs stared down at her balefully, sweeping the assembled elves with a disdainful glance. With the sound of rushing air, the creature took a deep breath and unleashed a primal roar. It took every ounce of Aerin''s willpower to remain standing in the face of the instinctual terror that wracked her being in the face of that monster, but she bore through it. When the last echoes of the roar faded, she was still standing, something that could not be said of all of her comrades. Staring up at the powerful creature, Aerin couldn''t help but shiver. It had been decades since she''d felt this overwhelmed by an opponent, and no blow had even been struck yet. She was beginning to remember why the Dragonknights had been so respected...and so feared. "Tell your master that the elf Talitha...." There was an inexplicable pause as the mage glanced back at the Pact Mage, "Valikenateil Lorethenica is under our protection. Any further attempts to harm her, and I can promise you the consequences will be dire for your city." Aerin gulped dryly. While a single dragon was not a real threat to Nirethial, if he represented the Dragonknights.... "I will deliver your message." She gave the only response appropriate. "Good." And with a sweep of draconic wings the creature lifted off into the air, carrying the mage''s group with it. She sighed in a mixture of relief and fatigue. They were lucky that things ended peacefully. It would have been quite hard to explain to the Council that they were at war due to her actions. With any luck this whole situation would be blamed on the junior envoy Farin, and the Eternal Blades themselves could escape blame. A part of her still burned with the need for vengeance, but her blood had cooled significantly. For now, she decided to take the prudent course. After all, the Sun Elves were a patient people, as could be expected of ones with such long lifespans. She could afford to wait. Chapter 163: Chatting in the Moonlight After some creative maneuvering and a quick dismount in a deserted section of the campus, they took a moment to recover. "Blergh¡­." Brenden finished emptying his stomach in the nearby bushes, and collapsed onto the ground in the grass. "That was unpleasant. Give us some warning next time." Sera, who was still on her hands and knees, too unstable to walk, shook her head. "Never again¡­" Rubbing the back of his head guiltily, Mike apologized. "Sorry about that, I hadn''t intended on him moving quite that quickly. Still, I''m a little surprised that it bothered you two as much as it did. Tal is fine, after all." The elf in question was leaning against a tree, giving him a level look. "Waiting." "Waiting? What for?" "Spinning to stop." She answered with a little more force than usual. "Ah¡­..yeah, I''ll make sure he goes slower next time." Sera shook her head once more, "Never again¡­" After recuperating they made their way back the dorm, attempted to sneak in, got caught, and received a lecture from Anna about breaking curfew. However, she forgot what she was talking about halfway through, and ended up giving them freshly made pastries and wishing them a good night. While Mike was getting ready for bed, there was a knock on the door. He went to answer, and came face to face with Tal. "What''s up?" "Can talk?" He nodded, and thinking quickly led her through the study and out one of the room''s large windows. They walked in silence for a while until they came across a small clearing in one of the forested sections of campus. There was a mid-sized boulder resting in its center, dappled with the soft moonlight. Figuring that this was as good a place as any, Mike turned towards Tal and asked, "So what do you want to talk about?" The elf held up one hand, signaling that he should wait. She took a deep breath, eyes closed, and spoke, "Akiriti. Temporary Release." A bird composed of howling winds rose from her back, filling the clearing with swirling air currents. With a subdued cry it slowly faded from existence. Tal opened her eyes and focused her gaze on him. "Now we can talk." Mike was a little surprised. Her voice was still monotone, but her words had started flowing with more grace. She was longer limited to short, choppy iterations. With what little he knew about Pact Magic, he felt slightly concerned that she might have given up something important up to have this conversation. "Will this be alright?" "I have released my contract with Akiriti temporarily. There will be a payment I must make in the days to come, but it was worthwhile to speak my mind without difficulty." She replied while walking over to the boulder and gracefully taking a seat. She patted a spot next to her, urging him to do likewise. Figuring the damage had already been done, he acquiesced, and then waited for her to start. She stared up at the night sky for a few moments before speaking. "I was considered a cripple in Nirethial, because I was born without the ability to use mana. I didn''t really understand that as a child, but I felt the exclusion when I wasn''t allowed to attend the same lessons as my peers, when adults would whisper behind my back with expressions of pity, and when my father looked at me with disappointment and hidden shame. Of course, the other children picked up on it, too. As a result, I spent most of my early years alone." Mike was reminded of his own childhood, especially the faces of his parents as they strived to break him out of his ''shell,'' and the resignation they showed when they finally gave up. "That must have been hard for you." "I knew no other life. It never occurred to me that it could have been different, until much later. Besides, I had no right to complain. Nirethial, for all of its flaws, is something of a paradise. I never had reason to fear hunger, sickness, or the ravages of war. In many ways, I am much more fortunate than many others in Ea." He didn''t really have any grounds to refute that, even though the sentiment didn''t quite sit well with him. "Without anything else to do, I often played in the forest by myself." "Isn''t that dangerous?" Mike asked, thinking about his run in with the dinosaur when he first arrived. He could only picture the forests of this world being filled with terrifying apex predators. "Most of the central region of the Forest of Shadows is monitored and managed by the Druids of the Shadowed Grove. So long as I didn''t do something stupid, there was no danger, at least not in the form of monsters or animals." She was still staring at the sky, but her gaze had taken on the somewhat vacant cast of someone lost in memory. "It was in the forest that I first met Akiriti, and learned of the beauty of magic. I still remember the day. It was about a week after my coming of age, when the Sun Elves of Nirethial choose their first profession." "Their first profession?" "Due to our long lifespans, doing the same thing for decades on end becomes wearisome. As a result, it has become customary for us to select new paths to follow every fifty years or so. Although, there are some who pursue one thing to the exclusion of all others, like the Archmage. Anyway, I had chosen the path of a ranger. The idea of wandering the woods, defending them from external threats, appealed to me." Thinking back to the iconic ranger from a certain trilogy of books and movies, he had to admit, she didn''t quite match up to the grizzled image in his head. But, he supposed that things might be different in a world where a small child with the right skills could be stronger than a full grown man. Tal kicked her feet a couple of times, "I met Akiriti by chance. She was young, a newborn actually, and hadn''t learned how to hide herself yet. Nature spirits are common in the Forest of Shadows, but we rarely see them unless they wish us to. So when I found a small bird made of coursing air currents in one of my favorite spots, it was quite surprising." She stood then, and began pacing around the clearing. "I''m still not sure why, but I felt a connection to this strange creature, one that it seemed to feel as well." Her voice took on a warmth that was audible even through her monotone, "She let me near, not knowing any better, and by then the damage was done. We were soon forming a pact, although I didn''t really understand it at the time. Imagine my surprise when I realized I could do magic as a result." Mike waited for her to continue. "My first taste of magic was¡­..incredible. I felt as if I had been blind my whole life, and suddenly was able to see. It filled me with joy. I thought I''d finally found my place, and my path. In my enthusiasm, I shared my experience with my family." Tal stopped, staring down at her hands. It was a few moments before she started again. "I was naive. I didn''t know what I''d done was considered a sin, but my family understood immediately when I showed them. With my stunted speech, the payment for my newly acquired power, I couldn''t even offer words in my defense. My father and brother were furious, and only the intercession of my mother kept them from killing me on the spot." He swallowed hard. This was turning out worse than he''d anticipated. "It probably won''t surprise you that my brother was the one that turned me in. By that time, he''d already been pursuing a career in the government. Having a tainted relative like myself would destroy his reputation and ruin his chances for advancement, or so he told me the night before the trial. His only chance was to turn me in first, and play the dutiful citizen." Gritting his teeth, Mike felt another wave of anger at the man. It was a common enough theme in literature, but he still found it repugnant. "I was pulled in front of the Council of Elders, the ruling body of Nirethial, and denounced by my father and brother, labeled an abomination, and sentenced to exile." "Why so extreme? What you did doesn''t seem so terrible. Why did they treat you in that manner?" He found himself asking. "Sun Elves hold spirits sacred, so binding them into yourself or your service is considered heresy. That Pact Mages can do something similar with evil beings like demons, is just as damning. Since Nirethial''s security relies on the blessings of the Great Spirits, my actions were seen not only as a sin, but a threat to the stability of the city. Thus, the only option was my banishment, in hopes that my contagion wouldn''t spread and destroy their way of life." She replied quietly, once again taking a seat. "However, that wasn''t enough for Farin. He seemed to believe I''d personally harmed him with my actions, and he wanted revenge. For all of his arrogance and rage, he is quite skilled in manipulating events. On the day of my exile, I was dragged to the edge of the forest with nothing more than the clothes on my back and thrown into the wider world. I didn''t have long to appreciate my newfound freedom, since I was almost immediately captured by slavers." "What? Weren''t you in western Almir? It''s illegal, isn''t it?" "I was, and it is, but the laws of the kingdom rarely have much power along their frontiers. Slavers, smugglers, cultists, and bandits abound in that part of the country. It is part of the reason the Order of the Wheel maintains such a strong presence there. In any event, I found myself in the power of man by the name of Hurn. I would like to say he was a monster that maltreated me, for it would make for a better story, but in truth he was indifferent to my existence, seeing me as nothing more than his next paycheck." Strangely enough, she seemed to be calmer now than at the start of her story. Perhaps sharing it had helped. "He told me once that Farin had approached him, wanting to make sure that my exile would be filled with suffering, something that Hurn was all too willing to make promises for. However, once he learned I was a Pact Mage, he made the far more reasonable choice of selling me to the Adventurer''s Guild in Gold Spear." Mike''s shock must have shown on his face, because Tal gave a short laugh. "It''s something of an open secret, but the Guild is willing to purchase skilled slaves in order to bolster their ranks. They are freed after becoming adventurers, and expected to repay their purchase price by completing requests. While I didn''t recognize it at the time, I had been blessed with good fortune. People with my skill set are in high demand in the guild, and within a few months, I''d paid off the modest sum Hurn had charged. I spent the next few decades wandering the central continent, occasionally completing small requests, but never staying in one place for long." He tried to imagine what that must have been like, but he had a hard time visualizing the passing of decades in as off-hand of a manner as Tal was able too. The elven mindset was certainly unusual. "So, if you''ve been an Adventurer for that long, why were you still Rank 2 when we met?" She looked over at him, emotionless eyes meeting his for a brief moment, before they went back to staring at the sky. "I had no reason to advance, no desire to get stronger, and nothing to protect. Even with the blessing that was magic, I was only existing and not living. For lack of a better term, I stagnated. I wasn''t aware of it consciously, but I think I was looking for a place to die. One day I would take a request I couldn''t fulfill, and that would be the end of it." Mike waited through the silence for a few moments, before speaking up. "What changed?" The corner of her mouth twitched in what would have been a smile for anyone else, "I took an introductory dungeon delving class on a whim, and ran into a crazy human adventurer with a talent for magic. Watching him, I recalled some of the old joy I felt when I learned to ''see,'' for the first time. Before I knew it, I couldn''t look away." He wasn''t sure how to respond to that, but it seemed he didn''t need to. After a few moments she changed the subject on her own. "You know, there are three individuals I feel true gratitude for. The first it Akiriti for bringing me to magic. Without her I would have lived my life blind to all possibilities. The second was my mother, Lorelai, who was my friend, confidant, and protector." A single tear rolled down her cheek. The use of past tense didn''t go unnoticed, and he recalled Farin''s accusation. "Do you know what happened?" "No, but I can guess. Being related to an abomination like myself would be bad enough, but Sun Elves believe that one''s class is predominantly determined by one''s bloodline. Specifically by the mother''s bloodline." [Ah¡­..I see.] "Whether or not that is true, in the eyes of elven society, my mother bore the same taint as me. The same taint that would be passed onto her other children. "The knuckles of her hands whitened. "My father would have understood. He''d married a cursed woman, and there would only be one means of redeeming himself in the eyes of elven society." Her voice had trailed off, as the tears began to fall with greater intensity. Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. After a few minutes, she had calmed down enough to continue. "I''m sorry for dragging you into my troubles." Mike snorted. "Considering the things I''ve gotten you involved in, I should be the one apologizing. Really, I''m just glad that nothing else happened. Knowing my luck, we''ll get attacked by ghosts or something on the way home." She chuckled at that. A companionable silence descended, as they sat side by side, watching the stars. Finally, Tal stood and faced him. "It seems like our time is coming to an end. Akiriti will be coming back soon, and as payment I won''t be able to speak for the next few days." "That''s a rather steep price to pay for a conversation." He replied. "It''s worth it. I owed you an explanation, and it was nice to get that off of my chest. Thank you for hearing me out." Tal spoke with the hint of a smile again. "Anytime." He returned with his own smile. "By the way, who was the third?" "Hm?" "The third person you are grateful for? You never did tell." She tilted her head for a moment, then looked away. "Secret." He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of wind as Akiriti returned once more. She seemed to land on Tal''s shoulders, before wrapping the elf with her wings in a protective manner and sinking slowly into her body. Once this was done, she nodded in the direction of the dorm, urging him to follow. Sighing, he stood and joined her on the trip back. It had been a long, emotional night, and he was looking forward to some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be rough. Whatever fallout his actions had created would be bad enough, but he was especially dreading the coming confrontation with the Headmaster. Perhaps sensing his disquiet, Tal nudged him with an elbow. Looking over at her, he couldn''t help but laugh. The elf was using her index fingers to pull the corners of her mouth into a smile. Combined with her still emotionless eyes, the effect was more comical than anything. He was still laughing when they got back to the dorms, earning them another half-hearted lecture from Anna. Chapter 164: Negotiations for the Future Mike woke at his usual time, and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading out. The rest of his party had been pretty exhausted last night, so he tried to avoid waking any of them up. A few of the other inhabitants of the dorm were up and moving, but it looked like the majority were also late sleepers. While he was walking towards his first class, and by extension the meeting with the Headmaster, he spent some time firming his resolve in preparation for turning down the offered nobility. For all the benefits he would reap from the promotion, the accompanying obligations were too much for him. There were a pair of figures standing outside his Basic Elemental Magic classroom. He recognized his advisor and Instructor Johnathan as they walked forward to meet him. "Have you made your decision?" Emmanuel asked neutrally. "I have." The older mage nodded, "Just so you know, whatever you decided, you will continue to be a student of the University." Mike wondered if that had even been in question, but not wanting to spoil the sentiment, he returned the nod politely. "Well, get in there already. I''ve got a class to teach, and I can''t rightly do that with the two of you jawing." Johnathan broke in, waving him on with a shooing motion. Not needing to be told twice, Mike stepped forward and opened the door. The Headmaster was waiting near the chalkboard on the far side of the room, staring off into space with his arms behind his back. At the sound of Mike''s approach, he turned. "So good of you to come. I was planning on asking you if you had come to a decision, but due to the events of last night, it doesn''t really matter." "Ah, so you know about what happened." Mike replied sheepishly. "Of course. It''s not every day that a full size dragon flies into the center of a residential district in the middle of the night, and roars loud enough to shatter every window in a half-kilometer radius." Mike winced, he hadn''t really noticed the collateral damage in the heat of the moment. As if confirming something for himself, the Headmaster nodded subtly, then continued. "Don''t worry about compensation, the Embassy of Nirethial is footing the bill for the damages. I believe they are interested in making amends for instigating a fight in the middle of the city. The whole affair has given the Prime Minister enough reason to postpone further diplomatic talks with the group, until the intentions of the Dragonknights can be fully discerned. All in all, the kingdom came out ahead, thanks to you." Taking a moment to think about the situation, Mike finally came to a realization. "You can''t offer me a title anymore, since it would comprise my standing as a diplomatic representative of the Dragonknights. Now that my identity has been more or less revealed, you can''t afford to have anyone question my authenticity." "Close. You are wrong on two factors, though. Your identity remains secret, for now. However, the only thing keeping it hidden is the pressure we are applying to the Sun Elves. The events of last night have given us more than enough to hold over them in the short term, but it would probably be wise to act in the knowledge that you will be exposed at some point in the future." Alexander ran a hand across his bald pate. A nervous tic, from the looks of it. "The second problem, is that people are already questioning your authenticity. After all, you''ve remained secretive. An enigma that many countries are trying to unravel. Thankfully, the sheer difficulty of acquiring a true dragon ally means that most will believe, simply due to your summoned creature, that you are who we claim you to be. As such, there should be no issue silencing dissenters, at least in the near future." "That''s good." "Indeed. Now, as you mentioned previously, due to the delicate nature of the diplomatic situation, we can no longer offer you a position amongst our aristocracy. I was tasked with passing along the Prime Minister''s hopes that we can continue to maintain a good relationship despite this. After all, in the coming conflict, we will need all the assistance we can get." It was Mike''s turn to rub the back of his head. This complicated political stuff was a little over his head. He''d managed so far, thanks to what he recalled from the stories he''d read in his previous life, but it was starting to be too much. Figuring that since they were essentially taking advantage of his existence, he might as well be equally shameless. "While I have no problem continuing to assist the Kingdom of Almir, especially since I live here, I do expect to be compensated for my efforts." This brought a smile to the Headmaster''s face. "Of course. We expected no less." Sensing that he wanted to end the conversation early, Mike broke in. "Before we conclude this conversation, I do believe we need to discuss my participation in the war." The older man cocked an eyebrow, "Oh? Do you have some concerns?" "I would like to speak on the involvement of my draconic ally, and what role he and I should play." Mike replied with some trepidation. The Headmaster frowned, "There are substantial tactical and psychological benefits to having a true dragon in our ranks. Especially if it is accompanied by a Dragonknight. It would be great enough benefit, that I would be willing to risk war with the Sun Elves to accomplish such a thing. If it is a matter of payment¡­." "I''m not saying that we won''t participate, but I am concerned about how things will play out, should we prove successful. Even though I am merely appropriating the mantle of Dragonknight, I want to avoid taking actions that would sully their legacy. Assisting the Kingdom in their efforts to defeat a hostile invader bent on their destruction is one thing. It is quite another to take part in a campaign of vengeance and conquest once the initial invasion forces have been defeated." [Besides, I have a feeling that the real Dragonknights would take a dim view of me playing the conqueror in their name.] Throughout this diatribe, Alexander''s frown continued to deepen. "Would you have us leave this transgression unpunished? Let the Tennundians get away with their unprovoked act of aggression? I''ve already lost friends and comrades. People I had known for decades are dead because of their greed." Suppressing the urge to take a step back at the sudden rush of hostility, Mike answered as firmly as he could manage. "If I am to play the part of Dragonknight, then I must do it fully. Regardless of what their historical actions might have been, the order has become legendary for its virtue and pursuit of justice. So, while I will assist the Kingdom in its efforts to repel the invaders, I will also work to ensure that a resolution to this war occurs in the meeting rooms, and not on the battlefield." Alexander blinked, before sighing deeply. His face took on a melancholy cast that seemed to age him a decade in mere seconds. "That is a fair demand. I apologize for losing my temper. It has been a trying couple of weeks for me. We are in desperate need of allies, and I should not quibble about future conquests while our country''s future is still on the line. You must understand, the current invasion force represents nearly the entire Tennundian military. They have wagered everything on this campaign. Should we defeat them, it would be an unprecedented opportunity to crush them once and for all. We might once again know peace on the central continent." Mike nodded. "I can understand that sentiment, but unless you intend to massacre the populace, they will still be a conquered people. One that will bear a great deal of resentment to their Almiran conquerors. I suspect that a generation or two would be all it would take before the spark of rebellion ignites, and war broke out again." "There are steps we could take to prevent that." Thinking back to the history of his own world, Mike doubted that, "Possibly, but do you really believe it would be the beginning of a lasting peace?" The Headmaster was quiet for a few minutes, while lost deep in thought, before finally replying. "I suppose that all it would take was a weak ruler, or another dynastic struggle, and the Tennundians would be fighting for independence once more." He sighed. "However, this is a discussion for another time. Perhaps we can agree to solving the immediate issue before concerning ourselves with eventualities that may or may not happen." "Alright. So long as the discussion is not forgotten about." The Headmaster gave him an even stare, before nodding. "I won''t forget. So the question remains, are you willing to join the fight against the invaders?" Mike paused for a moment, considering the alternative one last time, but finally agreed. "Yes, I am willing." "Good." He replied simply, before continuing, "Johnathan will have some instructions for you pertaining to your role, once the Call to Arms is issued. He will be your nominal team leader, so please direct any questions to him." And with that, he marched out, leaving Mike alone in the classroom. [He seems like a decent enough person, although I''m not sure if I fully trust him. Despite his military attitude, he talks a bit too much like a politician.] Soon afterwards, Instructor Johnathan stalked in. "So it sounds like you''ve decided to throw your lot in with us. Well, kudos, but you still have a lot to learn before you''re ready for real combat." "You do know I''ve fought in multiple battles already, right?" Mike replied. The instructor gave him a hard stare. One with intensity and the promise of violence. "Sir." He corrected himself. "You''ve been in skirmishes, not real battles. You try those showboat antics of yours in a real fight, and all it will earn you is an early grave. You think the enemy doesn''t have powerful warriors and mages? If you expose yourself in a flashy manner, they''ll swarm you faster than flies on a corpse. You might be powerful, but make no mistake, death can come for you just the same as everyone else. Is that clear?" "Yes sir!" "Good. Now we have a few minutes before the other students show up. Take your stance, and we''ll see how much you''ve improved since last time." Chapter 165: Back to the Basics "Alright. That''s enough for now. The others are starting to arrive. You still have a bad habit of over committing when relying on magic. It makes you vulnerable to counterattacks from people who know what they are doing. We''ll need to make time for sparring in the future." Instructor Johnathan was commenting, while doing a few after exercise stretches. Mike groaned slightly, spat the dirt out of his mouth, and slowly got back to his feet. He hadn''t even seen the blow that had floored him. Taking a few moments to brush the dust off, he moved over to take his place next to the assembly area. In a short time, the other students had filed in and lined up. Johnathan paced in front of them with his trademark scowl. "How many of you are aware that a Tennundian army had invaded the Western Marches, and are even now marching on the capital?" Quentin was the first to react, "What?! What are we going to do? Oh Gods¡­" The others were equally stunned by the Instructors words. Rebecca and Aine engaged in a furious exchange of whispers, while Kalith and R''hakun exchanged mildly concerned glances. Mike was a little surprised by how shocked they were. After all the Tennundians had launched an assault on the University itself only a few days ago. It would be more surprising if this didn''t lead to war in some fashion. Perhaps it was the knowledge that they might be under siege soon. Johnathan gave them a few minutes to mull over the news before he continued. "That''s enough. I''m not done speaking yet. The nation is in a difficult situation militarily, and as such, the Prime Minister has begun the process for a general Call to Arms in the Capital. As students of the University and citizens of Almir, it is your duty to serve in the soon to be formed University Army. Of course, this does not apply to our guests from other countries," he nodded the direction of the elf and beastman. "Though we would welcome your participation, should you feel inclined to assist us." The two foreigners in question looked relieved by the revelation, obviously planning on jumping ship as soon as possible. What the instructor added after that caused their faces to fall once more. "However, if you decide to leave us, please note that your tuition is forfeit, and you will no longer be allowed attend the University in the future. I would recommend thinking carefully before you make your decision." Ignoring the discomfort of his neighbors, Quentin asked with some desperation, "Is there any way the rest of us can refuse?" Johnathan stopped, fixing a baleful gaze on the pudgy man. "Your country will be fighting for survival, and the addition of a single mage, even one of your inexperience, may change the course of battle. If you feel that you are unable or unwilling to defend your home against invaders seeking to destroy everything you hold dear, then you are free to leave. You will be seen as a traitor to the nation, so you''d better get on the first ship heading out. Hopefully, you''ll live long enough to regret your cowardice." Quentin twitched once, as if seriously considering leaving, before finally sagging in resignation. "Good on you. Does anyone else feel the need to leave? No? Alright, then I will begin preparing you for the roles you will fulfill once the Call is fully implemented." Curious, Mike asked. "And when will that be, sir?" Johnathan shot him a look before answering. "I''m not privy to the plans of the upper levels of the government, so I couldn''t tell you an official date. Since I have been authorized to inform you lot, it can be safely assumed that it will be issued to the populace in the near future." [Sounds like I might have another day or two before things go crazy. Might be worth running into town and picking up a few things, before the news hits, if it hasn''t already.] "Now, if there are no more questions, let''s begin. As low tier elemental mages, you will usually be fulfilling one of two roles. The first is to serve in a general mage corps and provide mana support to more powerful casters. Typically this group is made up of the least combat proficient mages, ones who could be best put to use as batteries." Johnathan began harshly. "The other is to be attached to units of Knights or warriors, to provide magic support in the heat of combat. This role is typically filled by the most skilled of the Tier 1s and the low Tier 2s. This is a more dangerous job, but it is also a more important one. The government recognizes as much, and the wages of this group tends to be significantly higher. You will also earn a great deal more recognition and glory, should such things interest you. There are a few other possibilities open, but generally speaking, unless you are a crafter or a healer, you''ll fall into one of these two categories." "So how do we know which ones we are?" Kelith asked. "That is simple. As your team leader, it is up to me to decide where you best fit, and I say that all of you, with one notable exception, are bound for the mage corps. You are all beginners lacking experience, and it would be the height of folly to place the lives of Almiran soldiers in your hands." He gave each of them a hard stare. "However, I am a fair man. If, over the course of the next few days, you can prove to me that you are more than a mere mana battery, you might be able to change my mind." "Before we do anything else, I have to teach you the most basic war mage skills, so that regardless of your role in the coming conflict, you won''t be a total embarrassment to me." What followed was the closest thing to a magic class that Mike had actually experience in his time at the University, and he learned a great deal from it. Johnathan demonstrated and then walked them through the acquisition of three simple abilities, mana transference, mana defense, and mana attack. They were rudimentary, requiring only a small amount of effort to make use of. Even the other students were able to pick them up quickly. It had never occurred to him that he could use the energy by itself, without filtering it through one of his other magic skills. This completely altered his perspective on how spellcasting worked. While he was learning the transference skill in particular, he felt like he''d come to a new understanding of mana. [Why didn''t my first attempts at healing just end up as a mana transference? An application of my luck maybe? Anyway, these seem to be basic magic skills. I wonder why it took so long for me to learn them. Is it really a matter of training?] Almost as if reading his mind, Johnathan spoke up. "I know some of you must be wondering why we didn''t start with these skills. The reason is simple, they are dead-end abilities. Neither Mana Attack nor Mana Shield advance beyond Tier 1, and Mana Transference is so difficult to improve that there have been no recorded instances of anyone achieving a higher level of skill than the substandard Tier 3 skill Mana Investiture." "What does that skill do, sir?" Mike asked, rather interested. His instincts were telling him that there was a hidden gem here. Johnathan gave him a hard stare before answering, "It allows you to store altered mana in objects and even other people. In theory, this could allow you to spontaneously create magic items and grant mana based abilities to others. However, the efficiency is so low as to be pointless. If you have the time to be worrying about mastering such things, I suggest you focus on improving your current skills, show off." Not wanting to argue, Mike simply acquiesced. However, he was planning on experimenting with the new skills at his earliest convenience. As soon as class ended, he took a moment to go over his [Status] to plan for his future development. From the sounds of it, he didn''t have much time left before the war kicked off, and he needed to be as ready as possible. ---------------------- Below is a status update. Please feel free to skip to the next chapter. ---------------------- -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (High) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Antagonist Wyrmkin Fortuitous Alchemist Known to the Lurker Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline Dragonknight Elementalist (NEW) -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 3) Advanced Healing Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Analyze (Rank 2) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Air Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Earth Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Light Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 2) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 3) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 1) Basic Alchemy (Rank 2) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 2) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 3) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 1) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 3) Basic Riding (Rank 5) Basic Haggling (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Basic Unarmed Fighting (Rank 4) Basic Chanting (Rank 3) Dual Casting (Rank 2) Aerosense (Rank 1) Basic Stealth (Rank 2) Basic Dismantling (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Blacksmith (Rank 2) (NEW) Mana Transference (Rank 1) (NEW) Mana Shield (Rank 1) (NEW) Mana Attack (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 2) Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Rank 1) Advanced Poison Resistance (Rank 1) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 4) Basic Mental Resistance (Rank 5) Basic Electricity Resistance (Rank 1) (NEW) Moderate Mana Enhancement (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Moderate Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 1) Basic Willpower Enhancement (Rank 3) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 3) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- Titles: -------------- - Elementalist - Through your mastery of the four basic elements, you have achieved a new level of understanding and control. Minor increase to the efficiency and potency of all Earth, Air, Fire, and Water Magic skills. ----------------- Primary Skills ----------------- - Advanced Healing Magic (Tier 4, Rank 1) - An advanced form of True Healing Magic. By channeling pure mana into the bodies of the injured, practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic can stimulate and supplement natural healing processes, allowing recipients to recover from virtually all forms of injury. Higher skill ranks allow for the healing of more severe injuries and lowers the overall mana cost of healing. Rank 1 Effects: Restorer - Restorer - Through sheer mastery of the healing arts, no ailment can withstand practitioner''s abilities. Allows the user to completely restore their patients to perfect health, removing any condition. So profound is this restoration, it can even reverse magical transformations and curse that effect a subjects soul. Also includes the effects of all lower tier abilities. - Intermediate Earth Magic (Tier 2, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Earth magic allows the user to create and manipulate earth and stone. It is characterized by its permanence and durability, providing the most effective defensive techniques of the four basic elements. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Minor Creation - Minor Creation - As the most fundamental of the material elements, Earth has a sympathetic relationship with all other forms of matter. Skilled practitioners of Earth Magic can take advantage of this relationship to modify the earth the create, allowing it to take the form of other materials. The quality and nature of these materials are determined by skill level. ------------------- Secondary Skills: ------------------- - Basic Blacksmithing (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The art of fashioning a variety of implements and items out of forged metal. Minor system correction to practitioner''s knowledge and ability in regards to smithing. Functions as the Prerequisite and Limiter for all other forms of smithing. - Mana Transference (Tier 1, Rank 1) - By manipulating their natural mana reserves, users of this skill can transfer their mana to others. This process creates resistance between individual mana reserves, causing a loss of energy. Higher levels of skill increase the efficiency of transference. - Mana Shield (Tier 1, Rank 1) - By manipulating their natural mana reserves, users of this skill can create a shield of pure mana around their bodies. Due to the unstable nature of raw mana, it is difficult to maintain this shield for long periods of time. Higher levels of skill improve efficiency, duration, and durability of the shield. - Mana Attack (Tier 1, Rank 1) - By manipulating their natural mana reserves, users of this skill can create projectiles of pure mana to launch at their foes. Due to the unstable nature of raw mana, the effective range of these projectiles is limited. Higher levels of skill improve efficiency, range, and power of the projectiles. ------------------ Passive Skills: ------------------ - Basic Electricity Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 1) - Exposure to electricity has rendered the user more resistant to its negative effects. Minor resistance to the negative effects of electricity. Chapter 166: A Steady Increase The magic theory instructor mentioned much of the same information Johnathan had put out. It seemed that the campus was quickly being warned of the coming conflict, and yet classes continued as usual. Mike found it rather strange. After all, the same students sitting around him and taking notes on stability of elemental energies in unnatural environments were going to be fighting on the front line in the near future. It was surreal when he thought about it. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to his current project of copying down Conjuration chants from the borrowed library book. Much like the one on Elemental Magic, it consisted of a limited number of chants with long sections detailing how to properly put them to use. However, this particular tome only contained 12 individual chants, which he''d finished before the class was even halfway over. Now he was left wondering how to spend the remaining time. Listening to the lecture was an option, but he quickly grew tired of the dry manner in which the professor taught. He understood why such a class might be important to future researchers, but a fundamental understanding of the way magic worked wasn''t necessary for the majority of students. They just needed to know the best way to put it into practice. [I suppose the same could be said for most sciences back on Earth, but they still taught them in school.] Sighing, he decided to occupy himself with attempting to unlock Scrivening. He pulled the required materials out of his bag, earning a few questioning looks from his classmates, and opened his grimoire (journal) to the place he''d copied down the details on the skill. As far as he could gather, it was simply a matter of charging the ink with mana, and drawing the runes for a given spell onto the future scroll. After selecting an appropriate sheet of paper, and mixing a quick batch of ink using the specialized charcoal and mana cores he''d powered earlier with a little mana infused water, he began the process of loading the enchanted pen. This proved to be far simpler than he''d thought. A built-in reservoir with a lever created a small amount of suction that drew the ink in, trapping it in place. Really quite a neat design. It reminded him of a old fashioned fountain pen from Earth. Now ready to start, he took a moment to think about what to make. Figuring that a light spell would be the least likely to backfire in a horrible manner, he started drawing the arcane runes in the way displayed by the guidebook. Thankful his Communication Magic did the majority of the translation work, meaning he simply had to focus on keeping his hand steady. The process required a great deal of focus, since a slight error in the structure of one of the runes could lead to the scroll failing, wasting the materials and mana. Despite that, he found the act of Scrivening quite soothing. There was a meditative quality to it, which made the time pass quickly. Before he knew it, Mike was done. A newly formed scroll of a basic light spell he came up with, laid out in front of him. It created a small glowing orb that followed the caster until its mana had been expended. While his ring obviated his personal need for light, he figured it could be helpful to his allies when operating at night or in underground locations. Looking over the finished product, he felt quite proud of himself. It was a little rough around the edges, but it had an elegance to the runes that was pleasing to the eye. He used Appraise to examine his new creation. ---------------------------------------- {Scroll of Lantern Light} Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 4) A scroll of the Lantern Light spell. It creates a small globe of light that follows the caster, providing illumination. Reduced from Tier 2 due to a flaw in the Scrivening process, lowering its mana efficiency. ---------------------------------------- While his face crimped a bit at the last line, Mike nevertheless enjoyed the act of creation. Scrivening was more straightforward than Alchemy, and he felt that, with a little practice, he could become quite good at it. Quickly scanning his [Status] he located the new entry. --------------------------------------- - Scrivening (Tier 2, Rank 1) - The art of drawing arcane runes with mana infused ink to create scrolls. Provides a minor system correction to act of Scrivening. Higher levels of skill increase the mana efficiency and potency of inscribed spells. --------------------------------------- [There''s not much to that description, but I suppose that''s alright. Its a fairly simple skill once you have the basics down. I wonder how valuable scrolls are. Maybe this could be a good source of income, assuming I even need such a thing anymore.] Guessing that he had enough time and ink left over for one more scroll, he decided to try something more common. Settling on his old standby of Fireball, he started working. Perhaps because of his new skill, he found himself falling into something of a trance during the Scrivening. After a few minutes, he had finished and was once again looking at a new scroll. This time, the number of mistakes had been reduced. He figured that after a few more tries he could make one without any inherent flaws. ------------------------------------------- {Scroll of Fireball} Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 5) A scroll of the Fireball spell. It creates a small flaming projectile that will explode with great force upon contact. ------------------------------------------ [Still Tier 1. The book did say that the potency of the scroll would be limited by the materials. Maybe this is the best I can do without more valuable items.] Comparing the two, he noticed a strange difference. The light scroll''s rune were sharper and more direct, while the fire scroll''s seemed to be wavier and more energetic. [Is it a simple matter of the runic language reflecting the represented elements, or something deeper?] He found himself growing more interest in the topic. Apparently he wasn''t the only one. While he had been focusing on the fruits of his labor, a small crowd had formed around him, silently watching his efforts. Mike looked around, noticing the stunned expressions on their faces. [Crap. I did it again.] Even the instructor was watching from the aisle, slightly shocked. "Did you just scribe a scroll in the middle of class?" "Yes?" Mike answered, not really sure how to respond. "And you''re a first year, right?" He nodded. "How...." The instructor trailed off, apparently not sure how to ask the question. [Well, I really don''t want to deal with this right now. Time for escape plan alpha!] Looking around at the crowd, he threw his hand down towards the ground and called out, "Smoke bomb!" Using a very reduced application of Steam Composite Magic, he summoned a cloud of mist, quickly filling the room with swirling fog. While the students were milling around in a panic, he made his way over to the window. An enterprising classmate came up with the idea of using wind to disperse the cloud. Fortunately, by the time the air was clear enough to see by, he''d already dropped into the courtyard below. Mike casually started walking to the library, leaving a few confused pedestrians behind. Unfortunately, it didn''t look like he would be able to attend either his Magic Theory or Chanting classes over the next few days, since he wanted to avoid being mobbed by curious classmates. Considering the upcoming war, though, he figured that skipping a few wouldn''t really matter. After arriving at the library, he dropped off his returns, keeping the volume of Alchemy recipes. The work was larger and more detailed than the other two, so simply copying the information down was an untenable prospect. [If I have time today, I should really see about getting an invitation to that private bookstore. Securing some solid reference books will greatly help with my future development.] While working hard to control his enthusiasm, he made his way to the level three restricted section, feeling a little triumphant as he walked through the archway successfully. The chamber he found himself in looked much the same as the previous levels, with a number of bookshelves in the center, surrounded by cages used to protect the other works. However, there was a strange feeling to the air, which seemed to hint at the power of the knowledge contained within. Giddy with anticipation, he began perusing the shelves, quickly finding a number of books that caught his attention. He''d already decided to use the opportunity to find a more advanced collection of Elemental Magic chants, but he was having a hard time deciding on what the other one should be. There were a much larger number of skills covered in this section, some of which he''d been clueless about. For instance, a book called "The Wild Heart: Beast Taming and You" described an ability that he was really interested in mastering. It focused on the skill of the same name, which allowed users to create bonds with powerful monsters and animals, and direct them to assist in battle. He figured that, with his Communication Magic, this would be an ideal method of dealing with monsters that he might have to kill otherwise. The longer he spent in this world, the more he felt that the line between a dangerous monster that needed to be put down, and a misunderstood creature, was hard to determine. At the very least, he might expand his current selection of allies with something a bit more reliable than people. Besides, combining this skill with Space and Calling Magic would allow him to pursue one of his childhood dreams. Now, if he could just figure out how to make storage items in the shape of balls, he''d be in business. Judging from the way the Beast Taming skill was described, he didn''t think he would have any trouble acquiring it, so long as he followed the proscribed method, so after jotting down a few notes on the process, he returned the book to its shelf and continued his perusal. There were some crafting guides he contemplated looking at, especially one entitled "Forging Miracles," which covered the art of creating enchanted weapons and armor, but considering his current smithing skills, he felt it was a bit premature to think about such a thing. Finally, after a long internal debate about his current weaknesses, he picked up a volume entitled, "The Inward Road." It focused on meditation techniques that were supposed to increase mana volume and recovery, healing speed, and the strength of the soul. While he really only picked it up for the first bit, the last one seemed like something that was worth investigating. The strange system messages he''d seen during his fight with Brutus in the plains near Wyrport suggested that refining his soul might be a means of increasing his overall potential. Satisfied, he moved on to looking for a chant textbook, but quickly found himself discouraged. Apparently, once reaching the intermediate level of Elemental Magic, chants became much more complicated and dangerous, so each element got its own book. Thus, Mike had a decision to make. After exploring his options in depth, he finally decided to take one that focused on Ice Magic, one of the forms of Composite Elemental Magic that he hadn''t done much with, yet. It seemed to be a phenomenally versatile type of spellcasting that combined decent offensive abilities with semi permanence. Taking his finds down to the checkout desk, he was feeling quite upbeat, at least until he heard the distant ringing of the clock tower. Realizing that he was late for his Summoning class after counting six bells, he mentally kicked himself. Leaving early was one thing, but skipping entirely was a bad habit he was trying to avoid forming. [Oh well. Looks like I have most of the afternoon free, now. I suppose I can take the opportunity to head into town and do some shopping. Maybe I''ll even check in on Selene.] Chapter 167: Converging Circumstance After sending a quick mental message to his new familiar, he headed towards the eastern side of campus. Feeling guilty for reasons he didn''t want to completely acknowledge, Mike snuck back into the Magic Department''s administrative building, and worked his way up to the top floor. He knocked on his advisor''s door, and after hearing the invitation to come in, did so. "Ah, Mike. I was wondering when you might stop by." Emmanuel commented from behind his desk. "Please have a seat. There are a few things I think we need to discuss." Taken off guard, Mike sat in the proffered chair. He''d only come here to ask his advisor for assistance in gaining access to the secretive bookstore Rusilka recommended that he check out. Once he was settled, his advisor fixed him with a intense stare over his interlocked hands. If he had a pair of glasses, the look would be distinctly sinister. "The headmaster has told me about your conversation this morning, and the conclusions you''ve come to." [Ah, that''s what he wants to talk about.] "I understand your motivations, and indeed, I empathize greatly with the sentiments, I just want to make sure that you get a full picture of what we are dealing with. As you are probably aware, there is an undeclared civil war going on currently. While the University is, in theory, a neutral party, we have become deeply tied to the Third Prince and Princess faction due their status as students here." Mike nodded, this was all pretty self-explanatory. "What you may not have considered, is the effect this will have on our ability to defend ourselves in the coming conflict with Tennundi. I want you to understand why our situation is so dire. Soon, there will be an army outside the walls of the capital, and we will be forced to fight for our very survival. Because of the dynastic conflict, we will likely not see any assistance from other parts of the kingdom." "What?" Mike asked, startled. "Would they really be willing to sacrifice the capital of the kingdom for small gains in the struggle?" "I assume it is more a matter of allowing our faction and the Tennundians to exhaust each other before sweeping in to claim the spoils. At least in the case of the Second Prince''s faction. They control the majority of the naval resources and mercantile assets of the kingdom, and would be poised to repeat the benefits of such arrangement, giving them a distinct advantage over the First Prince''s faction. With the majority of Prince Johnathan''s supporters involved with the military and the older noble families, it would be prudent for them to wait." "Then, shouldn''t we expect the assistance of the First Prince''s faction?" Mike was starting to get tired of all this political maneuvering. "Possibly, but they are currently in disarray, since Prince Johnathan himself is trapped behind enemy lines along with a slowly diminishing group of knights. They have been rather successful in raiding the Tennundian supply lines. Indeed, it is probably because of their actions that we haven''t been besieged yet. However, it is only a matter of time before they are crushed. So, it shouldn''t be surprising that many of the faction''s members are dedicated to launching a rescue mission." Mike was stunned. "They''re really thinking of prioritizing the life of one man over an entire city? Are they insane?" "You forget, that man is the future king, at least according to them. For traditionalist and military men, preserving the prince is tantamount to saving the kingdom itself. As such, they''ll expend every effort in his defense." Emmanuel commented sadly while leaning back in his chair "So, we''re on our own?" The older mage chuckled at that, "Thankfully, there are more than three factions. One of which has interests that happen to align with ours. The Neutral Faction, headed up by Count Graveston, is working to bring the Eastern Army to bare on the invaders, and with it comes a host of allies, drawn from all corners by the Serpents influence." Mike felt the hairs of his neck stand on end. He briefly had the sensation of being caught in swirling currents as the tremendous weight of events threatened to crash down upon him. "Reports are still unclear at the moment, but it seems that the count has somehow formed an alliance with the Ashborn orcs, who are even now marching west in force." Emmanuel smiled, evidently finding the whole situation amusing, "There have also been unconfirmed sightings of longships from the Barren Isle sailing with merchants under the flag of Wyrport. Combined with our newly acquired support from the elves of Nirethial, we have all the makings of a powerful international coalition." [No way¡­] "With a Dragonknight at its heart, we could very well see the creation of an army, the likes of which has not been seen in centuries. It''s enough to give this old man cause for hope. However, even if everything goes our way, we are unlikely to see relief before the end of Byrthine." Seeing Mike''s blank look, he added. "About three weeks from now. Until then, we really are on our own." This was a lot for Mike to take in. "It is important for you to understand, that you and your dragon will be key to our survival over the next few weeks. Aid us, and I can guarantee that land, titles, and wealth will be yours to claim when the hostilities are over. Depending on how things play out, you might even earn a place in the royal family itself. After all, Princess Andrea has yet to be betrothed." Emmanuel continued with a sly grin. If Mike was drinking anything, this would have been the perfect opportunity for a spit take. Hoping to change the direction of the conversation, he asked, "Why are you telling me all this?" "I don''t want you to get the wrong impression about the Headmaster. For all his manipulations, he is a good man at heart. Due to a rare confluence of circumstances, the Third Prince''s faction finds itself at the head of an international coalition in a manner that will thrust us to the forefront of the contest for succession. Alexander, as a former general, has been put in charge of the defense efforts here in the capital. The lives and welfare of not only the University and the rest of the faction, but the residents of the city as well, are in his hands. As you can imagine, he is under a tremendous amount of pressure as a result." Mike tried to imagine what it must feel like to have that many people look to you for guidance and leadership. The thought was terrifying. [I really hope I won''t have to deal with that in the future.] "I understand. I won''t take his words to heart." "Good man." Emmanuel replied with a smile. "Now is there anything else I can do for you?" "Well, there is one thing¡­.." ------------------------------ "Have a good day! Visit us again soon!" Selene called to the departing merchant. She made sure to wave from doorway of the tavern until he was no longer in sight. As soon as he''d rounded the corner, her face fell into a grimace. The man had barely tipped at all. Luckily, the coin purse she''d snatched off his belt when he was busy staring at her cleavage had contained a fair sum. [A few more days of this, and I should be in pretty good shape financially.] "A tavern catering to traveling merchants and sailors, huh? A good choice. You really have a knack for this intrigue thing." A voice spoke from directly behind her. "Gah!" She screamed while leaping forward, spinning, and landing in a fighting stance. Her new master stood in the doorway, suppressing a snicker at her reaction. "Okay, well maybe we need to work on your situational awareness. Nice reflexes though." "Don''t do that! Nearly gave me a heart attack." She scolded while trying to calm herself down. The mage glanced around before leaning in to whisper, "Is that even possible for a vampire?" "It''s an expression." She grumbled. "Now what do you want? I still have a few hours left on my shift, and if I get caught slacking, they take it out of my pay." "Did you get my message?" He asked. Selene stared at him for a few moments, completely at a loss, until she remembered the strange voice in her head from earlier. "That was you? I thought I was going crazy. How are you able to do that?" He waved his hands, "Magic." "Hilarious." She replied with a straight face, "Anyway, I looked into that group you asked about. Didn''t have much time to do any real research, but I figured a few things out." "What did you learn?" She tilted her head and looked upwards while remembering the information she''d charmed out of the wealthy sea captain. "They don''t have a name as far as anyone can tell. Most people just call them the Organization. They deal in goods of any type, but every agent has a specialty. The one operating in this area focuses on books. They has a solid reputation and are well trusted by the standards of the underworld. They play fair, but expect you to play fair as well. Finally, they have a large number of major players in their employ. Anyone who tries to mess with them usually disappears in a gruesome way." "So, powerful underground organization that focuses on selling valuable things. Got it. Anything else I should know?" He asked, summing up her points quickly. "Not really. I would say be careful not to antagonize them, but you can probably handle the worst they have to offer." He smiled at that. "Always appreciate a vote of confidence. How are things here, by the way?" She sighed, relaxing a bit. "Not too bad, all things considered. Between my old talent for persuasion and Harmonic Domination, I''ve been able to settle in without any problems." "If your skills are that potent, why are you working at a tavern?" He asked, seeming genuinely curious. "You told me to blend in, remember? No one pays much attention to what a tavern wench is doing, or at least what she''s doing above the neck, and a lot of business gets conducted over drinks and meals. Besides, I''m trying to not draw attention to myself, and a new serving girl down at the local tavern is a lot easier to believe than the sudden appearance of the long-lost heir of noble estate, or something to that effect." He nodded appreciatively, "Fair enough. Looks like you''ve put a lot of thought into this." "Despite my appearance, I am a professional. Anyway, was there anything else you needed, boss?" "Just to let you know that you can leave messages for me at the Adventurer''s Guild, should you need to contact me." He added, while stepping around her to get out into the street. "Address them to Mike, and they''ll make their way to me." "Just Mike? Nothing else? How will they know that it''s you specifically?" "Have you ever met another person in this world named Mike?" He asked with a smile while walking. "Don''t worry, though. I''ll make sure to have them keep an eye out for you." Thinking about it, she supposed she hadn''t. By the time she came to the realization, the mage had already faded into the milling crowd on the street. "Penelope! Where are you, girl?! You better not be slacking!" Came the deep, rumbling voice of the tavern''s owner. Evidently, there was more work to be done. Sighing, Selene walked back inside. Maybe it wouldn''t hurt to use her abilities a bit more. Just enough to make the tyrant in charge of this place a little more amendable. "Hey Valen, there''s something I want you to listen to." Chapter 168: The Broker (One) Turning in his requests to the Adventurer''s Guild was easier than he anticipated. With as big of a scene as he''d made during the request itself, he''d expected to have at least a few people waiting for him to show up. However, the paperwork was processed normally, and he was ready to go within minutes. Mike walked out of the Guild while idly playing with the handful of silver that was his reward. Once, this would have seemed like a large amount of money, but now it felt like pocket change. So it didn''t cause him any discomfort to spend some of it at various street vendors, providing lunch for himself and his hungry familiar, who was roused by the smell of the cooked food. After devouring several skewers of grilled meat, she returned to his pocket. This behavior concerned him slightly, and he wondered if she needed a larger dose of mana. Taking a moment to examine his mana supply, he noticed that the amount Red was receiving had reduced about 30%. He figured the conjured dragon must be getting closer to become a creature in fact, and therefore required less energy from him. He redirected his new surplus to his familiar, noticing that she was once again acting like a mana sponge. [Why is she needing so much? Is it normal? I really should have looked for a book on dragon biology while I was at the library.] Resolving himself to get to the bottom of this at his next opportunity, Mike left the area in front of the guild and headed into the commerce district. He debated stopping by to see Gail, but he hadn''t even touched any of the alchemical supplies she''d given him, and he felt slightly guilty about showing up with nothing. For now, he was on a mission to find The Nook. His advisor has given him a letter of introduction after the unsurprising revelation that the old mage was one of the secretive store''s best customers. According to the directions he''d gotten, the place was located at the back of a dead end alley. After some wandering, he eventually found himself in the dirty, semi-abandoned street he was told to look for. Garbage was heap into piles throughout it the, and a handful of beggars seemed to be making their home amongst it. He could feel a low grade hostility from them as he made his way up to the rusty metal door, which nearly abutted against the back wall. Not seeing any clear way of opening the door, he shrugged and tried knocking. After a few minutes, a deep, masculine voice called from the other side. "We''re not open." Recognizing the start of the passcode, Mike answered in the manner his advisor told him to. "That''s a shame, I have a wealth of coin to spend on rare finds." As soon as he spoke the words the hostile intent he''d been feeling from the nearby beggars vanished, causing the hairs of his neck to stand on end. The door opened and a massive man dressed in leather armor motioned for him to come in. He was led through a number of twisting hallways until he arrived in an elaborate sitting room. Under the urging of the man, he sat on one of the comfortable couches, and was, surprisingly, left to his own devices. Looking around, he didn''t see anything that resembled a bookstore, but he supposed that this kind of enterprise was likely operating outside of the law. The standard procedure would be to keep the inventory separate from the storefront to avoid compromising both in the event of discovery. That said, considering the kind of clientele this kind of place used, he was surprised that they had to worry about laws at all. Surely, some of their customers could lend a hand in having the guard look the other way. So, maybe it was just an added level of anti-theft protection? After a few minutes, a gaunt, elderly man dressed in fine noble garb walked in and sat down across from him. His face appeared to be carved from stone, for all the emotion he displayed. In fact, with his high, sunken cheekbones, prominent hooked nose, and steel gray hair, the man reminded him bit of a gargoyle. A quick Appraise yielded interesting results. --------------------------- (Hidden) Age: (Hidden) Race: Human Class: (Hidden) Title: Lorekeeper --------------------------- [So it looks like there are some methods of hiding from Appraise. Ones that are probably available to individuals with the right connections and resources.] The man spoke in a dry, humorless tone. "Good afternoon. I am the Broker. By virtue of your arrival here, I take it you understand the nature of our business, so let''s dispense with the pleasantries. Do you have a letter of invitation?" Mike handed it over silently, and after a few minutes of examination, the Broker spoke again. "Very well. What are your literary needs?" Not for the first time, Mike was struck by the oddity of a black market bookstore. It was taking a significant amount of effort to keep a straight face throughout the proceedings. "I''m am interested in a number of topics, but the specifics will depend greatly on what you have in stock. Is there a catalog or list I can see?" The Broker gave him a disdainful glance before replying, "Unfortunately, due to the circumspect nature of our business, such a thing is only available to the most trusted of our customers. As a first time buyer, I cannot provide you with it, no matter who recommended you." "I see." Mike said while thinking deeply. [I should be careful about what I ask for. Even though they have a good reputation amongst the underworld, I shouldn''t trust them with any information that might be used against me in the future.] "Then, I would like to see what you have available in terms of crafting guides for Alchemy, Artifice, and Smithing of any variety. Additionally, I would like reference books on monsters, with an emphasis on their characteristics, valuable components, and typical behaviors. Finally, I would like look at any collections of chants for Elemental Magic of Tier 2 or 3, Healing Magic of any Tier, and Summoning Magic of Tier 1 or 2. Would any of that be a problem?" Snapping his fingers, the Broker summoned a ledger out of thin air, in a manner that left Mike guessing on how he accomplished it, and why he was bothering to make use of such a skill. [Is he trying to impress me?] After consulting the ledger, the old man spoke, "Please keep in mind, our current inventory is limited, so fulfilling all of those needs is currently impossible. We do provide retrieval services on request, but keep in mind that there is a substantial fee associated with it. As for what''s currently in stock, we have a few tomes on Alchemy, a beginner''s guide to Artifice, and a plethora of guides on the finer arts of Smithing. In terms of reference books on monsters, we do have a few hunter''s guides that might be what you are looking for. Finally, spellbooks of any type are considered part of our restricted stock, and are therefore limited to three per customer per month." "Why is it limited?" Mike asked, feeling genuinely frustrated by the continued difficulty of getting information in this world. "In the past, we had issues with certain customers monopolizing our inventory of spellbooks. After a large number of complaints, the Proprietor instituted the policy on restricted stock to better serve the needs of our clientele as a whole." "Alright then, I would like to see the advanced Alchemy tome, the Artifice guide, an entry level guide for every form of Smithing you have available, the hunter''s guides, and any Healing Magic spellbooks to start with." Mike replied. The Broker nodded, and rang a small bell. After a few moments a man who resembled a librarian came in, carrying a stack of books. He carefully placed them on the coffee table, laying them out so that Mike could see the titles of each. Mike began looking through them after receiving permission from the Broker. ''The Formulaic Mystery'' covered advanced alchemical theory, and contained a wealth of new recipes, including suggestions for how to push forward in terms of researching new ones. He set this one aside as a definite buy along with ''Artifice for Beginner''s.'' After perusing the books on smithing, he selected one that covered the basics of Blacksmithing, Armorsmithing, and Weaponsmithing which was entitled, ''The Art of the Hammer.'' The others seemed either redundant or too advanced for his current level of skill. He also set aside a massive volume called ''The Compendium of Monsters,'' which detailed over a hundred different kinds of commonly encountered beasts, and the ways their corpses could be put to use. It was a little barbaric, contents-wise, but he felt the information was well worth the investment. The only book of Healing chants they were able to provide was an ancient research journal written by a long forgotten medical specialist. The chants themselves seemed to be the product of his experimentation, which proved horrifying when Mike learned that the author frequently made use of living test subjects for his new spells. Ones that were apparently unwilling, judging from the author''s dispassionate description of an attempted escape. Despite his qualms about the source, the information was still valuable, so he added it to the pile. "As I still have two more spellbooks to choose from, I would like to see what you have in terms of Light or Dark Magic, and anything related to Space Magic." "You are in luck, we recently acquired a volume written by a famed academic who devoted his life to the study of the dichotomy of Light and Dark. While its focus is primarily on the theory of how mana interacts with those high elements, it contains a number of chants that he used during his research. As to your other request, I''m afraid Space Magic will be a problem, since books containing information on that particular branch of magic are rare in the extreme. I would recommend approaching your patron on the matter, though. There are few mages in Almir who could rival his collection when it comes to that particular field." Mike realized that it had never occurred to him to simply borrow books from the powerful people that owed him favors. Now that he thought about it, which might be the easiest way to accumulate knowledge, since many of the instructors at the University likely had access to volumes on precisely the subjects he was interested in. Feeling slightly embarrassed by his lack of forethought, he nevertheless decided to continue. There was something about owning his own books that appealed to him, and since money wasn''t an object for him, he figured he could afford to satisfy that urge. Besides, he was really wanted to own some decent books. Figuring that he might as well finish strong, he nodded, "Very well, I will take the one you mentioned, and as to my last choice, bring me your highest tier elemental spellbook." Chapter 169: The Broker (Two) The librarian returned in short order with two tomes. The first was bound in bronze, and seemed to be written upon thin sheets of grayish metal. The shiny black writing had been done through some means that Mike had difficulty determining, but seemed to prevent fading. He briefly wondered if it had been made with magic. This was clearly a book meant to last for a long time. Much as the Broker explained, this tome, simply entitled ''A Study in Light,'' covered advanced and frankly impenetrable theory on the relationship between the opposed elements. The author seemed to think that they were merely two sides of the same coin, and with a sufficient understanding, could be used interchangeably. The second was a collection of slightly burnt parchment that had a single band of leather running through one corner. Judging from the state of the pages, they had been torn from a book at some point in the past. Perhaps seeing Mike''s confused look, the Broker launched into an explanation. "We acquired this piece from a less than reputable source. He was disinclined to explain their precise origin, but hinted that the book these pages were torn from was too heavily protected. Procuring these alone had nearly cost him his life." [Well that''s not ominous.] Mike thought while looking through them. They seemed to be part of some kind of encyclopedia of spells, as each page had a few chants followed by a brief description of how to pronounce them correctly. It contained 17 individual spells. The first twelve were dedicated to Earth Magic while the last five focused on Fire Magic. Judging from the complexity of the spells, they ranged from Tier 1 to Tier 3. If his guesses were right, the complete work would be of incalculable value to him. "Is there any chance I could get in contact with the supplier? I would be very interested to learn where he acquired these." Mike asked, daring to hope. "I''m afraid that particular supplier disappeared shortly after selling. According to eye witness accounts, he simply vanished in a puff of yellow smoke while in the midst of eating lunch at a caf¨¦. Quite peculiar, don''t you think?" The Broker replied with the barest hint of humor entering his somber demeanor. "Indeed." Mike commented while adding the pages to the rest of his stack. He thought better about inquiring further. "Alright, I would like to purchase these." The Broker eyed the books he''d selected, seemingly doing some mental arithmetic. "An excellent choice. The total comes to 18,972 golden wrens, and 14 silver spears. Will you be paying in cash, bill of exchange, or trade?" Gagging internally at the price, Mike took a moment to guess how much money he had available. Thanks to Wendel''s stash, he was pretty sure he could afford the purchase, but it would exhaust most of his wealth. As much as he didn''t particularly care about or need the money, the idea of spending it all at this juncture grated at him in a way that was hard to describe. [Seriously. How do they get away with charging so much for books? This is practically robbery.] He thought to himself while pulling out his sack, fully intending to pay regardless. However, one of the Broker''s words caught his attention. "What sort of trade do you accept?" "Our organization can accept virtually any item of value in lieu of payment in currency. However, their value here will depend greatly on their use to us. I can offer a complementary appraisal, should you have something you wish to offer as payment." [Hm. How much should I reveal? I don''t know enough about the commodity market to really guess what might be an issue. I''m getting really tired of always hiding what I can do....You know what? Screw it. I''m getting myself some books, and I''ll deal with the consequences later. What''s the point of developing all these abilities if I have to constantly hold myself back.] Mike pulled out three vials of Low-Grade Panacea, which left him one in his inventory he was saving for an emergency. "How bout for these?" The Broker eyed the vials, and took a moment to carefully investigate each. "A Low-Grade Panacea. Valuable, but not priceless. I value them at 1,500 golden wrens apiece, although I believe you may get more for them from specialized dealers." Considering the ease with which he could make more, Mike wasn''t too concerned about maximizing his profits, so he had no problem adding them to the exchange. The issue now was trying to figure out what else to sell. He figured that the Wyrm materials he''d picked up when he first found Audra''s egg might be quite valuable, but he was hesitant to sell them. Some instinct told him that they''d be more useful as crafting ingredients. With a sudden epiphany, Mike pulled out his Scroll of Lantern Light. "How much would you offer for a scroll of a unique spell?" The Broker''s eyebrow twitched, and he began looking over the proffered piece of paper. "This looks to have been done by a novice with no clue how to properly make a scroll. The materials are so cheap, it''s a wonder anyone even bothered using them in an attempt to make a Tier 2 scroll. The spell itself seems useful, but is hardly revolutionary. Assuming your claims of originality are true, I would value it at 2,000 golden wrens with an exclusivity clause, or 50 without." Mike frowned. That was a pretty steep difference, and he could guess as to the nature of the ''exclusivity clause,'' but wondered how they would enforce such a thing. Finally, he had another idea. "Tell me, what kind of scroll would be intrinsically valuable to you?" "Ones that contain potent spells, especially if they originate from the rarer magic skills." The Broker answered disinterestedly. "And what sort of confidentiality can I expect as a client of yours?" "One of the founding principles of our organization is that the client''s information is to be held in the strictest confidence." The Broker spoke with confidence. [I could really use some kind of lie detecting skill.] "What about your supplier? The one that vanished in a puff of smoke, as you put it. You didn''t have any compunction about sharing his details." The stony faced man gave a slight grin. "There is quite a bit of difference between a client and a thief who was looking to sell his stolen goods." "Alright, then please bear with me for a moment." Mike replied while breaking out his Scrivening tools, earning a cocked eyebrow from the old man. Concentrating, he directed mana into his pen while willing his Communication Magic to serve as the bridge for what he was attempting. He recalled the words of the spell he''d used during the Tennundian Attack, and after a few moments of uncertainty, began translating them into runes. They took on an unusual and complex appearance, swirling and weaving in intricate patterns that demanded the entirety of his attention. Blending three different varieties of Elemental Magic together was hard enough while casting, but this felt like he was trying to carve elaborate poetry into solid rock with a plastic spoon. He could feel the spell struggling to take shape in the paper, but it was somehow limited by impurities in the ink. Fearing that he might fail should this continue, he concentrated his mana on the ink itself, exercising his will. For a brief moment, he thought he could understand the structure of the fluid, and the way it was subtly altered by the Scrivening process, turning simple colored water into something that could serve as a conduit for magic itself. After a few moments, he thought he understood what he needed to do. Reaching out with his will, he adjusted the ink, somehow. He felt an intense drain on his mana, as the ink slowly increasing in potency. It quickly became a battle of endurance as he tried to complete his work before his reserves were depleted. After what seemed like hours, he finally finished, setting down the pen with shaking hands while appraising the results. ------------------------------------------------------------- {Scroll of Mists of Cleansing} Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 3) A scroll of the Mists of Cleansing spell. It creates a healing mist which can cure living beings of illness and poison, while treating their injuries. Due to the inferiority of the materials used during the Scrivening process, the Rank has been reduced from 5 to reflect the loss of potency. ------------------------------------------------------------- [Not bad, but it could be better. I apparently need to find myself some better materials soon.] The Broker was watching him with raised eyebrows in a manner than could be taken for surprise. At Mike''s insistence, he looked over the newly crafted scroll. "The craftsmanship is still imperfect and the materials are still cheap, but steps have been taken to mitigate both issues. Knowledge of the spell itself would be priceless except that it would require a Tier 3 elemental mage with the right combination of skills to even make use of it. As such, a scroll of such a spell would command a hefty price from the right people. I value it at 11,000 golden wrens. Is this also a unique spell?" Mike nodded, still feeling a little too wiped out to answer. Thankfully his regeneration was quickly replenishing his stamina and mana. "I see. I cannot offer a value for exclusivity rights, due to the difficulty we would face in replicating this spell. However, I can say with some degree of confidence, that our organization would be willing to purchase any similar products when available." "I''ll keep that in mind. Do you trade in anything besides books?" Mike asked, wondering if this might be the solution to his shopping needs. "Our organization deals in all things of value. However, this humble store focuses upon the most valuable commodity. Should you wish to employ our services in other areas, we can direct you to the appropriate places. You merely need to contact us, and we will provide a guide." "And how do I do that?" "Simply leave a note at the desk of the Adventurer''s Guild addressed to the Merchant of Silver, and we will approach you. Now, regarding our current deal, I believe that we can offer a discount to celebrate our future business. We are willing to part with these," He gestured to the stack of books, "in exchange for this scroll. Is that agreeable?" Mike nodded. He suspected that there might be more to this deal than meets the eye, but he couldn''t help but feel that it was too good to pass up. Perhaps they really were attempting to establish good relations with him. Still, it would hurt to keep some of his cards close to the chest. He would avoid bringing anything too groundbreaking with him next time. "That is fine with me." "Very good. I look forward to doing business with you in the future Mr. Rasmussen." The Broker shook his hand, stood and left, taking the scroll with him. He placed his purchases in the extradimensional sack, along with the items he''d ended up not needing to sell, and followed the muscular doorman out once more. Standing in the trash strewn alley, Mike release a deep breath he didn''t know he was holding. In retrospect this had been something of a gamble, regardless of what information Selene was able to dig up on them. Thankfully, they lived up to their reputation. He doubted that such an organization would be willing to make an enemy out of him, but decided to get his vampire familiar to keep an eye on them. Just in case. A sudden thought struck him. [Wait, did I ever tell them my name?] Chapter 170: Subject Matter The Broker watched the young man exit the alley from his hidden observation point. The spy hole was virtually undetectable from the street, and was typically used by the door guards when observing visitors. Once the youth had passed from view, he made his way back to his office. There was much he needed think about, and a report he needed to make. The Broker placed the scroll on his desk, taking a moment to revel in the elegance with which the disparate elements blended to form a composite whole, before removing the silver goblet from its hidden compartment. Taking a stoppered vial from another, similar compartment, he poured its crimson contents in the vessel. Channeling a few fetid wisps of mana, all he could manage in his current state, he began to whisper. "Mistress, your servant calls." After a few moments, a mature feminine voice emerged from the goblet, distorted as if the speaker was underwater. "What do you have to report?" "He has sought us out in his quest for knowledge and power, just as you have anticipated." "Good," the voice purred. "Tell me, what do you make of him?" The Broker''s gaze briefly slid over to the scroll before he answered. "A young man of power and potential. One capable of creating miracles. He will be a force to be reckoned with, as soon as he learns to wield the authority his abilities gives him." "Excellent. Make every effort to accommodate him, but don''t tip your hand. He needs to depend on us if we want to succeed. We cannot risk him becoming to wary of us." "As you wish, Mistress." The Broker spoke again. "What did your appraisal tell you?" The Broker remembered the initial look he''d taken before ever entering the negotiating room, as was his habit prior to engaging in business. With the exception of his unusual class the youth''s status had been disturbingly unremarkable. Especially so, considering what the Broker knew about the one known as Michael Rasmussen. "He bears a class called Skill Master, which is unknown to me. More troubling, however, is that he''s found a way to hide his titles, and not merely with a high rank Appraisal Resistance, but in a manner that lets him display his current title as None." There was a pause, "Interesting. It seems the Hero has been blessed by more than just the gods. Keep me informed on this subject." The voice issued once more, as the crimson fluid in the goblet evaporated, leaving it spotless once more. With practiced ease, the Broker replaced the items in the secret compartments, before once again returning his gaze to the scroll. He''d watched the young man make it, barely daring to believe his eyes. The spell itself was impressive, but there have been a number of mages throughout history who could accomplish such a thing. Refining a base material through the application of mana, however, bordered on the realm of the divine. The Broker had understood immediately upon looking at the finished product. That youth had, to an admittedly minor degree, manipulated reality itself using only pure mana and willpower. He felt the stirrings of an old excitement, long lost in the tedium of his service to his immortal patrons. Perhaps, this Mike was the key to everything he''d been hoping to achieve. ------------------ A shiver crawled down Mike''s back, leaving him momentarily wary of his surroundings. Scanning the nearby crowd, he didn''t see anything to explain the sensation, and chalked it up to his imagination. He''d decided that, after missing a few classes, why not take the whole day off and use the time to accomplish some of his other goals. At the moment he was sitting in the market district, going over the Smithing guide. After reading about the optimal temperature variance used in the smelting and forging of different metals, Mike realized he''d underestimated the complexity of the skill. Much like with the other crafting skills he''d accumulated up to this point, acquiring the skill itself was only the first step. Understanding the craft enough to use it seemed to be another thing entirely. Deciding that some more practical experience was probably necessary, Mike headed over to The Cracked Anvil for round two of Smithing practice. After paying Gearhart two gold for two hours, and enjoying the crestfallen look on his face as he did so, Mike got right into it. "Put some muscle into it. You got to hit it like your life depends on it." Brigitte was yelling from a corner of the crowded smithy, where she was repeatedly dunking a lump of coal in some viscous liquid, inspecting it, and then repeating the process. He''d quickly learned that his smithing guide contained only a small fraction of the information necessary for a master smith to pursue their craft, and that a lot of that extra knowledge could only be acquired by experience. Although, that assumption might have just been a product of the kind of learning environment he was currently in. "You''ll need to heat it again when the metal starts going ''clunk'' and not ''clank.'' Make sure it''s good an'' hot before hitting it again." Brigitte continued to offer advice in her usual cheerful tone. Sighing, Mike tried to interpret the sounds the steel was making, while he attempted to bludgeon the lump into the shape of a horseshoe. It was still glowing with heat, but it''d lost the brightness it had when he first pulled it out of the forge. [Maybe it needs to be reheated again? I think the book mentioned that you have to carefully analyze the relative heat of the metal, and perform the majority of your work while it is at an optimal temperature.] Thrusting the vaguely curved blob of metal back into the forge, he stepped on the bellows a few times to increase the heat. Almost immediate, Brigitte walked over and started explaining how to do it properly, in her usual confusing manner. It took him a few minutes to understand what she was getting at, but he adjusted his rhythm accordingly. After a few hours he left the smithy feeling worn out. While his skills had definitely improved to the point that he was able to make something resembling a horseshoe by the end of it, he nevertheless had a long ways to go. He caught a carriage back to the University, using the time to scan through the rest of his newly acquired books. Coupled with the ones from the library, he had a lot to work on. With the tasks ahead of him, and the amount he would need to do in the next few days, he decided to work an all-nighter, something he''d been a little hesitant to do prior to this. While his regeneration eliminated the physical effects of fatigue, the mental stress remained, and as a result, he had come to see sleep as vital to maintaining his sanity. This was something he''d never really put to the test, so if rest truly proved unnecessary, then it would open up a large amount of time to pursue his various interests. However, he''d unconsciously shied away from taking this step so far. With all his various skills and abilities, he''d long ago entered the realm of the superhuman. Something that he enjoyed a great deal, but recently he was beginning to feel the separation it caused, especially in the case of his companions. Every time he gained power or accomplished something seemingly impossible, he felt the gap grow a little larger. If he didn''t need to sleep anymore, how much longer before he passed some invisible threshold and ceased to be human altogether? Would he even notice? Would he even care? These thoughts were still rumbling around in his head when the carriage pulled up to the front gate. The walk back to the dorms gave him time to think it over, or at least it should have. "Excuse me. Can I have a moment of your time?" A breathless female voice called out to him while he was crossing central campus. Princess Andrea was standing there, panting, as if she''d just run a great distance. Mike could see a retinue of bodyguards moving swiftly to catch up. A golden-armored female knight was in the lead, and was already glaring at him intensely. He briefly resisted the urge to flee, not wanting to deal with any of this right now, especially after everything that had happened with the elves. However, he figured that expressly insulting the Princess by running away would cause more trouble than it was worth, so finally he replied. "What do you need, Your Highness?" She took a moment to fully catch her breath, and waved off her guards, who reluctantly formed a perimeter around the two of them. Leona took some convincing, but eventually the two of them were left more or less on their own. "I needed to speak with you, but first, please let me apologize for the troubles you experienced while you were the guest of my uncle. I hope that you do not hold him accountable for my ineptitude in handling the situation." She replied quietly, while her gaze searched his face for something. Sighing, Mike shook his head. "I understand that you were in a trying situation, and were forced to play along with the elven envoy''s demands against your will, so I will not hold it against you nor your uncle. While I might wish that you had taken a different path, you were acting in the interest of the nation, and I cannot blame you for that." She bowed slightly, "Thank you." Straightening, she gave him another hard look, but remained silent. "Was there something else?" "Yes, although I''m having a hard time phrasing my question in a manner that won''t sound crazy. Do you, by any chance, have a habit of running around in a mask?" Andrea asked while scratching at her cheek, a slight flush of embarrassment plain against her pale skin. [Ah, so it looks like my secret is finally starting to be revealed. Now, how should I play this?] Deciding to tease her a little, Mike responded politely, "That''s a deeply philosophical question, Your Majesty. Don''t we all wear masks? Forced to hide our true thoughts and feelings deep inside as we go about our daily lives. Unable to reveal ourselves, save to a precious few who may accepts us for who and what we are." He spoke dramatically while nodding, as if her words had given him an epiphany. "Indeed, an astute observation on the human condition, Your Majesty." Andrea blinked at him, obviously confused and a little flustered. "What? No, I mean¡­uh¡­were you the one that¡­you know¡­rescued me that one time?" "You''ll have to be more specific. I have rescued many people at many times." He answered with a straight face. Her expression was calm, but a bulging vein in her forehead revealed her burgeoning anger. "Let me put it this way. Are you the Dragonknight that saved me during the Tennundian attack?" Supposing that he''d had enough fun for one night, he gave her a serious look. "I never claimed to be a Dragonknight." Her breath hitched, "You''re so young, but when I saw you at the party, I thought¡­and then the way you fought¡­gods, I''ve caused you nothing but trouble." Mike laughed at that. "Trouble has a way of finding me on its own. Don''t let it bother you." "That doesn''t change the fact that you saved me. I need to do something to thank you." There was an insistent tone to her voice. Remembering his advisor''s off-color joke about joining the royal family, Mike cut her off. "I''ve already been rewarded by the Prime Minister for my actions. There is no need for you to do so as well." "Still, it would be the height of ingratitude to do nothing for one who spared me from a fate worse than death." Andrea spoke while taking a step forward. Thinking quickly, Mike answered while backing up. "Why don''t we say that you owe me one?" She frowned, "What do you mean?" "Well, I don''t really need anything right now, but I might in the future, so why don''t we put off all of this talk of rewards until then? It''ll just mean owing me a favor. Does that work for you?" "A favor?" Andrea repeated, as if mulling over the answer. "Very well, I shall, as you say, owe you one." "Great, now if you''ll excuse me, I have some things to take care of." Mike began channeling mana into his Air Magic, suspecting that a quick exit was going to be necessary soon. "Wait! There is so much I want to ask you!" "Another time, perhaps. See you, Princess." Mike gave a quick wave while launching himself into the evening sky. Chapter 171: Abiding Strife Mike walked in the dormitory with a sigh. It had already been a long night, and his had barely even started. Anna, as per usual, was sitting in a lounge chair in the foyer, staring airily off into the distance. At his arrival, she gave him a slow, steady nod before resuming her activity, whatever that might be. [If her eyes were closed, I could swear she was passed out. Then again, she always seems to be awake, regardless of the time. Maybe she sleeps with her eyes open?] The rest of his group was in their section of the building. They had apparently spent most of the day in the training yard, honing their skills in preparation for what was to come. Lily on the other hand, had holed herself up in her room, working on some project that had most of the serving staff worried about another relocation once she burned the place down. Brenden and the others were gathered in the study/men''s bedroom and were currently in the middle of discussing combat strategies. Although this mostly involved Brenden shooting down Sera''s outlandish ideas while Tal watched, occasionally chiming in with the assistance of a small chalkboard she had scrounged up somewhere. "And then Tal uses Air Magic to throw you in to the middle of the stunned enemy formation and you go to work. I call it the Descent of Furry Death." Sera was explaining with enthusiasm. "That''s racist, and no." Was Brenden''s stony faced reply. "Oh come on! It would be the perfect way to deal with massed infantry." The beastman held up a hand, cutting her short. "First, I''d probably be skewered by some well-placed spears even before landing. Second, I think you severely overestimate my ability to deal with hundreds of veteran soldiers." Sera waved off his complaints dismissively. "I''ve seen you practice. I''m sure you''d be fine." Tal held up her chalkboard, which read. "There are a lot of strong people in the world. We all need to be careful." Mike took a seat at the main desk, while conjuring a clay cup full of chilled water with a combination of Air, Earth, and Water Magic. He settled in to listen in on the debate, and took a drink, almost immediately regretting it. The water was essentially 100% pure, and therefore had no taste. With the Minor Creation perk of his Earth Magic, he thought he might be able to make a few simple minerals to enhance the flavor, but after considering it for a few moments, he wondered how far he could go. He was in the middle of trying to remember the chemical formula for glucose when a question was directed at him. "I''m sorry, what?" He asked, momentarily distracted. Sera sighed, "I said that if we needed someone to spearhead an attack on a massed formation, someone like Brenden would be perfect. In his wolf form, he''s strong and fast enough to even fight you on relatively even terms. I''m sure the Tennundians don''t have anyone that could compare. Don''t you think?" Mike remembered his ''spar'' under the Wyrport Adventurer''s Guild. It felt like ancient history, but had taken place only a few weeks ago. He compared his memories of the beastman then with what he''d seen recently. While Brenden certainly was a potent combatant in his own right, he''d struggle in a fight against a truly strong enemy. Mike doubted he could hold his own against someone like one of the Eternal Blades, let alone a Tier 4 powerhouse like Brutus. Suddenly the idea of his friends taking part in the coming fight didn''t quite sit well with him. He knew that they were mostly following along with his decisions, and would probably have no motivation to protect this country without his direct involvement. If one of them was seriously injured or killed just because he wanted to play soldier¡­.. "The world is a vast place filled with people who are capable of all sorts of things. Since I''ve come to the capital, I''ve already come across warriors capable of surpassing me in several areas, despite my many inherent advantages. Gambling Brenden''s life on the assumption that the enemy has no one of a similar caliber seems like a foolhardy notion to me." Mike replied quietly. Silence descended on the room, as each of them digested his words. He saw Sera look ashamed, an thought he caught flash of irritation in Brenden''s features. The sudden tension gnawed on him, so he sighed and spoke once more. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to be harsh, but you need to understand. This is war, it will be dangerous for everyone. People will die. I just don''t want that to happen to any of you." Looking down at her hands, Sera apologized. "I get it. I wasn''t taking it seriously. I''m sorry, everyone." The group lapsed into silence once more. [Great, now I feel like a mood killer.] Knowing he needed something to change the subject, Mike concentrated on the cup of water in his hand. Deciding that he might as well be a little reckless, he came up with an impromptu chant to help him in his experiment. "Memories abound in the swirling depths of thine energizing brew. Bring forth the effervescent elixir to slake my undying thirst. [Create Cola]" There was a brief flash of light as excess mana was burned off during the creation process, but the contents of the cup took on a dark brown color. With a feeling of triumph, Mike noticed the bubbles forming along the rim. He excitedly took a drink, savoring the intense sweetness he had tasted since his reincarnation. It wasn''t quite the same, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. "Ahhhh. That hit the spot." He sighed, quickly noticing the interest his actions had inspired. "What you got there?" Sera asked with a suspicious squint. "Something good?" "An old favorite of mine. I was able to recreate it with magic. Want to try some?" He asked while repeating the process for each of them. The group looked at suspiciously at the dark brown, bubbly fluid. "This looks a bit odd. What kind of magic to you use to make it?" Brenden asked. "Technically, it''s an application of Mud Magic with a bit of Air thrown in." Chuckling at their souring faces, he continued. "Try it. I promise it tastes nothing like mud." The beastman went first, taking a big swig from his cup. "What the hell is with this sweetness? It''s like someone distilled fruit juice down to its base elements then added bubbles." "Tasty." Was Tal''s written reply. "Not bad, although it seems a little intense. Were we supposed to cut it with water to reduce its potency?" Sera asked curiously, probably drawing from her knowledge of proper noble etiquette when it came to certain kinds of alcoholic beverages. Mike laughed. "Nah, it''s meant to be served with food. If I ever get my pizza summoning spell to work, then we''ll really be in business." With the mood lightened, they started talking about the events of the day, and Mike showed off his book purchases. This immediately caught the attention of Tal, who asked to look through the spellbooks. He obliged, although it left him with some questions. He knew she made use of Elemental Magic through the use of contracted spirits, somehow. However, the chants she used were somehow different from the ones he''d been learning. He would have to ask about it sometime when she wasn''t distracted. Sera took an interest in the hunting guide, and curled up into one of the lavish armchairs to read it. From the looks of it, the evening was shaping up to be a quiet one. "You got a minute?" Brenden asked quietly, before nodding his head towards the door. [Spoke too soon, I suppose.] "Sure." Mike followed him outside, and along one of the campus paths towards the Martial Arts Department. Something in his friend''s demeanor told him that this wasn''t going to be another late night heart to heart conversation. "So, what''s on your mind, Brenden?" The beastman glanced back. "Well, I heard about your duel, and it got me thinking." "Oh?" "Yeah. From the sounds of it, you fought on par with one of the Eternal Blades without relying on magic, and the only time you had any problems was when your opponent used his aura." Brenden answered while looking forward. "I was interested in seeing just how far you''d progressed since the last time we fought. I want to know how much farther I''d fallen behind." For a few moments, there was only the sound of their boots crunching along the gravel pathway. Brenden spoke again soon after. "You know, when I first saw the elves that were chasing us, for a moment, I was sure we were done for. I''d heard stories about the Eternal Blades, how they were virtually unbeatable when they got in close. How they could move and fight with such incredible speed that normal warriors helpless before them. Then the captain started speaking about the comrade you had defeated, and it became clear to me that not only had you beaten one of these legendary warriors in single combat, but that you did it in such a manner that you actually offended their pride." Mike wasn''t quite sure how to reply. He knew Brenden saw himself as his rival, but with everything going on lately, he had really thought about it much. The beastman rounded on him, something like desperation written on his face. "Tell me truthfully, Mike, did you hold back during your duel?" "I¡­did. There were too many observers. I didn''t want to reveal my full strength in front of them." "Hahaha." Brenden started laughing darkly. "Of course you had the option of keeping some of your cards hidden. Of course you had the leisure to chose the level of power you wanted to reveal." He turned and continued walking. "Come on. We''re nearly there." Mike followed him to the secluded training yard, already sensing that this situation wasn''t going to end well. He took up his place across from his friend, and made a last ditch effort to steer the course of events away from the coming confrontation. "We don''t have to do this, Brenden." The beastman shook his head with gritted. "No, I need to know. You''ve been avoiding this for weeks, but I can''t wait anymore." He drew his sword, and took his stance. Resigning himself, Mike rubbed the back of his head. "What do you want from me?" "I want you to fight me without holding back!" Came the growled response. "Is that really what you want?" Mike asked sadly. "Yes! Show me!" Brenden yelled as he shifted into his atavistic werewolf form and launched himself into an attack. [Fine.] Mike raised a hand and reached out with his will. Chapter 172: A Quick Conclusion [Do I really want to do this? Will it even change anything?] Brenden thought to himself as he drew his sword. His actions felt hollow, like he was just going through the motions. Yet his rage was very much real. He didn''t think he could bear the idea of continuing as things were. Anger fueling his every step Brenden launched himself towards Mike, his mind working on overdrive to prepare a counter for whatever his rival threw at him. [Judging from his lack of stance, it''s probably going to be a blast of wind to throw me off balance followed by some application of Earth Magic to bind my movements in an effort to encourage me to give up.] Just thinking about the patronizing manner Mike was approaching this fight was getting his blood boiling. Brenden knew deep down that he wasn''t really a match for him, something that had been true for as long as they''d known each other. Every step of their journey up to this point had just reinforced that, but it wasn''t something he could really accept. In just the last few weeks, Mike had gone from an amateur caster to a skilled and dangerous mage, capable of making a mockery of some of the most accomplished warriors the central continent had to offer. His confidence while facing the Eternal Blades that night had rattled Brenden, however, he''d chalked it up to Mike''s ignorance. That had changed once he''d heard the full story. [How far have you gone while I wasn''t paying attention? Am I even a companion in your eyes? Or am I just more baggage that you have to protect?] These thoughts swirled through the back of his mind while he ran forward, summoning every ounce of strength and speed his transformed state could provide. As soon as Mike raised his hand, he tensed his legs, ready to dodge whatever spell was flung his way. But there was nothing he could do. Searing agony tore through him as the very tissues of his body fought against his movement, freezing him in place. His sword fell from his lifeless fingers, sinking point-first into the dirt of the training yard. "You asked for me to not hold back, well I''m afraid I can''t do that, Brenden." Mike spoke softly. His head was tilted down slightly, eyes obscured by shadows of the setting sun. "You would die, if I did." The mage raised his arm further palm towards the sky, somehow lifting Brenden into the air as well. "Perhaps this will give you the answer you are looking for, whatever that might be. I''m just sorry it turned out this way." Mike clenched his hand into a fist, and the world went dark. ------------------------------- When Brenden opened his eyes again, it had already grown dark. He sat up quickly and looked around, spotting Mike standing a little ways away, staring at the night sky. He started talking, seemingly knowing that the beastman had woken without needing to look. "I wasn''t sure if that was going to work, since I''ve never tried it before, but it seemed quite effective." "What did you do?" Brenden asked in a husky voice. He felt numb, as if the answer to the question didn''t matter, but he felt compelled to ask it anyway. Mike glanced back at him for a second, seemingly gauging his emotional state before replying. "When I reached Tier 2 in Water Magic, I gained the ability to control all kinds of liquids with varying degrees of difficulty. A human''s body is mostly made up of water, and I figured a beastman''s is probably similar." Brenden felt slightly sick. "You took control of my blood?" "More like the water in your blood, but I suppose that''s close enough." The mage replied simply, emotionlessly. [That''s it then. Now I know.] "I''m not sure why I''m surprised. You do the impossible on a whim all the time. Why shouldn''t you have the power to render weaklings like myself powerless without even trying?" Brenden growled bitterly. Mike turned to look at him, golden eyes unreadable. When he spoke it was a hushed tone, little more than a whisper. "You know, this is the second party I''ve been in. Although, I suppose the first case was more of a temporary arrangement." Brenden blinked. He hadn''t known that. Mike had always seemed like something of a lone wolf. Mike looked down at his hands, his voice taking on a slightly husky quality, as if recalling a painful memory. "Do you remember the Night of Wrath? It seems that most people have forgotten, what with the demon invasion that took place almost immediately after." He nodded. What was Mike getting at? "I was defeated by a superior enemy that night. One that could have killed me in an instant if that was his goal. One that almost killed the rest of my party in front of me while I was powerless to do anything about it." "Wha¡­who was it?" Brenden asked, utterly floored by the revelation. He''d seen Mike take a beating a few times, but he''d always come out on top in the end. "A Tier 4 vampire warrior by the name of Brutus, who wanted to deliver me to his master." Brenden was speechless for a second. "You actually fought the Lord of War? I thought he was a legend. What happened?" Mike met his gaze once more. "While I was lying there, too broken to do much more than squirm, I was forced to watch as he killed one of my party members." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "We weren''t really close. Had a disagreement right before the attack, actually, but the sheer helplessness I felt then was pure agony. I don''t think I''ll ever forget the sound of her childhood friend''s heartbreak when her lifeless body hit the ground." The noble''s monstrous laughter rang out from a corner of Brenden''s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. That was not something he could bear to deal with right now. Mike stood still for a second, lost in thought, before he started once more. "Thankfully, Limit Break activated soon afterwards, and I was able to fight back. Apparently, the resulting light show made quite the impression." [Wait¡­does that mean?] "You beat him?" Brenden asked in disbelief. "I did, and all I can say about it, is there is much more to the Limit Break skill than enhancing one''s stats for a little while. Or at least that''s the case for me." Mike scratched the back of his head. "I''m telling you all this so that you''ll understand something about me. Thanks to a confluence of circumstances, I am in a position where I can accomplish almost anything given enough time and resources. Even without that, I have access to abilities that will let me bypass my own limitations in times of need." "So you''re a step away from being omnipotent? Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He replied with a growl. "No, but I want you to understand that, even with all my gifts and abilities, I nearly lost my comrades simply because someone more powerful showed up. I may be stronger now, but a Tier 4 could still wipe the floor with me, especially since Limit Break is on cooldown." He paused again, taking a moment to reaffirm his resolve. "If we fight in this war, there might be an enemy I can''t protect you or the others from, and that prospect scares me." Brenden looked at Mike. It was easy to forget that despite, his skills, titles, and the way he held himself as someone in the prime of his life, he was still a teenager. One younger than Brenden even. Yet he continued to place the weight of the world on his shoulders, trying to pick up everyone''s slack, and facing all his problems alone. Like he couldn''t depend on anyone else. It made him furious. "So that''s how you see us. As people you need to protect. People too weak to defend themselves or make their own choices. Baggage that you are forced to carry around." Brenden spat, angrier than he''d ever been. A look of hurt coupled with guilt flashed across Mike''s face. "I don''t...I mean, I haven''t¡­." "Save it! I don''t want to hear it. Sera might be alright with that, and Tal may have come to terms with it, but not me!" He started walking away, stopping only to retrieve his sword, which was still sticking out of the ground. Mike raised an arm as if to try and stop him, but froze and slowly lowered it. He watched in silence as his friend left the training yard. Moving quickly, Brenden headed to the campus gate and started walking into the city, no clear destination in mind. He only wanted to distract himself from the guilt he felt for lashing out in anger, especially when he was really only furious with himself. ---------------------------- Mike watched as the beastman walked out into the night, never looking back. [Shit. I messed up.] He''d realized that ever since coming here, he''d neglected his friends in a way he hadn''t considered. The University was a place where he could grow and become more, but that didn''t mean it was the same for the others. He''d deluded himself into thinking that the training sessions and occasional adventure was enough for them. It was clear that they were holding back, letting him pursue his own path without care or worry, meanwhile he slowly left them behind. He was taking them for granted, and treating them like an afterthought. [Some friend I am. I reduced the lot of them to nothing more than ornaments to highlight my own greatness, then I got upset when one of them came to resent it.] However, beating himself up about it accomplished nothing. He sighed deeply, letting his negative feelings wash through him, and regaining his calm once more. He spent the next few minutes contemplating his options, before coming to a decision. He would do what any good leader should, and rededicated himself to improving those who followed him. After all, if he could really do anything with enough time and effort, surely he could help his friends to stand on the same level as him. Help them grow into people he could depend upon. ---------- "Shit." Brenden cursed as he sat on the fountain''s edge in the center of the deserted city square. He''d been wandering aimlessly for hours, only choosing to stop when he found a place where he could be alone. By now he was more frustrated than angry. Frustrated by how easily he''d forgotten his promise to make himself a worthy rival. How quickly he''d been left in the dust. It all seemed like such a sham now. An arm came down around his shoulders, as a wash of intensely alcohol-tainted breath caused him to gag. "Now that''s the face of a boy whose truly lost his way." Brenden pushed the drunken beggar away in disgust, getting to his feet in the process. "What in the hells is your problem?!" The old man gracefully spun on one leg, landing in a classic fencer''s pose. "What ingratitude! And here I was thinking you were finally ready to learn proper swordcraft." Looking at the beggar clearly for the first time, Brenden felt his mouth fall open. "Master? What are you doing here?" The old duelist laughed and took another swig from the clay jar that was clutched in one hand. "Merely enjoying the hospitality of the capital. Or at least I was. Most folks seem too worried to play host nowadays. Something to do with a war, I think. Anyway, here I was, hoping to find a good place to lie down and bask in the moonlight, when who should I see, but my ungrateful pupil looking more lost than ever. What''s on your mind, boy?" Brenden started to yell a comeback, but thought better of it. "I found myself a rival. Someone whose strength and ability I can admire, but I am frustrated by my own powerlessness. He sees me as someone to be protected, not a comrade but a liability. I can''t even argue, because he is right! I''m too weak to even challenge him, let alone stand by his side!" His volume increased throughout his statement, until he was nearly shouting at the end of it. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, before taking a seat once more. "So, I am at a loss." "That''s all you''re worried about? Psh! That''s an easy fix. I thought for sure you''d caught your girlfriend cheating on you or something. Now there''s real heartbreak, let me tell you." The old man''s eyes went misty with memory. "Ah, Sonia, how could you do that with my brother? He had such terrible taste in liquor." Brenden resisted the urge to punch his old master. He knew the old man was riling him up intentionally, but he was not in the best mental state right now, and these antics were starting to get on his nerves. "What in the hells are you talking about? If it was an easy fix, I wouldn''t be worried about it." His master gave him a sly look. "Why, if your weakness bothers you, then simply get stronger. It''s not often in life that the solution to your problems is so easy to identify." Sighing, Brenden shook his head. "You don''t understand. My rival is powerful mage who improves at a ridiculous pace. I thought it was crazy that he managed to defeat an Eternal Blade in a one on one duel, but I recently found out he took down someone even more impressive before I even met him. I just don''t see how anything I could do would let me catch up at this point." "Yeesh. You certainly like to challenge yourself. Luckily, you happen to have a gifted teacher who knows exactly what you need to do." Brenden looked up at the man in shock. "What?" "Tell me, what do you know about High Attributes?" Chapter 173: The Art of Artifice By the time Mike got back to the dorm, Sera and Tal had gone to bed, leaving him alone in the study. Brenden was still out from the looks of it, but he figured that the beastman might not come back for the rest of the night, at the very least. [Alright, let''s see what I can do in the meantime.] He broke out the book on Artifice, and began reading through it. The skill seemed like his best bet of creating potent magic items for both himself and his friends. Unfortunately, he could already tell that it was going to be time consuming and expensive to master. Artifice worked by encoding arcane runes into an object in such a way that they create a magical effect by drawing in ambient mana. As powerful as that sounded, there were several limitations that needed to be overcome before he could really make use of it. The most difficult was, once again, the quality of materials. Apparently, virtually all forms of matter on Ea had some level of mana conductivity, but only a few substances were usable from a crafting standpoint. Mana cores pulled from dungeon monsters were the most prevalent, with higher grades being more useful than lower. Their involvement in the item crafting industry was the major reason why dungeon delving was such a profitable occupation, despite its dangers. However, mana cores alone were not enough to create magic items with Artifice. They also required special materials that would assist the runes in forming the intended effect. These could come from a number of sources including monsters, particularly magical plants, mined minerals, and even alchemically crafted goods. The type of material needed depended a great deal on the kind of magic item the user is looking to create. Attempting to use materials that weren''t well suited could lead to an unusable item or even a complete failure, wasting the ingredients. For instance, the Mosswood Deer hide he''d collected as part of a guild request would work well in the creation of items designed to improve stealth skills, but it would be ineffective if used to enhance strength or resist fire. So it seemed like he would need to first identify what items he wanted to make, research the required materials, acquire them, and finally craft the thing. [This might be tough.] However, he was getting ahead of himself. First he needed to acquire the skill itself. He pulled out a few strips of troll hide he''d pocketed the night after the Tennundian attack. According to Appraise, they could be used in the creation of minor magic items related to healing. He wasn''t expecting anything really impressive, but it might be a good place to start. Using a careful application of Fire Magic, he cut the untreated skin into three long strips. "Now let''s see here. It looks like I need to use one of several methods to embed the runes into the object¡­..The most effective is through mana carving, an ability gained by Tier 3 Artificers¡­well that''s not an option for me." Mike had stated talking to himself unconsciously, and the sound of his voice evidently woke Audra. In a rare act of independence, she flopped out onto the table, sniffed the strange leather strips, and started chewing on one. Sighing, Mike pulled the troll hide away from the little dragon and then picked her up. "That''s not for you." He set her down on another part of the desk, and figuring that she was hungry, placed a peach-like fruit he''d picked up the market next to her. It didn''t take much effort to encourage her to start eating, and the fruit swiftly disappeared into her black hole of a stomach, pit and all. Of course, it wasn''t long before she started eyeing the strip of hide again. With another sigh, Mike passed her the piece she''d already been chewing on, figuring that it would buy him a few minutes of concentration at the very least. Although, watching Audra gnaw on the tough strip of skin was distracting in a different way. Making himself focus, he continued his reading. The other usable methods involved painting the runes on with a mana infused ink in a manner similar to Scrivening, or carving them in by hand. These options only worked well if the material itself was durable enough to hold the symbols without warping them, which was why most junior artificers working primarily in wood and stone. Frowning, Mike looked down at the leathery skin he was planning on using. Figuring that this was merely an attempt at acquiring the skill, he decided to roll with it. Taking out a brick of charcoal and a fresh low-grade mana core, he used his alchemy mortar and pestle to grind them into a fine, black powder. Mixing in a little mana-infused water, he broke out his Scrivening pen and prepared to try his hand at Artifice. According to the book, it was recommended to use a brush when painting runes, which gave expert artificers a finer level of control on the thickness, width, and intensity of certain runes as they related to the finished spell matrix. Frowning once more, he put the pen away, and after scrounging through the study for a while, he came across a neglected calligraphy brush at the back of one of the desk''s drawers. Dipping his newfound writing utensil in the ink, he began painting runes related to healing on the first scrap of troll hide with the aid of his Communication Magic as a translator for his intentions. It was proving to quite difficult. The hide itself refused to remain still long enough for him to make much headway, the brush was hard to control properly, and he was having a tough time maintaining a steady flow of mana to the project. [Maybe I should go find some kind of stone to work on. At the rate its going, this is going to end up a failure.] After nearly an hour of painstaking effort, he finished the crude work. A dim flash of mana ran along the painted lines, signaling the item''s completion. He''d evidently succeeded despite the difficulties he''d encountered up to this point. However, a quick Appraise showed him the disappointing results. -------------------------------------------- {Flawed Trollhide Bandage} Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 0) A shoddy creation of an amateur Artificer using the most rudimentary materials. Ordinarily, such an item would assist in the passive healing rate of injuries wrapped by them. However, the poor craftsmanship has drastically reduced the intended effect, making this item effectively useless. -------------------------------------------- This was just further evidence that the System had a twisted sense of humor. If he ever met its creators, he was going to have a long chat with them about taking their job seriously. [Hardly an auspicious start. Let''s see if I at least unlocked the skill.] ----------------------------------------------- - Basic Artifice (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Through a comprehensive mastery of one of the runic languages, the user of this skill is capable of creating rune-inscribed magic items. The effect and potency of these items are directly related to the quality of the composite materials, the skill of the crafter in question, and the synergy of all components working towards the intended effect. Higher levels of skill improve understanding and memorization of runes as they apply to crafting, enhance the potency and efficiency of crafted items, and reduces mana resistance in component materials. ----------------------------------------------- [Alright, time for try number two.] Repeating the same process proved simpler, as his understanding of each of the component steps improved dramatically with the successful acquisition of the skill. In a short span of time, he''d completed another of the bandages, and used Appraise in the hopes that his efforts had borne fruit. ----------------------------------------------- {Trollhide Bandage} Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 2) Created from strips of untreated troll hide, these bandages enhance the natural healing rate of injuries they are used to bind. Moderate increase to the healing rate of covered injury. Can be used for a total of three hours before being expended. ----------------------------------------------- [Well that worked a little better.] Mike thought distractedly, as his familiar chose that moment to crawl up his arm and nestle into the hollow between his neck and shoulder, curling into a sleeping ball. Apparently, Audra had gotten tired of worrying the hide strip with her jaws, and left it a half-chewed and soggy mess. Figuring that he would need another base material for his future work, he started brainstorming ideas, before hitting upon a decent one. If the only real requirement is mana conductive material that suited the intended item effect, then wouldn''t a magically created material be enough. He now had two methods to achieve that, since Calling Magic could technically be used for this purpose, but he decided to keep it simple and make use of his handy new Earth Magic perk. After dismissing a few outlandish ideas, he eventually settled on creating a mundane quartz crystal, based on the assumption that it should be relatively easy to make it with Earth Magic. However, he underestimated the mana cost of creation magic, as a single palm-sized stone nearly wiped out his reserves. Apparently, there was some sort of reciprocity involved in magically creating solid or complex structures without the aid of a custom-built chant, something he would have to rectify going forward. Dismissing these thoughts, he concentrated on his next project. At this point, he just wanted to come up with something easy to improve on his skills. He would leave crafting of truly useful items till later, when he had a more comprehensive understanding of the process. Settling in for a long night, he got to work. By the time the sun had risen, he created a small pile of magic items and completely expended his ink making supplies. The fatigue had definitely built up despite his regeneration, leaving him with a pinched feeling between the temples. Mostly on impulse, he tried a quick application of healing magic, only to be surprised when the mild discomfort vanished entirely. In fact he felt refreshed, as if he''d had a restful night of sleep. [Is this the result of Tier 4 Healing Magic? Regardless, it looks like sleep has now become optional for me. I suppose I should feel grateful for the extra time, but it still seems strange to contemplate a life without the need for rest. Oh well, I have more important things to worry about at the moment.] He used a quick application of Lifestyle Magic to provide him the equivalent of a morning shower, before looking over his new creations. Three rune-painted crystals sat next to twelve rolled scrolls. Finally, there was his prize creation, the one that took the longest to create. [A good start, but I''m going to need to do some serious practice to make something truly useful. Something to work towards tonight, I suppose.] ---------------------------- {Lantern Crystal} x 3 Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 3) A rune painted crystal which can emit a soft light on command. If broken, this item will unleash the encoded light spell in a burst, creating an intense flash of brilliance. ----------------------------- {Scroll of Restoring Touch} x 3 Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 1) A scroll of the Restoring Touch spell. It can be used to heal the injuries of the targeted creature, and will cleanse them of any diseases or poisons. Due to the low quality of the materials used in its creation, the potency of the effect is reduced, lowering its rank from 3. --------------------------- {Scroll of Earthen Barricade} x 3 Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 3) A scroll of the Earthen Barricade spell. It can be used to create permanent walls of hardened earth in the location of the caster''s choosing. ---------------------------- {Scroll of Air Shield} x 3 Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 3) A scroll of the Air Shield spell. It can be used to create a protective sphere of hardened wind, that will defend the user from harmful forces. Attacks of sufficient strength can break through this protection, and attacks of a non-physical nature can bypass it completely. ---------------------------- {Scroll of Water Whip} x 3 Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 4) A scroll of the Water Whip spell. It can be used to create a pool of water that can serve as a blunt pseudopod like appendage that moves according to the caster''s will. --------------------------- The final item had been his attempt to create a one-time use magic item that functioned as a modified Calling Spell. He''d made a few attempts at using the spell itself it on objects, and the principle seemed sound. The only thing left to do was try it out when he got a chance, and when a wiling test subject. His hope was that it could serve as a sort of emergency fail safe for his party members, but he hadn''t quite worked out the details. Anyway, it seemed like he was on the right track. --------------------------- {Blood Borne Sphere of Calling} Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 4) This rune-marked glass sphere creates a calling bond with the first living creature whose blood is smeared upon in sufficient quantities. At any point from then on, the sphere may be smashed to trigger the spell effect, summoning the bonded creature to the site of its destruction. Once bonded for the first time, no other bond may be formed with this individual sphere. Creatures with sufficiently high Willpower can resist the effect. The spell will fail if the target is too far away from the point of destruction. --------------------------- [Oh well. Worst case scenario, I can use it to bring Red into a fight when I need him..... Why do I have a strange sense of accomplishment about this idea?] Chapter 174: Notable Foresight Sera woke groggily, stretched, and lethargically rolled out of bed to get dressed. Unlike their previous accommodations, she and Tal were relegated to the small servant quarters inside the cramp residence they shared with the other displaced members of the Lighthouse Dorm. While not exactly uncomfortable, she did miss the feeling of opulence she''d gotten from their spacious room. While in the process of throwing on a modest dress, just enough for her to get by until she''d fully woken up, she managed to stub her toe against the corner post of her bed. This left her blinking back tears at the sharp, stabbing pain she was completely unprepared for. After a few moments of writhing in mild agony, she mustered the energy to stand and make her way out. Tal had apparently already gotten up, which was not too unusual for the elf, so Sera walked over to the dining room to scare up some breakfast. As she was shuffling through the door with a sleepy yawn, she was ambushed by an energetic party member with far too much enthusiasm for the early morning. "Good Morning, Sera! I hope you''re ready for a busy day! I have a lot planned." Her party ''leader'' exclaimed in a voice that grated at her tired and fragile psyche. Summoning the best glare she could manage in the circumstances, she directed every ounce of dissatisfaction she could muster at Mike, before shuffling over to breakfast table to revive herself with her favorite morning beverage. "Okay¡­not really the response I was hoping for. Tal didn''t seem particularly enthused either, perhaps I need to alter my sales pitch." Mike muttered to himself as he followed her. "Mike, whatever you want can wait until after I''m properly awake." Sera grumbled. The aroma of freshly made coffee was calling to her like a siren song, and she naturally gravitated in that direction. "Fair enough, but time is getting away from us. Any day now, things are going to change with the war. We need to work quickly to get ahead of the issue." Sera rounded on him, "Will we be attacked in the next five minutes while I drink my coffee?" He took a slight step back, a wary grin on his face. "Well no¡­probably not." "Then. It. Can. Wait." She hissed before resuming her march. A few moments of savory goodness later, Sera felt prepared to deal with whatever harebrained scheme Mike had come up with now. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?" He had sat down across from her and was working his way through a small pile of food in a ravenous manner. Taking a moment to wash his latest forkful down with a glass of water that promptly refilled itself, Mike spoke up, "So, I''ve been thinking. Ever since we arrived here, I have been neglecting the party and my responsibilities as a party leader. While I cannot change the past, at the very least I can start taking the appropriate steps now, and resolve this problem for the future." Sera gave him a long steady look, trying to read his features. [He''s gotten a little better about hiding his true intentions, but there is still an awkwardness about his approach to certain topics that betrays his uncertainties. Clearly, this sudden shift has been brought on by some factor, and I have a good idea of what.] "Did you get into a fight with Brenden?" She asked while taking a sip of her coffee. "I¡­..may have gotten in a little bit of a disagreement with him, yes." He replied shamefacedly. [Figures.] "I take it he finally aired his grievances. Took him long enough. Alright, so what was your solution?" "Simple. I''m going to make sure that none of you are left behind." He replied with a grin. [Whatever Brenden said must have gotten to him. That''s more ridiculous than usual.....Although, he''s good at doing the ridiculous.] "And how are you planning on accomplishing that? Brenden and Tal might be talented at fighting, but, even with all of my training, I can barely function at the level of a Rank 2 adventurer. How do you propose to solve that?" ------------------------------------------------------ Mike used a quick Appraise, wanting to confirm his suspicions. -------------------------------------------- Seraphina Aquinas Age: 15 Race: Human (Oracle) Class: Practitioner of the Third Realm Title: Companion of the Hero -------------------------------------------- [Definitely going to need to figure out how that underworld salesman hides from Appraise. As it stands now, everything could be easily revealed.] After taking a moment to ensure that no one was within earshot, he whispered encouragingly. "Have you checked your status lately? I think you''ll be surprised by what you see." She blinked at him, then a slightly glazed expression came over her face as she did what he recommended. "What.....when... How did this happen?" "My guess is that you acquired the title awhile ago and managed to change your class as a result. Do you know anything about the class? It sounds pretty impressive, at the very least." She squinted for a few moments before shaking her head. "I''m not sure, the description is garbled for some reason, but it looks like its related to my..." looking around suspiciously for eavesdroppers, "seeing abilities. Maybe I can finally find a practical application for them." [Premonitions are a pretty common ability in literature. Maybe she can unlock something along those lines now. It could make her a pretty powerful fighter if used correctly.] "I hope so. As painful as they are for you, it would be great if they could help you out more. By the way, would you mind changing your title? If it is anything like mine, then the effects should still work, even if it''s unequipped. The last thing we need is another hint about my identity getting out." Sera looked even more confused. "What are you talking about? You can''t change your title. The System assigns the one that is most prevalent to your current situation and only changes it once you''ve taken a serious enough action to literally alter the course of your life." Just to confirm her statement, Mike cycled through a few of his titles before returning it to None. "Are you sure? I can change mine pretty easily. Even set it to be blank when I want to." Sera stared at him open mouthed for a few seconds, then just sighed and slammed her head on the table. Her voice was slightly muffled by the tablecloth. "I shouldn''t be surprised. Nothing you do is normal, but sometimes, when you break a fundamental law of reality on a whim, I just don''t see it coming." [So it seems like I''m special in another way. Is it because I''m reincarnated?] Mike coughed a couple of times, feeling slightly embarrassed for some reason. "Anyway, since it doesn''t seem like we can do much about that at the moment, would you mind telling me a bit about what your current title does? I never got around to asking Tal and Brenden about theirs." She was silent for a second, then shot up, looking at him in an excited manner. "This is incredible! Is this what all of you have? No wonder you''re all so ridiculous." "Sera...." "Ah, right. Well, besides a minor enhancement to the primary attributes, it improves skill acquisition and improvement speed, and increases the likelihood of acquiring a rare or unique class!" She answered with an ecstatic smile. [Sounds a lot like a lesser version of the Hero''s title. Anyway, this will make improving easier.] "Great. That sounds like just what we need. Now, I''ve got a few ideas for how to train today..." He started before Sera held up one hand. "I''m supposed to meet Master Liam today, and I will be out most of the day. If you want to wait until later tonight, I should have some time then." "Ah.....is that so....." Mike replied. Tal had said something similar, intimating that she was on the verge of a breakthrough in her own magic, and that he shouldn''t worry about her. It seemed that his friends were working on improving themselves, even without his involvement. Maybe he did something unnecessary? Perhaps sensing his discouragement, Sera chimed in. "Even if you don''t know much about archery, you have an unusual way of looking at things, and a lot of times you can find solutions to problems others can''t even recognize. Maybe you can use that insight to help point me in the right direction. Would around eight bells work?" "Well, if you have the time....Oh! I almost forgot. These are for you." Mike placed three scrolls and a rune painted crystal on the table. "I''m working on my crafting skills at the moment, and I ended up making a few useful items." After taking a few moments to explain the lot of them, he realized that Sera was staring at him again. This time in a strangely excited manner. "Did you say that you made these last night? Out of low quality materials." "Well, that''s correct." He wasn''t sure if he like the strange flashing of her eyes when he acknowledged that. "Do you think you could make more of the same quality, given a similar amount of time and materials?" He shrugged. "I could probably do better, now that my skills have improved..." "That''s great! With that kind of crafting ability, we could be making a fortune by the end of the month! You''ve got to make more of these. I think there was a merchant..." She trailed off into muttering, evidently planning how to best put this new discovery to use. [Its been a while since I''ve seen this side of her. I''d almost forgotten she was this greedy.] "I understand what you are saying, but its not like we''re hurting on money. I''m more concerned about properly preparing for the war. So, I want to make sure that each of you is as well equipped as possible." Mike replied seriously while gesturing at the items. "This is just the first installment." Sera quieted down at the admonishment, before finally sighing. "Ugh, yeah, I suppose you are right. Sorry, my mercantile instincts got the better of me." She paused for a second, putting the words of what she wanted to say together. "I''m not so arrogant as to refuse your help. I know I need every advantage I can get, but I want you to know that shouldn''t feel obligated to help us improve. I can''t speak for the other two, but I at least chose to follow you, knowing full well how ridiculous you and your life are. If anything, you should be mad at us for not trying to keep up." He chuckled a bit at that. "I''m quite serious. I''ve seen things, and I heard things from my mother. Specifically about you. Your path will be difficult," Her gaze became vacant and unfocused as her voice took on deep, resonant tone. The air itself seemed to vibrate with the power of her words. "It will be lined in thorns, and bathed in the blood of the innocent and guilty alike. You will stand upon a throne of corpses and weep for what might have been, for what was lost. When Oblivion comes, you will welcome it with open arms, and with it shall come the End of all." After a few seconds Sera shook her head, and yawned again. "Sorry, what were we talking about? I think I might have drifted off there for a second. Probably need more coffee." Mike didn''t know how to answer. Chapter 175: Military Matters "I don''t remember saying anything like that. Are you sure you weren''t imagining it?" Sera asked with a slight head tilt and an expression of concern that suggested she thought he was going crazy. "You just told me that I would suffer horribly, to the point of welcoming the coming of Oblivion! Considering your...circumstances, can you understand why I might be worried?" Mike rebutted, trying his best to remain calm. The Oracle''s words had left him feeling cold with horror. Even though he knew his Fate-Touched skill meant that anything foretold about him was suspect, it was hard to completely dismiss his fears. "I might have, but I have no memory of it. While it could be a new manifestation of my abilities caused by my change in class, I have never heard of that kind of foretelling before. Besides, it''s not like you got any specifics from it. Any idiot who spent more than five minutes watching the ongoing disaster that is your life could come up with something similar. I think you should just do your best to put it out of your mind." [Easy for you to say. You''ve apparently already succeeded in doing so.] Mike sighed, deciding that, since the argument wasn''t going anywhere, he might as well put it on hold for the time being. "Alright, I''ll try to forget it. Anyway, I''ll see you here at eight bells then?" She nodded with a faint smile before returning to her coffee with relish. [That girl is definitely not a morning person.] He wandered off to find Tal, and offered her the same deal. His efforts were rewarded with an enthusiastically written ''Okay.'' With that settled, and Brenden MIA, he needed to decide what to do with the rest of his day. There were three things he felt he needed to accomplish in the near future. Restocking his crafting supplies took first priority, hopefully with more potent materials. The simplest way to do this would be to buy them, but if he could locate a nearby dungeon, it might be worth delving for the mana cores alone. With Red''s help, his range of travel had increased exponentially. Second was to train and equip his party to the best of his capability. That extended to him as well, and he hoped to find some time to work on a few skills before the coming conflict. Should he decide to go the delving route, it would provide him an excellent opportunity to do so. Finally, he wanted to go back to the black market bookstore, and see if he couldn''t talk the Broker into letting him in on the secret of hiding from Appraise. Also, since he''d learned how easy it was to produce items of interest to the shop, he wanted to see if he could continue to expand his selection of books. Although that might have to wait until after he''d crafted a few more things to trade. After some thought, he decided he would attend his first class, more out of fear of Instructor Johnathan''s anger than anything else, but would play hooky for the rest of the day again. Combined with another night''s worth of effort, he felt he could make great strides with his various crafting skills. Thus, he set off in the direction of his Basic Elemental Magic Class. It was good he did, because things had evidently changed. "Line up! As of today, you are all officially soldiers in service to Almir. Congratulations. That''s right, the Call to Arms has been issued. For most of you this won''t mean much, other than a shift in the focus of your studies, but make no mistake, we are in the thick of it. Any day now the Tennundians will be clamoring at our gates, and it will be up to us to throw them back. As such, from this point forward, we will be concentrating on combat techniques. Since you are soldiers now, if any of you falter, for even a second, I will make sure that all of you suffer for it. Is that clear?" ""Yes, Sir!"" "Good. We''ll start with a lap around the department. A strong mage needs a strong body. I''m going to count to one hundred, and I''ll start chasing you, and if I catch any of you we will all be doing two more laps. Now, get moving!" Johnathan was in rare form. Mike thought he almost seemed excited by the prospect of battle in the near future. Judging from the sudden increase in the harshness of his instruction, he was probably given special dispensation to start toughening the young mages up. Mike thought it was probably a little late to really see any results, but it was probably better than doing nothing. The pace the group set was fairly leisurely for him. While most of them appeared to be in relatively good shape, Quentin and, surprisingly, Aine seemed to be having trouble. They started flagging almost immediately, and the instructor caught up with them after a few minutes, leading to a round of haranguing from Johnathan. By the time the group was done with the third lap, almost everyone was panting, sweaty, and exhausted. Mike was an exception, since he''d nonchalantly kept pace without even trying. Even the Instructor looked slightly disgusted with him, once they had gathered once more. Mike knew his athletic prowess had reached the level of ridiculous since he''d reincarnated, but he hadn''t quite realized how far from the norm he''d gotten. Unlimited stamina was, quite simply, a ridiculously cheat-like ability, and he felt slightly guilty for overshadowing his classmate''s efforts by virtue of his unfairly gotten status. It got worse when they started the combat drills. They practiced moving in formations, how to support an associated infantry line, and what to do when fighting in close combat. Throughout the process, Mike was able to accomplish his assigned tasks with the greatest of ease. Compared to some of the actual fights he''d been in, these drills were simple and straightforward. He understood that they were meant for beginners, but he was starting to resent the waste of his precious time. Perhaps sensing his frustration, Johnathan pulled him aside at the end of class. "I know you''re probably itching to do something more productive, but I have a duty to the rest of your classmates. I need to make sure that they can fight in battle without making a fool of themselves. Participating in these lessons are pointless for you, so going forward, you no longer have to attend this class. Which, judging from the fuss you made yesterday, means that you will be likely missing the rest of your classes for the foreseeable future." Mike had the presence of mind to keep his features schooled, not that its seemed to help. "It doesn''t matter. At this point, there isn''t much you can learn from introductory courses. If we all survive the next couple of months, I will see about getting you placed into more advanced classes. Take the time you have now to improve yourself as you can. That said, do make sure to check in with your Summoning Magic instructor when you have time. I think she''s getting a bit worried about you." Johnathan murmured with a slightly odd expression on his face. If Mike didn''t know better he it could almost be mistaken for embarrassment. "I see¡­" [Could he perhaps...] "Anyway, if you feel you need someone to beat you into the ground every now and then, come to the magic combat training yard at three and a half bells, I''m usually warming up there." The instructor continued with more confidence. "I might just do that, sir." "On another note, there will be a meeting at the top floor of the Spire tomorrow at five bells to discuss war planning for the University. Your presence is requested due the ''faction'' you represent." "I''ll be there." He replied while turning to leave through the main entrance, before thinking better of it. Sneaking out the back door, to avoid any curious questions from his classmates, Mike headed towards the gate. He figured a trip to the Adventurer''s Guild would help him come to a decision regarding materials. If he could find a decent dungeon in the region around the city, it would help with two of the things he wanted to achieve today. After asking a few questions of the intimidating receptionist, who was helpful as usual, Mike got his hands on a map which displayed all the dungeons in the nearby region, along with a brief description of each. It seemed that there were three within a reasonable distance. The first was a water influenced one located on a nearby island, called ''The Siren''s Rest.'' Due to the tendency for sections of the dungeon to flood randomly, it was rated at Rank 6 difficulty, meaning that it was recommended that only Rank 6 adventurers and above attempted the delve. Despite this challenge environment, the materials gathered there were often subpar. As such, it was considered an unpopular dungeon that only specialized delvers used. The second was called ''The Den of The Beast,'' which was an abnormally short dungeon consisting of only five layers located in the forests to the south. It had a special difficulty rating. The first four floors were Rank 4, however the fifth was Rank 7. According to the records, the majority of it was straightforward and the rewards were decent, but the final boss was always a monster of terrific strength that only the most skilled adventurers could handle. That said, it was still a relatively productive place to farm for materials, if you stick the upper floors. The final one was called ''Lirel''s Tomb.'' It was closest to the capital, having sprung up in the remains of a deserted graveyard. As a Rank 3 dungeon, it was popular with the capital''s adventurers, even though its undead themed monsters had a tendency to inflict nasty curses, diseases, or other harmful effects. This was likely due to the higher number of reported instances of adventurer''s finding enchanted items during delves, which seemed to be a unique trait of the dungeon itself. Mike debated on his options, before deciding to put it on hold until he''d taken care of his shopping. Perhaps the answer would come to him. He stood up from the table he''d been using and started heading to the door, only to hear a commotion in the common room. "Attention! The Third Almiran Reserve Corps is looking for volunteers. You will be paid a minimum of 2 silver a day, and an additional 5 silver on days where you see combat. Those of higher adventurer ranks will be paid accordingly. If your contributions are particularly outstanding, the Crown has offered rewards up to 100 gold for heroics and valor on the field of battle. All of those who are interested, please line up over here." A group of soldiers dressed in the heraldry of Almir were running a recruiting stand. Evidently, the wages were good enough to attract the attention of several of the milling guild members. Mike could see a growing number of people lining up to take the king''s coin, in a manner of speaking. [Looks like the rest of the city is starting to gear up for war. I''m honestly surprised it took this long. It almost seems like they were more concern about the consequences of a general panic than they were about actually fighting against the invaders.] Shaking his head, he walked towards the market district, choosing to swing by Gail''s store even though he hadn''t made use of the ingredients he''d already gotten. The casual inspection he''d made the last time had revealed that several of the materials sold there could be used for multiple purposes. Besides, he wanted to get the old witch''s advice on how to proceed with Artifice. While he was walking, he took notice of the small signs of growing tension among the populace. Mothers shepherding their children along with faces pinched with worry. Guards looking increasingly vigilant and agitated. Men in small groups speaking in hushed tones only to fall silent when someone passed by. Expensive carriages surrounded by well-armed guards moving towards the nearest city gates, as the wealthy abandoned the metaphorical sinking ship. He suspected that if he went down to the docks, he''d see more of the rich and powerful fleeing the city. Evidently, they didn''t believe the current rulers could protect them from the coming conflict. Much like in his old world, it seemed that the burden of war was disproportionately placed upon the weak and poor. It sickened him a little when he realized, that many of the people who lived here would die simply because they couldn''t afford to escape. Because they had nowhere else to go. He thought he heard the barest whisper of a voice in the wind, "....you will stand upon a throne of corpses..." With that unpleasant phrase ringing in his ears, Mike took a deep breath and pushed open the door to ''Alchemical Needs.'' Chapter 176: To the Cave! As soon as he walked in, Mike was subjected a coarse round of cursing from the store''s proprietor. "Can''t ya read the sign? I''m closed! Do I need to nail the door shut¡­..ah, it''s the miser. Well, don''t just stand there. Come in and tell me what ya want. I''m sure ya didn''t stop by just to visit." Chuckling slightly, Mike closed the door and walked up to the sales counter where Gail was practicing her craft. In front of her was a small cauldron, bubbling with a thick green fluid, which she was stirring with a large wooden spoon. Occasionally, unidentifiable chunks of something swirled to the surface before submerging once more. While this was going on, the alchemist would periodically grab a handful of dull, grey metal shavings and dump them into the pot, causing the concoction to hiss and spit for a few moments. Mike spent a few moments simple observing a scene that could have been torn from popular culture representations of a witch, before using Appraise on the mysterious product. ------------------------------------------------------------- {Fortifying Brew} Alchemical Item (Tier 2, Rank 3) An alchemical product used to enhance the body and improve the overall health of the consumer over a long period of time. Provides a minor enhancement to Endurance for 3-5 months per dose consumed, depending on the state of the user at the time of consumption. Can be used to treat the negative side-effects of aging. Usage over a long period of time can lead to the users developing a resistance to the brew''s effects. -------------------------------------------------------------- [Interesting. I wonder if she''s making it for herself or for a customer. Now that I think about it, it would make sense if a large portion of her income came from custom or special orders. She lacks the personality to make money through walk-in sales alone.] "Did ya just come to stare at an old woman?" She grumbled distractedly, obviously too focused on her task to really harass him. "No, I''m actually here to buy a few things, and ask your advice regarding a couple of issues." Mike replied quickly, while redirecting his gaze to the ill-kept shelves. "Tch." She clicked her tongue. "Well, look around then. If ya find something that sparks your fancy, I might even sell it to ya." "For a discount, right?" He couldn''t help prodding her a little. Gail scowled, and gave him a baleful glare, "I remember, ya jumped-up amateur." Chuckling again, Mike took a few minutes to gather up a small pile of materials he thought would be useful for all of his various crafting skills and deposited them on the counter. By this point Gail had finished her project, and was watching him. She eyed the pile with a suspicious look. "These aren''t for Alchemy, are they?" She asked in a serious tone. Slightly surprised, Mike nodded. "That''s correct, how did you know?" Grimacing, she leveled another hard glare in his direction. "These are materials that can be used with multiple kinds of crafting. Are ya trying to master multiple skills at once? Ya think Alchemy is a game? It demands focus and discipline. If ya can''t be bothered to devote yourself wholeheartedly to it, then I can''t be bothered to teach ya." "You''re going back on our agreement?" He asked, frowning. "Screw the agreement. No disciple of mine will get away with underestimating Alchemy like this. So, get ya gone!" She growled at him. Unlike her usual unpleasantness, this tirade had the air of finality to it, as if she was really determined to push him away. [Looks like I''m going to have to persuade her.] He raised his hand and summoned a sphere of light and a sphere of pure shadow and set them spinning in a slow orbit. "You question my dedication to your chosen craft. Well, let me tell you. I am not so limited that I need to focus on one thing to succeed. I am capable of more than you can imagine." He snuffed his display replacing it with a similar one, this time using magma and ice. "I don''t need your approval, I merely need you to continue to live up to your end of the bargain." Gail stared at him with an open mouth for a good dozen heartbeats, before a look of calculation displaced her shock. "Ya have a rare or unique class. One that gives ya several slots Primary Skill and reduces the difficulties of improving them. Am I right?" Releasing his spells, Mike didn''t reply. Apparently taking his silence as affirmation, Gail cackled. "This changes everything, my boy. If ya can use six elemental magic skills and still have time to worry about multiple forms of crafting, then I underestimated ya. Knowing that, there are no problems continuing as we are. Now, what were yar questions?" [Suspicious.] It was clear that the old woman''s change of heart was inspired by the possibility of profiting off of him somehow. From here on out, he would need to be careful what he showed her. Mike had no doubts that the alchemist was loyal to herself, first and foremost, and little could be done to sway her in that regard. Deciding that he would keep his inquiries straightforward, Mike started asking questions, "I''m looking to improve as an Artificer. What sort of guidance would you have for someone just starting out..." What followed was a lengthy period of instruction. Despite her earlier protestations about needing to focus on one particular craft, Gail turned out to be rather knowledgeable about Artifice, Scrivening, and even Blacksmithing. According to her, there was a fair amount of overlap amongst the various crafting skills, and it paid to be informed about what other specialists could do. With her guidance, Mike finally felt he had a good idea of what he needed to do to master his various creation skills. Despite the earlier difficulties, this had proven a productive trip. Thanking the woman for the information, Mike headed back out into the market to finish the rest of his shopping, which took until lunchtime. Stopping briefly to secure some sustenance for himself and his familiar, he moved on to his next destination, only to be stymied. For some reason, the underground bookseller seemed to be closed. Even the cadre of beggars had disappeared. [Did they move?] Short of forcing his way in, Mike didn''t see a good method of investigating further, so he went back to the Guild and left a message asking for a meetup. He assumed it would take time for the contact to reach out to him, so he figured he would stop by on the way back to the University. It seemed that it was finally time to head out to the dungeon. After some lengthy internal debate, he decided to visit The Cave of The Beast, figuring that it would give him the biggest benefit in the shortest period of time. Now he only had to get there, clear the dungeon, and get back in time to meet up with Tal and Sera. Looking around, Mike realized that he was still in the heart of the city''s commercial district, and even if he caught a coach, it would likely take an hour or two to make it to one of the city''s gates. [Guess I have to take the magic shortcut.] Sending a quick mental message to Red, Mike activated his Stealth skill and ducked into a nearby alley. Although nothing seemed to really change, the people walking along the street started ignoring him more thoroughly than they had before. Judging that this was about the best he could hope for, he took a moment to summon his Salamander''s Cloak and create a mask of Dark Magic. He''d probably reached the point where disguising himself was kind of a lost cause, but it couldn''t hurt. With a blast of Air Magic, he threw himself onto a nearby rooftop, and began using magic assisted jumps to head directly towards the southern wall. As he was travelling, he heard several exclamations from the pedestrians who saw him in action. Occasionally, he even caught the word Dragonknight being thrown around. [Looks like rumors about the Tennundian attack have already spread. In that case, there is little reason to keep hiding.] Following Mike''s mental command, Red flew in low over the city rooftops, shocking the watching crowd even more. Timing his jump, Mike launched himself into the air one more time, and neatly landed on his draconic steed. With the sound of energetic cheering following them, the pair rose into the sky. [Time is of the essence today, buddy. Once we''re a safe distance away, let''s pull out all the stops.] Mike spoke to Red through his link. The dragon asked him if he was sure, sending along a mental image of Mike being thrown off and splattering on the ground below. [Don''t worry, I''ll be fine.] Mike replied haughtily, although he made sure to get a good grip on Red''s neck. With the mental equivalent of a shrug, the dragon flapped his wings once in a powerful motion that propelled them forward at tremendous speeds. Despite his protestations, Mike was almost thrown off immediately, as the sudden acceleration nearly caused him to black out. If it wasn''t for his Physiological Resistance Skill and his enhanced Endurance, this would have been a short trip. Audra on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine, and kept trying to get out of his pocket, requiring him to stuff her back in every few minutes. The real challenge, however, proved to be the air pressure that threatened to tear him off the dragon''s back. He was able to compensate with Air Magic to a limited extent, but the amount of mana required to sustain any kind of lasting protection was beginning to get ridiculous. [I really need to find a solution to this. As it stands now, none of the others could even survive max speed travel, let alone make use of it for any length of time. On the other hand, I suppose there isn''t any reason we couldn''t just fly slower. It''s not like travel is the time consuming part of this little detour.] About when he had that thought, Red started slowing down and signaling they had arrived at their destination. He was circling the area at a high altitude in order to avoid scaring the locals. From the looks of it, there was a small village of sorts set up around the dungeon''s entrance, so with a message of thanks, Mike dropped off the side of the dragon, using Air Magic to direct himself towards a safe landing zone. This proved a little difficult, since there were a number of large trees in the surrounding area, but by relying on his enhanced reflexes and increased control of his Air Magic, he managed to touch down in a wooded patch a little ways from the village. After taking a moment to readjust his clothes and hair, which had been thrown into disorder by the violence of his travels, he made his way inside. Chapter 177: A Zoological Encounter Like pretty much every settlement he''d seen since reincarnating, the village had a wall, in this case a wooden palisade. The gate was currently open, and several well-armed individuals, that he assumed were adventurers, were entering and leaving in small groups. [Maybe I should bring the others next time. This might be a good place to train.] He sauntered through the main gate, attracting a little attention due to his getup, but much less than he figured. Evidently, rumors of his identity hadn''t spread this far yet. Something to be thankful for, he supposed. The interior of the small village was clearly designed with adventurers in mind. Weapons and armor shops were plentiful, only outnumbered by the taverns and bars. Stores that focused on magic items, delving gear, dismantling, and even dungeon maps were interspersed throughout. A large building bearing the symbol of the Adventurer''s Guild stood along one side of the main street, which was also lined with a variety of colorful characters hawking all kinds of unusual items and services. While he was tempted to do a little shopping, he knew that he really didn''t have enough time to do more than a cursory glance, so he pointedly ignored the calls of the street merchants. Thankfully, his appearance was strange enough, or threatening enough, that people tended to avoid him as he followed the stream of traffic towards the base of a massive tree that dominated one side of the village. As he got closer, he saw the dungeon portal swirling within a hollow formed by two giant roots. The entrance was so large, he thought Red could even fit through, albeit with a little of squeezing. He considered the idea for a moment before dismissing it. The dungeon passages were probably quite narrow, and would be problematic if the dragon got stuck. A short line of adventurers had formed in front of the entrance, and guild personnel were checking them in. As he watched, a group of four walked into the portal, disappearing into the dungeon. He took his place in line, once again feeling the strange incongruity of all of this taking place in reality. It was simply hard to believe that such a convenient thing existed, but he supposed he shouldn''t be surprised. A defining quality of this world seemed to be that tangible rewards were always available to those who worked hard enough to achieve them. With something like the System in place, with its tendency to reward effort and experience with increasing levels of power, he supposed it wouldn''t be a stretch to imagine that, a similar concept could be put into effect on a smaller scale in specified locations. Not for the first time, he wondered what the gods were thinking when they created the current world. He doubted that they simply wanted to restrict the rampaging mana, and just so happened to put features into place that benefited a very specific type of lifeform. It was possible they were merely looking out for their humanoid creations, giving them the ability to survive and thrive, but he doubted it. From the sounds of it, the divinities of this world were far too human-like to be that generous. Lost in thought, he almost didn''t realize it when his turn to enter the dungeon came. "Are you by yourself?" A tired looking man working behind a weathered desk asked upon seeing him walk up. He was sizing Mike up with his gaze in a dismissive manner. "That''s correct." The man motioned him over, "Would you mind displaying your Guild Card?" He sighed when Mike did so. "Look, I know the listed difficulty for this dungeon is Rank 4, but that''s just an approximation. Everyone''s experience will be different, and it''s entirely possible that you''ll find yourself quickly surrounded by powerful monsters. Are you sure you want to take on this dungeon alone? It''s strongly recommended that delvers below Rank 8 travel in groups, regardless of the listed difficulty." Mike knew the guy was just doing his job, but it was hard to not be a little offended by the intimation that he didn''t know what he was getting into. "I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I''ll be alright. Despite my rank, I have a lot of solo combat experience." He replied, enhancing his voice with a little mana to get his point across. The man shrugged. "Fair enough. Just didn''t want you to walk in blind. Anyway, as a Guild member, your entry fee is waived, so whenever you are ready, you may enter." Thanking him, Mike walked towards the giant tree. With its root structures soaring overhead, and the dark shadowy entrance in front, it felt like he was descending to the burrow of some titanic beast. Although, he supposed that wasn''t far from the truth. After passing through the portal, he found himself in a dank, underground cavern. The walls were composed of damp earth with twisting and tangled root systems holding the dirt in place. While it was fairly dark, patches of sunlight streamed through small holes in the cavern ceiling. Out of curiosity, he tried to investigate one of them, only to discover an invisible wall that prevented him from getting through. [They aren''t even trying to make it realistic.] At a loss to explain the laziness of the developers, Mike decided to focus on clearing the dungeon. After all, he was on a bit of a time crunch, so he began running randomly through the network of caverns, only stopping to quickly eliminate monsters and claim the dropped materials. The inhabitants of this particular dungeon were almost universally bestial and animalistic, often resembling oversized or slightly exaggerated animals. They mainly consisted of large predatory mammals like wolves, lions, bears, and the like. Every so often, though, he would run across an unusual one. He also fought chimeras of various shapes and sizes included, the worst of which was some kind of bear/eagle hybrid which had developed the ability to fire its feathers at him like projectiles. He initially tried to use the methods described in the Beast Taming manual, on the off chance it worked on dungeon monsters, but it ultimately proved ineffectual. They just continued to attack him regardless of what he said or did. So, he was forced to simply kill his way through. Luckily, nothing proved truly challenging or surprising until he was about halfway through the fourth floor. He had just finished clearing out a room of gorilla-like creatures with snakes for arms, which had to be biologically improbable without the aid of magic, and walked into the next chamber only to find it was significantly larger than the others. [Did I get to the floor boss already, or is this some kind of mini-boss?] He walked towards the center of the chamber, waiting for something to happen. Before he got there, a massive ball of fur dropped from the ceiling. It whirled on him, eyes flashing with murderous rage, wickedly sharp fangs stained with the blood of its enemies. It would have been terrifying if not for one thing. "Really? A giant squirrel?" Mike couldn''t help but ask. Indeed, it looked exactly like the brown-furred, bushy-tailed, tree-dwelling squirrels he was used to in his old world, only on a much larger scale. This creature was a little larger than a city bus, but moved at the same blinding speed of an animal a hundredth of its size, as it pounced forward at him. He jumped back to avoid its rush, but quickly found himself on the defensive as the monster kept up a blistering, almost frenzied, level of attacks. Needing a few moments to get his thoughts in order, Mike let it charge him one more time, before throwing up a solid barrier of stone. Surprisingly, it crashed through the wall almost unimpeded, sending shards of rock exploding in every direction. The impact at least seemed to stun it, so he took the moment to try out a Fire Magic chant he''d recently picked up. "Nemesis of my soul, be despoiled by the manifestation of my rage. From the origins of dark vengeance I command thee, castigate and consume. Rend the flesh and leave not but the bones of the wicked. [Crawling Conflagration]" A wave of deep red flames roared to life in front of him, before sweeping forward like a crimson carpet. The squirrel didn''t even have a chance to recognize the danger before the fire had already started to crawl across its body. The monster released a high-pitched squeal of pain, and frantically attempted to put itself out. Unfortunately for it, the flames created by the spell would continue to burn until their mana had been expended. They continued to spread despite the creature''s efforts. Not wanting to watch the animal slowly burn to death, Mike used a well-placed Stone Javelin to finish it off. [This is pretty much the magical equivalent of napalm. Even if it was a dungeon monster, I feel a little guilty using something like this on a living being.] The squirrel''s body slowly dissolved leaving behind a large yellow mana core. Mike used Appraise excitedly. This was the first time he''d seen a core of this color, and he suspected that it was more potent than the red and orange ones that he''d been picking up from the other dungeon monsters. ------------------------------------------- {Mid-Grade Mana Core} Magic Material (Tier 2, Rank 2) A mid-grade mana core. ------------------------------------------ [How helpful¡­..Anyway, the others have all been low grade so far. I guess the potency of a mana core is related to its color? Judging from the progression, I''m guessing it goes by the spectrum of visible light. Seems a little odd though. With the number of races living in this world, wouldn''t most of them have different optical ranges?] Putting aside another strange incongruity, Mike shook his head and continued on. The rest of the fourth floor turned out to be simple, and the floor boss, an oversized wolf, was even easier than the giant squirrel. After defeating it and collecting the resulting orange mana core, Mike took a second to consider what to do next. By all accounts, the fifth floor was where this dungeon got really difficult. Although he felt confident in his abilities, part of him worried about getting wrapped up in something overly dangerous or difficult. He didn''t really know how he measured up to a Rank 7 challenge. After all, he''d only come here to harvest materials and train a little. However, it was hard to give up on the kind of rewards he''d receive for clearing such a challenge. Especially since his farming up till now had been phenomenally underwhelming. He was now well supplied with mana cores, but had found nothing else. [Where''s the fun in being overpowered if you don''t occasionally do something difficult.] Squaring his shoulders, and checking to make sure his familiar was still somehow asleep, Mike stepped into the portal for the next floor. He immediately found himself standing in cold, knee-deep water, inside a vast circular chamber. In front of him was a low mound, which rose above the pool he''d appeared in. Golden sunlight formed a column of radiance which spotlighted a patch of grass growing from the exposed earth. At its very center stood one of the most majestic creatures Mike had ever seen. It resembled a stag, even in terms of size, but had a presence that demanded his attention. With long branching antlers, a deep brown coat of glossy fur, and a regal, elegant bearing, it was clear that this beast was the ruler of this dungeon. Mike was momentarily overwhelmed by the sight. It was exactly this kind of experience that made him so interested in exploring this world. He dreamed of finding these hidden moments of beauty and majesty. It was enough to make him consider taking up poetry, just so he could spread this kind of feeling to others. The stag swished its noble head, summoning a barrage of stone javelins which were launched at Mike with terrifying speed. "Oh, shit!" He exclaimed as he snapped out if his trance. [Why can it use magic?!] Chapter 178: Fighting the Primal Mike dodged to the right, and immediately had to start running through the knee-deep water along the outer edges of the room. The stag was stitching a line with its stone javelins, creating a continuous rain of fire like that of a machine gun. Disturbingly, the spells were launched silently, so only the sounds that echoed through the circular chamber were the projectiles impacting on the wall behind him, and his own sloshing efforts to move quickly through the pool. [What the hell? Did I change genres again? Am I in an action/adventure video game now?] Getting annoyed with the water impeding his movements, he stopped, threw both of his hands forward while sinking his will into the liquid, and created a massive wall in front of him, which he promptly froze into a solid barrier. His momentary feeling of accomplishment was quickly overturned as several stone projectiles punched through the ice with terrifying power, forcing him to duck into a roll. [Serious, what the hell? Does this thing have unlimited mana?] The constant stream of fire stop briefly, long enough for Mike to peak through one of the holes in his barricade. The stag had raised one foreleg in a graceful, elegant manner. As he watched, it brought the limb down hard. A premonition of danger had him launching himself to the right again, this time with the aid of Air Magic. After slamming it into the ground the stag''s hoof created an expanding cone of jagged, stony spikes, which quickly engulfed a quarter of the room. The remains of his ice wall were completely destroyed. Had he remained there, it would have left him skewered. [Whew. I can see why most adventurers would have problems with a monster like this. I guess I need to take this seriously.] With a wave of his hand, he sent a roiling cloud of boiling steam at the stag, more as an effort to distract it than anything else. While its vision was momentarily blocked, he quickly chanted his upgraded version of the stone javelin spell, pumping it full of mana. The cloud of steam was met with a wall of water that emerged out of thin air. Evidently the monster could use more than just Earth Magic. Undeterred, Mike took aim at the area he recalled the stag occupying and let loose with his four humming spears made of dark obsidian. They quickly punched through the wall of water, displacing large sections of it with the force of their passage. This gave Mike a chance to watch the stag''s response. He was already preparing his next move, suspecting that his enemy wasn''t out of tricks just yet. Unsurprisingly, the stag was able to dodge three of them with a quickly executed sidestep. However, it was forced to deflect the last one with its antlers, which proved to be its undoing. The sheer amount of force behind each of the spears, thanks to the large amount of mana Mike had poured into them, was not something that could be parried so easily. With an audible crack, one section of the stag''s antlers broke off, eliciting a heartrending cry of pain that echoed through the chamber. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Mike threw himself forward and placed a hand on the wounded creature''s forehead, directing his mana and will into it. According to the Beast Taming guide, this was the most direct method of taming monsters. Assuming the user had a strong enough will and potent enough mana, it could forcibly create a bond between both parties. Unfortunately, when he had tried it on the dungeon monsters before this, it had failed. Mike wasn''t sure what was supposed to happen, but it had felt like he was attempting tie one end of a string to a puddle of water. It was clear that something was there, but he didn''t have anything to connect it too, like the dungeon monsters were missing something that would allow the bonding process to take place. While the stag was significantly more potent (its spirit, mana, or whatever felt more like pudding than water) it also lacked the connection point, confirming his suspicion. Monsters from the dungeon almost appeared to be artificial magical constructs, which imitated living beings, but were fundamentally different. If that was the case, it made sense that he couldn''t use Beast Taming on them. [However, if they are basically high spec biological robots, there should be a way to hijack them as well. Maybe something worth investigating at a later date.] He didn''t quite have the luxury of experimenting at the moment. Once his attempt at taming failed, he was forced to dodge backwards once more, as the stag lashed out with its remaining antler. The two of them were left facing each other on the small mound. Not wanting to expose himself to another round of heavy fire, Mike summoned a stone spear, before launching himself forward. Strangely enough, the stag stepped forward to meet him, elegantly blocking his attacks while countering with a combination of kicks and slashes with its antler. After a few exchanges, Mike was actually getting pushed back. The monster seemed preternaturally skilled, almost as if it could read his every movement, and it was taking all of Mike''s concentration to avoid being skewered on the sharp horns. Finally reaching his limit on patience, he decided to try another strategy. One he''d been planning on trying since his duel with the Eternal Blade. With a shout, he summoned a nimbus of lighting around himself, forcing the stag to take a step back. Flexing his will, he channeled the power into his body. His limbs crackled with energy, and he felt his hair stand on end. Blinking once, he focused on the monster. The world seemed to slow down. He could see the beads of moisture falling from the stag''s fur, moving at a snail''s pace in their route to the ground. With a start, he realized he could actually see the passage of the arcing energy that was dancing across his limbs. The stag was attempting to rear, and bring its hooves into play, but it was almost pathetically easy to avoid. He pushed his spear forward, momentarily confused by the sudden difficulty of the action. It felt like he was moving through molasses. Nevertheless, it didn''t take much planning to simply point it in the right direction. [This must be what it feels like to operate with enhanced speed. I can see why those elves felt so haughty. I doubt anything could really stop me like this.] Watching his thrust strike home, Mike took a moment to use Appraise on his enemy. It had been the first time since entering this floor of the dungeon that he''d had the breathing room to do so, and he wanted to know the identity of the monster, before it disappeared. --------------------------------- Avatar of the Primal Age: N/A Race: Avatar Class: Avatar Title: Lord of the Wilds ------------------------------------ As powerful as the ''Avatar'' was, a spear through the heart proved sufficient to end its life. With a mournful cry it sunk to its knees, gave Mike one last unreadable look, and collapsed onto its side, before slowly fading away. He sagged, nearly collapsing to his knees as a wave of exhaustion and pain flowed through him. It felt he''d torn every muscle in his body at the same time, and expended most of his mana in the process. [Oof. That is a pretty potent ability, but the side effects are a little steep. I think this one is going in the ''when I absolutely need it'' file.] By the time he''d recovered, a large blue mana core, about the size of a softball, was all that remained of the stag. A quick Appraise reveled that it was still considered a ''Mid-Grade'' despite the obviously greater power when compared to the yellow one he''d found earlier. He didn''t really understand the rating system on this thing After a few moments, an elaborately designed chest materialized at the very center of the mound. This was evidently the reward for clearing the dungeon. A portal like the ones used to travel between floors popped up behind it, providing him a means of exiting when he was ready. He took a moment to examine the chest for any obvious traps, regretting a lack of skills for such a thing. Then again, he wondered if there even was such a thing as a trap finding skill. Anyway, he inspected it for a few minutes. Once satisfied that it was reasonably safe, he lifted the lid. Inside he found two items. The first was a spear, roughly 180 cm in length. The chest evidently had some kind of storage-like effects, which made such a thing possible. The weapon appeared to have been carved from a single piece of bone, but felt as hard as tempered steel. The haft was smooth, but etched with fine, almost invisible, scrollwork, allowing him to grip it easily. Its leaf shaped spearhead gave the whole assembly a strangely organic feel. He spun it through a couple of forms, reveling at how perfectly it was balanced, and the ease with which is seemed to slice through the air. This was truly a masterpiece of a weapon, exactly the kind of thing he hoped to make for himself one day. Once he had finished admiring the craftsmanship, he used Appraise to determine the rest of its features. ------------------------------------------------------ Fang of the Primal Magic Weapon (Tier 3, Rank 5) Carved from the fang of a primordial beast and blessed by the chosen representatives of Teun herself, this spear bestows the power of the natural world upon its user, giving them several boons. With the exception of naturally occurring monsters, creatures of the wild will hold its bearer in high regard, refusing to harm them and occasionally providing some small measure of aid in times of need. The user is protected from the adverse effects of extreme weather, allowing them to survive in harsh environments without fear. While in wild terrain, the user receives a moderate increase in the effectiveness of all stealth and sensory skills. Finally, the spear grants a fraction of the beast''s legendary power, allowing the user to channel mana to enhance their strength and agility. ------------------------------------------------------ Mike was slightly overwhelmed by the wall of text. This was the first time he''d seen anything quite so complicated in Appraise, and it frankly caught him by surprise. Even Brenden''s sword, Manslayer, which was of a similar tier and rank, only had a single ability, albeit a useful one. [Most of the features don''t really help me at the moment, although I like the bit about being friendly with animals simply by virtue of having it. Perhaps I can give it to Tal when I find something better. For some reason, I feel like it would fit her well. Still, this is far and away the best weapon I''ve seen during my time in this world. I really need to visit dungeons more often.] He excitedly pulled the next item out of the chest. This time, it was a wooden circle about 20cm in diameter, with strings of white silk forming an elaborate geometric pattern at its center. Crystal beads, small animal bones, and feathers hung from it in various places. It reminded Mike of the Native American dreamcatchers he''d seen in his old world. A long leather strap intimated that it was meant to be used as a necklace of some kind. ----------------------------------------------------- Talisman of the Guarded Mind Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 5) Crafted in the traditions of an ancient human nation who emigrated to Ea during the Second Age, this item serves to protect the mind of its wearer from external influence. Renders the user immune to all mental intrusion and magic that relies upon affecting the mind of its targets. This only applies to effects of Tier 3 or lower, but it provides a limited resistance against similar effects of Tier 4 strength. However, prolonged exposure will lead to the item''s destruction. Has no effect on curses, diseases of the mind, or internal effects. ------------------------------------------------------ Without hesitation, Mike put the item on, taking a moment to get a sense for his mental and emotional state once it was in place. [I don''t feel any different¡­but it''s hard to tell. Anyway, this is great. Ever since I met Selene, I was worried about the possibility of being mind-controlled by a powerful enemy. While I have enhanced willpower and the Mental Resistance skill, it''s not hard to believe that a sufficiently powerful user could overcome those.] Feeling quite satisfied with his haul, despite not getting any crafting materials besides mana cores, Mike started moving towards the portal, when something caught his eye. In the pool of water, a little ways away, he caught a glimpse of something branch-like. Not recalling seeing anything like that previously, he moved to investigate. The distorting effect of the water made it difficult to ascertain the identity of the item, so he simply reached in and pulled it out, becoming pleasantly surprised when he realized what it was. ----------------------------------------------------- Antler of the Primal''s Avatar Magic Material (Tier 3, Rank 5) Harvested from one of the rarely seen avatars of nature''s embodiment, this material still bears the creature''s powerful connection to the mana of the natural world. Can be used in all forms of crafting as an enhancer to mana conduction, but will provide the best benefits when creating items related to Water, Earth, or Life Elemental Magic, or that deals with nature in some fashion. ----------------------------------------------------- Chapter 179: The Intermediaries "Huh." Mike said to himself while putting the antler away. He hadn''t thought it was possible for the pieces of defeated dungeon monsters to remain behind, but apparently this was a special case. Shrugging, Mike took one last look around the chamber, enjoying the strangely peaceful and solemn atmosphere one last time. Making sure his disguise was in place, he shouldered his new spear and exited through the portal. He found himself back outside, facing a small crowd of adventurers and guild clerks, who erupted into cheers as soon as he''d appeared. From the sounds of it, there was some kind of commotion going on in town as well. The man who had been manning the entry stall ran over to him. "I''m sorry I ever doubted you. If I had known that you were capable of conquering the dungeon on your own, I would have never have bothered you." He had a fawning, desperate expression that seemed to begging for absolution. [Is clearing a dungeon really that big of a deal? Judging from their reactions, at least it looks like I didn''t cause them any problems by doing so.] "That''s alright. You were just doing your job." Mike replied, trying to head off any further groveling. "What''s all this about?" The man blinked, "Why, we are celebrating. It''s been years since the last time a delver has conquered the Cave of the Beast, so when the portal changed color, it didn''t take long for word to spread. Give it another hour or two and the whole town will be one big party." Mike looked behind, noticing that the dungeon portal had taken on a distinctly greenish hue, which somehow made it look more inviting. "This won''t cause any problems for anyone? I mean, it''s not like I ruined everyone''s source of income or anything, right?" The man blinked again, looking a little unsure of himself, "Of course not. Whenever the dungeon boss is defeated, it makes the other monsters more docile, less powerful. If anything, you''ve made everyone''s lives easier for the next few months, until the boss respawns and things return to normal. Is this your first time clearing a dungeon?" [Well, that answers a few questions. It looks like I don''t need to worry about anything else.] "Thanks for the information. Anyway, I need to be going. I have pressing business to attend to. Judging from the position of the sun," he took a moment to stare sagely into the air, "I have already spent too long here." With that he began moving towards the village gate. The assembled crowd moved apart to allow him past, cheering all the way. The guild clerk hurried up beside him, "Are you sure you can''t stay longer? I think they''re planning on a having a big feast in your honor. If you''ve never been a part of a Dungeon Conquest party, you should know that you are missing out." Tempting though that was, Mike had other obligations. The last thing he wanted to do was to stand up his two female party members just to attend a feast. He would never hear the end of it once they found out. "I''m afraid I cannot." "Wait, come on. You haven''t even told us your name!" The man pleaded. [Didn''t I show you my guild card earlier?] There was some murmuring amongst the crowd, which suddenly took on a scandalized tone. Shouts of ''you can''t leave!'' and ''tell us who you are!'' could be heard over the general noise. Mike noticed that the onlookers had started crowding closer, evidently trying to get a better view, but in the process, they cut off his line of retreat. [I never knew that popularity was such a pain. Why does anyone want to be famous? Ugh, I really don''t have the time or the patience to take care of it in the appropriate way, so I might as well be flashy.] He sent a quick mental message, before halting in the center of the constricting circle of excited adventurers. With a trickle of mana, he enhanced his voice to make it carry over the assembled people, while giving it greater gravitas. Raising his new spear to quiet the crowd, he delivered his statement. "I have no desire to spread my name, and therefore I won''t share it. If that answer doesn''t suffice, fear not. I will show you everything you need to know momentarily." There was a moment of silence as the crowd digested this statement. Mike heard someone in the back say, ''what does that mean?'' before he got the mental reply he was looking for. With a burst of Air Magic, he threw himself directly up, just in time to intercept Red as he nimbly navigated through the encroaching trees. Mike was almost out of earshot, when he heard the crowd finally react, bursting into frenzied cheering which faded as the dragon flew them farther north. [Man, the Dragonknights are really popular here. Just have to show up on the back of one and suddenly it''s a national holiday or something.] Mike put it out of his mind, and concentrated on holding on. Red was complaining mentally about having to dodge around the ancient trees, and as soon as there was enough clearance, he ascended above the canopy. Angling himself towards the capital, the dragon launched himself forward at high speeds, evidently enjoying the act of flying with all of his might despite whatever discomfort it caused his rider. In a short span of time, they were over the city, and Mike was preparing to jump. [Thanks again, Red. You''ve been a big help. I''ll treat you to something tasty once we''ve reached the point you can hang out in the city without causing too much of an alarm. I''ve heard there is a restaurant that cooks an entire cow using an old family recipe. Supposedly, the meat just falls off of the bone.] Red made dismissive noises at the idea, but Mike saw a hint of drool forming at the corner of the dragon''s mouth. Chuckling, he jumped, once more aiming for the University. With a little effort he was able to direct himself towards a secluded section of the campus. Judging from the sky, he still had about thirty minutes until it was time to meet up, so he took a moment to visit one of the dining facilities and eat a quick meal. As per usual, Audra woke immediately after coming within a certain radius of food, and fought to free herself from the confines of Mike''s pocket. He intimated a feeling of exasperation along their link. [I spend the entire afternoon fighting monsters, and you''re dead to the world. But the second we stop by a restaurant, you''re ready to take on the world. I''m glad I don''t actually have to depend on you for anything.] The little dragon turned to look at him, cocked her head to one side, and replied with a squeaky chirp which translated as ''hungry!'' Sighing, he got in line. The cafeteria was serving a thick pork stew, with a half loaf of white bread, a wedge of cheese, two apples, and a flagon of ale. Not exactly the healthiest of meals, but tasty nonetheless. He made sure to get a second bowl of stew for his familiar, and sat down to eat, letting Audra down onto the table to do likewise. Despite being distracted by the need to grab the dragon''s bowl every so often to avoid having her tip it over, Mike found himself getting lost in thought during the meal. [So I know mana infused ink works for creating items through Artifice, but how are you supposed to do it with the other methods. Am I supposed to simply incorporate the mana core into the item somehow? What should I do when making something small?] He resolved himself to research the idea when he had the time, but pulled one of the smaller red cores out of his bag, out of curiosity. He wondered if he could somehow make it take a more convenient form, and applied a little mana-infused will in the attempt. It didn''t accomplish much besides making the core glow a little, and he could clearly tell that he was on the wrong track. Sighing again, he set it down on the table, and grabbed one of the apples, absentmindedly biting into it while thinking. [The simplest method would be grind it into dust and add it to the item at the beginning¡­] Audra, having finished her bowl of stew, was staring at the mana core curiously. She walked over and gently nudged it with her snout. It was a little humorous to watch, since the crystalline sphere was almost as big as she was. "That''s not edible, little one. Are you really still hungry? Here, you can have my other-" With a loud crunch, she took a bite out of the core. By reflex, Mike moved to pull it away from her, but stopped himself to watch. With slow, steady progress, Audra devoured the sphere, storing it in whatever extradimensional space that served as her stomach. Once she was done, she gave a satisfied chirp, yawned, and curled up to go to sleep. [I guess dragons really can eat anything. Maybe mana rich foods are an important part of their diet? I really wish I could find someone who knew something about this. Perhaps when the surviving Dragonknights hunt me down for appropriating their name, I can get a little dragon-rearing advice before they try to kill me or whatever.] He gathered up his familiar, thanked the serving staff, and headed back to the dorm. When he arrived, Tal and Sera were waiting outside, apparently ready for him. "Finally! I thought you would never get here. Do you know how long we''ve been waiting?" Sera demanded as soon as he was close enough to yell at. Mike listened to the sounds of the clock tower in the distance, chiming ten bells, which was when they were supposed to meet up. "Sounds like you are the ones who were early? What''s the matter can''t wait to hang out with me?" He teased with a grin. The Oracle blushed, "Don''t you know that you''re supposed to get here first? Its not gentlemanly to keep ladies waiting." "Alright, alright, sorry. Now, are you both ready to go?" He said, while motioning back towards the training grounds. Tal simply nodded, while Sera grumbled to herself for a few moments before acquiescing as well. It was a short walk, and before long, they''d arrived at the deserted yard. "So what''s the plan? Are you going to give us pointers or something?" Sera asked, while getting her weapon ready. Mike turned to his party members. "That will be part of it. I''ve been thinking about this for awhile now. How should I best prepare you for the dangers of live combat? How do I make sure that the two of you, and Brenden as well, whenever he comes back, will be able to survive against the toughest of opponents? Unfortunately, I am not a strong teacher. My innate qualities make it difficult for me to relate to the struggles of others in this world." Noticing the frown forming on Sera''s face, he made sure to follow up. "Not that I''m complaining, it just make''s this training a little bit challenging for me to plan. That said, I think there is one method I can pursue that will help you prepare for all kinds of dangerous situations. One that can serve as a measure of your current progress while allowing me to help you grow in the future." Tal sketched a symbol that basically meant a question mark onto her chalkboard. "Combat simulations, of course." He said as he summoned a ball of fire in one hand, before angling it towards the pair. "Lets see you''ve got." Chapter 180: Simulated Explosions Sera dodged another series of small explosions in a panic, dropping her bow in the process. With the merciless fireballs descending on her in another wave, she didn''t have the time to stop and grab it. Although they''d run through a few basic scenarios so far, this was crazy. She had been running from the increasingly intense barrage of magical projectiles for close to ten minutes now, and it showed no signs of letting up. Throwing up her arms to protect her face as showers of dirt rained on her after a particular close blast, she couldn''t help but feel a little singled out. Tal, who was limited on what she could do without the ability to speak and therefore chant, had been quickly cornered and overwhelmed. The elf was currently encased in a solid block of earth leaving only her face visible. She was passively watching the proceedings with eyes that seemed a bit more emotionless than usual. While Sera felt a small amount of pride in having lasted this long, the whole situation seemed unfair. Taking a moment to glance up at her attacker, who was lining up for his next shot from the top of his summoned stone pillar, she yelled her complaints, "How is this in any way related to actual combat?!" "This is simulating an airborne enemy capable of laying down a large volume of fire. It''s testing your ability to respond to a threat from above while simultaneously avoid his or her attacks. I had thought it would be pretty straightforward. After all, didn''t this exact thing happen to you just a few days ago?" Mike replied calmly, while halting the barrage. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Sera glared up at him. "Yeah, but Tal was able to handle it just fine without me." "And yet, there she is, unable to defend herself due to her current circumstances, forced to rely on her party member to somehow overturn the situation. However, you''ve done nothing besides run around in circles, occasionally firing poorly aimed arrows." She gritted her teeth, "What do you expect? I''m weak! I can''t fight someone like you, even if you are holding back. It''s unfair!" Mike''s face was unreadable for a few moments, golden eyes staring down at her in an impassive manner, "Life is unfair. Sometimes, you will be asked to face impossible odds." With a smooth motion, he stepped off of the pillar, landing easily on the ground below despite the nearly 10m drop. "It is inevitable that you will face an overwhelming enemy someday, and I or Tal or Brenden may not be around to protect you. When that enemy comes to deliver the final blow, will you complain that is unfair? Will you simply give up?" Sera swallowed. What he said made sense, but it wasn''t something she was comfortable thinking about. A part of her had always accepted that she would be weaker than the others, someone that needed to be protected. While this gnawed on her and drove her to improve, she had, to some extent, internalized this rationale. Challenging that assumption would require her to re-examine a fundamental piece of her own identity through a painful period of introspection, something she had unconsciously shied away from. However, this seemed to be exactly what Mike was aiming for in his strategy. Some of her uncertainty must have shown on her face, since Mike''s eyes softened, and he casually released Tal from her earthen prison. The elf continued to look emotionlessly listless, which was probably the closest she ever came to looking depressed. "Perhaps a change of pace is needed." Mike muttered as he cleared away his pillar with a wave of his hand. "Rather than a single, difficult enemy, maybe something a bit closer to what you would see in warfare would be appropriate." With that he broke into a muttered chant. It sounded oddly gravelly and guttural, very different from the usual flighty tones most mages used. Almost as if he were using a different chanting language. She noticed that Tal had snapped out of whatever depression she had been suffering from, and was watching Mike with a rapt, albeit expressionless, gaze. When he finished the chant, and raised his arm, five figures rose from the ground as well. They appeared to be little more than humanoid outlines composed of packed earth, save for a strange, runic symbol carved in each of their foreheads. "I call them Earth Golems. Pretty neat, huh? I hit upon the idea last night, but I hadn''t had the chance to try it yet. Anyway, they should be a little faster and stronger than the average soldier. This should give you a chance to practice your skills against a more reasonable opponent, while I come up with something for Tal in her current state. Anyway, let''s get started." Mike commented cheerfully. Sera, who was feeling slightly overwhelmed by all this, was about to voice her misgivings, when the closest golem turned towards her and leapt. Its arm transformed into a wickedly sharp battle axe in mid-air, and only a quick backwards hop prevented her from being split in two. A small crater formed under the power of the golem''s attack, causing the ground to vibrate with its intensity. "Eh?" Was all that she could muster. [That''s ''a little stronger than the average soldier''? is he insane?! These things are going to kill me!] She was forced to continue evading, as another three stepped forward to do something similar, each of which formed their own weapons in the process. Seeing no other alternative, she turned tail and fled, narrowly dodging the attacks of the earthy monsters while screaming. "I''m going to get you back for this, Mike!" -------------------------- "Hm, looks like I made them a bit too potent. Oh well, I''m sure she''ll figure it out." Mike muttered to himself as he watched his creations chase the Oracle around the training yard. He''d made sure to include an in-built limitation to the golems that would prevent them from actually harming Sera, but she didn''t need to know that. Satisfied, he turned to Tal, who was watching him expectantly. "First of all, I would like to ask, how did your project go? Did you make a breakthrough?" Mike thought he saw a hint of pride in her face, as she began writing on her chalkboard. "I succeeded. Will need time to adjust and practice." "I see, is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, while successfully ignoring Sera''s declarations of vengeance every time one she had a close call with one of the golems. Tal paused, in thought, before shaking her head and scribbling her reply. "Not right now. I just need time." "Fair enough. Anyway, I''ve been thinking over things we can all stand to improve on, and it seems to me that your biggest weakness is a lack of flexibility. You are arguably the most powerful in terms of sheer attack power, but you lack the variety of attack vectors that is the Elemental Mage''s greatest power. Unfortunately, I don''t know enough about Pact Magic to know for sure if this is a standard problem, or something unique to you." "It is common among Pact Mage''s. Our abilities are limited by the contracts we form. More flexibility requires more sacrifice. However, is only real constricting factor." Came the reply. Mike frowned, lost in thought. If Tal''s contracted spirits were the limiting factor, there wasn''t much he could do to fix it. Finding powerful spirits or creatures to contract would be the most direct route, and he suspected that her baseline abilities this would improve with time and experience, but they needed something faster. Suddenly, and idea came to him, and removed the Flawed Bracer of the Master Mage, and passed it to her. All three disks were glowing dimly, a sign of the mana he''d been slowly pouring into it since he got the item. At the moment, it was nearly full, containing the equivalent of roughly half of his own reserves. "You said before, that your issue stems from a natural lack of mana, right? Try putting it on." Tal nodded, looking slightly confused as she complied with his demand. "Now, use the item like you would one of your spirits. Try to create some water with Lifestyle Magic while letting this bracer provide the power." Mouth formed into a line with concentration, Tal started down at her had. After a little while, a small pool of water formed in her hand. She gasped, and quickly waved her arm, summoning a small burst of wind in the process. With another wave a spike of earth erupted from the ground, before slowly bending into a circle. He noticed that her arm was trembling slightly. [Looks like she''ll need to practice with it a bit.] "I thought so. It seems like there is nothing stopping you from doing magic, you merely lack the mana to do it on your own. You''ll probably still need the spirits to provide a channel of sorts, since you lack the magic skills themselves, but this should give you much more flexibility in what you can do." Mike commented, pleased that his experiment had borne fruit. Tal threw her arms around him in a tight embrace, catching him completely by surprise. He opened his mouth to give a smart reply, when he noticed that she had his face buried in his chest, and he could feel the growing wetness of tears soaking into his shirt. [I probably should have seen this coming, considering her background. Oh well, at least she seems happy.] He gently patted her back, giving her time to regain her composure. "Are¡­you¡­seriously¡­having¡­a¡­moment¡­right¡­now?!" Sera panted while in mid-sprint. She had finally built up a bit of a lead on the golems, and her sudden burst of anger seemed to be the motivation she needed to solve the situation. Growling, she spun, drew and arrow and loosed in one smooth motion, driving it into the forehead of the golem that was pursuing her most closely. It collapsed into a pile of dirt almost instantaneously, so with quick efficient motions, Sera performed a similar style of execution on the remaining four. Danger averted, she turned a crazed look on the pair. Huffing, she marched up to Mike, grabbed his collar, and started shaking him. "What in the hells is your problem?! You sick murderous dirt puppets on me, ignore my pleas for help, and then you have the audacity to have an intimate moment with Tal right in front of me?!" "Congratulations!" Mike replied enthusiastically. "Huh?" "You managed to beat the golems and successfully complete this training exercise. I knew you could do it." He made sure to give her a wide grin. Looking momentarily confused, Sera glanced back at the formless piles of dirt that was all that remained of her enemies. It seemed she hadn''t quite realized what she''d been doing at the time. "I really did that?" Mike patted her head. "I''m proud of you, Sera. You''ve taken the next step forward." A stunned look crossed her face before it was replaced with a flush of embarrassment. "Argh! Don''t surprise me with something like that!" She said while throwing his hand off and stalking away angrily. "And don''t think this means I''ve forgiven you!" Mike chuckled, it looked like she was still in that delicate age. Tal pulled on his sleeve and showed him a written message of "Don''t tease." "I''m being honest, she did well. Now, if I can just get her to do that when she''s calm, I''ll count it a victory." Mike glanced at the sky, noting that it was already quite dark. "Anyway, let''s call it here tonight. We can start again tomorrow, depending on our schedules." Tall nodded, and the pair of them followed the still grumbling Sera back to the dorms in a companionable silence. Once they''d arrived, the women left to get ready for bed, while he moved to the study to start his new nightly routine. With a several dozen mana cores at his disposal, along with some decent materials, he felt like he could make some decent progress in his crafting skills. Pulling out the crafting guide, he started looking into how to create mana storage devices, since he wanted to get Tal a full set when he could. It seemed simple in principle, since you merely had to provide a battery of sorts that could serve as the basis. However, there was a lot of nuance in the methods used to craft them, which gave him a number of options, and lines of research to pursue. [Maybe there''s a way of making them self-replenishing, somehow. That would be ideal¡­Why do I feel like I am forgetting something? Hm, maybe it will come back to me later.] Putting the thought aside, he went back to his research. Chapter 181: The Tactical Situation As the morning light streamed in, Mike took a moment to stretch and flex his back. It seemed that his regeneration prevented him from feeling stiff, but he still enjoyed the act of stretching anyway. He rose from the desk and opened the blinds. [Looks like it''s going to be another warm day.] Brenden hadn''t come back yet, but he had Selene keeping tabs on his friend. It seemed like he''d taken up with a homeless drifter for some reason. Anyway, Mike figured that the beastman would return eventually, probably in a suitably dramatic fashion. He just hoped that his time away would provide whatever answers his friend was looking for. After a round of Lifestyle and Healing Magic, Mike was ready to face the day. He''d spent the majority of last night working on a combination of Alchemy and Artifice, and had made significant progress in both. He was able to stabilize a recipe for an alchemical smoke bomb, which he thought could come in handy, as well as a handful of tonics and potions that provided minor boosts or benefits. None of it had really stood out as being impressive or exceptional, and he hadn''t been blessed with any beneficial mutations. Regardless, his Basic Alchemy skill was now on the verge of breaking through to Tier 2, and he figured that a little more practice would do it. On the other hand, Artifice was proving a slightly more challenging task. It seemed that there wasn''t a well-defined method of incorporating mana cores into crafted items, due to the simple fact that the cores themselves were supposed to be refined using a completely separate skill called Transmutation. This particular skill seemed to be solely the purview of Arcane Mages, and could be used to convert mana cores into an almost ethereal essence which could then be infused into items during their crafting process. Quite frankly, the whole thing confused him, and he resolved to track down the University''s Artifice instructor the next chance he got. Forced to rely on his somewhat crude method of using mana infused ink, he was still able to make a few interesting things. He had resisted the urge to break into any of his high Tier materials until he felt he had the skill level necessary to use them correctly, so the things he had made were still not particularly potent. For the time being, he practiced primarily by making a few magical gadgets with useful properties. These included a magical lighter, which could create fire without the need for Lifestyle magic, a cup that could fill itself with water once every couple of hours, a wooden spoon that would stir by itself until commanded to stop, and a bracelet that glowed in the presence of substances that were toxic or harmful to the wearer. He was particularly proud of the last one, even though he couldn''t get it to stop activating around alcohol. Something to work on in future versions. However, he''d reached a point where further development would require him to use more valuable base materials, something he didn''t quite want to do just yet. Deciding that he would do a little physical activity prior to the meeting at the Spire, he grabbed a quick breakfast and headed over to the training grounds. It had occurred to him that he''d missed the informal practice routine with Instructor Johnathan this morning, but he had been in the middle of crafting, and didn''t feel like stopping. Besides, it''s not like the other man was going anywhere. Mike just had to go to the next one. The training grounds were slightly crowded this morning, with a variety of students engaged in drills and mock combat exercises. Not wanting to interrupt, he occupied a small corner of the yard, surreptitiously summoned an earthen spear, and began going through what forms he could remember from his time at the Order of the Wheel stronghold. He was surprised to find that most of the motions were still easy for him, and he was able to slide through a number of combat exercises without difficulty. Evidently, the System was providing some assistance in that regard. [Good, it looks like there shouldn''t be any issue in me switching my primary weapon for the time being.] Satisfied, he stopped, dismissed his spear and headed towards central campus. It was still a little early, but he figured he could use the extra time to peruse the restricted section for any more information on Artifice. Besides, he didn''t really know how to get up to the top floor of the Spire, and figured he would need some time to figure it out. His walk to the restricted section was uneventful, especially since he didn''t encounter Rusilka in her usual workplace. He was able to find a rudimentary book on Transmutation, and jotted a few notes down about it. From the sounds of it, the skill wasn''t inherently related to Arcane Magic, merely that there hadn''t been any other types of mages able to use Transmutation, so it was classified as such. [With a little experimentation, I should be able to do something about this. It''s probably like the Artifice skill itself, which was classified under Arcane Magic simply because they couldn''t figure out where it belonged.] Feeling that he''d killed enough time, Mike moved to the staircase leading up to the highest levels of the Spire. The elevator apparently would have accomplished the same, but he felt like doing a little exercise. The stairs led to a doorway blocked off by a squad of University Guard. As he approached, they made way for him, creating a silent tunnel of respectfully bowing soldiers. Evidently, they had been told to expect him. He passed through their assembled ranks and the door, which led into something resembling a waiting room. Here, several people were milling about, obviously waiting for something to happen. As he entered, they quickly appraised him. However, beyond a few speculative glances, he was almost immediately ignored by the assembled military types. [Looks like word about me hasn''t gone farther than the University.] Judging from the uniforms, noble crests, and manner of armaments, Mike assumed that they constituted the entourages of whatever dignitaries were assembled. Considering that there was even a handful of individuals bearing the royal symbol of Almir, it was clear that this meeting was a lot more important than he''d originally anticipated. [Maybe they are finally starting to get serious about this war.] After getting directions from a woman dressed in the administrative uniform of the University, Mike headed through a set of double doors that led into a wide conference room. "Ah, Mr. Rasmussen. Good of you to join us. We''ve saved you a seat over here." The Headmaster spoke as entered, motioning towards one of the twelve high back seats which ran along the table. The man himself was sitting at the head, and the other ten were occupied. Other than a pair of guards manning the door, no one else was in attendance. Mike surmised that this constituted the military and administrative leaders of the city. Prince Matthew had taken the seat of honor opposite of the Headmaster, and the intervening seats were filled with a collection of generals, merchants, and bureaucrats from the looks of it. One particularly grizzled man, with a tangled grey beard and an eye patch growled as Mike sat across from him. "What is this, Alexander? Are we allowing children into our strategy meetings now? I thought we were having a serious discussion on the defense of our city, not entertaining whelps who still smell of their mother''s teat." Murmurs of agreement followed form other sections of the table. The Headmaster gave Mike a questioning glance, as if to ask permission. Having already resolved himself on this issue, Mike quickly nodded his assent. "General Hargus, I would first like to remind you that we are not in the barracks, and you will keep a civil tongue while at this meeting. Second, Mr. Rasmussen here was invited by me for the simple reason that he represents one of our most valuable war assets at this time." Alexander replied in a calm, but stony tone which brooked no disobedience. His words caused a ripple of whispers among the assembled councilors, who were evidently attempting to guess his identity. Hargus, for his part, looked unrepentant. "What military asset could he represent?" Sighing, the Headmaster continued, "You are looking at, and by the way insulting, the Dragonknight Michael Rasmussen who single handedly foiled the traitorous attack of Viscount Wendel upon this very University. In the process of doing so, he and his mount killed or captured nearly 500 Tennundian soldiers, reclaimed a stolen naval airship, and rescued Princess Andrea from her kidnappers. He is a master swordsman and a Tier 3 mage who has deigned to help us in our time of need, so I would very much appreciate it if you would reign in your arrogance for the duration of this meeting." With every word, Hargus grew increasingly pale, so that by the time the Headmaster had finished, he looked like a ghost. He bowed his head to Mike, and mumbled, "My deepest apologies, Sir. I meant no offense." [Clearly, you did.] The room was holding its breath after the stunning revelation that one of the legendary Dragonknights was walking among them, although Mike noticed that a few of the observers weren''t fully surprised. A current of tension was present, as they waited for him to respond. [Are they worried about me killing him for the insult or something? I know that kind of thing was fairly common in novels, but I can''t imagine it really happening in real life.] Anyway, he wanted to get on with this meeting, so he spoke accordingly. "No offense taken. You are not the first to dismiss me for my age, nor will you be the last." The general sighed a breath of relief. "You are most generous, Sir." "Now that we are all acquainted with the Dragonknight representative, let me go ahead and introduce the rest." Alexander began listing the various members of the council, starting with the slender gentleman to Mike''s right, who was apparently the representative of the city''s docks. Mike had never been good with names, and promptly forgot most of them, instead getting a feel for the composition of the council. Military members like Hargus actually constituted the minority, with only the Headmaster himself, in his capacity as Marshal, and a Sun Elf woman who commanded the local navy, standing for the capital''s fighting forces. While the Adventurer''s Guild was represented in their capacity as a quasi-mercenary force, the rest of the table was made up of the heads of various mercantile enterprises, the city mayor, and a priest from the Theological Committee. This turned out to be an organization formed from the various churches and religions which permeated the capital. Chapter 182: Change in Leadership Introductions complete, the Headmaster, or rather the Marshal of Almirn, motioned for the guards to unfold a map on the table. It was a detailed representation of the capital as if rendered from above. Judging from the accuracy, it must have involved some advanced surveying techniques or the use of magic. Seeing it in this manner, Mike had to admit that the city''s planners had done an excellent job, at least when it came to the New City based on the mainland. There, grid-like blocks with interconnecting major and minor roadways made for a straightforward and simple design, only interrupted by three rows of defensive walls, which demarcated different regions of the capital. The outer wall took on the shape of an irregular polyhedral, but like most settlements in this world, there was nothing built outside of its confines. The presence of monsters proved sufficient to avoid the extensive slum districts or shanty towns that had a tendency to form in the shadow of the city walls. The second wall created a more regular semicircle through the middle of the New City, but there were dozens of gates that allowed for a continuous flow of traffic. Mike had seen this particular wall during his travels about the city, and he''d quickly noticed that it was poorly maintained. Long years of relative peace had led to large sections of it fallig into disrepair. Finally, there was a third, much smaller wall, built near the entrance to the Span, which served to regulate traffic heading into the Old City. The Span itself appeared to be a chaotic mixture of buildings and side streets with one major thoroughfare running through the middle, straight to the Old City, which had its own wall despite being located on an Island. Thus, in terms of defense, the only ways to really assault the city were by air, by sea through the docks of the New City and then through multiple fortifications, or by a series of mini-sieges while the defenders fell back to increasingly reduced defensive lines. Assuming they had sufficient stores to outlast the invaders, Mike felt pretty good about the capital''s chances of surviving until relief arrived. Of course, a lot of that depended on the defenders themselves. "Today, I would like to discuss what role each of you will play in preparing for the coming siege. Our scouts have already located the combined Tennundian army to our Northeast. Whatever time the Western Army was able to buy, has now been fully expended, and we expect to see their vanguard elements later today." There was some disquieted murmuring amongst the council which trailed off as Alexander continued. "I''ve already spoken to each of you individually concerning your responsibilities, and you have all had roughly a week to prepare. So, today I would like each of you to explain what you have to offer to the city''s defense, and what steps you will take once hostilities have commenced." The Headmaster stood, adding emphasis to his words, "It is my hope that this will be the first of many such meetings in which we can plan and prepare for the challenges we face. While I am confident in our ability to resist the Tennundian invaders, it will require the cooperation and unity of everyone in this room. We need to stand together as a city-" Something hot and wet splashed into Mike''s eyes, and he was momentarily blinded. The substance was proving difficult to remove. From the sounds of it, there was also some kind of commotion going on in the room. He felt a trickle of unease, and with a quick application of Lifestyle Magic, cleared his vision. In front of him, resting sideways on the table, was the severed head of Alexander Portraian, the Headmaster of the University. By this point the screams had started. The tiniest amount of hostile intent triggered from directly behind him in a manner that he usually associated with someone thinking insulting thoughts about him, but given the circumstances Mike moved accordingly. Dumping mana into his Air and Water Magic to enhance his Agility and Willpower respectively, he activated Aerosense while ducking the expected blow and sliding under the table in the process. Something invisible cut the air where his neck used to be, easily severing the back of the chair he had been sitting in. Although there was a lot of confusion to the air currents of the room, the attacker appeared to be something close to a cloud of vapor, a barely tangible presence that only solidified for a few moments before attacking. [So, some kind of supernatural assassin aiming to destabilize our leadership at a critical juncture. Don''t they have some kind of countermeasure for this kind of thing?] Rolling past the still bleeding body of General Hargus, who apparently shared the Headmaster''s fate, Mike leapt to his feet. Even with Aerosense, it was proving difficult to track, and he was only able to catch a glimpse of it when it was moving to attack its next victim, a certain royal heir. Moving quickly, Mike threw himself in front of Prince Matthew. He had neither the time nor the ability to do more than attempt to shield him with his own body. Instinctively, he reached out with his right hand to intercept the deadly strike. He felt a cool, sharp object punch through the center of his palm, up until the hilt. Although it was still invisible to the eye, his Aerosense was telling him that the object was a dagger-like weapon held in a small, almost dainty hand. He tightened his fingers around the attacker''s fist, and used it as a point of leverage to force it back. An almost sensual gasp of surprise sounded. "My, my, you certainly live up to your reputation. And so strong too, I can see why they are afraid of you." Whispered feminine voice, echoing strangely from the air in front of him, yet his Aerosense could only detect the barest hint of anything beyond his impaled palm. Pulling on the trapped hand, he punched out with his left hand, and felt it slid across something just outside the range of his perception. "Close, but not quite close enough." The voice whispered with amusement, before the dagger was painfully removed from his hand. After losing contact with the attacker, Mike returned to barely being able to sense it. Once again he was forced to rely on the brief flashes tangibility before it struck. The assassin seemed to have decided to focus on him, because he was suddenly forced to defend himself from a fierce barrage of thrusts and slashes. Unable to sense the attacks until they were almost upon him, he had to rely on increasingly desperate evasive maneuvers. If it wasn''t for his increased Agility, he would have long ago been filled with holes. With his need to maintain his enhanced Willpower for Aerosense to even have a chance of defending himself, he was finding himself limited in terms of options. Anything that might have an effect would be devastating to the others in the room. "Is this all you have? I thought for sure one of the legendary Dragonknights could do more. Or perhaps, you are nothing without your mount?" The voice taunted him, laughing at his situation. [Should I drop my Agility enhancement and try for a finishing blow? Maybe I can accept another injury to trap its weapon again.] Just as Mike was considering his alternatives, the battle changed by the addition of an unlikely ally. Waking up from her nap, Audra peeked her head out from Mike''s pocket, fixed the space in front of him with a glare, and unleashed a screeching howl of fury. Whether this was an underdeveloped version of her dragon''s breath, or merely a loud and angry yell, the sheer outlandishness of the situation caught his enemy by surprise. "What in the...?" The attacker murmured, briefly ceasing its onslaught. Thinking fast, Mike pushed his Air Magic out of his body, and wrapped it around his already healed right fist. Sliding forward with his left foot, he reared back and delivered an earth-shattering haymaker to the general area the assassin occupied, releasing the howling wind in the process. The wall immediately in front of him cratered as an invisible object was crushed against it, before flickering into existence. For a moment, Mike saw the attacker, a hooded woman dressed in silky, grey bodywraps and wielding a gleaming dagger made of a blue-tinged metal. She staggered slightly, spitting blood from her open mouth, before fixing her gaze on him. Her lips split into a crazed smile, one that gave Mike chills, as the woman started fading away again. This time through the wall behind her. He quickly summoned his mana, concentrating it into a tight beam of fire, and launching it at the assassin in an attempt to stop her before she could escape. Even as he started the process, he could tell it was going to be too late, so he diverted a ounce of his willpower to using Appraise. ------------------------- Vivienne Race: Human (Wraith) Age: 25 Class: Wraithbound Title: Betrayer ------------------------ A beam of superheated air, more plasma than fire, struck the spot where the woman had been less than a second ago, punching through the wall with ease until it encountered the shell of the Spire. "Not bad, little Dragonknight." The assassin whispered from somewhere below the floor. "I''m looking forward to what you do next time." Mike waited a few seconds before relaxing his guard slightly. The woman named Vivienne had sounded strained, and like she was exhausted and in pain. He didn''t have any proof, but his gut was telling him that she had gone. He took a moment to glance around the room, heart sinking as he analyzed the damage. Bodies were strewn about in piles, and blood covered nearly every surface in arterial splashes. In the span of a minute, the assassin had managed to kill almost everyone of importance that had attended the meeting. Of the original twelve major participants, only he and Prince Matthew had survived. One of the guards was still standing, open-mouthed, staring at the carnage. Mike gritted his teeth in frustration. Even though he was here, he''d been powerless to stop the slaughter. The doors opened, and the soldiers in the other room finally came in, looks of horror on their faces. A group of men bearing the crest of Almir pushed through and quickly surrounded the Prince, who seemed to have escaped injury. "Make way! I have a report." A voice called from the waiting room, as a breathless member of the University Guard ran in, mouth opened to shout something, however whatever it was died in his throat once he''d seen the state of things. "Gods..." Was all he could utter. One of the members of Prince Matthew''s entourage growled. "Spit it out already! What is it?" The messenger shook his head before snapping to attention. "Sir, the Tennundian vanguard has been spotted approaching the city. What are your orders?" For moment no one spoke, and all eyes turned to Mike, including those of the Third Prince, who had the gall to ask, "Well, Sir Dragonknight, what do you think we should do?" Chapter 183: Epilogue: Immanent Mortality Prince Johnathan''s sword snapped in half under the intensity of the blow, and he was forced back several steps, too exhausted to recover his stance. The Tenundian officer staggered, gasping for breath, before lining up his axe for the next strike. With a strained roar, the officer attacked, all of his energy and drive concentrated on delivering the finishing strike. So determined was he that the warrior didn''t even stop when the arrow sprouted from his throat, although his body failed him soon after. Johnathan side stepped the falling man, feeling a sharp, stabbing pain in side where a Tenundian foot soldier had caught him with a mace a few days earlier. From the feel of it, they had finally cracked. Wincing, he turned to survey the battlefield. "Are you alright, Milord?" Agnes called while slinging her bow over one shoulder. Even as she shot him a questioning glance, she was kneeling by the fallen officer, stripping him of useful items with practiced ease. A tendency she''d picked up during their near constant raids. "I''ll be fine in a minute, just need to catch my breath. This one was tough." He frowned down at the broken stub of his sword before he let it fall to the ground. He made a mental note to track down another when he had the chance. From the looks of it, the battle was finally starting to wind down. The Tenundian soldiers guarding the supply wagons had been largely wiped out, and the Almiran knights were simply mopping up the last few pockets of resistance. He was relieved that it had ended in victory. This had been a somewhat risky endeavor, since the convoy had been protected by close to five hundred soldiers, while the raiders had only numbered 197 exhausted and wounded knights. Luckily, the shock of the ambush had proved sufficient to carry the day, or so Johnathan thought. However, something bothered him about the whole situation. It took him a few moments to realize what it was. The horses pulling the wagons were quiet, a rarity pack animals in the heat of battle. Now that he knew to look for it, it was readily apparent why. They were coated in a lather of sweat, gasping for breath like they had just finished a marathon run. [Why were they pushing so hard?] George, one of the few squires who had managed to survive the attrition of the last few days, ran up while he was lost in thought. "Your Highness! The wagons are full of people!" Johnathan snapped his attention to the dozen covered wagons they had risked their lives to obtain, the ones that were supposed to have been filled with the solution to their supply problem. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he started walking to the closest. Ripping back the tarp, Johnathan was faced with a crowd of terrified faces. Women and children were staring at him with a desperate fear, although he noticed a current of resignation among them. For moment, he was silent, working through the implications in his mind, before speaking in a soothing voice. "Please calm down. We won''t harm you." A young woman cradling a swaddled infant gave a harsh laugh. "It is not you we fear, Milord." Frowning, Johnathan asked, "What do you mean? What are you fleeing from?" A look of despair coated her features, as tears started forming in the corners of her eyes. "Death." "Your Highness!" Agnes called from her perch. "We have company!" A dust cloud was rising in the direction the convoy had come from. A particularly large one. Thinking quickly, he began issuing orders. "George! Gather the raiders! Agnes, get Father Bartholomew and see what he can to reinvigorate the draft horses. We''ll need them to make our escape. I want those too wounded to walk or ride on these wagons now!" The nearby knights scrambled to comply. They''d had a lot of practice responding to changing circumstances over the past few weeks, and it didn''t take long before they had assembled, waiting for further orders. "For those of you without mounts, you are in charge of driving these wagons, we are taking them with us. As for the rest, I want twenty as a vanguard, thirty ranging to our flanks, and the remainder as a rearguard." A nearly unified crash of metal-clad fists striking breastplates filled the air, as the knights saluted before leaping into action. George ran up holding the reins of Johnathan''s chestnut mare, who had fled almost immediately after he''d been unseated in the heat of battle. It was good to see that she was uninjured. He suspected he would need her speed soon. "Go ahead and find yourself a place on one of the wagons, George." He ordered once he was up in the saddle. Not bothering to wait for a reply, the Prince rode up to join the forming rearguard. As he got close, he quickly noticed a solemn atmosphere. "What is it?" He asked Agnes once he''d gotten close. Wordlessly, she pointed at the approaching forces, and more specifically to the banner held by a rider in their vanguard. One bearing a white, grinning skull on a field of black. The symbol of Lacot. "Agnes, I need to you to take control of the convoy. Get them moving a soon as possible." He muttered quietly, not daring to take his eyes off of the implacable enemy which was now chasing them. "Where are we taking them?" He thought for a moment, picturing the terrain in his mind, before coming to a hard decision. "We head for the river crossing, but cut south along the trade road. With any luck they will be more interested in following the invasion force." Agnes nodded quietly, "Father Bartholomew did what he could, but I don''t think the draft horses will last much longer, when they start failing, the civilians will have to walk. After that, it won''t be long until they," She nodded her head at the pursuers, "catch up." Johnathan gave his mentor a hard look. He knew what she was getting at, and knew she was right to make him face it, no matter how hard it would be to give the order. "If the civilians can''t keep up, we''ll leave them behind." The words tasted like ashes in his mouth. [So much for honor.] Johnathan thought as he watched the Black Knights of Lacot draw closer. -------------------------------------------------------------- Emmanuel sighed and rubbed his forehead, setting down the quill he''d been using to work his way through the pile of documents on his desk. Alexander''s Call to Arms had somehow increased his existing workload, and the senior mage had found himself doing more and more paperwork as the day wore on. [Maybe the pricks from the Mage''s Guild have it right. Maybe mages shouldn''t be involved in national politics. At least then I wouldn''t have to worry about¡­.logistical support requests for the 3rd Urban Youth Corps¡­whatever that is.] He stood and poured himself a glass of wine, figuring that this was an excellent time for a break. [They should be finishing up the meeting soon. Maybe I''ll pop in on Alexander and ask his advice on this. Better yet, why don''t I just dump all of this on his staff? I''m sure they are better equipped to handle it.] Pleased with his plans, Emmanuel settled into his armchair and savored the early afternoon sunlight streaming in through his office window. There was a wealth of better ways he could be spending his time, but he felt like he''d earned this moment of respite. There was a knock on his door. Sighing, he stood and moved to answer it. Alan, the Magic Department student charged with working staff duty was standing in the hall, an envelope in one hand. "Message for you, sir." Taking it, Emmanuel quickly noticed that the envelope was blank save for his name. The only clue regarding its sender was the seal, which belonged to the standard University mail system. Normally this meant that it was a letter from some other department, but in that case, there was usually some kind of sending address listed. "Do you know who sent this?" He asked the youth, who was attempting to sneak a peek into the Department Chair''s office while he was distracted. "Ah, no. A courier dropped it off with the rest of the mail. I didn''t think to ask." He replied blandly, clearly not seeing the problem. "Alright, thank you." Emmanuel quickly dismissed the foolish lad before shutting the door. [Why does it feel like the quality of the student body has declined in recent years? Back in my day, the staff duty officer was a coveted position, and only the most diligent and hardworking individuals would even be considered. Really, it''s quite the shame.] He ignored the slightly distracting thoughts that, as Department Chair, a reduction of quality in students was something he was probably directly responsible for, and opened the letter. Inside were several sheets of paper written in Alexander''s neat and orderly handwriting. [Does he really have so much free time that he can wright me a lengthy letter rather than just stopping by? I figured he would be swamped with work.] Shaking his head, the mage started reading. ------------------------------------------------------------ My friend, If you are reading this, then my worst fears have been realized, and it will be up to you to defend our city. To that effect, I have already arranged to have the position of Marshal transferred to you in the event of my death. You can find the required paperwork in this packet. I bet you are cursing my name even now. I know how much you hate being thrust into positions of authority, despite your love the spotlight. However, I also know that I can rest easy with the city in your hands. Included in this packet is a list of my contacts along with a series of code words used to explain the transfer of authority. With them, you will have access to all the information you''ll need. It has been encrypted in the usual manner. I trust you still remember how to decide it. You''ll find a few familiar names from the old days, including a few you would probably prefer to forget. Do try to play nice. I''ve also included a list of suggestions about what to do next. If you follow them, I believe we can still salvage victory from the jaws of defeat. I know you must be wondering why am I telling you this way. Why haven''t I spoken to you in person about this. Well, the answer is simple. The less you knew, the greater your chance of surviving the initial exchange. Unfortunately, I had to drag your student into this. I hope that you''ll forgive me for doing so, but I needed to bait the trap, and he was one of the only people who might have lived through what came next. I will not lie, I have left the hardest part to you, but I do not do so lightly. You are capable of so much more than you realize, and I know you will rise to the challenge. Good luck, Alex --------------------------------------------------------------- Emmanuel sorted through the remaining pages in a mechanical manner, before folding them neatly and placing them in a pile on his desk, to be decoded when he felt up to. Once again, his work was piling up, but he couldn''t quite build the willpower to start. Rubbing his eyes, the old man growled between clenched teeth. "Gods dammit, Alexander¡­" ---------------------------------------------------------------- Lithkala braced herself and pushed open the door to throne room, swiftly planting her face against the floor in obeisance. "This humble one begs to approach the Divine Throne." For a few moments, silence reigned in the vast empty hall, until a cruel laugh sounded. "You people are so quick to forget, the Divine Throne as you called it, was far too uncomfortable, and so I replaced it with one that better suited my tastes. Anyway, why are you bothering me? Another tribute?" Suppressing her shudders of revulsion and fear, she sunk even closer to the floor, hoping the act of complete submission would prove sufficient to appease his anger. "This humble one has been chosen to serve your Divine self. Does this one displease you?" "Hmm, nah. You giants aren''t particularly attractive, although there is some novelty about women your size." The voice trailed off, as if considering something, "So, you''re here to serve me, right? Is that why they kept sending unarmed women in here?" "That is correct, Divine One." Loud maniacal filled the room. "HAHAHAH, whoops. I totally thought they were just feeding the beast, so to speak. I suppose I should have realized after the fifth one, now that I think about it. Oh well, since you are here, you can fan me or something I suppose. That''s what servants do, right?" "If that is your wish, Divine One." "In that case, let me get a good look at you. Lift your head. I want to see what we''re working with." Lithkala complied, and only her extensive training allowed her to control her expression, allowing her to remain impassive despite her horror she was now forced to witness. The bodies of hundreds of her kinsmen were strewn about the room. Some were torn apart as if by wild beasts, others had been sliced into pieces, and still other lay in the stillness of death with no obvious sign of why. Most of the bodies belonged to the Imperial Guard and previous emperor''s advisors, the aftermath of the new emperor''s assault. A handful of women dressed in the grey robes of servants were laying near the door. At one side of the room, she could still see the shattered remains of the Divine Throne, the traditional seat of the Emperor, and a symbol of his authority. To see it broken was the truest sign of the changing times. Finally, unable to put it off any longer, she allowed her gaze to rise to the creature who had single-handedly slaughtered the ruling family of the Empire of Navari and declared himself Emperor. As suffocating as his presence was, it was the macabre creation he rested upon that caused her training to fail, and allowed a portion of her horror to show. He sat in a crude chair made from the still bloody skulls of his victims. Dressed entirely in a black that matched his tangled hair, he might have cut a handsome figure if not for the cruel smile which cleaved his pale face. Evidently, he enjoyed her discomfort. Taking a sick pleasure in her reaction. Even though he was less than half her size, Lithkala had never been so thoroughly terrified of another living being. Laughing again, he gestured to the chair. "What do you think? I call it the Skull Throne. Not bad, eh? Although it might be a little too on the nose." "A fine creation, Divine One." She managed to squeeze out. "Only fine?" A dangerous light entered the monsters red eyes, one that froze her to the core. She couldn''t even muster a reply. After a few moments he smiled again. "You are right. This thing was a waste. Why did I even bother making it, again? Something about the irony of using giant skulls as a place to rest my ass I think. Doesn''t seem very funny now that I think about it. Oh well, time to start again." With a wave of his hand, the pile of skulls disintegrated, and in its place rose an ornate throne that seemed to have been carved from a piece of pure obsidian. Sitting once more, he turned an amused gaze to Lithkala. "Much better, right? Black always suited me best. Good thing I picked up Dark Magic from that old guy over there." He pointed to the Grand Thaumaturge, who was lying in several pieces near the foot of the throne. "Indeed, Divine One." "Say¡­..whatever your name is, do you know a lot about this world?" "This humble one has been trained in a number of topics." This earned her a smile. "Cool. Bring me a map and whatever generals I haven''t killed yet. I''m feeling the urge to do some conquering." Lithkala bowed, leaving the room using the proscribed method, before shutting the door behind her. It took all she had to avoid breaking down right there, but she had been given a mission by superiors, and failure was not an option. Until they found the invader''s weakness, she would have to remain by his side to the best of her ability. The future of her people depended on it. Although in the darkest corners of her heart, she feared he didn''t have one. Chapter 185: Diplomatic Measures [Well, I have to give him credit for originality. I wouldn''t have thought you could do that with a ladle, or that Almiran birds were so easily provoked. Maybe I can get him to show me that move sometime.] Mike thought to himself as Henry finished his story. Regardless of how outlandish his misadventures had sounded, the man''s charismatic storytelling had captivated the group, quickly removing any tension. [I can see why the commissioner sent him. He''s a natural when it comes to working a crowd. If I can provide the appropriate backup, he might just be able to lead negotiations in the right direction. Speaking of which, it sounds like they''re about to start.] Light flooded into the tent as the flap was pulled back. "Attention!" The Tenundian sergeant hollered from outside. The guards, who just seconds before had been in the throes of companionable laughter, shot to their feet, staring straight ahead nervously. A man dressed in suit of studded leather armor calmly stepped into the tent. A battered cavalry saber was strapped to his waist. With short, salt and pepper hair, several days worth of untamed stubble on his chin, and a face lined with worry, exhaustion, and irritation in equal measure, Mike figured that he was probably in charge. The only aspect of his appearance that separated him from the rest of the soldiers was an elaborate sash, which feature an emblem of two crossed swords surrounded by a laurel wreath. However, the palpable air of confidence and authority that followed him suggested that he was someone who had grown used to commanding others. A quick Appraise gave him more information. ------------------------------- Kiertesan Mal Ferunti Age: 43 Race: Human Class: Warlord Title: Grand Marshal ------------------------------- [Looks like the commander.] Mike briefly considered attempting an assassination of his own. If he moved quickly enough, he thought he might be able to take down the lot of them. Red was on standby in the air overhead. Assuming he could fight his way out, the pair of them could be leaving in a matter of moments. Almost as if sensing his thoughts, the Marshal''s glaze slid over to him. Feeling the weight of those eyes, Mike dismissed his plans. He had no way of knowing how individually powerful this Kiertesan was. Besides the pair following him in added another layer of difficulty. The first was an elf with pale, slightly grey tinted skin and long silver hair held back with a rune-inscribed headband. He stood slightly taller than the Marshal, who was of average height, but was more slender. Dressed in a set of delicate chainmail with leather backing, he looked like a warrior, although Appraise said otherwise. ------------------------------------ Nurenal Vunanlen Age: 143 Race: Moon Elf Class: Arcane Battlemage Title: Master of Eldritch Arms ----------------------------------- [So that''s what moon elves look like. I''m not sure I see the resemblance with the Almiran royal family, but I suppose they bloodline is probably fairly diluted. Anyway, it looks like this guy is following a path similar to my own. He might be troublesome to deal with.] He tried to Appraise the headband, figuring it might be a magic item, but unsurprisingly failed. He''d had similar problems in the past, and after some experimentation, determined that he couldn''t use the skill on items that were worn or held by another living being. Although, he suspected that a more advanced version might not have the same limitation. [Maybe he''ll let me examine it if I ask nicely.] Dismissing the thought, he focused on the last of the new arrivals, a woman dressed in a grayish brown military uniform. Unlike the other two, she didn''t appear to martially inclined, since her posture and stance had all kinds of openings that could be easily exploited by a skilled fighter. Her shoulder length, chestnut brown hair had been pulled into a pony tail, revealing a youthful face that was split in an amused grin. ---------------------------- Liri Yondalin Age: 23 Race: Human Class: Tactician Title: Master Strategist ---------------------------- [A strategist, huh? From the looks of it, they brought a good portion of their command staff. With minimal guards as well. Are they that confident?] "Sergeant Trenton, take your men and report back to your post." The Marshal growled in a rough voice, no doubt affected by years of yelling orders. The sergeant hesitated, perhaps wanting to make excuses for his soldiers, but finally saluted. "Yes, Sir! You heard the Marshal, let''s move out." [Definitely confident.] Once the tent had cleared of everyone besides the negotiating parties, Kiertesan looked at Mike and started speaking. "Apologies for the roughness of the accommodations. We only arrived this morning, and I have not yet had the opportunity to straighten this camp out." Mike nodded, "It is of no concern. I have certainly stayed in worse." The grizzled man nodded in reply, "Right, well let''s get down to business. Who are you and what do you want?" [Hardly an accomplished diplomat.] Mike waited for Henry to do his part. He could almost see the captain sighing internally, before bowing politely and introducing them. "Please, allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Captain Henry Varnes of the Almirn City Watch, here as a representative of the City Council to negotiate a peaceful situation to the¡­um¡­disagreement between our two nations. My colleague is the Dragonknight Erasmus, who requested to attend this meeting in his capacity as the emissary for his order." Kiertesan frowned at that last bit. Likely, the thought of facing multiple dragons on the battlefield was a concerning one. To his credit, though he didn''t skip a beat. "Very well, I suppose I should introduce us too. I''m Marshal Kiertesan Mal Ferunti, commander of the Liberation Army. These are members of my staff, Nurenal, the commander of our Mage Corps, and Jiri, my adjutant." [Adjutant and not Strategist? Is he trying to keep her identity concealed for some reason? Or is that just what they call strategists here. Now that I think about it, I don''t really know how they structure the military in this world.] Turning his gaze back to Mike, the Marshal continued. "Now that we''re all acquainted, let''s talk about what you hope to accomplish here. You say you seek a peaceful solution, but you may as well be admitting your weakness. We know that your armies are scattered and disorganized, your administration wracked with a civil war, and your situation desperate. Why bother negotiating, when we can simply take what we want?" Henry laughed, drawing a scowl from the Marshal''s adjutant. "It''s as you say. We are certainly in a tight spot right now." [Oi!] "However, the walls of Almrin have not been breached in five centuries. Even with your assembled military might, I doubt that you can take the city by storm, nor can you afford to supply your oversized army for a lengthy siege. Quite simply, the best you can do now, is to hope for our early capitulation. We want to offer an alternative. A way in which both parties can walk away with something for their troubles." The roguish man finished with a cocky grin. [Hm, an interesting tactic, but I would be surprised if the Tenundians had made it this far without some kind of countermeasure for our defenses. Maybe he''s fishing information? I probably should have walked through this with him before we got here.] "Not a bad summary of the current situation, but I don''t believe it''s quite as hopeless as you make it out to be. I''m well aware that the majority of your skilled fighters are trapped on the other side of the river, and that you are forced to rely on citizen levies, mercenaries, and old soldiers pulled out of retirement to do your fighting. If you think they stand a chance against us, you are sadly mistaken." The Marshal replied with a slight smirk. "That may be, but I think it was Duke Gelender who said, ''A band of children armed with sticks could defend a well-built city from invaders.'' He was from Tenundi, right? A famous military leader, I believe." The Marshal actually chuckled at that. "Indeed. Although it was more a statement on his ability to lead such a force to victory, given sufficient support and fortifications. Alright, let''s say I agree with you. What sort of terms would you offer to appease our people? After all, this is an excellent chance to finally crush the cursed Almirans." Looking more serious than he''d been since they''d left the city, Henry answered. "I have been given the authority to offer a few concessions. In exchange for an immediate retreat of the Tenundian forces and their allies, and a one year non-aggression pact, the Almir is prepared to offer all rights to Aletian Islands and the Helmund Plains." While he was speaking, Mike noticed that the adjutant had started frowning. She seemed the expressive sort, so he wondered what she was upset about. As the captain finished, Kierstan''s eyebrow twitched, "An interesting proposal, but it''s not nearly enough. We stand here, with a sword at your throat, and you seek to bribe us with a pittance? We are already in possession of Helmund, and once we capture the capital and crush the remaining resistance here, the Islands will soon follow. If this is the best Alexander can muster, then he really has grown rusty." [Looks like Emmanuel was right to suppress the news of the Headmaster''s death. If the Tenundians sent that assassin, I can''t see why they would pretend to not know about her success, especially since he''s already indirectly spoken of his information sources inside the city. This just lends credence to the theory that she belongs to another faction.] Henry glanced at Mike, evidently ceding the floor to him, now that things had gone past the realm of casual negotiations. Bracing himself internally, and infusing a bit of mana into his voice Mike started speaking. "Marshal, I would suggest that you accept their offer. Doing so will spare you a great deal of heartache." Nurenal looked sharply at Mike once he started speaking, probably sensing the use of mana somehow. Evidently, he didn''t understand the mechanics of the usage, because he held his tongue while keeping a close eye on the younger mage. "Ah, so the fabled Dragonknight finally speaks. Tell me. Why do you think I should accept such a paltry payment in exchange for sacrificing this once in a lifetime chance to end this war for good?" Kiertesan asked sarcastically. Mike paused, realizing that he was at a crossroads. He''d initially planned on using the existence of the Dragonknights as a threat to bludgeon the other side into retreat, something that he realized now was as likely to fail. Trying to bully a man like the Marshal would backfire. Perhaps a simpler approach was necessary. "Honestly, because its the best option for everyone involved. Including yourselves. You''re right when you say that Almirn is defended by a ragtag bunch, but that doesn''t make them any less lethal. You may eventually succeed, but it will cost lives on both sides. Lives that neither of us can afford." This time the strategist started smiling, almost appreciatively. Her elven comrade, on the other hand, looked slightly confused. "What are you getting at?" The Marshal asked. "I''m sure someone as well informed as you understands the situation in Almir right now. Even if you manage to take the city, you''ll have only defeated one of four factions currently vying for supremacy in this country. Once you''ve expended your strength against us it won''t take long for them to move in, looking to take the glory for themselves. ''Avengers of Almirn'' has a nice ring to it, doesn''t it?" Mike replied casually. "Heh, you have a low opinion of us, but," Kiertesan sighed, relaxing his rigid stance slightly, "I can''t say you are wrong." Mike felt a surge of hope. This was going better than expected. Maybe he really could work out a diplomatic solution. "Then perhaps we could discuss an agreement that will leave both parties satisfied?" Rubbing the back of his head, the Marshal sighed again. "Its not exactly that simple..." "What do you mean?" "Well..." An arrogant, imperious voice called from outside of the tent. "Is this where the Almiran scum is being held? Bring them out, I want to lay eyes on them before we throw their decapitated heads over the wall." The jangling of metal on metal filled the air, as a group of armored men swiftly moved to comply with the command. Looking apologetic, Kiertesan shrugged, "Everyone answers to someone." [Whelp, looks like its time for Plan C.] Chapter 186: The Duke Several armored figures burst into the tent, apparently ready to actually drag them out, but they stopped short once they caught sight of the Marshal and his retinue. Evidently, they were unsure about whether or not to continue following their original instructions. A tall and lanky man, dressed in a set of comfortable looking robes stepped in after them. "What''s taking so long? His Grace doesn''t have all day!" As soon as he noticed Kiertesan, he sneered. "What are you doing here? You know very well that diplomatic entreaties must be handled through the Ducal Council." Glowering in barely hidden disdain, the Marshal replied, "I''m well aware of the proclamation you''ve had written, Count Salens, so let me reassure you that no negotiations were taking place. I was merely ensuring that our guests were properly situated prior to your delegation''s arrival." Mike used Appraise while they were bickering. ------------------------- Salens Kritenist Age: 35 Race: Human Class: Noble Title: Able Administrator ----------------------- [Looks like the ones in charge of this campaign are part of the civilian administration. Although, the distinction between military and civilian is bit unclear in a feudal system.] "Hmph, well you aren''t needed here anymore. Take your lackeys and go somewhere else. I believe there is an assault that needs to be planned. Why don''t you go start on that?" The arrogant man said dismissively before yelling at the armored men. "Well, what are you waiting for? His Grace gave you an order. Follow through with it!" The soldiers remained where they were, but jumped into action once Kiertesan gave them a slight nod, something which caused Salens to scowl, spin on his heels and march out with an air of wounded pride. As the emissaries were being led from the tent, the Marshal grabbed Mike''s arm while giving them an apologetic look. "I''ll try to keep them from doing anything stupid, but it seems like the bureaucrats on the council only know how to create problems." [Hm, maybe there is another option.] Leaning closer, Mike whispered, "Sounds like you aren''t too fond of your bosses. Should I help you change that?" Kiertesan looked alarmed, then frowned. "I am a loyal Tenundian. Even though I don''t always agree with the Duke''s choices, that doesn''t mean I''m willing to betray my homeland." "Eh, worth a shot." Mike replied with a shrug, before motioning to a tent situated a little ways away. "Do me a favor and clear the surrounding tents out." The Marshal blinked, "Why?" "I would hate to end up killing more soldiers than necessary because of the stupidity of aristocrats." Mike answered with a wink, only to remember he was still in a mask. His words had mixed effect on the listeners, Nurenal was indifferent while Kiertesan looked troubled. Henry had seemingly resigned himself to his fate, and was calmly staring off into the distance in a slightly wistful fashion. The most distinctive response was Jiri''s, who gave him a massive grin, as if to say that she''d already worked out what he was planning. [Going to have to watch that one. She seems a bit too insightful.] Thankfully, it seemed like Kiertesan listened, because he had a quiet word with one of the soldiers, who promptly left in a hurry. As they were brought outside, Mike''s gaze was met with a dizzying panoply of colors and heraldry as a small army of courtiers, advisors, servants, and guards milled about around a single man on horseback. Judging from the amount of fuss surrounding him, this could only be the Duke. He had probably once cut a dashing figure, but years of comfortable living had taken their toll on him. His dirty blonde hair had been cut close to the scalp, leaving little doubt about the state of his receding hairline. Sitting upon a massive charger, he loomed over everyone else, which seemed by design based on what little Mike had seen of the man''s personality so far. A set of regal and heavily embroidered robes encased a frame that still looked impressively well-muscled, despite an ample amount of fat stored around his mid-section. He was bedecked in expensive jewelry, so much so that it actually look a little uncomfortable. ------------------------------------ Alderbert Mal Tenundi Age: 47 Race: Human Class: Ruler Title: Duke ------------------------------------- [Interesting that he''s here on the front lines.] Henry and Mike were dragged in front of him, before being forced to their knees. In Mike''s case this was more of a willing move. The bureaucrat from earlier, Count Salens, stalked forward and addressed his master. "Your Grace, these are the Almiran emissaries." The Duke of Tenundi swept a dismissive gaze across the pair. "So those pretentious dogs send a watchman and a child. It seems that things really have gotten dire within the walls. Perhaps we should allow these two to return, so there are at least a few defenders when we claim the city. Wouldn''t want to make too unfair, am I right?" He finished with a derisive laugh, one that was picked up by the assembled lackeys and flunkies he surrounded himself with. Mike quickly discarded any hope of solving this diplomatically. If this was what he could expect from the Tenundian ruler, then nothing short of a vast display of power would be sufficient to change his mind. That being said, he entertained the idea of simply annihilating the assembled group. If he could mask his actions till the last possible moment, he thought it might be possible to eliminate the entire Tenundian leadership in one move. Experimentally, he tried summoning up a wisp of mana. Surprisingly, Nurenal reacted immediately, taking a combat stance by reflex. Mike also noticed a few of the advisors and guards showing similar responses. [Despite the Duke''s attitude, they are still taking me seriously. While I might be able to handle a few of them, fighting them all might be problematic. Besides, a country is probably capable of producing a few individuals with skills that could be lethal to me if I am caught by surprise. Better wait for an opportune moment.] He also kind of hoped that the Tenundians would give him the reason to unleash. Even after all this time, he felt a strange sort of reluctance towards killing his own kind. But with enough motivation..... Kiertesan stepped forward, "Your Grace, with all due respect, this is no way to treat emissaries who arrived under the flag of parlay. The rules of war-" "Don''t speak to me of the rules of war!" The Duke growled, suddenly furious, "They did nothing to stop the sack of Pont thirty years ago. Why should we bow to such restrictions when the Almirans themselves ignore them!" [Hm, this adds a layer of complexity to the situation, although I should have suspected some bad blood between close neighbors.] Not backing down, the Marshal continued, "Should we then descend to their level, Your Grace? Make ourselves worse than backstabbing monsters?" "Enough! I will not be lectured by a jumped-up commoner." The Duke settled down, apparently just needing to vent a little. "So, tell me emissaries, what did you come here to discuss? It better not be an attempt to buy us off with token territories. We came here to crush you and your filthy kind, utterly." Henry cleared his throat, "If I may, Your Grace. We were charged with seeking a mutually beneficial-" "On second thought, save it. Unless you are offering the city''s unconditional surrender, I don''t want to hear it. Since we have nothing left to discuss, let us finish this. Salens, kill them and send their heads back where they came from." The Duke said dismissively, already turning his horse. "As you wish, Your Grace." The lackey replied with a salute before motioning to the surrounding soldiers to start. "Wait! Your Grace! This is a mistake! While one of these men is indeed a Almiran emissary, the other represents the Dragonknights. Kill him and you will risk making that order your enemy." Kiertesan broke in. The Duke gave him a cold glare. "He was an enemy the second he sided with the Almirans in this conflict. Perhaps, Marshal, you should worry less about the fate of our enemy''s representatives, and more on planning for our victory. Now comply with my order, Salens." [Whelp, looks like we outstayed our welcome. Time to implement Plan C: Shock and Awe.] After sending a quick mental message, Mike stood, drawing the attention of everyone in the crowd. "Its unfortunate that the foolishness of one man will lead thousands to their deaths, but such is the way of the world, I suppose. Know this Duke Alderbert, you will regret your decisions today." Faced twisted in anger, the ruler of Tenundi threw an arm forward. "Kill that man!" The surrounding soldiers surged forward, prepared to skewer Mike on their weapons. However, they were distracted by a sudden turn of events. With a massive impact, Red slammed into the ground, causing the earth to shudder and knocking several nearby people off of their feet. Mike noticed with some satisfaction that the Duke''s horse reared, throwing its rider into the dirt. Following Mike''s commands, the dragon inhaled an unleashed a torrent of fire on the crowd, the emissaries included. When a shield arcane energy formed to block the flames, Mike made his move. Grabbing Henry, he launched them into the air with a burst of wind. As he passed over the grouped up courtiers who were even then attending to the fallen Duke, he made sure to leave them a present, dropping an enhanced fireball. Unfortunately, it seemed that Nurenal was better than he''d expected, and with no apparent effort, was able to create a second shield, causing the fireball to explode with a thunderous roar well above its intended targets. [Ah well, I knew it was a bit of a long shot.] Thanks to slightly adjusted aim once they were in the air, Mike was able to land safely on Red, while depositing his screaming baggage there as well. [Let''s get out of here!] He sent a mental command, summoning another supply of mana to provide them the cover to escape. Luckily, he had a stationary target. As the dragon ascended, he recited a chant that he''d developed recently, "I call to thee in thy desolate void. Heed me! Render unto nothing the view in front of me. Bring forth the howling fury of thine rage, and rend this world with the heat of thine magnificence. [Meteor]" Mike felt a massive drain on his mana, leaving him near empty as a white, hot speck appeared in the sky, growing larger by the second. In mere moments the screaming projectile had punched through the cloud cover at terminal velocity. [While I feel a bit guilty for the Marshal and his crew, with this we can put an end to the...] Nurenal, with a rapid chant created a patch of distorted space. As the meteor passed through it, its vector changed...slightly. Overshooting the Tenundian encampment, it impacted on the plains to the northwest. With a bright flash and a thunderous explosion, a portion of the landscape vanished in a massive dust cloud. [Hm, this is going to be more difficult than I thought. Perhaps I underestimated the warfare of this world a bit.] As Mike flew back to the city with a now unconscious watchman, he little suspected that his actions were far from the norm when it came to military conflicts in Ea. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Below here is a status update. Please feel free to skip to the next chapter. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (High) Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Antagonist Wyrmkin Fortuitous Alchemist Known to the Lurker Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline Dragonknight Elementalist -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 3) Advanced Healing Magic (Rank 1) Appraise (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Intermediate Fire Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Intermediate Air Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Intermediate Earth Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Light Magic (Rank 2) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 3) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Alchemy (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Scrivening (Rank 5) (NEW) Basic Artifice (Rank 3) (NEW) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 2) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Elemental Magic (Rank 4) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 3) Intermediate Riding (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Haggling (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Intermediate Unarmed Fighting (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Chanting (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Dual Casting (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Aerosense (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Stealth (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Dismantling (Rank 3) Basic Blacksmith (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Mana Transference (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Mana Shield (Rank 1) Mana Attack (Rank 1) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Advanced Poison Resistance (Rank 1) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 4) Intermediate Mental Resistance (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Electricity Resistance (Rank 1) Large Mana Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Large Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Willpower Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 4) (RANK UP) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- - Scrivening (Tier 2, Rank 5) - The art of drawing arcane runes with mana infused ink to create scrolls. Provides a minor system correction to act of Scrivening. Higher levels of skill increase the mana efficiency and potency of inscribed spells. - Basic Artifice (Tier 2, Rank 3) - Through a comprehensive mastery of one of the runic languages, the user of this skill is capable of creating rune-inscribed magic items. The effect and potency of these items are directly related to the quality of the composite materials, the skill of the crafter in question, and the synergy of all components working towards the intended effect. Higher levels of skill improve understanding and memorization of runes as they apply to crafting, enhance the potency and efficiency of crafted items, and reduces mana resistance in component materials. - Intermediate Riding (Tier 2, Rank 1) - The art of directing mounts in both combat and non-combat situations. An intermediate form of riding. Higher level of skill will improve the ability to bond with, train, and ride large creatures. - Intermediate Unarmed Fighting (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Whether learned in a street fight or at the knee of an experienced master, all unarmed fighters start with the basics. A more advanced skill of the Unarmed Fighting tree. Provides users with fundamental understanding of using their own bodies in combat. Minor system correction when fighting unarmed. - Intermediate Mental Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 1) - The user of this skill has had extensive practice resisting mental intrusion or mental effects. Moderate resistance to mental effects. - Large Mana Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 1) - The user of this skill has a larger mana pool than others. Large increase to mana capacity. - Large Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 1) - By consistent emptying of your mana pool, you have trained your body to recover its mana faster. Large increase to mana regeneration. Chapter 187: A Thorough Analysis Emmanuel poured himself another drink, of tea unfortunately. He couldn''t afford to compromise his intellectual faculties at the moment. He was still operating out of his office in the Magic Department, but the growing number of issues that were cropping up meant that he would soon have to move to the office Alexander had been setting up in city hall. It was designed to be more approachable and organized, with subsidiary offices set aside for his staff, which he really needed to work on identifying sometime soon. Yet another project that was going to take him awhile to complete. Sighing, he sat back down, and resumed planning for the city''s defense. While Alexander had already laid out most of it, there were some details that had become uncertain after a large portion of the city''s leadership was assassinated. He was now trying to refine the plan to the best of his ability, but one aspect kept bothering him. How to best make use of his student? He could easily become a terror on the battlefield, engaging in hit and run tactics from the back of his dragon mount, harrying the enemy along the fringes of their formation, where the concentration of mages capable of defending against him was the lowest. He figured that this would work for a while, until they found some sort of countermeasure. Emmanuel was also concerned about putting the young man in a situation where he would be forced to slaughter helpless soldiers from a distance. That would be trying enough for veterans, let alone a teenager. Alternatively, he could be sent to disrupt the Tennundian supply lines, hopefully shortening the length of the siege. While there were certainly alternatives that they could make use of, especially if they were willing to start pillaging the surrounding countryside, this would probably me the most effective use he could be put to. Except¡­. Emmanuel hated to admit it, but the boy was a more accomplished mage than nearly everyone in his faculty. There were a mere handful of mages in the city he could imagine outperforming the youth, and even then, it be mostly due to skill and experience. Few people on this continent could match his raw power, even if he hadn''t quite learned how to make use of it yet. With the incredible importance of mages during wartime, and the rather extreme shortage of them faced by Almirn''s defenders, could he really afford to send one of his most potent assets on such a mission? He briefly glanced at the scrying mirror he had set up on his desk, noting that Mike and the watch captain were now negotiating with a man that looked suspiciously like the Tennundian Duke. Unfortunately, the artifact lacked the ability to transmit sound, and could only provide a slightly blurry image of the target. Higher end models did exist, but since the method of creating these types of items was one of the greatest secrets of the Mage''s Guild, he was stuck with this old device he''d scrounged out of the University''s storage facility. So limited were its functions that he actually required a small piece of the target (in this case hair) in order to get anything at all. The last real option, and the one he would probably end up pursuing, would be to keep the youth in reserve as a reactionary force. With his speed and freedom of movement, Mike could respond quickly to emergencies throughout the battlefield. [That would probably be for the best. We have enough soldiers through the levy to man the walls, and if I allocate them carefully, we should have enough mages to cover most eventualities, but we''d be stretched thin. That reminds me, I need to check on the results of the recruitment drive through the Adventurer''s Guild¡­] He was distracted by a sudden burst of motion on the scrying mirror, as Mike made his escape in his usual flashy manner. [Looks like negotiations have failed. I''m not surprised, but it''s still a bit disappointing¡­.] His mind went blank after witnessing what happened next. For a second, Emmanuel couldn''t believe what he was seeing. His student, who had only spent a few weeks studying basic level Elemental Magic broke out a spell that hadn''t been seen in centuries, conjuring an actual meteorite and throwing it at the Tennundian encampment. An arcane spatial distortion was able to deflect the hurtling chunk of rock, proving that the enemy had an accomplished mage in their ranks, but even then it was only able to alter the course slightly, redirecting it to the northeast. There was a flash, and the scrying mirror''s connection was cut-off by the ensuing waves of force. In the distance, he heard the thunderous explosion as the building shook, bits of dust falling from the ceiling. He took a moment to rub his forehead, once again recalling why so much of Alexander''s guidance was related to dealing with the ''Dragonknight.'' Sighing, Emmanuel scrapped his first two plans. The youth would definitely have to be a reserve force. With that level of power, they couldn''t afford to use him in any other capacity. What was troubling was the presence of a mage among the Tennundians that was able to accomplish that particular stunt. While it was something that Emmanuel himself would have been capable of, that an Arcane Magic user would have that level of control over spatial magic was problematic. It meant that they would need to be cautious of infiltrators brought over the wall through teleportation. While the University itself had countermeasures for such a thing, the city as a whole was too vast to protect in any reliable manner. The door opened and Mike walked in with the unconscious watch captain slung over his shoulders. Dropping his burden unceremoniously on the floor, he closed the door and took a seat with a sigh of his own. "That went poorly." His student commented while letting his disguise drop. "I gathered as much from the explosion. Did you learn anything of interest?" Mike frowned in thought. "The army is effectively being commanded by the Duke himself, and he seems to have a rather intense hatred for this country." "That would make sense considering his personal history. He''s lost a few family members to conflicts with Almir." Emmanuel replied with a nod. "That said, I think the Marshal that''s actually in charge of the army is sympathetic to a negotiated peace, but is currently unwilling to entertain the idea of removing the Duke from power." Mike gave him a serious look. "He''s going to be a tough one to beat, especially with the quality of his staff officers." "Yes, I caught some of the conflict," He mentioned while motioning at the mirror which was still displaying the swirling gray mist that functioned as its standby mode, "Assuming they represent the cream of the Tennundian crop, so to speak, then we should be able to hold out so long as we avoid long duration engagements." The idiom he actually used was more closely related to distilled liquor, and the small portion of any given batch that was of a specific purity, but Mike''s Communication Magic translated it in a manner that made sense based on its intended meaning. "There were two other things of note. Much like you suspected, they weren''t aware of Alexander''s death. Although I suppose that could simply be excellent acting." "That lines up with what little I''ve been able to track down about her kind. In the history books, there are a few references to deadly assassins capable of becoming immaterial at will." "Oh?" "There have been at least six instances where they have shown up in the last three hundred years, each targeting key leaders of nations or organizations. While this wouldn''t normally be enough to narrow down a source, it can be extrapolated from the context of their most active period." Emmanuel commented while browsing through the report he''d had compiled on the subject. Mike frowned, possibly guessing the answer. "Five of the six incidents took place during the War of Bones, in which the Necrocracy of Lacot faced off against the allied might of Inland Sea Region. Their targets ranged from generals to religious leaders to merchants, but each of them had something in common. They were all providing some form of assistance to the war effort, and their resulting deaths led to major disruptions for the living side." "So we can safely assume that Lacot is behind this?" Mike asked quizzically, "Seems a little strange for them to be getting involved in a regional war, though." "It''s a bit more complicated than that. The sixth incident, which took place nearly 80 years after the war, claimed the unlife of Drakus Steelbeard, one of the Archlich''s most accomplished generals. Whether this was an internal conflict among the upper echelons of Lacot, the actions of a lone renegade, or simply because the Necrocracy doesn''t have a monopoly on these assassins, is up for debate." Emmanuel replied while taking a sip of his now cold tea. [What I wouldn''t give for a stiff drink right about now.] Mike seemed to be catching on. "So, while it''s probable that Lacot is involved, it can''t be definitively proven, and therefore we should remain on guard for other factions seeking our demise, just in case." "Correct. Thankfully, we can probably assume that there are some rather harsh restrictions on employing these assassins, since they were only seen infrequently. In fact, it may possible there is only one at any given time. We should hope ourselves that lucky, I would hate to imagine what handful, let alone an army of those things would be capable of." His student fell silent for a few moments, before speaking again. "On that note, I saw no signs of orcs." "That would make sense. According to my sources, (gods, do I feel awkward saying that), both orc tribes are currently camped to the far northeast along with a small Tennundian force. It would look like they are seeking to delay our relief until the main army can capture the city. Although, considering who the commander of that relief is, I can''t imagine them buying much time at all." The Serpent of Almir was said to be personally leading the coalition force, and the Tennundians would be fools to underestimate the foremost military mind of the current era. "Not in the face!" Captain Henry screamed suddenly as he shot to his feet, having only just regained consciousness. He looked around in confusion, "Um, where am I?" Laughing, Emmanuel explained the Watch Captain''s circumstances while Mike snuck out, not wanting to draw attention to himself. ---------------- That meeting had given him much to think about, but he has more questions than answers at this point. [Uh, Boss, there''s something I think you need to be aware of.] Mike stopped short in the hallway outside of Emmanuel''s office, as he received a mental message from his newest familiar. [What''s going on?] [Well, it''s that beastman you''ve had me following. It seems like he''s gotten himself involved with a few of the local gangs.] Frowning, Mike thought back [Is he trouble?] [Not exactly¡­..He''s kind of¡­uh, this is hard to explain¡­.he kind of became their leader.] [Huh?] Chapter 188: Street Fighter A few days ago, in a quiet market square near the New City docks, a young beastman was exercising. Specifically, he was lifting barrels as part of the training regime a certain irresponsible master had proscribed before disappearing once more. The drunk had seemed a bit irritated that his student had acquired the new skill so easily, and had gotten sulky before his sudden departure. "You''ve got talent, lad. Just keep practicing like I showed you, and you''ll be stronger before you know it." The old man had said dismissively while walking away. Since then, the young beastman had been working tirelessly to enhance his new skill, which currently involved lifting barrels. Brenden had recently graduated from ones filled with water, and was now attempting to lift one filled with scrap iron, finding the process a bit more challenging, but doable nonetheless. "102¡­103¡­104¡­" [This is a little difficult with one hand. I''m not looking forward to switching to fingers.] Through a rather intense bout of training, he''d picked up the Minor Power Enhancement skill. It was an unusual one that required him to surpass the mortal limitations of the body in order to even unlock it. In exchange, it allowed him to perform superhuman feats, even at the first rank. After reaching two hundred repetitions, he finally took a break, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He''d already taken his shirt off, but it had done little to combat the oppressiveness of the late summer heat. [What I wouldn''t give for some of Mike''s resistance skills right about now¡­] He was thinking to himself, when a strange group burst into the square, dragging their troubles behind them. -------------- "Run! They''re right behind us!" Jorn yelled from his position at the rear of the group. The sturdy dog beastman was the closest thing they had to a real fighter, but even he was outmatched by the adults that were chasing them. "Yuni fell behind! We have to go back for her!" Pearl cried, a look of absolute misery on the young lizard beastman''s face as she looked askance at their leader. Gritting her teeth, Lara shouldered the barely conscious George once more. "We can''t. If we go back now, they''ll get all of us. We need to make for Sounding''s Square. If we can lose them there, then we''ll have a chance." Taking the lead, she started hustling as best she could while supporting the rat beastman. It was awkward going, but if they could just make it¡­ They rounded the corner and came face to face with a shirtless dog beastman, glistening with sweat. For a moment, Lara''s mind went blank at the sheer unexpectedness of it. He looked a little older than her, probably around 17, but had the rippling and muscular physique of a warrior. A mop of shaggy dark nearly obscured his curious, but unworried gaze. Once her brain was working again, Lara quickly dismissed the hunky male as a bystander, and proceeded to focus on the more immediate problems. "Come on everyone, we need to move!" She urged her comrades onto greater efforts despite her own flagging stamina. [If we can just make it across¡­] They had nearly succeed in crossing the square when the other group of pursuers cut them off. They had broken off early in the chase, and Lara hadn''t had the time to think on where they might have gone. Evidently, she''d led her friend''s right into their trap. In moments, they were surrounded by over twenty adult humans. Karl, the leader of Yonbliss, smiled. "Well, well. Looks like it''s the end of the line for you, pups. Why don''t you be good little kids and surrender? I would hate to hurt you more than necessary." "Damn you!" Lara growled. "You won''t get away with this." The man laughed maliciously. "Ah, but you already know I will. After all, who is going to-" A fist drove into Karl''s face, sending him flying. After nearly ten meters of traveling through the air he crashed into an empty fruit stand, breaking it into pieces. "Hm, looks like I don''t know my own strength, anymore." The bystander from earlier muttered to himself while examining his clenched fist in an almost disinterested manner. "Luckily, a good chance to practice has fallen into my lap." With that, he launched himself at the surrounding gang members, and began to effortlessly overwhelm them. [How cool¡­..I''m mean, this isn''t good. I need to warn him!] ----------------- Brenden lazily dodged another punch from the thug, before delivering an elbow to his jaw. He didn''t even bother to watch as the man collapsed into a boneless heap. [I wonder why they''re fighting without weapons. They''re pretty good at hand to hand, but it''s hardly sufficient to warrant this level of confidence.] Grabbing one of the attackers by the wrist, he whipped the man horizontally at two others, sending all three of them sprawling. Brenden couldn''t help but marvel at the ease of it. The man had felt lighter than a pillow. He''d always been pretty strong, especially once he picked up the Strength Enhancement passive skill as a child, but it paled in comparison to now. [If this is what Rank 1 can do¡­] Delivering a knee to another gang member''s gut, Brenden felt his blood boiling. He was beginning to see the path forward. "Wait, you don''t-" The female rabbit beastman who seemed to be the leader of the group started, before being cut off by a much louder yell. "What''s the meaning of this?! Who are you, and why are you interfering?" A walking boulder yelled as it pushed its way through the increasingly timid thugs. Brenden blinked, before realizing that the boulder was actually a man, just an unusually shaped one. He stood nearly 2m tall, and was about as wide. The massive muscles of his limbs were coated with a solid layer of fat, while his torso appeared to be almost spherical. A proportionately tiny head, with beady eyes glaring at him, gave the impression that he had been simply inflated through some bizarre process. Brenden returned the glare, "I saw something I didn''t like, so I decided to get involved. Simple as that." The boulder frowned, "You weren''t part of the original team. Adding another member in the middle of a match is grounds for disqualification. As such the Hunter''s Paw forfeits this round by default." [...¡­What?] "He''s our reserve fighter!" The rabbit beastman exclaimed, stepping out in front of him. "Since we started with fewer than the allotted amount, we have the right to allocate reserve fighters to make up the difference." [...¡­What?] "Hmph, you expect me to believe you were keeping an expert in reserve, when you can barely field a full team? Is that true, young man?" The spherical man asked. "Uhh¡­" "Just say yes!" The rabbit beastman hissed after ducking behind him again. "Yes?" Brenden asked, still quite confused. Sighing the boulder shook his head. "Whatever. As Mediator I declare this individual a member of the Hunter''s Paw. As such, his participation is valid. Continue the match." He wandered back to where he came from. For a moment everyone in the square just looked at each other, but then, as if by some shared message, the thugs charged him simultaneously, war cries on their lips. Resigning himself to figuring this all out later, he stepped forward and began the process of systematically beating them into submission. It didn''t take long. -------------------------------------------------- "So let me get this straight. You guys are members of a gang called Hunter''s Paw, and you were fighting in something called Arbitration? Which is some kind of formal street fight that gangs use to settle disputes in this city?" Brenden asked, wanting to make sure he was understanding this correctly. "That''s right." Lara, the female rabbit beastman responded cheerfully. "You know there''s an actual war going on, right?" He asked, wondering if there was something wrong with their heads. "Yeah, but that really only affects the richer folks. Us gutter rats will keep living the same regardless of who rules the city." She said smugly while nodding. Her long, white rabbit ears bobbed in the process. "These matches are much more important." He wanted to refute her, but didn''t quite know where to start. "And we won this one because of you! Really, we can''t thank you enough for the help. If you weren''t already a member, we would offer you a spot in our premier organization." "Hm...What do you mean I''m already a member?" He asked, eyeing the girl suspiciously. "Well, now that''s over, why don''t we head back to the hideout and celebrate our first real victory!" She changed the subject and started trying to get away. He grabbed her by the head, holding her in place with ease. In a low, threatening voice he uttered, "Explain." "Ha ha....." Lara chuckled nervously, "Well, you kinda agreed to be part of our gang in front of the Mediator, which means the rest of the gangs will treat you as part of us, even if you don''t want them to." Letting her go, Brenden shrugged. "Doesn''t matter to me what they think. Its not like I owe them, or you, anything." He started wandering back over to his shirt. She started following him. "Well, the thing is, our gang is pretty weak right now. In fact, we don''t really have any strong fighters, so when we get into Arbitration, there''s not much we can do but lose." "I fail to see how that''s my problem." He shot back, while pulling on his shirt and grabbing his sword. It took a few moments to buckle it back in place. "Wait, wait, wait!" The girl yelled while running in front of him. "It''ll be really troublesome for us if you leave now. Can you really abandon a bunch of cute kids like us to the mercy of those scary adults." She tried to give him the puppy dog eyes. Looking back at the other three, Brenden saw a similar expression on their faces. While he was doing so, he also noted their appearances. They looked a little too thin, a little too malnourished. Life had evidently not been kind to them. Especially since it seemed that there were only kids in this gang. Ones who had to fend for themselves in the cruel streets. An image flashed through his mind, vibrant and detailed despite the passage of years. It was the moment where her smile had faltered. The moment she finally realized that he wasn''t going to be able to save her. The moment when hope had faded from her eyes. "What do you want from me?" He asked resignedly. Lara lit up. "Awesome! Come on, come one! Lets go back to the hideout and we''ll explain everything." Sighing, Brenden started following the overly energetic girl, seeing as he didn''t have anywhere else to go at the moment. At the very least, this meant he should be able to eat something, and sleep with a roof over his head. There were many thing he regretted about his fight with Mike. Not bringing any money with him was one of the larger ones. After meandering through the slums for awhile, they ended up in front of a shoddy looking tavern, which was named The Cat''s Paw. Despite its appearance, the place seemed rather crowded, with the sounds of merriment spilling out into the street. As such, Brenden did have a pressing question to ask. "What is this?" "This is our hideout and the headquarters of the Hunter''s Paw gang!" Lara exclaimed. "Its also where most of the adult members work." "Wait, so you have adult members?" "Of course! You didn''t think a bunch of kids could really run a gang by themselves, did you?" She asked while shaking her head smugly. Without another word, Brenden turned and started leaving. It took the offer of all the food he could eat to bring him back, but even then he fully intended to leave once he''d had his fill. [I''m definitely not getting involved in any of this, no matter what they do or say.] Chapter 189: That Old Game Brenden stretched languorously before exiting the tiny bed, which was the only real piece of furniture in the cramped attic room. Yawning, he recalled what happened last night, as well as the information he''d gathered while eating. They''d provided a simple, yet plentiful meal, which he splurged on, having had little to eat over the last few days. Lara had introduced him to the gang''s currently leader, a matronly sheep beastman by the name of Griselda, who looked more like a schoolteacher than an underworld boss. The other three adult members of the Hunter''s Paw, were Griselda''s husband and two sons, also sheep beastmen. Apparently, the four of them ran the tavern, while Lara and her bunch handled the more clandestine aspects of their gang''s activities. Judging from how little income the criminal side of the enterprise actually earned, Brenden suspected that Griselda was simply using the gang as an excuse to provide the youthful beastmen a place to live, and a few regular meals. [She should just run an orphanage.] He recalled thinking while listening to kind and gentle woman''s awkward explanations of why things worked the way they did. Her family members weren''t much better, having inherited the submissive personality of their kind. Brenden was convinced that the lot of them couldn''t hurt a fly. [I can see why Lara''s crew didn''t rely on them for Arbitration. They''d be weaker than the kids when it came to a fist fight.] Speaking of which, he was also introduced to the rest of the Paws, as they like to call themselves. In addition to the four he''d already seen, there was also a small female rat beastman called Yuni, and a swarm of younger children who roamed about the area in an undisciplined mob. As the newest addition to the group, at least according to Lara, he immediately became their focus for the rest of the night, and was pestered with a dizzying array of questions until they were finally forced into bed by a worn out Griselda. All things considered, it was a far cry from the gangs he was used to, and after questioning Lara, he was able to piece together the reason. That such a gang could exist at all, was largely due to the unique traditions of the capital city''s underworld. The gangs of Almirn had a lengthy and troubled history, and until relatively recently, it had been filled bloodshed and cruelty. That all changed when Ricklos came to power nearly two hundred years ago. The mysterious man and his shadowy organization swiftly brought the capital''s gangs to their knees, but rather than destroying them, as had been the custom up to that point, he forced them to submit to his authority, becoming the de-facto ruler of the Almirn underworld in a few short years. Ricklos required little from his new subjects, but did prohibit bloodshed between the various gangs. While this created some consternation amongst the old guard, no one was powerful enough to resist. Once a few of the more violent gangs were destroyed after failing to abide by the decree, the capital experienced an unprecedented age of peace, and with it prosperity. Disputes still occurred, but the gangs were forced to use negotiations and finally competitions to resolve them. While they tried a number of different methods, they eventually settled on using a formalized style of street brawling, ironically called Arbitration. In it, two teams of fighters would seek to accomplish a particular objective, often times simply beating the other team into submission, but other versions did exist. This style of competition allowed the gangs to continue their combative traditions, while avoiding earning the shadow ruler''s ire. It even became something of a local pastime, with major gang confrontations drawing large crowds of observers and gamblers. Ricklos ruled for nearly 50 years, before disappearing mysteriously with many of his key followers. The suddenly leaderless shadow organization swiftly collapsed, leaving the gangs once more on their own. However, they had grown used to benefits of peace, and so they formed a council with representatives from every gang, in an effort to sustain the changes Ricklos had made. Since then, the council has more or less maintained the peace, and the gangs continued the tradition of arbitrating their disputes with hand to hand combat. On the rare occasion that some gang violates this principle, they quickly became the target of every other member of the Almirn underworld, without the protections afforded by the council, leading to their swift and bloody demise. [This would be a bit easier to understand if they actually named all these shadowy ruling bodies.] Brenden thought to himself while applying Lifestyle Magic in preparation for the day. In any event, the whole Arbitration system had a number of rules and regulations determining how, and in what capacity one gang could challenge another. It was also the primary method they used to compete for territory and influence. Since the defending participant had the right to choose a number of the details about the match, the system tended to favor the status quo. Particularly powerful gangs could develop an advantage, but it was rare for there to be much actual change to the balance between the various gangs. This of course begged the question of why the Hunter''s Paw would chose such unfavorable terms during their Arbitration match? The answer was quite disappointing. "That''s because we were the challengers!" Lara had declared confidently. A large part of Brenden wanted to simply leave then¡­but he hadn''t finished eating yet, so he asked, "Why would you challenge another gang when you lacked the ability to furnish a team?" Looking a bit sheepish, the girl replied, "Well¡­we had scrapped enough money together to hire an adventurer to help, and so we challenged the Yonnis with that in mind. The guy we got was really strong, so it should have been easy. But¡­." Brenden waited patiently while working on his third bowl of stew. "The Yonnis managed to catch wind of our plan, and paid the guy off, so he never showed. On the plus side, that was the reason we were able to bring you on as a reserve fighter! So it all worked out in the end." "So, you can hire adventurers to participate in matches? Why didn''t you just tell the mediator that I was one of those?" He asked starting to feel annoyed again. Lara tilted her head, "You can''t have an adventurer be part of your team for more than one Arbitration match, so if we wanted to make use¡­I mean, make you an ally, it had to be as a reserve fighter. You''re going to be sticking around, right?" Brenden suppressed another wave of irritation at the girl''s obvious attempt at manipulation. Up to this point it had largely been his fault for stepping in without understanding the situation, but it was also clear that the rabbit beastman had been using a combination of subtle and overt techniques to recruit him, with varying levels of proficiency. Not that any of them worked on him. "Haven''t decided yet. I want to sleep on it." He had replied simply, hoping to forestall any more conversation on the matter until he''d enjoyed the full round of creature comforts the tavern could provide. Surprisingly, Lara had let the matter go after that, and he was able to finish his meal in peace before heading up to the only room available. With a decent night''s sleep under his belt, Brenden felt ready to tackle the problem of leaving. If he could just manage to sneak out now, while everyone else was still asleep¡­. "I am here to challenge you, Hunter''s Paw! Come out and face me if you dare!" A booming voice sounded from outside, interrupting his plans. Looking outside the small window, he saw a large group of men and women, dressed like gang members, standing in front of the tavern. At the front was a tall, burly bear beastman who looked to be the speaker. Despite a lined face and grey hair, which told the story of a man well past his prime, the beastman was rippling with barely concealed muscle. Standing a little ways away was the boulder shaped man from yesterday. Evidently, he had been called into to mediate again. [Sounds like the Paws are in for some trouble. Oh well, it''s not my problem.] Brenden thought while getting his gear together. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed Lara stepping to speak with the bear beastman. Shrugging, he headed downstairs. Hopefully, he could sneak by while they were occupied. As he was opening the front door of the tavern, he heard the leader of the gang roar with laughter. "HAHA, you are an interesting one, missy. Tell me, who is this leader of yours that you have so much confidence in?" The bell that hung above the doorframe chimed once in the still morning air, drawing the attention of everyone outside. With a sinking sensation, Brenden saw Lara''s face split into a mischievous grin before she started pointing at him. "Well, mister Fang, he''s right there!" The bear beastman, apparently named Fang, gave him a speculative glance. "Taking on my entire team by yourself, are you? I don''t know if you''re foolish, brave, or both. While I admire that kind of mentality, don''t think you''ll get away with looking down on the Night Kings." "Hold on now, I don''t know what she might have told you-" Brenden started trying to explain, but was interrupted by Fang, who appeared to neither hear nor care about his protestations. "Let''s see how well you back up your claims. First one to bring him down, drinks for free tonight!" The bear beastman roared, inspiring a round of cheers as the assembled gang members charged at him in a frenzied mob. [.....I''m going to murder that rabbit.] Realizing that the time for words had passed, Brenden sighed and stepped forward to meet the approaching horde. At the very least, this would give him a chance to practice his skills. Cracking his knuckles, he braced for the onslaught. ------------------------------------------------------- Fang couldn''t believe it. The unassuming dog beastman had systematically destroyed his prided team with ease. While a few of his gang members had been defeated with legitimate blows, most had been simply tossed aside, like so much garbage. In the span of a few moments, the two dozen best fighters to have assembled in the Night Kings were quashed, and Fang himself was left facing the terrifying man alone. Although no slouch himself, the old bear knew he had met his match. There was only one path open for him, now. With an alacrity that his body had almost forgotten, he sprang into action. "The Night Kings surrender. We will now fall under the command of the Hunter''s Paw and their leader." Fang said a kneeling position. The mediator nodded disinterestedly, before starting to wander away. He never was one to waste time after a match. The young man shook his head in denial, "Look, that''s not what-" "Our great leader bids you to raise your head, as all among the Paw are equal." The rabbit beastman from earlier broke in suddenly, and began to spout all kinds of haughty things. [Is she his Speaker? An interesting choice...a young female rabbit beastman...perhaps...is he following the legend of Fortune''s Herald? Is he aiming to become the next King of Thieves? Then all of this was part of his plan....] Fang felt his old blood start to stir at the thought. --------------------------------------------------------------- Brenden grabbed the troublesome rabbit by the head, putting a bit more force into it than before. "What is the meaning of this?" He growled. "Owowowowow, that hurts! Your crushing my brains!" She complained loudly, and feeling a modicum of concern, he relaxed his grip until she started talking. "Well, leader, it looks like you''ve acquired a strong gang to assist you in your rise to power. Congratulations! I hope you won''t forget your friend Lara once you''re rich and famous." She was rubbing her hands together greedily. [.....Does this creature not have any shame?] A round of laughter the bear beastman interrupted his interrogation. "HAHA! I have to say, lad, I''m impressed! When I heard about a new expert taking up with the Hunter''s Paw, I thought it was a joke, but clearly, I was played for a fool. I should have known a 1 vs. 25 match with sovereignty rights on the line was too good to be true, but I fell right into your trap just the same." He laughed again, "As expected of a real contender for the King of Thieves! I''m looking forward to what you show me next!" Both him and Lara looked over at the rival gang leader in confusion. ""...What?"" Chapter 190: Myth in the Making "Leader! They''ve swung around through the side street. Fang''s group is in danger!" The skinny whip of a man yelled over the din of the street fight. Brenden had already forgotten his name, but he thought he belong to the Herefords, a new addition to their growing coalition. Growling, he threw his current opponent into a knot of enemies, knocking them flat. "I''ll take care of it. Ward, you''re in charge here. Hold them until I get back!" He yelled at the second in command of the remnant Night Kings, before breaking into a sprint. He nimbly dodged through the swirling combatants, occasionally taking a moment to deal a devastating blow to one of the enemies before moving on. In short order, he''d arrived at the site of the flank attack. Fang was facing off against twenty opponents while guarding his fallen comrades. Noticing Brenden''s arrival, the old bear beastman flashed a confident grin. "Good of you to make it, Boss. You''re just in time to watch me mop the floor with these whelps." "Heh. You should let me take over," He replied with his own grin, "I wouldn''t want you to strain your back or something." "HA! I may be old, but there is still more than enough fight left in me." Fang yelled back, a palpable aura of power surrounding him, and making the members of the opposing gang step back in unease. "Well then, let''s make a contest of it. Whoever takes the least of them down, buys the victory drinks." Brenden said while taking up a combat stance next to the old bear of a man. "I''ll be drinking my fill tonight then!" Fang cried, leaping forward at the enemy. Brenden was close behind. The pair blazed through the loose collection of gang members, quickly reducing them to boneless heaps throughout the side street. In less than a minute, they were the only ones still standing. Brenden paused to take a deep breath, laughing as he heard the sound of disgust from Fang. "Bah, I would have had those last two if my knee hadn''t given out." The old bear complained as he rubbed the offending appendage. Apparently, the injury had ended his career as an adventurer nearly three decades ago, and left the man with a permanent limp. [I bet Mike could take care of that.] Brenden thought, before dismissing the idea. He''d been avoiding thinking about his friend these past few days, unsure of how to face him after their last fight. "That sounds like an excuse, old man." The young beastman said with a chuckle before turning his gaze back in the direction of the main conflict. Judging from sounds of the celebration, it seemed that his subordinates had won without him. [They''re getting better.] He walked over to the leader of the flanking force, who happened to be the second in command of the Wave Runners, and nudged the man with his foot. "Oy, looks like your side lost." Glaring up at him from the ground, Roger sighed, before finally nodded. "Aye, lad. You won. I believe I speak for me boss and me whole crew when I say it was fairly fought. I''ll let the boss say the official words, but the Wave Runners will fall under the Hunter''s Paw from here on." Brenden used a hand to pull the man to his feet. "We''re glad to have you. Once the injuries have been treated, we''ll be having a victory party at the Cat''s Paw." He said with a grin. "Bring your guys along, since it''s going to be Fang''s treat." "Oi!" the bear beastman exclaimed, starting to look a little pale. "I didn''t agree to that!" "We never specified who the drinks would be for." Brenden laughed while helping the other gang members up. There was a lot of groaning and complaining, but no permanent injuries. After giving his team a round of congratulations, he took a moment to catch his breath. A chant of "King of Thieves" was starting up in the square, and it sounded like they were waiting on his arrival to commence the festivities. Sighing, he rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out how he''d gotten to this point. [What in the hells am I doing? Why did I let myself get dragged into all this?] Contemplating the situation, he could only come to one conclusion. [This has to be Mike''s fault somehow. I bet his luck rubbed off on me or something.] Strangely enough, accepting it as part of his friend''s aura of misfortune made the whole thing seem more palatable. [Now, if I could just find a good chance to sneak away¡­] --------------------------------------------------- "So, what''s the story behind this whole King of Thieves thing?" Mike asked while watching his friend get mobbed by a swarm of excited children, who seemed to have been watching the match like some kind of sporting event. There were even a few food stands set up in the crowd, giving the gathering a festive air. He''d been given a quick rundown on the idea of Arbitration, but it was still strange to see it in person. Selene shrugged, "I''m surprised you haven''t heard of him, it''s a popular story in this country. Near the beginning of the Third Age, when competing warlords ruled much of the central continent, there was a tyrant by the name of Hargulf the Bald who controlled much of what is now southwestern Almir." "Really? The Bald?" "Well, he was. Besides, I think they started calling him that after his death, and he wasn''t exactly popular. Anyway, there was this young bandit who made his living in the fringes of Hargulf''s territory. One day, while wandering in the woods, he came across a white rabbit caught in a snare. Normally, any self-respecting young bandit would take the free meal and count himself lucky, but he had just eaten heartily from a patch of berries he''d stumbled upon, and therefore wasn''t hungry. On impulse he decided to set the poor creature free. Much to his surprise, the rabbit thanked for his mercy, and pledged to repay him for sparing its life." "This isn''t sounding all that believable. Did he not have a name?" Mike commented dryly while debating internally about getting some of the freshly baked pastries a nearby vendor was selling. He still had some time before he had to meet with the current leaders of the haphazard force defending the city, and the smell was making his mouth water. Audra also seemed interested in the treat, since he had to keep pushing her back into the confines of his pocket every so often. "It happened so long ago, that it''s more of a myth than anything. As far as a name goes, I''ll talk about it later. Now, back to the story. The rabbit was, unsurprisingly, magical in nature, and in fact was the herald of Fortune itself." Selene continued, slightly annoyed at her boss''s constant interruptions. "Fortune, as opposed to Fate and Destiny, huh?" Mike asked sarcastically. "Fate? Don''t know anything about that, but Destiny is the plan created by the gods, while Fortune or Luck, as it''s called through the system, is the force that mucks about with the gods'' plans. It''s something separate is all I can really tell you." She replied with a shrug. [I guess Fate, as the moderator of the multiverse isn''t known here, or at the very least isn''t commonly known. Which seems fair, since before I reincarnated, I just thought of it as a cop out trope used primarily in literature.] "So, you were saying something about a magical rabbit?" "Right," She continued with a sigh, "Supposedly, this rabbit blessed the young bandit with three instances of extraordinary luck, which when combined with the man''s natural cunning, allowed him to accomplish all kinds of impossible things. I''ll skip the details, since they don''t particularly matter, but the climax of the story focuses on the confrontation between Hargulf and the young bandit. By this point, our protagonist had amassed a small fortune, and was in command of a large bandit force, who specialized in robbing the warlord''s tax collectors." [So, more or less a Robin Hood type.] "Let me guess, he gave away most of it to the poor and impoverished, right?" "No, why would he do that? Nah, he did spend a good chunk of his earnings buying food, clothing, and tools before distributing them out to the people of the land to buy their loyalty, but that was mostly a means to ensure they wouldn''t be betrayed." Selene gave him a pitying look, as if questioning his sanity. "Anyway, I assume this story has some kind of conclusion?" "Yeah, supposedly Hargul got so fed up with all of his taxes being stolen, that he ordered his army to clear out the bandits and their supporters, once and for all. However, the young bandit heard about them coming, and using his last blessing of luck, led his band around the army and to Hargulf''s fortress while they were ransacking his stronghold. Supposedly, they climbed the walls in the middle of the night, and captured the castle before the defenders knew what was happening. While they eventually executed Hargulf for his crimes, the bandit was able to seize control of the territory without shedding a single drop of blood, or so the story goes." "I take it this is where he starts being called a king." "Stop ruining the story, but yes, since he had effectively stolen a kingdom, the bandit came to be called the King of Thieves." "While I can see why it might be a popular legend, I don''t understand why they are so excited about it." "Well, that''s just the beginning of the legend." She answered excitedly. "See, according to legend, the King of Thieves established a stable government that was capable of ruling in his absence, and after a few years, he abandoned his duties and started adventuring around the Inland Sea, getting into all kinds of adventures, and acquiring all kinds of treasure through a combination of wit, good fortune, and a loose interpretation of the concept of ownership. Supposedly, when he got close to the end of his life, he embarked on one last great adventure. An attempt to cross what is now known as the Shimmering Desert in search of the lost city of Haliputra. Before he left, he passed on a message to his most loyal followers." She paused, pitching her voice into a low and gravelly tone, "I go now to seek the limits of my fortune, so I will not ask you to wait for me. In time, my successor will rise, one who proves worthy of the title King of Thieves. He shall inherit my legacy." Coughing once, she continued. "And with that, he disappeared into the shifting sands, with only a white rabbit for company, never to be seen again. Some say he died in the desert, but others say he found the city, plumbed its unknown depths, and stole the very essence of divinity itself, becoming an Ascendant Mortal, or perhaps even a god." "Ah, so I''m guessing it''s pretty common for young gang members to day dream about becoming the next King of Thieves. Is that perhaps why you know this story so well?" Mike asked with a sly grin. Selene blushed, while folding her arms defensively. "Hey! I was a young street urchin not too long ago. The idea of inheriting a whole bunch of wealth and power seemed pretty cool." He chuckled, "What about his name? You never explained that." Looking excited, Selene answered, "Supposedly, the King of Thieves was so good, he even managed to steal his own name from the history books, ensuring that his legacy would live on past the confines of his own mortality." A moment of silence followed as her boss stared at her. Shaking his head, Mike decided to let that one go. "Anyway, how does one go about proving themselves worthy? It didn''t sound like he left any guidance on that." "It''s believed that you have to find out for yourself how to acquire the title. However, most seem to think that, if you are an infamous enough thief, it will simply come to you one day. There have been several people who claimed to be the new King of Thieves, but so far none of them have been validated." "How would they even know?" Mike asked between bites of pastry. He''d finally given into temptation, although he did make sure to get one for each of his familiars. "Thanks," Selene answered while receiving the offered treat. "Have you heard of the Liar''s Chair?" He shook his head while chewing. "In the forest to the southwest, there is an old ruin dating back to the beginning of the Third Age. In its depths is a seat carved into the trunk of a massive, petrified tree. It''s said that this was once the throne of the King of Thieves, and somehow served as the gateway to his power and wealth. When a worthy successor sits upon the Liar''s Chair, they finally inherit the legacy of the King." She finished before taking a bite as well. "Hm, not bad, but it could use a little more honey." [Seems pretty straightforward, I guess. Still, I have a hard time imagining Brenden taking up the mantle of a legendary trickster. Seems a bit contrary to his nature.] Mike thought back to what he knew about his friend, the little bits and pieces of his past the beastman had let slip. [Then again, perhaps it would be a good fit.] "So all of this fuss about Brenden being the next King of Thieves¡­" "Pretty much just bluster on the part of the Hunter''s Paw, as far as I can tell. One of the first gangs they absorbed started calling him that, and the name has stuck." [It feels like there is more at play here, but I''ll need to know more before I can determine what exactly.] "In any event, it doesn''t look like he''s in any danger for the moment. Still, keep an eye on him for the time being, and let me know if that changes." With that, Mike turned and started moving back through the streets. He had a meeting to attend soon, and couldn''t afford to be late. Chapter 191: Dangerous Ideas Kiertesan sat heavily on the log as the sun started to set on the second day of the siege. The havoc created by the departing Dragonknight, once negotiations had failed earlier today, had taken the majority of the day to take care of. Even though the Marshal had followed Erasmus''s advice and evacuated the surrounding area, the sheer level of devastation had left several Tenundian soldiers wounded or dead. That wasn''t even including the losses they''d suffered from the redirected meteorite, which had struck to the northeast of camp, obliterating a large section of their supply train which hadn''t arrived yet. The death toll was estimated in the hundreds, but the more pressing concern was the loss of rations and material. While they could still continue the siege, there was new time constraint to be concerned with now. He glanced over at Jiri, who was sitting nearby, also looking utterly spent. "How is Nurenal?" "Recovering. It''s been a long time since he''s had to throw around that kind of mana that quickly. That Dragonknight wasn''t pulling any punches. I don''t think I need to tell you, but that spell he used is troubling." She replied with a sigh. Even without the sheer devastation such a spell could do, that the young mage had access to rare of magic of that kind was a cause for concern in and of itself. He knuckled his forehead for a second, before asking. "So, what do you think?" She took a deep breath. "Honestly¡­..I think we''re going to lose, as things are now. Our spies indicate that the city has been able to raise close to thirty thousand fighters, mainly composed of a mix of city guards, students, mercenaries, and conscripts. Thanks to the University, they should be well supplied with skilled martial artists and mages, as well as talented administrators and logisticians. With Alexander Portrarian in command, it will be difficult to seize the city by normal means." "Even though we outnumber them nearly two to one, those defenses will make it tough." He murmured while staring at the tall and impenetrable edifice. Now that the enemy was aware of Nurenal''s spatial abilities, he supposed it would be far more challenging to send an infiltration force over. "There are a few solutions we could try, but I will need time to plan and implement those contingencies, especially now that we are aware of the Dragonknight''s status as a high Tier 3 mage." She frowned as her mind rapidly simulated dozens of scenarios for seizing the city, but she kept coming to the same conclusion. There simply wasn''t enough information to formulate a clear plan of action. [What I wouldn''t give to have a better idea of what he was capable of.] According to their sources in the city, the individual claiming to be Erasmus the Dragonknight, was most likely a student at Almirn University, by the name of Michael Rasmussen. While there was no clear evidence linking the two, the actions of the Almiran government clearly suggested the connection. Mike, as he was frequently called, seemed to be a talented and capable student with a very limited background as an adventurer. Beyond that, he was basically a blank slate, almost as if he''d simply appeared recently. That he was also sponsored by Count Graveston of Almir would normally imply that he was some kind of agent or ally of the Serpent. However, everything Jiri new of the legendary leader''s methods made it hard to believe he would place such an obvious piece on the board in preparation for their invasion. The Dragonknight was far too flashy and ineffective to be the count''s servant. As hard as it was to believe, she was starting to suspect that the dangerous man was actually some kind of distraction from the true threat. Although she had no idea what that might be. It was also still slightly possible that he did indeed represent the Dragonknights as a whole, and if that was the case, this war was as good as lost. However, she was inclined to think that Erasmus was operating independently for some reason that was, as of yet, unclear. "There are a few solutions to our situation that we might be able to pursue, but I would like more information about the supposed Dragonknight before we make any big moves. Without knowing the full extent of what he is capable of, I can''t plan a successful method of capturing the city." She said, after a lengthy internal debate. The Marshal nodded, "There isn''t much more we can do in a clandestine manner, but perhaps we can provoke him into taking serious action. It might also give us a chance to take him down¡­" He trailed off, lost in thought. It could work, but there was a great deal of risk involved. Not the least of which was the danger of investing too many resources in overcoming a single enemy. They still had that thing the Duke had brought, but Kiertesan hoped that there was never cause to use it. Jiri grimaced at a sudden thought. "I think our best bet might be to go straight to the source, so to speak." The old man cocked an eyebrow at her, "Oh?" "Well¡­according to the reports, this Michael Rasmussen has close companions. With the right preparation, and Nurenal''s assistance, we could bring one of them in for¡­questioning. It could also serve to antagonize the man into taking action." She suggested in a quiet voice. "Hrm¡­" Kiertesan grumbled, the idea was a bit distasteful, but if they needed the information... "Get with Nurenal and Barns, see what you can come up with. I''ll make my decision once you have a concrete plan." Jiri stood, and saluted, before walking off to start the process. Knowing her, she would pull an all-nighter, but come morning, there will be an airtight operation ready for his approval. All it would take was a simple yes, to set things in motion. If she said it was a necessary move, he believed her. The woman had never once failed him. [Yet, why do I feel like this is a mistake?] ---------------------- Morris sighed with relief as the column finally came to a halt. They had been pushing hard all day, and he was frankly exhausted and saddle-sore. He pitied the infantry, who had to rely on their feet to bring them this far. He didn''t miss that part of his time in the perpetually poor Order of the Wheel. While his aides began setting up camp, Morris dropped from the saddle, wanting to confer with his father now that they had reached a familiar landmark. They were following the road that ran along the northern edge of Wyrmrest Lake, and had finally reached the small fishing village of Jathton. This meant that they were roughly one quarter of the way around the lake. Despite the hurried pace, it was still going to be a long trip to the capital. Looking back at the long columns of the coalition army, that were still in the process of breaking down into a formalized encampment, he couldn''t help but feel a twinge of pride. This force was something which hadn''t been seen in centuries, an alliance of three races marching to defeat a common enemy. Being a part of this was like witnessing history in the making. It didn''t take long for him to track down the new headquarters, since his father''s subordinates had somehow managed to put together the command tent in the time it took him to walk over. With a nod to the guard at the entrance, he stepped inside. Count Graveston was reading a ragged strip of paper in the light of a simple candle. While his features held the usual level of dispassionate unconcern, Morris thought he saw the faintest hint of anger. Without glancing up, his father addressed him, "Ah, right on time. We have preparations to make." The count, having finished reading the contents of the scroll, held the document to the candle''s flame until it had burned to ash. Turning, he walked over to a table dominated by an unrolled map, and pointed at an insignificant speck along the northern shore of Wyrmrest Lake. "I''m leaving you in command of the majority of our forces. I want you to continue to follow this road until here." He indicated a crossroads that would lead them southwest to the capital. "Set up camp, and await further instruction." Morris blinked, slightly overwhelmed. "Wait, what are you talking about? What about the capital? Aren''t we marching to its relief?" "Things have changed." Was all his father said, while gathering a few items and leaving the tent. Morris followed him in a growing rage. "And what will you be doing?" "I will be taking most the Graveston house troops and a few of the knightly orders, and pursuing another objective. At the moment, you do not need to know the details. Follow your instructions, and the city will be saved, that I can assure you of." The count replied coldly without bothering to turn around. "That''s all well and good, but the only reason this army formed in the first place, was because it had the Serpent of Almir at its head. What''s going to keep it from disintegrating once you''re gone?" Despite its relatively unified appearance, the coalition force was actually fragmented and disorganized, especially when it came to the Almiran fighting forces. Knightly orders, religious organizations, militia groups, and dozens of minor nobles were supplying the majority of the human troops. Normally, these competing factions and personalities would have been at each other''s throats, but the authority of Almir''s most accomplished general made them fall in line. Without that unifying influence¡­ The count stopped, and fixed Morris with a cold glare. "You will figure it out. If you don''t, the country is doomed." With that, he started moving once more. This time he wasn''t followed. Morris sat down heavily on a low stone wall that some farmer had likely thrown up decades ago. He knew his father was likely pursuing the best course of action in the given circumstances, but it was infuriating that the count still felt him unworthy of knowing any aspect of the plan. That he was to simply do as he was told. With a sigh, he let go of his anger, at least for now. He''d long ago learned that nothing his father did was without purpose, so even provoking him must be part of some twisted plan. Anyway, he had a much more pressing matter to concern himself with. Could he really manage what his father asked of him? It wasn''t that long ago that he was a lowly lieutenant in the Order of the Wheel, barely responsible for a handful of soldiers. To be put in charge of an army of nearly a hundred thousand, even for a brief period of time, was¡­terrifying. In the throes of his existential crisis, he failed to notice the sunset, as the fiery light painted the lake in resplendent hues. He also didn''t notice the sleek shapes that interrupted the scenery. A fleet of ships was pulling into the meager harbor provided by the fishing village. Morris would quickly recognize them as warships of Theldon design, once he started paying attention. It was hard to tell from this distance, but they bore the trademark dragon-headed prow of the Barren Isle. Already, some of the smaller vessels were approaching the docks, in preparation for picking up their passengers. Chapter 192: Future Abduction "Ugh! I can''t believe we spent all night just watching them set up! " Sera complained to Jonas, the lanky archery instructor that was serving as the commander of the 3rd University Division''s archers. It was a rather impressive title, but at the moment, it consisted of roughly two hundred students and faculty members who were liberally placed along the south eastern section of the city wall, in the appearance of a defensive measure. The plan was to eventually pad their numbers with civilian conscripts armed with crossbows or the occasional musket, depending on available resources, but they were resting in preparation for the expected conflict today. It was widely assumed that the Tenundians would be too busy setting up their siege equipment and building their encampment to launch an assault before then. Fortunately, this had proven an accurate assessment. The instructor, an almost emaciated stick of man that looked to be in his fifties, sighed. The girl was one of the more talented archers serving in the unit, and had decent leadership skills, which is why he made her a platoon leader, despite not having any soldiers for her to command. However, she had quickly proven to be very vocal in her complaints. Despite being married for close to thirty years, and having two daughters himself, Jonas had never managed to figure out the best way to deal with an upset woman. He never seemed to be able to say the right thing. "It sure is tiring, but it could be worse. At least they haven''t attacked us yet, and it will be the day shift''s turn soon." The old man replied, hoping that he could forestall further complaints by bringing her attention to the next milestone. This, however, proved to be a mistake. "That''s exactly why I''m complaining! We just watched them dig in and put together their siege weapons all day and night, without even trying to harass them. What a wasted opportunity! There won''t be another chance like that until the relief force gets here. Really, what is the Marshal thinking?" She shot back with a grimace. Shrinking slightly, Jonas tried to defend their current leader, "There was that impressive display of magic yesterday. That was probably pretty effective in harassing them." "You mean the failed diplomatic mission, which resulted in a gods-forsaken meteor being chucked, ineffectually I might add, at the enemy?" Sera asked sarcastically. "They may as well have just started with that to begin with, and saved us all the stress." She then proceeded to grumble angrily under her breath. Jonas''s hearing was nowhere near what it used to be, but he did manage to catch the words ''reckless idiot'' and ''making me worried.'' It was clear that she was upset, but Jonas couldn''t really figure out why. [Wasn''t it the Dragonknight that met with the Tenundians? Why is she worried about him?] Dismissing the whole thing as another enigmatic aspect of the fairer sex, Jonas resumed watching the enemy encampment, hoping that the conversation had reached some kind of conclusion. He had learned through his long life, that it was often better to simply stay quiet at moments like these. Sera gasped, before sagging against the parapets. For a second, Jonas thought she''d been shot, and quickly rushed to her aid, but by the time he''d gotten his old frame moving, she was already straightening. "What''s the matter, are you alright?" He asked, concerned. She looked at him, a mixture of pain and anger on her face. "I''ve got something to take care of, so I''m taking off early." With that she started heading towards the nearest tower, and the stairs that would lead to the ground. Jonas momentarily considered stopping her, his limited military experience telling him that he probably shouldn''t allow such blatant insubordination, but he decided against it. After all, it was almost shift change, so there was no harm in letting her go a little early. [I''ll just have to be extra strict next time to make up for it.] He thought to himself, even though he knew deep down that he wouldn''t be acting any differently in the future. ---------------------------- After finally leaving the University''s temporary command center as the sun started peaking over the horizon, Mike couldn''t help but sag a little, relieved to be free of the place. What had started as a slightly informal planning session had devolved into a convoluted attempt to anticipate every eventuality. The few military leaders left in the city were mainly composed of old, retired veterans, University faculty members and students, and those few martially inclined nobles that remained behind when the others went north. To say that the meetings were chaotic would be an understatement. And since there was still some confusion regarding the command structure, a large portion of the meeting was devoted to figuring out who actually reported to who, and who should be getting yelled at for failing to do some basic task. It was something of a miracle that they were able to form a rudimentary plan. Emmanuel, using some secretive information source, announced that the Tenundians would be conducting their first major assault around mid-morning. Supposedly, they aimed to probe the city''s defenses in preparation for a more intensive attack at a later date. So long as they avoided making any mistakes, the defenders shouldn''t have to worry until tomorrow, or at least that was the general consensus. Mike felt a little uncertain about the whole situation. It still seemed strange to think that the Tenundians would march all the way over here, without some clearly defined method of bypassing the walls. Their actions made much more sense if you considered the possibility of some kind of secret weapon or plan. [Could it just be the Duke''s poor planning?] Even though the man was a close-minded fool, surely anyone who had the ability to mobilize a country for war, would have the sense to properly prepare for it. In any event, Mike''s role in the coming conflict was clear. As a reserve element, he would respond to crises as they arose, and ensure a solid defensive line across the board. Because of that, he could doing something about it when they revealed their trump card. Thoughts still swimming with potential contingencies, Mike didn''t hear the young woman calling his name until she was almost in front of him. "Mike! Would you stop walking already?" Sera yelled in an increasingly irritated voice. He halted and waited for the Oracle to catch up. As Sera panted a few breaths, he asked, "What''s up? I thought you still had a bit of time left on your shift?" Largely due to her status as an unknown quantity, she had ended up working in the 3rd Division, which was responsible for the thankless task of keeping guard during the night, to give the 1st and 2nd Divisions time to rest. Something that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because night attacks were considered both unwise and dishonorable, it was unlikely that she would see combat unless the worst was to occur, or the Tenundians grew desperate. The only safer duty would have been with the 4th Division who was in charge of logistics and support, but she demanded a combat role. Taking one last breath, Sera straightened with a serious look in her eye. "We''ve got a problem. I think the enemy is planning on abducting one of us in order to get more information about you." Mike paused for a second, examining the possibilities, "Did you¡­see it?" She nodded, "It was only brief snatches, but I saw dark figures break into the dorm and grab someone. I don''t know who, or where they were taken, but that place felt...unpleasant." Her determination had been replaced with a slightly queasy look. [If it''s at the dorm, then they can''t be targeting Brenden, so that means either Tal or Sera herself. Since I was planning on moving to quarters a bit closer to the front lines in the near future, the abduction will probably take place today or tomorrow.] Due to their shortage of competent mages, Tal had ended up assigned to the 1st Division, which was responsible for the section of the wall most likely to come under attack. Judging from the position of the rising sun, she was probably still getting ready for her shift at the dorm. He sent a quick mental message to summon a ride. "Do you know when the abduction is supposed to take place?" He asked. Sera shook her head, "No specifics, but I think it was during the day, and it might have been in the middle of a battle. There was a lot of activity going on." [Most likely, that means later today during the Tenundian assault. Sounds like they were targeting Sera, which meant they understood enough about the party to identify the least martially gifted among us. Seems like they have their own spies inside the University.] Nevertheless, he needed to secure both of his companions soon, to mitigate the risk. As such, he couldn''t waste any time. Once Red was in position, Mike grabbed Sera, who had the presence of mind to look confused, before a burst of Air Magic launched them both into the sky. She stopped screaming as soon as they landed on Red''s back. After a few moments spent catching her breath again, she started beating on Mike''s chest with her fists. "Why didn''t you warn me?! I was completely unprepared for that!" "Ow. Sorry, I was lost in thought, and it slipped my mind." He responded, slightly amused by her response. "Seriously?! I thought I was going to die!" "Nah, I wouldn''t let that happen. Trust me." Glancing down, he saw that Red was moving quickly, and had almost reached their destination. She huffed, but let it go, which was fortunate. It made the next part easier. He scooped her up and repeated the process in reverse, with a casual "hold on." Once they were finally on the ground, Sera took a few steps before collapsing onto her knees. Looking back at him furiously, she growled, "You..." Mike shrugged, "I did warn you this time." For a moment, she looked ready to attack him, but she finally sighed. "Ugh, I don''t know what I was expecting from you." Chuckling slightly at that, he waved at Tal, who had walked up in the meantime. "Ah, good. You''re here. We have a situation." "What problem?" Came her terse reply. Sera stood and joined them. "I had a vision of a kidnapping. One of us is going to be targeted in the near future, so we''ll need to take steps to prevent it." Mike slapped his fist into his hand. "Ah! That reminds me. Could I see your hand for a second, Sera?" Looking slightly confused, she proffered her arm. Grabbing it in his own, he summoned a bit of air magic to create a small wind blade, and with a quick motion, brought it against the skin of her forearm. A thin line of red marred her pale limb, and he pulled a measure of blood out into a floating orb. "Ow! What in the hells?!" She yelled, yanking her arm back, but not before he was able to send a quick surge of healing magic through his hand. As she examined her now unblemished arm, the she started questioning him loudly, "What was that for?!" Mike allowed the orb of blood to coat the rune painted sphere of glass, noting a momentary flash of power as the item attuned itself. [Good, now I just need to make one for Tal, too...I wonder if some kind of magical tracking device would be going to far.] "Think of it as an anti-abduction protection." He replied while putting the orb back into his storage bag. "That doesn''t explain anything!" Chapter 193: The Battle Begins "Alright, now that''s settled, let''s head to wall. I wouldn''t want you to be late, Tal. Do you know where you''re supposed to be heading to?" Mike asked as he started walking. The elf fell into step beside him. "What''s settled?! What did you do?" Sera yelled angrily. She started following after, still examining her arm, as if expecting it to fall off. "Northeast section. Near main gate." Tal replied while ignoring the Oracle''s outburst. "Hm, that''s going to be right in the middle of the fight. What are they having you do?" "Defend headquarters. Magic protection." She answered simply, intimating that she was assigned to part of the last line of defense for the command element of the 1st Division, which he recalled was being led by a respected leader from the Martial Arts department. "Hey!" Came a shout from behind. "Stop ignoring me!" Although it was a little unfair of him to do so, Mike didn''t really want to go through the process of explaining how he made the item he''d just used, or the intended effects. Especially since he needed to concentrate on ensuring Tal''s safety. As a member of a front line force that will be involved in battle in the near future, her situation took priority. Luckily, it sounded like he would have time to prepare a more comprehensive set of defensive measures. Figuring that Sera wouldn''t let it go unless he could give her a decoy, he pulled Audra from his pocket. [Do me a favor and distract her for a bit, would you?] After an irritated reply to the negative, he shot back, [Hey! I haven''t asked you for anything since the day you were born! Do me this favor, alright?] He sensed continued reticence, so with a sigh, he made a promise. [Fine, if you can get her to change the subject, I''ll let you have another mana core.] Bribe successfully acquired, Audra scrambled up his shoulder and launched herself at Sera, who caught her with surprised delight. "Ah! I thought you hated me." She exclaimed happily. She promptly proceeded to rub the little dragon against her face in satisfaction. [Alright, now I feel a little guilty.] "Here, give this to her." Mike called as he tossed a large red mana core to the Oracle. Although there was a bit of fumbling involved, she managed to catch it. "Huh? Isn''t this a mana core? Why would she want..." She started confusedly but trailed off as the little dragon began excitedly looking at the core. Tilting her head a bit, Sera brought the item closer, only to gasp as Audra took a large bite out of it. "Interesting." Tal commented, having stopped to watch the exchange. "Ah! No! Don''t eat that! It''s not...good...for you?" While concerned, Sera was evidently in the same boat as Mike when it came to knowledge of dragon biology. Audra was happily munching away at the core, and eventually got to the point of licking the crumbs from Sera''s hand, eliciting a subdued giggle. "Are they supposed to be toxic or something? I fed one to her previously, and it didn''t seem to have any negative effect. If anything, she seemed more energetic afterwards." Mike asked, not particularly concerned. Sera frowned, slightly confused. "Well, not exactly. In fact mana cores serve as the basis for a number of consumable items, especially in Alchemy, but they usually have to be treated in some manner before use. Raw mana cores are basically concentrated energy, and consuming them directly can do some serious damage to your body. Or so I''ve heard. I guess that doesn''t apply to dragons." "Dragons special. Mana based." Tal added, suggesting that a dragon''s nature might play a role in allowing them to do things like that without harm. He shrugged in response, "Anyway, we should get a move on, we don''t have much more time." "Right." The elf replied simply. With a little hustle, they were able to make it to her assigned location with time to spare. The 1st Division headquarters was situated in a recently constructed command tower that stood behind the walls and a little taller than them. This allowed for a commanding view of the surrounding scenery, at the expense of making them a target for long range siege equipment. The tower itself was mainly composed of a highly reinforced spiral staircase that was eventually topped with three, simple and unadorned spaces, each roughly 20m in diameter. Tal''s immediate supervisor, a magic instructor by the name of Harnik, was based out of the top floor. Here the headquarters'' mages worked to defend the tower from external attacks. Apparently, there were some magic items built into the structure which made this easier to manage, although Mike hadn''t seen them in action yet. There were only five mages in the detail, which included Tal, Harnik and three students, all of which appeared to be novices. [I knew we were running short on mages, but I didn''t think it was this bad. I doubt those three will be able to do more than use Mana Transference to keep the instructor topped off.] As Tal was reporting to Harnik, a red haired and slightly pudgy man that looked to be in his late thirties, Mike located a clear section of the tower that wasn''t being used for anything at the moment. "I guess I should find some place to bed down for the rest of the day. I still have to man the walls tonight." Sera commented while reluctantly handing Audra back. "Not that I feel particularly tired, but I''m sure that will come later." "I''d be surprised, actually. I hit you with a dose of healing magic not too long ago. It should have dispelled your fatigue at the same time." Mike replied absentmindedly before chanting a quick spell and summoning a table and stool with Calling Magic. It took a fair amount of mana, but he needed a stable place to start working. [Now, let''s see here. How did I make it again?] He was so deep in thought, he didn''t even notice Sera''s stunned expression. The casual display of magical ability had left her momentarily speechless. She looked ready to launch into a series of questions, but stopped and then finally sagged. "I''m not sure why I''m surprised. It is you after all. I suppose this means I should stay here?" "That would make things easiest. At least until we''ve removed the threat of abduction. I''m working through a couple of ideas that mitigate the danger to a certain extent. Just give me some time." Mike answered without looking up. With his eyes glued on his project, he failed to notice the brief look of anger flash across the Oracle''s face, or the much longer period of forlorn silence that enveloped her. With an effort, she seemed to snap out of it. "I don''t suppose you can make me a stool as well?" Mike paused long enough to comply, before returning to his work without comment. "Thanks." Sera said quietly, before settling down to watch him work. Even though her heart was troubled, it was still an interesting show. [Once I''m done with the planned items, I suppose I can work on my Scrivening.] Mike thought to himself. He figured that with the battle fixing to take place, having a few more scrolls at his disposal would come in handy. ---------------------------------------------------------- Kiera Skyflash frowned. This was not what she wanted to see. After returning from her rounds amongst the soldiers on the wall, giving them a last bit of encouragement before the offensive, she found her favorite observation point occupied by a young man and woman. The latter was in the middle of watching the former, while he painted something on a sheet of well-made paper. Ordinarily, the experienced military woman would have kicked them out with a round of cursing, but her instincts were telling her that it would be a mistake to bother them at the moment. Something about the aura around the man made it seem like a bad idea. [If they made it this far, they must have some kind of clearance. I guess I''ll just ignore them. Its not like they''re causing any harm.] Saying so, the commander of the 1st University Division found herself a good point with which to observe all sections of the wall under her authority. As a longtime instructor on the theory of siege warfare, she''d become the rational choice for the position after the Department Chair was assigned to a special unit of an undisclosed nature. She glanced back at Harnik and his detail of mages that were supposed to protect her and the tower from hostile attacks, and felt a moments unease. While she trusted her longtime colleague, having seen him in action often enough, the rest seemed like little more than children in her eyes. With the exception of a strangely calm Sun Elf, they all looked to be on the verge of panic. "Is everything ready?" She asked the magic instructor. "About as ready as we can be. The defensive matrices are charged, so we only have to activate them once battle begins. While we didn''t have time to put something really potent in place, they should be able to deflect everything besides a direct hit from a Tier 3 spell, or a sufficiently large artillery piece. I''ll have to step in if anything like that comes our way." The man replied calmly. Despite his current appearance, he was a veteran of the Western Army, and something of an expert in the defensive applications of Arcane Magic. She nodded, expecting no less. The tower was a critical aspect of their defensive strategy, since it drastically increased the division''s responsiveness to problems on the walls. From here, she could read the flow of battle and direct the division''s reserve forces where they needed to go. A feat made possible thanks to the installation of short range communication magic items provided by the University. While not exactly rare, such items would usually be too expensive to supply most military units. [I guess there is some upside to being the last line of defense.] She thought to herself, while mentally preparing for the coming conflict, which could be starting any time now. She needed to focus- "What in the hells?! That''s incredible. Make one for me, too!" Came an excited female voice from her left. The silver haired girl was animatedly holding up a sheet of paper. While Kiera couldn''t clearly see what was written on it, she hardly felt it mattered. She had been putting up with their presence this long, mainly because they''d been quiet, but the outburst was enough to annoy her. "Harnik! What''s all this about? We aren''t running a social club here." She frowned, suddenly realizing what had been bothering her about the scene before. [Was that table always here?] "Not sure, actually. They came in with one of my subordinates, and kind of just set up shop. It didn''t look like they were causing any harm..." The easy-going mage commented without a hint of irony. Rounding on the offending pair, Kiera summoned her best drill instructor voice. "Listen up you two! This is the command post for the 1st University Division, not a place for you to be lounging around casually. I''m giving you to the count of ten to get...." She trailed off, as she caught sight of the runes inscribed on the paper the girl was holding. While not a mage herself, she had used scrolls often enough over the course of her career to recognize one when she saw it. Simply based on the complexity of the symbols used, the one the girl held in her hands was at least a high Tier 2, if not low Tier 3. A pair of golden eyes looked up at her with a slightly amused expression. "Sorry, we don''t mean to intrude. I''m just keeping an eye on my friends until the battle starts." "Wait, what?" "Ah! You probably don''t recognize me without the mask." He exclaimed with sudden realization, before waving his hand over his face, as if to pull an immaterial shroud over it. As he did so, a mask of pure darkness took shape. A familiar one that Kiera had been seeing in the planning meetings on the face of the Dragonknight who had come to the city''s aid. While Kiera was still coming to terms with the sudden realization, the silver haired girl started laughing hysterically. "What''s with the mask? You look ridiculous!" "Hey! I didn''t have a lot of time to come up with it. Besides I think it looks a little cool." The Dragonknight replied sulkily. "Cool? Really?" Came the taunting reply. Kiera shook her head and wandered away from the table, leaving the pair to their squabbles. Seeing the city''s last great hope in the midst of a juvenile argument was having a rather severe effect on her morale. As shocking as this whole exchange was, she didn''t have time to consider it. A more pressing sight confronted her once she''d arrived back in her observation point. The Tenundians were moving. The Battle of Almirn had begun. Chapter 194: Long Range Concerns Mike found the scene a little surreal. Here he was, standing on the top of a magically reinforced tower, watching an army assault a series of walls that made the medieval defenses of his own world look like children''s toys by comparison, and contemplating when he would ride into battle on the back of an actual dragon. The situation might have been a bit confusing, if it wasn''t for the stream of commentary that quickly developed between the mage Harnik, and the stern-looking commander of the 1st University Division. "They''re keeping their mages in reserve from the looks of it." Kiera, as her name appeared to be, commented. "Probably in preparation for staving off whatever mass devastation spell our resident Dragonknight intends to throw at them next." Harnik commented lightly, shooting Mike an amused glance, before continuing. "Although that won''t be particularly effective right now." Kiera nodded her agreement. "Another meteor could easily prove our undoing." "Would you mind explaining that?" Mike asked, curious. He''d been contemplating simply raining death on the army, resting, and then repeating the process until they gave up. "They have a Tier 3 mage capable of space magic. It''s a well-known fact that space mages make the traditional magic and artillery strikes difficult, or even dangerous. Even the most inexperienced practitioners of spatial magic can deflect projectiles with relative ease. Skilled ones, like the Tenundian mage commander, could even use their opponent''s spells against them." Harnik replied solemnly, before gesturing towards the wall. "Imagine how devastating a meteor would be, if it was redirected to strike against our defenses." "A fair point, but why didn''t he attempt to do something like that the first time?" Frowning slightly in thought, the instructor eventually answered. "I suspect it had more to do with the timing of your attack, coming as it did immediately after two other offensives that he was forced to defend against. He likely didn''t have time to do more than slightly alter its trajectory. That won''t be the case now that the Tenundians are aware of your abilities." [So I either need to distract Nurenal in some manner, or find a new method of attacking that isn''t susceptible to spatial redirection.] He had a few ideas, but nothing he could simply roll out on a whim. That said, he did make sure to message Red, confirming that the dragon was on standby in the high altitudes above the city. Assuming that the opportunity arose, he would like to try his hand at reducing the enemy''s numbers to some extent. "On the positive side, this means that the enemy is keeping their most potent mage on standby, likely with a group of others capable of supporting him should he be called upon to defend against any major attacks." Kiera muttered absentmindedly while concentrating on the approaching Tenundians. "That means we won''t have to worry about as many hostile spells being thrown our way." Harnik commented with a smile. "Besides, if it gets too rough, Emmanuel will likely jump in. A Space Elemental Mage as powerful as him could turn the tide of an artillery duel relatively easily." "Then why isn''t he here?" Mike questioned, a little annoyed that he was standing on the front lines while someone better qualified was elsewhere. "And reveal our strongest Tier 3 mage? No, it''s best for him to remain hidden until needed, to avoid any complications caused by whatever mage hunters that managed to sneak past our security." Kiera replied with a scoff. "Mage hunters?" He asked Sera quietly, not wanting to display his ignorance further. "Assassins that specialize in taking down mages. It''s pretty common for most armies to have a few, but the Tenundians are somewhat famous for theirs. Historically, it''s been the only reason they''ve been able to compete with Almir and it''s significantly larger population of mages." She answered simply. [Great. Something else to keep an eye out for.] Nodding his thanks, Mike stood and walked over to one of the windows. The walls of this section of the tower were partially composed of large panes of a transparent material called Steelglass, an alchemical product that was fairly popular for military purposes. It was remarkably durable while still allowing viewers to see through it. Unfortunately, it had a dark brown tint, which made it unusable in conditions of poor lighting. In the midmorning sunshine, this wasn''t a problem, however. [Kind of reminds me of sunglasses.] Stretched below him was the impressive outer wall. The observation tower was far enough away, that he would have had trouble recognizing any of the soldiers moving along its parapets, if he knew who they were. He could see that the Tenundians were marching forward in several long columns, each spearing towards a part of the wall. From the looks of it, they were carrying extremely tall ladders while they did so. Far behind them, he noticed a large amount of activity as a second group of the enemy started pushing forward or constructing large artillery pieces. There was a rather eclectic mix of equipment arrayed against the city. Trebuchets seemed to be the most prevalent, but smaller catapults and even cannons were also visible. From the looks of it, they were setting up a little too far from the city. At their current range, the cannonballs would lose much of their momentum, while the trebuchets would have a hard time hitting at all, or so he assumed. Nevertheless, they posed a significant enough threat for the division commander to take action. Kiera frowned at the distant siege equipment and the much closer assault forces. She issued as series of commands to the two aides that were waiting near the staircase. "Have our artillery focus on the trebuchets, we need to keep them occupied during the assault. Tell the archer units to fire at will, and get the 12th, 6th, and 4th infantry platoons ready to respond as needed. Place them in sections three, seven, and ten respectively." The pair hurried downstairs to relay the orders. In a short span of time the walls erupted in a cloud of white-gray smoke as cannons, built into the structure itself, opened fire. Mike had only seen a handful of muskets and pistols in the city, so he was a little surprised by the number of pieces at the defenders'' disposal. However, it made sense after he thought about it. Cannons, with their incredible stopping power and long range would be much more useful in a world where skilled combatants could take on entire formations of enemy troops with relative ease, and mages could launch devastating spells from a distance. While muskets and rifles likely saw more use in fights with the large wildlife that cropped up from time to time, they evidently weren''t potent enough to dominate the battlefield like they did on Earth. The volley fired from the walls mostly fell short of their intended targets, and Mike could see several cannonballs slamming harmlessly into the ground. Some actually managed to overshoot, demonstrating that the enemy was within range, but even they proved ineffectual. After a few minutes another, more ragged, volley was launched with much the same effect. [Looks like our side lacks skilled artillerymen.] It didn''t take long for the Tenundian artillery to begin launching their own attacks, most of which either fell short or slammed into the wall. Somehow, they were able to match the range of the defenders, despite the height advantage. Even the trebuchets and catapults were able to launch their ammunition farther than he would have thought possible. Luckily, the wall was solidly built, suffering almost no damage from the blows. In fact, the only real effect the enemy fire had was to unsettle the defenders, who seemed disinclined to raise their heads above the parapets while the barrage was ongoing. Grumbling angrily, Kiera turned to one of her aides, who had only recently returned from his first task. "Send a message to Donald. Tell him, if he doesn''t start hitting the Tenundians with all that ammo he''s wasting, I am going to come down there and break both of his legs a second time." Once the man had started moving, the commander turned towards Mike. "Are you going to be participating in the battle today, sir Dragonknight? If so, we could really use your assistance in taking down that artillery." She commented with a bit more venom that she probably intended. "Is there a reason why you are concerned about it? It doesn''t seem to be having much of an effect on the walls." He asked, slightly confused by her apparent urgency. "That''s because they are only finding their range at the moment. They use mundane ammo for that. However, once they start hitting the walls consistently, they''ll be switching to their magically enhanced siege rounds. I don''t know much about the enemy marshal, but if he''s even halfway competent, he''ll use every opportunity to lay on as much punishment as he can manage with his artillery." It still seemed a little farfetched, but Mike couldn''t complete ignore her concerns. While he technically fell outside of the chain of command, in theory he was supporting her 1st Division. A direct request was a little hard to ignore without a sufficient reason. He shrugged and sent a mental message to Red, "I''ll see what I can do." Before he left, Mike made sure to hand off his newly devised products to his team members. They looked like simple necklaces, little more than a rune-carved bit of stone on a leather strap, but they came with a handy magical function. ------------------------------------------ {Signal Necklace} Magic Item (Tier 1, Rank 3) When mana is channeled into this stone pendant, its sends a mental signal to the individual keyed to it. The exact nature of this signal is established upon creation. Once activated, the signal will continue for a period of one minute, before the stored mana is consumed, causing the stone to crumble to dust. --------------------------------------------- After explaining the method of using them, he told Sera to stay with Tal until he came back. She reluctantly agreed, although she seemed to be sulking a bit for some reason. [She''s been in a bit of a mood all day. Did I do something to upset her?] Dismissing the thought, he climbed out onto the top of the observation tower, and caught a ride. It only took Red a few wing strokes to bring them over the Tenundian army. Mike was looking down, mainly out of curiosity, but he quickly noticed the effect his, or more likely his mount''s, presence had on the enemy soldiers. Quite a few them simple gawked at them as they flew by, others cowered or even ran, and a few attempted to ineffectually fire their weapons into the air. A few arrows, bolts, and bullets collided with Red''s scales, but didn''t hurt him at all. His hide was too thick and durable for anything besides a direct hit with a cannon to do much. [I''m beginning to see how a small group of Dragonknights could effectively end war in the Inland Sea Region.] After launching a few exploratory fireballs only to seem them intercepted by mages hidden within the Tenundian ranks, Mike decided that a more direct approach was necessary. Following Mike''s mental direction, Red veered to the left, until they had reached the far end of the dug-in artillery. Flying down their line, the dragon promptly proceeded to bathe the war machines in torrents of flame. Horrifying screams, first of fear and then of pain, rose above the sounds of battle as the Tenundian gunners were caught in the mix. Meanwhile, Mike stayed alert for any counterattack they tried to launch. Red was forced to fly somewhat slowly to create a sufficient amount of fire to roast the equipment, so it took him almost a minute to cover the first third of the line. While they weren''t having any problems so far, Mike''s instincts were telling him that something was amiss. [This seems a little too easy.] As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, Mike was forced to dodge an arrow, which was sent hissing up from the ground nearby. A searing line of pain, and a terrible tearing sensation cut across his ear, as the projectile skewered the air his head had occupied a moment ago. Straightening, he sent a mental message to Red, telling him to pull back and get some distance. Evidently, there were some enemies capable of doing them harm, and Mike was beginning to suspect that this whole enterprise might just be some kind of trap. His fears were proven justified, when a harsh shouted command issued from the ground below. Tarps were pulled from the backs of several ordinary looking covered wagons, revealing small cannons, already armed and pointed at him. While he first felt a thrill of fear, Mike judged that the weapons would still have difficulty injuring Red. They simply lacked the potency of field pieces, and would do little more than bruise the dragon. [Are they underestimating me?] He thought, as they fired, already summoning the mana necessary to deflect the few heading in his direction. What did catch him by surprise, was the massive steel net that accompanied the launched projectiles, billowing out to engulf them. [Ha! Clever girl...or guy. I''m not sure who thought this up, actually.] Mike thought to himself as he hastily prepared a defense. Chapter 195: From the Least Expected Quarter "It looks like things have started." The Prime Minister Faril Couthbotan sighed, as he watched the red dragon take off in the direction of the Tenundian lines. As a man who''d spent the majority of his adult life working nonstop, it was a little strange to find himself with nothing to do. His many duties had largely fallen by the wayside. Once a Call to Arms was issued, the civilian apparatuses of state ground to a halt, and every available resource was poured into the war effort. The primary source of the Prime Minister''s power stemmed from his control of the kingdom''s tax revenue, a power he made use of to subtly direct events in the cutthroat Almiran court. However, a Call to Arms placed that power in the hands of the military until such time as the country was rendered safe. Reluctant as he might have been, Emmanuel nevertheless wasted little time in making use of this new power. Faril''s loss of influence was a natural side effect, and although he retained nominal control as the de-facto regent, his authority was largely limited to ceremonial concerns. Frankly, he wouldn''t be surprised if this marked the end of his career, not that he much minded. After nearly forty years striving to serve the people of his kingdom, he had little to show for it besides a broken marriage, an estranged son, and a front row seat to a crisis that threatened to consume his country in the flames of war. Faril had grown old. A simple truth he could feel in his bones every time he got up in the morning. The slow and creeping decay that had gradually transformed the bright-eyed and energetic young clerk into the weary minister he''d become. "Well, old friend, perhaps its time to lay down our burdens, and let the next generation take over." He muttered gently as he looked over at the pale and drawn face of King Gregory II of Almrin. The monarch''s strange mental ailment had left him little more than a skeleton under stretched, grey skin. His bloodshot eyes were staring vacantly at a point on the ceiling, as he continued to issue short, choppy gasps. Faril was a little disturbed to hear the rattle of fluid with each breath, a sure sign that infection had taken hold in the weakened man''s lungs. He remained in an almost vegetative state despite the efforts of the best healers the capital had to offer. Unfortunately, whatever harm had been done to the king''s mind had so far been irreversible. If circumstances had been different, it might have been possible to request aid from the Druids, who had access to ancient and powerful healing magics. Alas, the underground civil war, followed almost immediately by the Tenundian invasion had made that near impossible. Besides, events had already been set in motion. Even should the king recover, it would do little to alter the path the country now followed. The country already considered the king dead, as can be seen by the semi-abandoned state of the monarch''s chambers. The only regular visitors were a resigned healer, a few gloomy servants, and Faril himself. [Perhaps a quick death would be the best thing for him now.] The Prime Minister thought to himself, entertaining the idea that had been forming in his mind for a while now. However, he still didn''t quite have the courage for it. The monarch''s gasping breaths suddenly started speeding up, taking on an agonal cadence that marked oncoming respiratory distress. Faril stood suddenly, mouth already half-open in a shout that would bring the royal healer, but the words died on his lips. Wasn''t this exactly what he was hoping for? He sat back down, and forced himself to listen as his oldest friend slowly choked on his own fluids. It took every ounce of his willpower to remain still as the king''s breathing weakened and eventually stopped, leaving the room as silent as a grave. For a time, Faril sat in shock, unable to believe what had happened, what he had done. At least until the corpse suddenly sat up. A chill ran up Faril''s spine as a pair of cold, lifeless eyes fixed upon him. A raspy, disgustingly wet voice issued from it''s throat. "It looks as if this mortal form has finally succumbed. Good, we have much to discuss." -------------- Gareth drew another arrow from his quiver, cursing his ill luck. He''d been lying in wait for his dragon mounted prey ever since the battle started, and yet the mage had still managed to dodge his shot. While they still had other plans in the works, he had hoped to eliminate the threat quickly. He had started lining up his next shot, which was a little difficult due to the moving nature of his target, when a nearby artillery commander gave the signal to spring the trap. While they''d already missed the best moment to launch their attack, but watching the net unfold, Gareth was sure they''d managed to catch the beast and its rider. [Alright! Nice shot!] His celebrations proved premature, as the mage simply lifted his hand, summoning a powerful windstorm, which pushed it higher into the air. At the same time, the dragon folded its wings and dived under the assault, narrowly avoiding the trailing edges of the net. It slammed into the ground with a thunderous, but controlled, impact, and Gareth quickly found himself face-to-face with an angry dragon. Following his training, he strafed to his right, diving behind one of the disguised weapon platforms while firing in the general vicinity of the creature''s head. A wave heat followed soon after, and he was forced to roll back to his feet and continue running, as the dragon''s breath incinerated what was left of the wagon shaped device. An experienced mage hunter, he knew his best bet of taking the creature down lay in finding its blind spots and exploiting them for devastating sneak attacks. His class, Expert Assassin, gave him access to several skills that facilitated and enhanced the act of taking an enemy unawares. Unfortunately, it seemed both the rider and the mount were paying him special attention, since he''d barely managed to avoid the dragon''s breath, when a series of wind blades came slashing down at him. Thankfully, his Magic Resistance skill gave him enough protection to survive the onslaught, albeit barely. [Where is my back-up, damn it?!] A cloud of dust formed around him as the wind blades impacted the ground. Gareth took the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat. Thankfully, it looked like another group had garnered the Dragonknight''s attention. ----------------------------------------------------- Mike cursed under his breath. The slippery archer had somehow managed to endure both his and Red''s attacks and escape in the ensuing chaos. [Gotta hand it to him, he knew how to get away.] Deciding that it would be dangerous to stay grounded in the middle of the enemy army, he messaged Red, telling him to start their retreat. However, the dragon quickly replied with an angry retort. Somehow, he''d been caught in a mire of sorts, and was having a hard time pulling himself free, even with the aid of a few powerful strokes of his wings. Suspecting magic at play, Mike quickly scanned his surroundings, noting five soldiers standing a fair distance away with looks of concentration on their faces. He didn''t need Appraise to see that they were clearly mages in the middle of casting. Deciding that it would be quicker to deal with the origin, than try to counter their spells, he launched himself forward in a blast of Air Magic, pulling the Fang of the Primal from his extradimensional pouch in the process. One of the mages ran forward to intercept Mike, a look of rage twisting his youthful features. "Eat this, you dragon bastard! [Flame Missiles]" A dozen small balls of fire streaked towards him, flying in long twisting streams. There was a time in the not too distant past where such an assault would have caused him some concern, however, that time had passed. Without halting his breakneck speed, Mike casually dodged the majority of the missiles, and defected the rest with his spear. They exploded into iridescent bursts on contact, but even then they posed him little threat, his Salamander''s Cloak giving him all the resistance he needed. "What?!" The young man cried in shock as his spell was crushed easily, and fear quickly supplanted the rage on his face. "Brian! Get back!" One of the mages yelled, as a trio of stone bullets were launched at Mike, forcing him to divert his path slightly. The speaker was a stern woman that looked to be in her mid-forties. [Ah, this must be the one that''s trapping Red. A fairly strong earth mage by the looks of it.] Ignoring the upstart newbie who had fallen in his haste to get away, he made a beeline for the woman, who was frantically trying to chant another spell. He could see the other three members of the team begin to move as well. According to a quick Appraise, two of them were Apprentices Arcane Mages, while the last was a Summoner. All three of them started chanting their own spells, but Mike wasn''t worried about them. [Why are they so slow?] He wondered to himself. Having grown used to Instructor Johnathan''s ridiculously efficient free casting, he found the chanting antics of the Tenundian mages rather silly. However, he wasn''t one to fail to capitalize on opportunity when he had one. With a quick chant of his own, he hurled a pair of stone javelins which impaled the Arcane Mages before they had a chance to finish their own spells. The sight of his comrades'' deaths caused the Summoner to flinch, interrupting his words and causing the circle forming at his feet to falter. To her credit, the Earth Mage was made of sterner stuff and, with seconds to spare, finished her own chant. "[Earthen Tomb]." She yelled while taking a step back, a grimace on her face as she started her next chant. The ground Mike was running across shifted suddenly, as two roughly 10m slabs of earth flipped up and attempted to smother him. [Not bad, but not good enough.] He thought to himself while channeling his own mana into a burst of air, throwing himself forward in a sudden acceleration that caused him to shoot through the closing gap. While still in mid air, he took aim with his weapon. The Earth Mage had time to raise one warding arm before Mike plunged his spear through her chest. He tried to ignore the agonized gasp that issued from her mouth as he planted a foot on her shoulder, simultaneously withdrawing his weapon while kicking her out of the way. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he pushed himself towards the terrified summoner, who had forgotten every aspect of his training in his terror. It didn''t any effort to cut him down. Finishing the group of four, Mike turned as saw that Red was beginning to work his way out of the mire. Now he just needed to make his own escape. Which proved to be somewhat difficult. "There he is! Quick, keep the dragon occupied while we take him down!" A confident male voice called from nearby. The sound was accompanied by the sounds of booted feet as dozens of soldiers moved into position. While the low Tier troops didn''t concern Mike that much, he noticed a few individuals that stood out more than the others. [Looks like they had a team on standby, specifically for the purpose of taking me on. Hm, this might be difficult.] He thought to himself as he started using Appraise on the various enemies. Chapter 196: Fives Company Mike sized his new enemies up, while holding his mana at the ready. When the standoff broke, he would need to move quickly. There were four individuals who stood out from among the small horde of Tenundian soldiers were surging around him. From the looks of it, they had devoted an entire team of highly competent individuals to take him on. [Should I be grateful?] --------------------------------------- Orin Fald Age: 43 Race: Human Class: Steelsouled Disciple Title: Master of the Empty Fist ---------------------------------------- The first was a short and unassuming man, whose head had been shaved completely bald, and was, by all appearances unarmed. In fact, he wore little more than simple traveling clothes, but there was an unmistakable aura of power surrounding him. While the rest of the Tenundians were keeping their distance, he strode forward unconcernedly. --------------------------------------- Lorelia Garington Age: 30 Race: Human Class: Angrosh''s Herald Title: Favored of the Unconquered --------------------------------------- The second was as surprisingly large woman, whose muscular frame dwarfed those around her. Scars crisscrossed her bared arms and face, with a particularly nasty one cutting through her left eye, obviously rendering it blind. Short, poorly cut red hair and sun burnished skin gave her an air of savage vitality that spoke volumes on her personality when coupled with her battered breastplate and her massive, heavily notched club made of a bronze-like metal. A cocky grin was plastered on her face as she pushed through the crowd. ---------------------------------------- Calian Andras Age: 22 Race: Human (Demon) Class: Demon Binder Title: He of Blended Soul ---------------------------------------- Third was a slender and pale man with pitch black hair, garbed similarly colored leather armor. While keeping his emotionless gaze fixed on Mike, he slowly started circling around at the edges of his perception. Judging from his class, title, and bloodline, he was probably some kind of Pact Mage, but it was a little hard to take him seriously with that get up. [Slap on a little eyeliner and he could be the lead singer for an emo band.] -------------------------------------- Salubrious Wren Age: 25 Race: Human Class: Fen Shaman Title: Gold Ranked Adventurer -------------------------------------- The final member of the team was a small and slightly mousy looking woman dressed in a travel stained robe of greenish-brown. A wide brim hat obscured most of her features, but Mike could see a pale and slightly freckled face. Unlike the other three, she looked more afraid than confident, and was currently in the middle of panicking, eyes darting around as if to hunt for an escape route. [Quite the diverse group we have here, and at least one of them is a Rank 6 adventurer, although she doesn''t seem to really fit the role that well. Probably mercenaries, now that I think about it.] He glanced back at his dragon mount to see that Red had broken free of muck, and was now ready to launch himself into the air. All he was waiting for was Mike to join him. [Go ahead and take care of the siege weapons. I''ll draw their attention. Just let me know when you are done.] Red replied with a snort that roughly translated into "Suit yourself, don''t get killed," before taking off to resume his systematic destruction. "What''s the matter Dragonknight? Domestic dispute?" The large woman Lorelia taunted once she was in position. Ignoring the barb, Mike addressed the group, "You are mercenaries, I presume?" She answered with a disinterested shrug, "Something like that." "Would you be willing to consider switching sides? I can assure you that the Almirans will be more than generous." Mike asked while paying special attention to the youngest member of the team. It seemed like he was biding his time for some sort of attack. Orin, the bald man that looked like a martial artist replied first. "While I cannot speak for the others, I won''t betray a contract once accepted." His voice was calm and collected, as if he were having a chat over tea. "The old man''s got the gist of it. Betraying your clients is a surefire way to get yourself blacklisted in the mercenary industry." Lorelia snickered. [Looks like they are just playing for time. Are they waiting on the Pact Mage, or are more reinforcements on the way?] Mike nodded, "Fair enough. Then I will offer you and the rest of these soldiers a choice. Flee now, or be killed." This just earned him a laugh from the large woman, an audible "eep!" from the Shaman, and silence from the rest. Not wanting to let them seize the initiative any more than they already had, Mike leapt into action. Charging his free hand with mana, he kneeled, slamming it against the ground and causing it to surge and buck uncontrollably in an expanding circle. The foot soldiers were quickly thrown to the ground, but it had little effect on the three of the four mercenaries. Surprisingly, the large female warrior proved unable to maintain her balance, sprawling in the dirt unceremoniously. The one named Calian was a bit lighter on his feet, and Mike was forced to roll to his left to dodge a sudden spray of black quills. The young man had undergone a transformation in the intervening moments, and was now covered in sleek black spikes that glistened with a sickly green color near their tips. The Pact Mage whipped his arm forward, chucking another wave of the quills in Mike''s direction. Normally they would have been easy enough to dodge, but as he was doing so, he found himself face to face with Orin, who had swept into the fray with efficient and graceful steps. A series of punches and kicks, almost moving too quickly for Mike to follow, rained down on him, keeping his attention as Calian attacked him from behind. He felt a sharp sting in his lower back, indicating that one of the spikes had struck home. Lorelia roared as she got back to her feet. Thoroughly pissed, she rushed the swirling melee, and attempted to crush Mike with that ridiculous club. While the attack itself was dangerous, it provided him exactly what he needed. Taking the opening her intrusion created, Mike pushed himself back with a blast of Air Magic, and began channeling mana for his counter attack. [Let''s see how they like this.] --------------------------------------------------- [How did I end up here again?] Wren thought to herself wryly while watching the other mercenaries throw themselves at the ridiculously terrifying man. She had been on the way back to the Riverlands when the war kicked off. As a Rank 6 adventurer with a reasonable amount of fame, she was immediately offered a lucrative contract to sign up with the Tenundian army. However, she had refused, wanting nothing to do withe messy war. Unfortunately, the Tenundian government didn''t give her much choice. Not too long after she turned down the offer, Wren was arrested, charged with espionage, and thrown in prison. Their true motives became clear when a slimy official visited her in the cell and offered her a deal. In exchange for freedom, they wanted her to agree to be part of the invasion force. Thinking that all she had to do was sign the contract, walk out of the prison, and catch the next boat going anywhere else, Wren had agreed. Much to her despair, the contract turned out to be a binding document, keyed to her blood. Failing to abide by the terms would leave her cursed in a painful, and eventually lethal, manner. Despite her best efforts, she had not been able to break the spell on her own. Curses had long been one of the areas she was weakest at, so she resigned herself to participating. On the bright side, the contract had been relatively fair, and would naturally expire once hostilities had ceased. It would have been much worse if she had been forced to sign some kind of slave contract. Even now the thought of that possibility gave her chills. Wren figured that the war couldn''t last that long, since the Almirans were in a bad spot right now. She had largely been proven correct in that assumption, up until the siege started and she was placed on an anti-Dragonknight team, set to defend the Tenundian siege equipment. Her teammates were three mercenaries who''d come over from Bergell to fight in the war. They were a little intimidating, especially Calian, but overall they didn''t seem like a bad bunch. Wren had thought the tasking wouldn''t be too bad. Now, having seen the Dragonknight for herself, she knew differently. One of her class''s unique skills, Aura Reading, allowed her to gauge the relative strength of a living being. She had been told that it measured the sum total of the target''s skill and attributes, providing an almost quantifiable understanding of the target''s power. She had quite naturally used this ability while they were moving in on the masked Dragonknight, something she almost immediately regretted. [What in the hells?! How is this even fair?!] She thought to herself with growing panic. The members of her hastily formed group were all fairly powerful, falling somewhere in the range of high Tier 2 and low Tier 3. A respectable level of strength that placed them among this world''s elite. Next to the Dragonknight, however, they all looked like weaklings. In terms of power alone, he should be well into Tier 4, but Wren could tell there was some small restriction, some barrier enforced by the system itself, that had prevented him from breaking through just yet. The result was a tumultuous and terrifying aura that stood on the threshold of becoming a living legend. She had only seen a similar level of power once before, when she''d witnessed a parade in honor of Jurult the Uncanny, a Tier 4 native to the Riverlands. The man had appeared normal enough at first glance, but his aura had nearly knocked her unconscious with its potency. While the Dragonknight hadn''t reached the same level of strenghth, his aura did inspired a soul-crushing dread. [They want me to fight that?] The mere thought of it left her ready to bolt. Things seemed to start off well enough. The Dragonknight was powerful, but the mercenaries had years of experience between them. They had survived years on the battlefield, doing exactly this sort of work. Surely they could handle it, right? After a simple application of Earth Magic which they were largely able to avoid, the trio''s counterattack had him on the run. They launched a series of deadly attacks that even managed to get a hit in on the Dragonknight''s lower back. Calian had turned into some kind of demonic hedgehog, and had nailed him with one of the thrown quills. [Alright! They can do this.] Wren had even started to feel some hope, when their enemy decided to change things up. Leaping back in a blast of air, he landed amongst the scattered soldiers. Using pillars of earth, he threw a handful of them at Orin, Lorelia, and Calian, who promptly dodged. This must have been what the man was planning on, since he used the resulting time to finish a quick chant. A cone of howling, boreal wind emerged from one of his outstretched hands, freezing everything in its path. Wren had just enough time to conjure a earthen wall to protect herself before the harsh gale washed over her, chilling her to the bone. [Yep, this was definitely a mistake.] As soon as the wind passed, a frozen silence descended on the area, and the Shaman was able to peak her head out from behind her barricade just enough to see the Dragonknight standing tall, already chanting another spell, evidently looking to finish the job. Chapter 197: Darts "Looks like the Dragonknight is keeping them preoccupied. Have our artillery switch to anti-personnel rounds and focus on the assault force. Surely they can hit formations of that size." The 1st University Division commander was commenting. "Now we just need to keep an eye out for any secondary attacks, and we should have this one in the bag." The first few scaling ladders were almost at the base of the wall, and the defenders were currently in the process of raining arrows, bullets, and various heavy objects on the approaching Tenundian soldiers. Every now and then, a few spells lit the sky with energy, however, they were all quickly intercepted. Typically, in this kind of conflict mages conserved their mana until there was a good opening, where they could launch a devastating attack. Tal found the whole experience rather interesting. While this was not the first time she''d witnessed a battle, it was the first time she''d been able to watch it from such a commanding vantage. Seeing the tiny, insect-like dots moving around on the plains below made the conflict seem like something distant and inconsequential, even though she was well aware of how horrible things must be in the thick of it. Thankfully, it seemed that the Tenundians weren''t too interested in taking down the observation tower, at least for the time being. While Harnik did have to use the defense to deflect a few attacks from the siege weapons at first, that had largely abated when Mike started his attack. "So, why am I here exactly? I feel like he left without really explaining anything." The Oracle commented from her seat at the work table Mike had created a little while ago. As is often the case with open, flat surfaces in a military command center, it had been quickly covered with piles of reports, maps and other miscellaneous documents. "Safer." Tal muttered distractedly. Red had just taken off again, and had resumed his casual destruction of the Tenundian siege equipment. [I suppose that means he''s doing alright.] "Yeah, because sitting within cannonball range of an ongoing siege is definitely safer than anywhere else." She commented dryly. Tal knew Sera was just pouting. With Mike''s abrupt departure, his seeming lack of concern for her, and his assumption that she needed protection, the girl was left feeling despondent and sulky. While this was certainly understandable, these kinds of emotions were troublesome in the midst of a battle. [She could use something to take her mind off of things.] "Have idea." Sera, who was currently resting her chin on the surface of the table, rolled her head slightly to look up. "Oh?" "Training." Tal used some of the mana stored in the bracer Mike had given her to summon a handful of tiny stone spears, roughly the size of a dart. With another application, she made a circular target board of relatively hard clay, and affixed it to one of the tower''s interior walls. As Sera looked on curiously, the elf flicked one of the spears at the board, hitting a point near the far left. It remained embedded, sticking straight out. Tal offered Sera the rest, "Do better?" The Oracle grinned. "Just watch me." -------------------- [Hm, that wasn''t quite as effective as I hoped.] The cone of chilled air had created a patch of frost on the ground in front of him, but it wasn''t nearly as potent as he''d originally anticipated. The Shaman had managed to summon a barricade of earth in front of her at the last second, which seemed to have caught the brunt of his attack. The other three were effected to varying degrees. Orin, the martial artist was coated in a fine layer of ice, and was moving stiffly, evidently in pain. Lorelia was grimacing while in a similar state, although it looked as if she would recover in the near future. The Pact Mage, Calian had wrapped himself in a pair of massive black feathered wings that had sprouted from his back at some point. As Mike watched, the wings vanished in a shower of feathers, revealing the unharmed Demon Binder. Mike channeled his mana, and began another chant. He figured a wide area spell would keep them tied up while he took them down on a one on one basis. Besides, this was an excellent time to practice a variety of magic he hadn''t much of a chance to use yet. "Primal flame of the earth, whose origins lay in the unknowable past, lend to me the strength of creation. Bring forth the molten tears of the planet and shower them with the fury of Ea. [Volcanic Surge]." The ground under Orin and Lorelia began to bulge and steam as the magically created heat and pressure warped the landscape. "Shit!" The large woman cursed as a geyser of steam scalded one of her legs. Reacting quickly, she grabbed Orin and dived out of the area of effect. In seconds, the earth erupted in an explosion of molten rock. A wash of intense heat filled the area, quickly melting any remaining frost. While globs of the superheated material were raining down on the now panicking Tenundian soldiers, Mike seized control of the lava with his will, and split it into four streams, directing one at each of his enemies. Wren created another wall, this time made of mud, which protected her from the effect. Calian leapt into the air after summoning the black pair of wings again, however, he was forced to dodge and weave as the stream continued to follow. The two non-mages had a bit more trouble. Orin was forced to sprint for cover, which caused the molten stream to wash over an entire squad of soldiers, eliciting horrifying screams as they were effectively melted by the river. He dodged behind one of the wagons, putting him far enough away that it was getting difficult for Mike to maintain his concentration the spell. This left Lorelia on her own with no clear means of defense, something that should have led to her demise. However, it seemed that she had some back up resources. Pulling a crystal from a pocket, she crushed it in one fist, creating a transparent bubble of force that surrounded her. The lava flowed over this sphere, quickly burying both it and the woman. [Well that''s nostalgic. That really takes me back to my demon slaying days. Speaking of which.] Mike released his control over the spell, and launched himself forward at the embattled Pact Mage, who was starting to look a little worse for wear. With a quick chant, he fired a barrage of wind blades at Calian, forcing him to defend with his wings. As the young man started losing altitude, Mike summoned a stone javelin, allowing it to fall into his hand. He channeled mana into his arm, causing it to ignite in a fiery aura, before rearing back and throwing it. With a hiss of displaced air, the weapon cut through the sky, punching directly through both Calian''s defending wings, and the Pact Mage himself. Mike took a moment to watch as his enemy fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, before nodding and turning to face Orin, who had managed to make his way back to the fight. The martial artist had launched himself into the air in a textbook flying jump kick, which was easy enough to dodge. As Mike slid to the side and readied the Fang of the Primal to make his next attack, he was caught by surprise when a strong blow impacted his shoulder. Orin had spun in mid-air, converting his kick into a heel drop. While painful, the blow had left the fighter exposed to a counter, and Mike was quick to take advantage of it. He grabbed Orin''s leg, spun to his right, and hurled the warrior towards a patch of cooling lava. It had lost is angry red hue, but the heat haze coming off of the stone was still very much visible. Orin rolled across the surface, and groaned in pain as his skin came in contact with the scorching rock, before finally scrambling to safety. Red welts and burns had appeared on his arms, legs, and back. [Must have some impressive endurance. I don''t think many humans could get away with a few burns after being thrown onto lava, cooling though it might have been.] Mike thought, slightly impressed while he took a moment to survey the battle field. Wren was still holed up behind her defenses, but judging from her attitude during the fight, he figured she wouldn''t be much of a threat. Lorelia was either dead or trapped inside a force sphere, and Orin was in bad shape. As far as he could tell, there were no other enemies nearby besides a few Tenundian soldiers who were a little too busy trying to survive. The martial artist wasn''t the type to let a little pain slow him down, evidently, and he quickly launched into another series of attacks. Mike noticed that his moves had gotten faster and more fluid. In fact, he was having a hard time even defending, let alone counterattacking. [Was he holding back initially, or is this some kind of enhancement effect he''s been keeping in reserve?] Mike thought to himself, as he channeled mana into his limbs, creating swirling air currents that surrounded his body. With the resulting increase in agility, he found himself more than a match for the warrior. Grimacing, the man jumped back and stared at Mike while taking up an aggressive stance. "It seems we have underestimated you. I had not lent credence to the claim that you were truly on the cusp of Tier 4 power, but it appears that I was wrong." Mike shrugged, "Happens to the best of us." He looked at the panting man. "Do you need a minute?" Orin chuckled, but shook his head. "Nay, I will not ask for succor from an opponent." "Suit yourself. I''ll be starting off strong, then." Mike commented while channeling mana into another stone javelin spell. If things worked well, he could use it as a distraction for his following blow. "Very well, let''s see if you can handle the might of one of my schools greatest techniques." The warrior started concentrating. His body began to shed a silver light, which slowly coated his skin, giving him the appearance of living metal. [That''s pretty cool.] Mike thought as he launched his spell in an exploratory manner. Contrary to his expectations, the man didn''t even try to block it or dodge. It seemed he didn''t need to. The spear exploded on contact with the man''s chest leaving no appreciable damage. "The Steel Body Technique allows for a practitioner''s inner strength to manifest in his flesh. The more focused his will is, the more potent the ability becomes. Now that I have achieved this state, your spells won''t be able to do me any harm." Orin commented with a hint of victory in his voice. "Not bad, but I think you are forgetting one thing." The martial artist cocked his head. "Oh?" "I don''t need to harm you to beat you." With a wave of his hand, the enveloping wall of darkness he''d been slowly building behind the man engulfed him. Raising his arm, Mike lifted the now struggling bundle into the air. The darkness formed into a massive arm nearly 15m in length. Cocking back his own arm, Mike threw his hand forward, directing his spell to do likewise. The martial artist was released at the apex, launching him at fantastic speeds in the direction of the Tenundian camp. It was a little hard to tell, but Mike thought he saw a look of confusion on the man''s face as he flew away. [Maybe he''ll survive that with his endurance. I wouldn''t mind, since he didn''t seem like the bad sort. Now what else should I do while I wait for Red to finish?] Mike considered interrogating the shaman, since she seemed likely to give up information rather easily. A crack resounded through the air as a massive impact struck the inside of the bubble of cooling lava. From the sounds of it, Lorelia was still alive and kicking. [I guess I''m not done just yet.] Chapter 198: Things Take a Turn "That''s another win for me." Sera commented. Her training with the bow had given her excellent aim and fine motor skills. Despite Tal''s naturally high Agility, the Oracle ended up winning most of their competitions. "Congratulations." Tal replied with as much warmth as she could muster. The game had turned out to be a decent distraction. Something to take both of their minds off the current situation, and the rapidly declining morale that started suffusing the HQ. "Send a message to Filia in section three. Tell them they need to hold out until we redirect one of the militia units to reinforce them." Kiera, the 1st Division commander spoke calmly despite what could be seen as an approaching calamity. A group of Tenundian soldiers had managed to gain a foothold on one section of the city wall, and a veritable flood of them were slowly pushing the defenders back. Pretty soon they would be threatening one of the city''s gates, which could spell disaster if it fell. One might be inclined to blame this kind of failure on a lack of solid leadership, however, the truth was more bizarre. A phenomenally luck shot from a cannon on the opposite end of the Tenundian lines had somehow managed to skip along the battlements, killing and wounding nearly an entire company''s worth of defenders. If it wasn''t for a particularly talented student, who practiced the Steel Wall style of shield fighting, the casualties would have been worse. He''d been able to defend the bulk of the soldiers on his section of the wall by deflecting the cannonball at the last second. Although he was now in a critical state due to his injuries, his efforts had spared many other lives. Unfortunately, the resulting opening was quickly exploited by the assaulting force, and three ladders had been placed before the defenders had a chance to prevent them. Now a brutal melee was being fought along the top of the wall, one which could very well decide the fate of the city. [Is it really alright for us to be sitting here like this?] Tal thought to herself. For whatever reason, Kiera was not directly sending her reserves to fill the gap. In fact, she seemed to be doing little besides reinforcing the gate with an extra company of infantry drawn from the local militia. It was almost like she was waiting for something. Despite trusting that the commander knew what she was doing, Tal felt conflicted. Defending the headquarters was important, but a part of her thought she could have done more good if she were in the thick of the fighting, especially with Mike''s gift, the mana filled bracer. It was hard to watch the ongoing battle without taking part in it. Judging from Sera''s forced cheerfulness, she could tell that the Oracle was feeling something similar. "Ma''am! They''re starting! Just like you anticipated. We''re getting reports from all over town of teleported infiltrators." One of the adjutants called from the stairs. The commander reacted with gusto to the words. "Excellent! They''re moving just as planned. Give the command to the 7th, 12th, and 16th. They are to execute the Plan A. Bring the cavalry in and conduct a sweep to the north and then northeast along the wall. I want every gate under direct attack to be the focus, but make sure every exit is covered." She immediately started issuing commands, coming alive in a manner that would have been strange to imagine mere minutes ago. Aides and lieutenants scrambled to issue the sudden flurry of orders while Kiera took a moment to survey the battlefield with a sudden look of concern. "Wait. Give me those reports." She spoke, sounding almost angry. After examining a few documents, she hissed a curse under her breath, before turning to the last few unoccupied aides. "Send a message to Operations. Tell them that I recommend we activate one quarter of the Royal Guard for defense of our VIPs. The Tenundians aren''t targeting our military sites." Sera walked up and stood beside Tal, before speaking in a quiet voice that only the two of them could here. "That''s because they are aiming for us." Tal glanced over at the girl, seeing a look of determination on her face. The elf gave her friend a playful nudge with one elbow. "Make regret." Indeed, she was going to make sure that any enemy coming their way truly regretted their actions. ---------------------------------------------------------- [This is going¡­poorly.] Gareth thought as he watched the ongoing struggle between the Tier 3 mercenaries and the Dragonknight. Their slug fest had destroyed much of this section of the battlefield, and they still hadn''t inflicted a single injury on the masked mage. If things continued as they were, it wouldn''t be long before that dragon finished taking care of the rest of the siege engines. [Ah...I know this was all part of the plan, but I was hoping to finish things here.] He thought while trying to find a good vantage point to watch the current confrontation between the Dragonknight and the muscular woman. [What was her name again? Lori?] She had broken herself out of a pocket of cooling lava, looking no worse for the wear despite sitting in a virtual oven for several minutes. Immediately afterwards, she threw herself at the Dragonknight in a berserk rush, swinging her massive metal club in a way that crushed the ground when it hit, and created visible shockwaves of air. Despite that intense and furious stream of attacks, her opponent had been casually dodging. Could he be possibly waiting for her to tire? [Is he not worried about being swarmed by reinforcements? Could he already know what we are planning?] "I''m not getting paid enough for this." Gareth grumbled to himself, as he moved positions a third time, narrowly avoiding a shockwave created by the large woman''s most recent attack. It seemed like she was doing a good enough job of occupying the enemy. Now if he could just find a good opening¡­ A flash of purple light interrupted his thoughts, and after seeing the signal flare arising from the main encampment, he started making plans for a withdrawal. [Let''s see. Purple meant a partial success, right? I need to fall back to the camp and take part in the defense against any rescue attempts. Hopefully, the remaining mercenaries can finish their mission.] He thought while slinking away. The veteran mage hunter was surprised to find himself feeling relief at the action. The idea that he no longer had to fight that monster made him feel like he''d gotten a stay of execution. ------------------------------------------------------------ Mike dodged yet another overhead swing of the massive club, noticing an increasing raggedness in Lorelia''s breathing. It looks like she was finally starting to run out of steam. "Hold¡­.still¡­.damn¡­..you." She grunted between panting breaths. "I don''t think that is something you are supposed to be asking your enemy to do." Mike replied cheerfully. "And I would much rather not get hit by that hunk of metal." "Grahhh!" The woman roared. He had been waiting for her to tire herself out, a strategy he''d picked up from sparring with Brenden when he was using his rage. While berserkers could do quite a bit of damage, their attacks become simple and straightforward, easy to dodge. He just needed to wait until they wore themselves out before delivering a finishing blow. While Mike certainly could have ended this quickly, he was more inclined to ride out this little confrontation until the end. This was giving him a chance to top off his mana reserves while practicing his evasion skills. He suspected he was following along with the enemy''s plan in some manner, but he couldn''t see what they stood to gain. [I''m surprised they were willing to sacrifice so much war potential just to lure me out. The siege engines alone are a major blow. Perhaps they think they no longer need them?] Mike was having a hard time figuring out what it was the enemy was aiming for. They clearly planned on distracting him in this manner, but it''s not like he was the only powerful fighter on the side of the city, although, Red arguably made him the most maneuverable. Surely, they must know that even drawing him out would not be enough to weaken the Almiran defenses to the point where they could be taken. [Abducting one of my party members would make sense, if they were trying to bait me into a potentially self-destructive action. That''s assuming that they are even aware of my actual identity, which considering their lack of knowledge regarding the current Marshal, seems somewhat unlikely. Could they be planning something else that my presence interferes with?] "Stop ignoring me, you infuriating bastard!" The gorilla woman roared as she launched into another series of attacks. Mike noticed that they had gotten faster and more powerful, almost as if she were drawing strength from her continued anger. [Seems a bit like that comic book character. If her skin was green, it would be a close match.] Mike thought absentmindedly while casually dodging yet another blow. [However, it appears that my plan of waiting for her to get tired is taking too long. Seriously, how much stamina do you have?] Anyone watching the exchange would likely find such a question unfair, since he had yet to even break a sweat. [I guess I''ll wrap this up.] He fired a burst of Light Magic directly into his opponents face, briefly blocking her sight. While Lorelia was still able to continue her attacks, albeit in more disorganized manner, the resulting blindness left her vulnerable. Channeling mana into his arm, he stepped inside the woman''s guard and delivered a powerful thrust with the Fang of the Primal right at the center of her breastplate. The screech of torn metal filled the air as the female warrior was sent flying nearly a dozen meters before slamming back into the ground with a terrific impact. "Hm, looks like I didn''t hit hard enough." Mike muttered as he watched Lorelia try to struggle back to her feet. Her armor was apparently made of some sturdy materials, as it had absorbed the majority of his blow without shattering. However, it was now so dented and torn that the woman could barely move her torso. He should probably go over and finish her off. That would be the most reasonable option when in the thick of combat, but for some reason he hadn''t really been feeling it. Even though they were mercenaries, fighting for money, he really didn''t feel the need to kill them. Glancing over at the still form of the Pact Mage, who had managed to crawl a fair distance before passing out, Mike decided that he''d had enough of this. He started walking in the direction of the city when he caught sight of a purple colored flare rising over the Tenundian encampment. The few surviving members of the troops sent to oppose him started retreating in earnest, no longer even pretending to face him. [Some kind of withdrawal signal?] Mike thought, finding the idea a little strange. Wanting to satisfy his curiosity, he wandered over to the earthen barricade that the shaman was hiding behind. With a powerful kick, he shattered the wall revealing the trembling form of the adventurer, who promptly emitted a high-pitched squeak of surprise. "Ah! I''m not¡­I don''t¡­" Panic was leaking into her features, as she saw her own impending demise reflected in his mask. "That''s enough of that." Mike cut her off. "I just need you to answer a few of my questions." Chapter 199: Target Acquisition "Objective secured! Let''s move!" Carlin yelled to his squad as they raced through the deserted campus of the University. Thankfully, the guard was occupied with defending the city as a whole, so their internal defenses were virtually unmanned. "How are we looking on time?" Terra, his second in command checked a circular magic device which Mage Hunters used to track the passage of time during missions. Its face showed a number of flashing wedges of light, only three of which remained. She frowned at the device, before reporting her findings. "We have six minutes, give or take thirty seconds, until the scheduled link up. Crossing the wall will take two at the minimum, so we will need to move quickly." Carlin grimaced as he checked around the corner of an ornate dormitory building to see if the coast was clear, before waving the last three members of his team forward. Salvan, the burly bear beastman who specialized in grappling techniques, was carrying their target inside a canvas body bag. "Alright, we''re moving through the Magic Department. Keep your eyes peeled and weapons at the ready." He ordered quietly while directing the crew to a grouping of elegant, square buildings aligned in a circle beneath a floating tower. Their progress through the deserted department was slow and steady. Fortunately, they didn''t encounter anyone, and were able to climb to the top of the University wall and repel down without any trouble. They were crossing a major road and heading into the meandering residential district that dominated much of the eastern portion of the Old City, when a squadron of Almiran cavalry rounded the corner and spotted them. Carlin heard one of the leading riders exclaim, "There they are! After them!" as they broke into a gallop. "Move! Across the street!" He was hoping to find some cover to protect them from the charging cavalry, but the large and slightly palatial houses in their vicinity came equipped with extensive lawns and gardens. It looked like they would need to find a building to take shelter in, at least for the time being. Carlin sprinted up the steps of the nearest mansion, and launched himself into a flying kick at the door. With an audible crash, the wooden frame snapped under his heavy blow. Rolling to a stop in the foyer of the mansion, he motioned for the others to follow. "Bartlett! Salvan! Man the door. Make them keep their distance. Kali, sweep the house, make sure we won''t have any unpleasant surprises and locate any points of entry or exit." A veteran of urban warfare, Bartlett quickly used the shattered door to create a makeshift barricade, allowing him to fire his rifle from cover. Salvan dropped his package on the floor before taking up a position next to him. Kali, the team''s recon specialist began quickly clearing the rooms of the mansion, even though it seemed likely that the owners had fled. Terra checked another key Mage Hunter magic device, a rod made of glassy obsidian. This device was created in batches of at least five, and all of the rods were linked by sympathetic magic, so that when the end of the rod was pointed in the direction of one of its fellows, it would shake. The strength of the vibrations indicated how close the other rod was. While it took practice to use effectively, the items gave Tenundian Mage Hunters an edge when it came to operating with coordination in areas of limited visibility. She pointed it in several directions, before slipping it back into the specially made holster. "Closest team is about three blocks away, heading in another direction." Grimacing again Carlin spoke while eyeing the nearby rooms for any promising windows. Unfortunately, it looked like the house had a rather extensive garden, making it difficult to freely escape without exposing themselves to a cavalry charge. They would have to use a more unorthodox method. "Carlin! They''re circling around to the back." Bartlett called from the front door between bursts of rifle fire. "Two back entrances detected. Both locked, but they can be broken into relatively easily." Kali responded from upstairs. [That means we''ve only got a minute or two before their on us.] "What''s the feasibility of line exiting?" He yelled up at the woman. "Feasible, but only two options. One will take us closer to link up point. I will start putting the base line together." She replied calmly. "Good. We''re moving in 30 seconds. Bartlett, you''re on trail. Salvan, secure the objective and move to the base point. Terra, get to the roof and fire a green flare. We''ll need the support if we can get it." Carlin gave a series of quick orders while moving to the manor''s third floor. He heard the sounds of more rifle fire from the front door, as well as some thuds from another part of the house. It seemed that the Almirans were starting their assault. By the time he''d gotten to the third floor, his subordinates had already completed their individual responsibilities. The escape line had already been placed, leading from the window of the manor to the roof of a nearby house that was a little shorter. Kali had already winched the line tight. Terra issued a quick report before moving to take her place as second on the line after the recon specialist. "I have received acknowledgement signals from two teams in the vicinity. They are moving to support. I estimate at least one minute till they arrive." Since they were participating in a high priority capture mission, Carlin''s team had the authority to request assistance from other infiltration teams, even going so far as to supplant their given missions depending on the circumstances. Carlin acknowledged the report with a nod. "Get moving. Once you''re over, get repelling lines set up for the team." He turned and walked back to the balcony overlooking the foyer while prepping a small, but powerful, incendiary magical device. Bartlett was at the front door, in the process of loading another round, but looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps. Seeing the object in Carlin''s hands, his face paled slightly and he immediately started heading up to the third floor, following behind Salvan, who had already been moving. Setting the charge for 30 seconds, Carlin dropped it over the side of the balcony, turning back to the escape line before it had even hit the ground. From the looks of it, the female members of the team had already moved to the other building. Their passage had not gone unnoticed, however, and he could hear the sounds of a cavalry officer yelling at his troops to move onto the next house. Once Salvan had joined them at the window, Carlin helped the beastman to strap the target to his broad back. Properly secured, Salvan pulled out a strip of heavy silk, flipped it over the escape line, and jumped out of the window. He slid down the rope with an audible hiss before landing heavily on the roof next door. Carlin waved Bartlett on next, before following after. While he was still in the middle of his descent, he heard the incendiary charge go off with a subdued ''Whumpf.'' The sound was almost immediately accompanied by the screams of unfortunate Almiran troopers who were caught in the blast. Landing softly, he quickly moved to the side of the roof, and grabbed one of the repelling lines that had been hooked into the tiles. With practiced ease, he threw himself over the side, bouncing against the side of the house twice before landing on the ground. Noting that the rest of the squad was ready to move, he signaled for Kali to take the lead, while falling into the rearguard position himself. He took a moment to scan the street, noting that the other Mage Hunter teams had already started engaging the cavalry with a variety of ranged weapons, successfully drawing their attention. Mentally giving his thanks to the comrades who were putting their lives on the line to buy them time to escape, Carlin turned and followed his team to the link up point. The dark and largely unused alley had one occupant when they arrived, a nervous looking mage. Next to him was the rune scribed cylinder of stone, about a meter tall and a half meter in diameter, which served as the means of transport. Seeing the team arrive, the mage spoke in a high-pitched voice that betrayed a large amount of anxiety. "Hurry! You are already running late. Another minute and I would have left you behind." Carlin grimaced at the man. "We ran into a patrol of cavalry and had to evade them." He knew that the mage would have been severely reprimanded if he had actually abandoned them in the heart of enemy territory. Especially considering the importance of their mission. "Whatever, just get over here so we I can start the activation." The mage replied, slightly subdued. As soon as the team was within range of the teleportation cylinder, he started chanting the lengthy spell which would send them back to camp. Suddenly Kali swore. "Shit! We got incoming. Someone strong from the looks of it." Following her pointing finger, Carlin saw a figure in gold armor sprinting towards them, and felt a thrill of panic settle in. "It''s a Royal Guardsman! Ranged weapons! Hit him with everything you''ve got!" Bartlett''s rifle fired almost immediately after he finished speaking, however the golden-clad warrior batted the bullet away with contemptuous ease, not even slowing his steps. The other team members, with the exception of Salvan, also started shooting. Kali launched an ineffective hail of arrows while Terra began throwing knives as quickly as possible. The Royal Guardsman ignored most of their attacks, since they were unable to even scratch his high quality armor. The few that looked possibly dangerous to him, he simply dodged or blocked with lightning fast sword work. Carlin was starting to feel desperate. They needed to do something to slow the man''s advance. Thankfully, the mage had continued his chant despite the situation, but he still needed more time to complete the spell. Thinking quickly, Carlin grabbed his two remaining smoke bombs and tossed them in the direction of the Royal Guardsman. "Hold your positions!" He yelled over his shoulder before running into the grey tinged smoke while drawing a pair of daggers. He knew trying to fight the gold armored warrior would be a recipe for disaster. The Almiran Royal Guard were legendary for being powerful Tier 3 fighters capable of taking on entire armies almost single-handedly. Even for a veteran Mage Hunter like himself, the best he could hope for was to distract the man for few crucial seconds at the cost of his life. Relying on his training, he crouched low before aiming a reversed-grip dagger thrust at where he thought the guard''s knee joint was. If he could just injure the man''s legs, he thought he might have a chance. However, a sword blocked his attempt with preternatural skill, pushing his arm far to the right, and leaving him open to a counter. Thanks to long years of experience fighting individuals with superhuman abilities, Carlin could anticipate the follow up strike, and desperately killed his forward momentum in an effort to jump back. He felt a sharp stabbing pain in both knees as his joints protested the sudden maneuver, but the evasion succeeded in mitigating most of the blow. A line of fire stitched across his chest, cutting through his alchemically reinforced leather armor like it was made of tissue paper. The force of the attack knocked him off of his feet and sent him sprawling into the dirt outside of the smoke cloud. He barely had time to process the sudden injury, when the Royal Guardsman stepped forward to deliver a downward chop. Time seemed to slow down for Carlin as the blade descended with lethal intent. He couldn''t see any means of blocking or dodging. A feeling of resignation washed over him as he was forced to watch the approaching weapon. He hoped that his team would have enough time to escape with this. A massive form suddenly intercepted the sword, and Carlin heard Salvan''s pained grunt as the blade cut across his torso. With a roar, the bear beastman simply grabbed the Imperial Guardsman, hefted him into the air, and threw him with all the force he could muster. While looking slightly surprised with the turn of events, the gold armored warrior nevertheless flicked his sword across Salvan''s neck, delivering a parting blow that would prove lethal in short order. Without thinking, Carlin grabbed his larger teammate and started dragging him back towards the teleportation circle. "Hurry! He''s almost done." Terra called as she threw another pair of knives in the direction the guardsman had traveled. With a titanic amount of effort, the team leader heaved Salvan''s limp form into expanding magic circle. A hum of building energy told him that he''d made it with seconds to spare. As the tingling sensation that accompanied teleportation began sweeping through his body, he had time to watch as the Imperial Guard, still completely unharmed, burst through the remaining cloud of smoke, sword at the ready. Carlin and his team vanished just as the shining blade was brought down. He took a deep breath as he realized the sudden change of scenery meant that they had succeeded in escaping. Almost immediately, he regretted it. A sharp stab of pain left him gasping, as the move pulled at the cut across his torso. Now that his adrenaline was wearing off, the injury was proving agonizing. "Get a medic in here, now!" Came the steady voice of Jiri, the Marshal''s strategist, who had evidently been awaiting their arrival. As the rush of personnel swept into the room and started tending to Salvan, she stepped over to Carlin and began speaking. "It looks like you had a rough time of it, but you managed to secure your target nonetheless." "Yes ma''am." He was able to reply. "Secure the captive and take her to the interrogation tent. The stunning effects should be wearing off soon." Jiri commanded before switching her gaze back to Carlin. "Well done, Mage Hunter. With this, our victory is one step close¡­." She trailed as the body of one of the Tenundian soldiers was hurled past her at terrific speeds. The man exploded through the tent wall before skidding across the ground and slamming into a supply wagon, collapsing into a boneless heap. Carlin looked back in the direction the soldier had come from, and felt the hair on the back of his neck start to rise. The statuesque, black-haired woman that had been their captive was standing upright with a slightly vacant expression on her face. "I''m not sure where I am, but I guess you are all enemies, yes?" The woman asked while tilting her head. Before anyone had a chance to respond, she reached out and grabbed a wooden tent pole. With an audible crack, it splintered in grip as she pulled it from the ground with ridiculous ease. Chapter 200: Overmatched and Underprepared "This was all a distraction? Really? You guys are investing a lot of resources into diverting my attention." Mike questioned Wren as he ran towards the Tenundian encampment. "Ah! I don''t know why! The higher ups just thought it was a good idea. Watch out!" Wren screamed in panic while wriggling in his grasp. Mike casually jumped over a group of entrenched soldiers with the aid of his Air Magic, and batted an arrow aside while looking down at the small woman he was carrying under one arm. "Oh calm down. This is nothing." "Ugh! This is worse than riding a galloping horse." The shaman complained. "Urk! I think I''m going to throw up." "If you do, try to aim to your side. I really don''t feel like cleaning vomit off of myself." Mike replied with a sigh. He was starting to regret bringing her along. "I''m sorry! I have problem with, urk, motion sickness." The shaman had started turning a rather unusual shade of green. With another sigh, Mike channeled a wave of healing magic through Wren. "Huh? I feel better all of a sudden." "Anyway, what was that purple signal for?" He pressed. "Purple? Hmm¡­" She frowned as deep in thought. "Don''t tell me you forgot¡­" She started flailing again. "I remember! I was just putting my thoughts in order. Purple means that at least one of the capture teams was successful, and that all forces not actively engaged in the assault should fall back to the camp." [Capture teams¡­they couldn''t have, right? Surely they would have at least activated their beacons if they were in trouble.] "When you say capture teams, who were their targets?" Wren frowned again, before a look of realization passed her face, followed swiftly by anxiety. "Um, there were a number of potential targets, but I think some of the highest priority targets were members of your party and your close friends." Mike grimaced, and increased his pace. [Please be safe.] "Ah! I''m sorry! Don''t start running faster! Urk¡­" ------------------- Jiri was forced to acknowledge that she had underestimated the Dragonknight''s companions. By all accounts, they were mostly low ranking adventurers. As such, she had planned on subduing them without much difficulty. However, watching the dark-haired woman toss her soldiers around like they were playthings, she couldn''t help but feel the bitterness of defeat. Judging from her appearance, Jiri guess that the woman was likely the individual known as Liliana, an outcast member of the Dovistani royalty. While there had been some rumors of her being unusual, most of the dialogue focused on her strange obsession with Alchemy. So, when the woman ripped a 10 meter tall tent pole out of the ground and started going on a rampage with it, Jiri found herself at a loss. While she had planned for the possibility of her captive being difficult to control, the majority of her schemes relied on key personnel to be available for it. Unfortunately, Liliana had broken free at the worst possible moment, right in the middle of her transfer to a more secure location. As a result, there was little that could be done to stop the ongoing carnage. Jiri watched with mounting chagrin as the ''kidnapped'' woman found a wagon in her way, and casually kicked it. The vehicle was sent flying nearly ten meters, before slammed into another tent with a massive crash, causing several soldiers to scatter as it collapsed. Jiri sighed. This was not going well. While she doubted the woman was a monster on the same level as the Dragonknight, it was clear that they needed more than just run of the mill soldiers to take her down. She yelled at a group of infantry standing around watching the confrontation, "Go let the Marshal know what''s going on. Tell him we''ll need to redirect the strike team to this location." Wincing, she looked down at her twisted arm. Trying to block the tent pole, even though she''d done it by reflex, had proven to be a mistake. She tried to push the pain out of her mind as she surveyed her surroundings, taking stock of what manpower she had at her disposal. With the exception of the basic soldiers, who were largely proving ineffectual, the only other resource she could depend upon was the team of Mage Hunters that had brought the woman in the first place. Unfortunately, two of them had been severely injured during the mission, while the rest had been caught in Liliana''s initial attack, and were still dazedly getting back to their feet. One of them was a thin bespectacled woman wearing the badge of a corporal. [Terra, I think her name was.] "Corporal, do you have any non-lethal munitions left?" She asked. Terra shook her head with a grimace, "No. We were only issued one Stun Matrix due to shortages." Jiri silently curse the foolish finance ministers that had been redirecting military funds into a number of pet projects for the last few years, even in the face of the prospective invasion. She decided that the time had come to cut her losses. While it would be far better to take the woman alive, and extract any information she had, it was quickly becoming apparent that they were outmatched. If they allowed her to continue her rampage through the heart of the Tenundian encampment, she would cause a serious amount of damage. "We''re switching to lethal armaments!" Jiri commanded. "Take her down by any means necessary." The order served to revitalize the morale of the soldiers, who drew weapons and started attacking Liliana with the intent to kill. Judging from their war cries, they wanted to get revenge for the other soldiers who had been killed or injured during her slow and steady escape. The woman turned and faced the onrushing crowd of armed men with a troubled appearance. Jiri realized with a start, that the Dovistani noble wasn''t concerned about her safety, but merely troubled by the resumed wave of attacks. The tent pole came off of her shoulder and she started shattering the ranks of soldiers with massive sweeps. This continued for a few iterations until the pole finally broke under the strain of repeated impacts, snapping nearly in half. Liliana glanced at her broken weapon before casually letting it drop. She strode forward and grabbed one of the soldiers by an arm, ignoring the man''s attempts to cut her with his sword. With a growing horror, Jiri realized that the blade was merely bouncing off the woman''s skin, doing little more than cutting up her clothes. The monster in female form lifted the soldier into the air, and resumed attack the rest of the Tenundians with her new human weapon. [What is she¡­?] Jiri thought numbly as she realized her plans were falling apart. The crack of a rifle sounded nearby, and Liliana''s head snapped back with the force of an unseen blow. The strategist felt a momentary surge of hope that was just as quickly crushed as the woman straightened, a small, flattened disk of dull, grey metal falling from the newly formed welt in the center of her forehead. "Gods¡­" The Mage Hunter sniper uttered a quiet oath at the sight. While largely ineffectual, the shot did manage to distract the woman long enough for the other members of the team to get into position. Terra launched a few throwing knives that proved just as harmless, before sweeping into close combat and unleashing a flurry of hand-to-hand combat techniques that would have brought a more reasonable opponent to their knees. Liliana on the other hand merely absorbed the blows until she was ready to counter. Which she delivered in the form of a powerful backhand with her free arm, forcing Terra to block. Or at least attempt to. The Mage Hunter was blasted into the air by the attack, crashing into a nearby tent, which promptly collapsed under the impact. Jiri wasn''t sure, but she felt that the corporal was effectively taken out of the fight. Nevertheless, she did succeed in laying the groundwork for her teammate''s follow up attack. Steel threads, which had been slowly filling the air since the start of the fight, suddenly tightened around Liliana, trapping her arms against her side. The third member of the team, likely their recon specialist, used the resulting opportunity to spring forward and sling a chain of four blocky objects around the bound woman. "Take this, you monster!" The Mage Hunter yelled as she pulled the ignition wires from each of the devices, which Jiri now recognized as breaching charges. The strategist didn''t have time to do much more than shield her face with her uninjured arm, before the concussive force hit. Her mind blanked for a second, and the next thing she knew, she was on her back, staring at the sky. A high-pitched ringing filled her ears. Numbly, she sat up and looked around. The soldiers in the vicinity had been flattened by the force of the explosion. Even the Mage Hunter was lying still on the ground where she had been thrown after setting the weapons off. In fact, there was only one person still standing after the blast. [No way¡­] Liliana was still upright, and as far as Jiri could tell, largely unharmed. A line of scorch marks stitched across her torso, and a trail of blood was leaking from her mouth, but otherwise seemed fine. Somehow, she had survived a point blank explosion with enough force to level a castle wall. Sound began rushing back to the strategist, and the screams and groans of the nearby Tenundians caused her to flinch. Nevertheless, she was still able to hear the monster''s soft mutter after a few bloody coughs. "Ow. That kinda hurt." As Liliana began walking towards Jiri, all the strategist could think about was escape. Using her uninjured hand, she scrabbled backwards as fast as she could manage. Blind panic overwhelmed her, and she started gibbering in terror, "NONONONONO! Stay away!" Liliana stopped, and tilted her head, an expression of mild confusion on her face. She opened her mouth as if to ask something, when object moving too fast to be clearly seen slammed into her, sending her careening into a supply wagon, which promptly folded in half under the impact. "You alright, Jiri?" Marshal Kiertesan asked calmly as he stepped in front of her. She could see a slightly exhausted looking Nurenal close behind. "Why? I asked for the strike team¡­" She muttered weakly as a surge of relief stole her remaining strength. "They were already underway. We couldn''t divert them easily. Besides, the success of your strategy hinges on them opening the gates." Nurenal replied, while taking up a position to her right. There was a resounding crack as Liliana freed herself from the supply wagon, shattering it into pieces. Kiertesan frowned. "Can you move?" "I think so." Jiri answered while shakily getting to her feet, and started her retreat in response to the Marshal''s unspoken command. "Be careful, she''s a lot more dangerous than we originally anticipated." "It''s not her that I''m worried about." The old man replied, gaze fixed at something in the sky. "What?" With a rush of air a second figure landed next to Liliana, one swathed in a crimson cloak and wearing a mask of pure darkness. "Shit¡­" Was the only reply she could manage. Chapter 201: Crushing Confrontation Figuring that his best bet was to follow the sounds of screams and explosions, Mike ran through the strangely deserted Tenundian encampment. Every now and then he would find himself face to face with a panicking soldier who was running from, or to something important, but even then they didn''t even try to stop him. [Weren''t they supposed to retreat back here? Where is everyone?] Deciding that solving the mystery could wait until after he''d confirmed the safety of his party members, he rushed headlong into the camp despite the obvious threat of a trap. Just in case, he pulled Audra out of his pocket and shoved her into his extradimensional sack. She squawked in protest, but he had a feeling that things were about to get dangerous. It didn''t take him long to find the source of the commotion, and he touched down next to the offending party with something along the lines of resignation. "Lily, why are you almost naked again?" He asked, taking a moment to drop the unconscious shaman nearby. She had finally passed out after he''d started moving with greater haste. The woman tilted her head in slight confusion while staring at him, before a look of realization passed across her features. "Ah! You''re pretty eyes. Why are you wearing a mask?" [Couldn''t you think of a better nickname?] Mike sighed while averting his gaze. She had evidently been in a serious fight, since all that was left of her clothes were a few tattered rags. "I''m trying to hide my identity. Anyway, hold still for a moment." He placed an arm on her shoulder and applied a wave of Healing Magic to treat her injuries. She had suffered a few burns and some internal damage, but otherwise appeared to be rather hale. This was slightly confusing to him, since she had nearly died in the earthquake after a simple explosion. Looking around the battlefield and the scars that had been left behind by whatever devastating conflict she had been involved in, Mike came to the conclusion that something was amiss. "Uh, Lily? How are you still in one piece after all this?" She looked confused again for a second, before nodding. "I used Giant''s Skin." Mike waited, but that was apparently all she was willing to offer. [Some kind of active skill that enhances defense, I''m guessing.] Deciding that he could look into it later, he used a quick application of Darkness Magic to create a form-fitting layer of cloth-like material in an effort to cover Lily''s body. He was hoping to avoid having to deal with the distraction her continued nudity provided, but found that his solution only made things worse. [Sigh...I guess I''ll just use this as an opportunity to improve my willpower.] He glanced over at the Marshal and the elven mage, who were holding their positions for the time being. Judging from their tense expressions, they were waiting on him to make the first move. Mike felt inclined to do so. In all honesty, he could simply call Red over, and pull back to the city. The dragon had finished destroying the Tenundian siege equipment, and was now in the middle of harrying the assault force with blasts of fire, but he could be easily redirected. However, Mike was feeling a little angry. While the Tenundians hadn''t actually succeeded in capturing one of his party members, they had nevertheless tried. That alone was unforgivable in his book. "Well, Lily, why don''t we have ourselves some revenge?" He asked while starting to channel mana into his hands, a few offensive spells on his mind. The dark haired woman looked at him, "Why?" He resisted the urge to facepalm. "Because they tried to kidnap you? Aren''t you angry?" She shrugged. "Not really. I want to head back home and test out my new creation. I need to make sure it does what it''s supposed to." Mike was at a loss for a second. Finally, he sighed. Her air headedness made him feel silly for being serious about this. "Ah, whatever. Let''s just head back." He replied resignedly while reaching out to Red mentally. "Like we''d let you. Stop them!" Kiertesan yelled to his elven companion. Nurenal nodded and unleashed a spell he had been quietly chanting. A pinprick of light appeared next to Mike, and he only had a fraction of second to respond before it expanded into a coruscating sphere of eldritch energy. Luckily, that still gave him enough time to grab Lily, and wrap the pair of them in a mana shield. As soon as the energy came in contact with the shield, it emitted a high-pitched whine and quickly began eating through it. Only thanks to his superhuman reflexes, was Mike able to jump away from the spell. The two of them landed about 5m away, and watched as the sphere of crackling energy expanded rapidly for a second before disappearing entirely. Mike sagged slightly, as the drain on his mana reserves took hold. Whatever that spell was, it ate through his defenses at a staggering rate. "I''m trusting you to take on the old guy, Lily! Give him hell." Mike yelled while channeling a stream of fire magic into her. By the time the fiery aura took hold, he was already moving, strafing to the right while chanting his most familiar spell. As the fireball took shape, he hurled at Nurenal, hoping to interrupt whatever follow-up attack he was attempting. However, it quickly became apparent that he had underestimated the elf. With one hand, and a few short words, he raised a shield of arcane energy, blocking the fireball in its entirety. As the resulting dust cloud was settling, Mike was attacked by a strange sensation. He suddenly felt like he was trying to run through molasses, the air around him thickening into a gelatin-like consistency. Movement was still possible, but difficult. He tried to raise an arm to block the next attack, but it was like watching a video in slow motion. "You seem to be the type to rely on evasion for defense." Nurenal commented drily while stepping out of the dust cloud, eight circles of barely contained arcane energy floating in the air around him. "As such, sealing your movements is the tactically proscribed method of dealing with you." He wave an arm forward, and beams of blue-white light fired from the circles, spearing towards Mike with lethal intent. [Well this is a bit troubling.] He had the time to think before the battlemage''s assault struck home. -------------------------- Kiertesan jumped back to avoid the woman''s heel drop, but was nearly blown away by the resulting shockwave. The ground he had been occupying exploded under the force of the impact, sending a rain of debris in every direction. [Well, this is a pain.] He thought to himself as he watched the statuesque woman pull her leg out of the ground, which had been embedded up to the knee, the flames coating her body incinerating the few patches of grass which had survived the conflict up to this point. She was overwhelmingly strong, even without the Dragonknight''s enhancement magic. With it, her every blow had enough lethal force to crush even the most durable fighters. In terms of strength alone, she was well into the realm of a mid-Tier 4 warrior. His only saving grace was her almost complete lack of fighting skills. Her attacks would shatter every bone in his body if they hit, but her swings were awkward, straightforward, and full of unnecessary movements. Assuming he didn''t lose his focus, there shouldn''t be any problem avoiding the knockout punch, so to speak. Kiertesan had never been the most talented fighter, but decades on the battlefield had given him the opportunity to advance to the mid-Tier 3. This wasn''t the first time he''d faced a more powerful opponent in combat, and he had overcome every one of them in the past, albeit with the assistance of his comrades. [That said, I watched Nurenal hit her with a full powered Arcane Bullet, and it didn''t even leave a scratch. Evidently this monster''s strength is matched by her durability.] After considering his options, the Marshal decided that the only real course of action open to him was to play it safe until Nurenal could assist. He would need the mage''s help to bring her down. Hopefully he would be able to incapacitate the Dragonknight long enough to allow the pair of them to focus on the woman. While he was thinking, she stopped and gave him a look of mild confusion. "Hm. It''s hard to hit you." "Well, I certainly don''t want to get hit by one of your attacks." He replied sarcastically while using the free time to reload his pistol. The single-shot weapon had proven useless in the face of the woman''s ridiculous defense, but he figured it was better than nothing. [Hopefully the reinforcements get here soon. I''m getting far too old for this.] "I guess I have to try harder. Pretty Eyes asked me to." She said distractedly while taking up a combat stance, something she hadn''t done before. Alarm bells started going off in Kiertesan''s head, as she stepped forward in a sudden blur, cratering the ground in the process. Moving entirely by instinct, he dived to his right as a devastating punch cut through the air he had been occupying a second ago. A blast of air accompanied the strike, which carried enough force to collapse a tent nearly 10m away. "Hm, missed again. Have to try harder." She murmured while turning to face him, once again taking up the stance he recognized as belonging to a boxing style of hand-to-hand combat. [That was just¡­a jab? Seriously?] --------------------------- Mike coughed a few time as he felt the holes in his torso starting to close. The beams had seared through his body with ease. If it wasn''t for his regenerative abilities, that attack would have definitely been lethal. He was glad he''d shoved Audra into the extradimensional sack while traveling over to the encampment, despite her protestations. [Ow. That one hurt, but it looks like it was worth it.] A spike of darkness had punched through Nurenal''s chest from behind, emerging from his shadow while the mage was distracted with thoughts of victory. As Mike loosened his will, it dissolved, leaving a gaping hole slightly to the left of his right shoulder. It seemed he''d managed to lean away from a truly lethal blow at the last second. Nurenal fell to one knee with an agonized gasp. After glancing down at his wound, the mage pulled a vial of red liquid from a belt pouch, before downing it. [Some kind of healing potion? Do they really have that sort of thing? Anyway, that does remind me¡­] As the air surrounding him returned to normal, he took a moment to pull a scroll from his bag while starting another chant. He was still maintaining Lily''s enhancement spell, and was therefore limited to casting only a single spell at a time. He was grateful that Red''s summoning spell had finally reached the point that the System no longer classified it as a separate casting. Not wanting to give the elf a chance to recover, he activated the scroll and directed the resulting fireball at his still kneeling form. At the same time, he finished his chant. "[Summon Monster]!" He announced as three magic circles appeared on the ground in front of him. At the moment he was merely looking for something to occupy his enemy while he lined up a more devastating blow. As such, he mentally envisioned creatures who could move quickly, while still providing enough of a threat to keep Nurenal''s attention. With the fireball''s explosion as a backdrop, three blue-grey birds, the size of large dogs, popped into existence. They had long and graceful plumage which gave them an elegant appearance, however their curving beaks and wickedly sharp talons betrayed their predatory nature. A quick Appraise told him a little more. ------------------------------------ Summoned Gale Hawk Race: Gale Hawk Age: N/A Class: Gale Hawk Title: None --------------------------------- [I think these were supposed to be a type of air elemental. Anyway, let''s see what they are capable of.] With a quick mental message, he had them start flying, waiting for his signal to attack. Mike turned his attention back to Nurenal, who had survived the fireball without difficulty, a transparent shield of arcane energy slowly becoming visible as the dust settled once more. "Looks like I was a bit careless." The elf muttered calmly. "I will strive to avoid that from this point on." Chapter 202: Coming to a Head "[Wind Blades]." Tal announced in her trademark emotionless voice as she launched her spell down the stairs, catching two of the intruders and cutting them to pieces in the process. A few bolts from their small crossbows fired up in response, and the elf was forced to evade. With the top of the stairs clear again, Sera took the opportunity to lean over and release her own arrow at the climbing Tennundians. While she still had to back up quickly to avoid the return fire, she had time to watch her attack strike home. "Got one!" She exclaimed. "Yes, yes. Very good, but don''t get cocky. They aren''t even seriously trying to take this command tower, otherwise we''d have been overrun already." Kiera commented from the window, where she was still watching the course of the battle, a semi-permanent scowl fixed on her face. Things were not looking good. Not too long after they received reports of teleported infiltrators, a massive force of Tenundians appeared in the eastern part of the city, right next to the wall. While Sera didn''t know much about teleportation or how difficult it must be, the movement of hundreds of soldiers, even over short distances, was quite a feat. If they hadn''t been under attack for that very reason, Sera might have felt impressed. As it was, it didn''t take long for the enemy to lay siege to the minimally guarded observation tower. Thankfully, the majority were occupied in their attempts at seizing the gate, while the most powerful enemies were squaring off against members of the Royal Guard in flashy battles with high amounts of collateral damage. Nevertheless, the lower floors quickly fell to the enemy as much of the command hierarchy retreated to the topmost portions of the tower. With the assistance of the mages on standby, the Almirans were able to mount an effective defense, turning the open staircase into a death trap for the invaders. As a result, both sides were currently at a standstill, with the Tenundians occasionally launching tentative forays using a variety of tactics, while the defenders did their best to resist. This had gone for about ten minutes. Sera fired another arrow, this time only grazing her target. She was about to take another shot, when Tal pulled her back suddenly. A barrage of icicles shot through the area she had been occupying, before continuing on and shatter against the stone roof. Suppressing a shudder, she turned and thanked the elf. "Thanks¡­that was a close one." "Enemy mage. Tier 2. Stand back." Tal replied while pressing a hand against the floor. The bracer that Mike had given her flashed momentarily, and a slight vibration passed through the floor. After a moment of consideration, the elf started chanting a spell. Sera didn''t quite catch what she said, but once she finished there was another, stronger vibration and a chorus of horrible screams passed up the stairs. "Hm. Missed." Tal said while standing, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Mage escaped." "Well, I''m sure you''ll get him next time." Sera answered, slightly nervous. [Since when has she been able to do something like that? Why am I surrounded by absolute monsters?] "Bigger problem. More on way." Harnik, who had his hands full maintaining the built-in protections that were the keeping the tower from simply being destroyed, gave a tired sigh. "If any of them are Tier 3s, then we are in trouble. I don''t think we can hold too much longer as it is. Any chance of us getting reinforcements, Kiera?" He was standing in front of a square pedestal, somehow interacting with the tower''s system by placing his hand upon it. The 1st University Division commander shot him an unreadable look. "More than likely, we won''t see any until the force assaulting the gates are beaten back. All available reserve forces have been redirected to support the 2nd Division." She was silent for a moment. "According to reports, they suffered a similar attack which resulted in the defeat or capture of the entire 2nd Division headquarters." There was a moment of stunned silence as the audience absorbed the steam of bad news. One of the younger mages noisily collapsed against the wall, before gripping her face in futile effort to halt a stream of tears which quickly started to spill from her eyes. One of the other novice mages quickly knelt down to console her as best as he could. "Her friend was stationed there." Harnik explained quietly before turning towards Kiera again. "If that''s the case, why hasn''t the gate fallen already?" The commander frowned. "I''m not sure exactly. The last report only stated that a group of armed citizens, following someone claiming to be the Prince of Thieves, had arrived just in time to resist the Tenundian assault. Since our enemies haven''t started swarming through our streets just yet, it seems like they''ve been able to hold out." [¡­I guess Brenden got involved after all.] Sera thought to herself with a pinch of unease. For some reason, she found herself very worried about the beastman. He had managed to place himself in the most dangerous part of the battlefield, and didn''t have access to any of the tools necessary to call Mike to his side in the worst case. She touched the strange necklace he''d given her before running off into battle, and considered using it. Something about the situation felt wrong, and she would be a lot more comfortable if he was around to deal with it. Just when she''d decided to make use of the item, the tower shuddered noticeably. Harnik groaned, as if under a sudden strain. "They''re trying to bring down the tower''s defense system! The fools! The tower will collapse if they do." Another shudder, this time stronger, gave urgency to his words. Twisting lines of blueish white arcane energy suddenly appeared on the walls. As they watched, the lines flickered, becoming noticeably fainter in the process. Kiera responded first. "How do we stop it?" "The defense system was designed to be controlled from this room, but there are nodes on each floor that can be accessed. We have no way of knowing exactly where they are¡­" Harnik groaned again as another vibration shook the tower. "Mana support! Quickly!" He commanded the other student mages before resuming his explanation with a strained voice. "You''ll need to check every floor." The commander glowered at the window one last time, before turning to the other occupants in the room. "Well, you heard the man. We''ll be retaking this tower, one floor at a time. I know most of you aren''t skilled in combat, but we don''t have much of a choice." Sera activated the necklace, believing that now would be an excellent time to call on their resident walking disaster. However, it flashed briefly before disintegrating. "Um, Tal? Is it supposed to do that?" The elf looked at her, then down at her own necklace, and finally at the walls. "Tower defenses. Interference, maybe." It took a second for the Oracle to understand the meaning behind the elf''s words. She was suggesting that the field of arcane energy built into the towers walls were somehow preventing the necklace from activating as it was supposed to. While this might be due to the current state of high activity, it also meant that they couldn''t carelessly make use of Tal''s item until they were sure it would work. "Alright, I''ll take the lead. I want those of you with the most combat experience to be right behind me. Harnik, try to buy us as much time as you can." Kiera commented as she strode to the head of the stairs, drawing a simple, battered sword in the process. Once in place, she swept the assembled mix of students, instructors, and volunteers with a steely gaze. "Well, let''s get on with it." She commented dryly, before bursting into action and leaping down the stairs. For a full second silence reigned in the room, until one of the messengers, carrying nothing more than a dagger, gave a battle cry and charged after her. Soon the rest of them followed suit. Sera and Tal were swept up in the tide. Gripping her bow tightly as she ran down the stairs, Sera felt her anxiety disappear. Whatever happened, it was now largely outside of their hands. That said, she couldn''t help but feel a small amount of anger towards Mike, since he''d indirectly gotten them into this mess, unfair though it was to blame him for it. [If I die in the next few minutes, I''m definitely coming back to haunt him.] ----------- Just as he was about to launch his spell, Mike was momentarily distracted by a high pitched sound from somewhere behind him. It was so short in duration, he thought he must have imagined it. Nevertheless, it left him with a strange feeling of unease that he couldn''t banish easily. The distraction nearly proved fatal, as the brief hesitation gave Nurenal a chance to evade and counter with his own spell resulting in the pair of them being hit with simultaneous explosions of magical energy. Mike was able to protect himself from the worst of it with another mana shield, and endure the rest. [No time to worry about it now. I''ve got to deal with the guy in front of me.] Deciding that he should prioritize eliminating the current threat, Mike summoned a humming blade of fire, and pushed himself into the cloud of smoke surrounding his enemy, swinging horizontally at the last place he''d seen the elf. Somehow sensing his attack, Nurenal blocked the blow with a curved sword of his own, coated in brilliant arcane energy. The resulting clash pushed the smoke away, revealing an unfazed battlemage ready to fight. He glanced down at the angry line of white-hot fire that was attempting to eat through his sword with something resembling fascination. "An inelegant application, but one with some interesting possibilities." Mike resisted the urge to respond angrily, and instead pushed back on his opponent''s sword, forcing the elf to take a step back. His follow-up attack was interrupted by the need to dodge to the left as Nurenal punched out with a fist clad in arcane energy. Mike wasn''t sure what that attack might do, but the way the it seemed to sizzle as it slid past his head, made him not want to find out. He took his distance and fell into the Roaring Flame Stance. He felt compelled to bring this fight to a close swiftly. Channeling mana into his limbs, he bathed himself in a fiery aura and launched himself at the battlemage. Chapter 203: The Prince Arrives Hubert Lothrain, heir to the House of Lothrain and Count in all but name, collapsed against the wall of the muddy and blood-spattered gatehouse, no longer able to stand. He numbly took stock of his injuries, paying special attention to the cut across his right thigh, which seemed to be oozing blood at an alarming rate. This was probably what was causing his sudden loss of balance, although he couldn''t remember when he''d received the injury. Fighting had been going on around the gate for close to ten minutes, and he''d already lost count of the number of times the desperate Almiran defenders had barely managed to throw back the Tenundian attackers, buying a little bit of breathing room before the next assault. Thankfully, a few members of the Royal Guard, which had appeared almost simultaneously with the invaders, had kept the strongest members of the strike force busy. If not for them, Hubert''s force would have been crushed a long time ago. As it was, they''ve barely hung onto the gate itself thanks to a makeshift barricade composed of a few overturned wagons, bits of rubble, and some tables scavenged from the guardhouse nearby. The men and women under his command had fought valiantly, but the defense had taken its toll. Of the roughly 200 hundred strong company he''d started with, scarcely 50 remained standing, and not a single one of them was uninjured. Victor kneeled down beside Hubert, and started wrapping his leg with a bandage. His dark hair was matted with blood on one side where he''d received a glancing blow from an Tenundian sword. "I''m afraid we''ve run out of recovery items, my lord. I-I''ll check around again, but I think it''s a long shot." He spoke in a quivering voice, clearly on the verge of despair. The young lord simply nodded, knowing that nothing he could say would serve to improve his follower''s mood. It was unfortunate that they had been separated from Leroy in the confusion following the fall of the 2nd Division headquarters, since the brash young warrior would have been in his element during the conflict. Hubert had to make do with what he had available. [I sincerely regret whatever temporary insanity led me to accept a commission with the University Army. If I had known it would lead to this, I would have joined the rest of the high nobles as they fled the city.] "They''re coming again!" One of the other Martial Arts Students yelled as he took up a position at the barricade. Judging from the sounds of booted feet running on pavement, the Tenundians were pushing forward in earnest this time. Hubert summoned his last remaining dregs of strength and leveraged himself up, hand fumbling with the hilt of his ornate sword. After waiting for a wave of vertigo to pass, he started stumbling towards his place at the center, grateful for the shoulder Victor offered when it seemed like he wouldn''t be able to make it on his own. He looked over at his longtime follower, "Well, it looks like this is it." There was a moment of silence before Victor finally replied in a quiet voice, "That is does, my lord." "I suppose the least we can do is face it with courage." The other man didn''t reply, instead focusing on the incoming horde of Tenundians, which must have numbered a few hundred at the least. It seemed that someone leading the strike force had decided to take the gate once and for all. A few remaining archers launched a meager volley, doing little to halt the enemy''s charge. As the thundering grew closer, Hubert took a deep breath and prepared himself for death. However, he was caught by surprise by what happened next. A beastman dropped from the roof of a nearby building, landing in front of the barricade with an audible thud. Straightening, he rested a large, two-handed sword made of a dull, grey metal across his shoulders. He was dressed in simple peasant clothes, and if it were not for weapon he was carrying, he could easily have been mistaken for a simple craftsman or merchant. Yet, despite all that, the man''s aura was intimidating. Hubert wasn''t sure what it must be like for the Tenundians, but simply staring at his back was already giving the noble heir chills. "Oi!" The beastman called without glancing back. "I''m going to take care of this, so you just stay back there and out of my way. Got it?" Before anyone had a chance to give a reply, he started walking forward calmly. After a few steps, he broke into a run, charging the Tenundian line all by himself. It looked suicidal, at least until the man started to attack. Moving almost too fast to see, the beastman swung his sword in a horizontal arc, bisecting the first three enemy soldiers he came across. In less than a heartbeat, he was inside the enemy formation, laying about with his massive sword to the accompaniment of screams and sprays of blood. "High Tier Warrior!" Someone yelled from the milling soldiers, whose charge had faltered in the face of the sudden assault. They seemed to be well trained, since they responded to the call almost immediately. "Fall back and regroup!" A Tenundian officer managed to shout before falling victim to the terrifying warrior. Almost as if that had been a signal he was waiting for, the beastman raised a hand to the sky, "Now!" Suddenly, the rooftops on both sides of the street were lined with figures dressed in dark leathers, and used variety of ranged weapons to begin raining death onto the retreating soldiers. At the same time, another group of them blocked off the other end of the road. What followed was a mix of pitched battle and absolute slaughter, as the Tenundian detachment proved unable to break through their encirclement. Attempts to move into the nearby buildings, or escape down the side streets resulted in horrifying deaths, as more of the shadowy fighters unleashed shots from blunderbusses at close range, forcing the Tenundians into a constricted group. With nowhere to go, and little hope of escape, they had no choice but to wait for their demise. To their credit, the majority of the Tenundian soldiers met their deaths honorably, and only a few pleaded for mercy, not that any was forthcoming from their opponents. Hubert now recognized his saviors as a collection of underworld figures, thieves and murders the lot of them. That they had saved the remains of his company from certain death was galling to say the least. [Hopefully, they won''t demand too much in compensation for their efforts.] Once the fighting had more or less finished, and only the groans of the wounded rang out across the battlefield, the beastman turned and walked back to the barricade. By this point he was covered in blood and looked like something out of a nightmare. He gave the defenders a feral grin, before opening his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted immediately. "Be grateful! For the Prince of Thieves himself has deigned to spare your miserable lives. Tremble in awe at martial prowess, and pray to whatever gods you worship that he does not change his mind!" Announced the young rabbit beastman, after appearing without warning in front of the blood soaked warrior. She was standing with one hand placed firmly on her hip while the other was pointing, almost accusingly, at the barricade. Her words caused a stir among the surviving defenders, and even though she''d essentially threatened them, Hubert could tell that his comrades were mostly relieved, and actually a bit excited. The man in question looked annoyed, and fixed the speaker with a glare, "Oi. What did I say about talking for me?" "Hahaha!" The rabbit beastman laughed, a little nervously. "I''m just making sure they understand your greatness. It''s essential part of my job." "That''s my point! It''s not your job! You don''t have a job! So stop doing it!" The warrior yelled, obviously furious. While he was still intimidating, the aura around him seemed less intense and more approachable, now. Hubert stepped forward past the barricade and gave humble bow. "You have my gratitude, Prince of Thieves. If not for your timely intervention, our little band of survivors would have been overrun. I Hubert Lothrain, heir to the House of Lothrain swear that I will return this favor someday." The beastman scratched his nose, looking a little embarrassed. "Ah, well. I was just helping out with the war effort and all that." [Why does he look so familiar?] Hubert thought before a rush of memory came back to him, and an image formed in his mind. The beastman was standing next to a group of others, comrades of his. A group which contained the dangerous agent of Count Graveston, and a certain commoner girl who had been targeted by his overzealous subordinates. People who he''d almost made into his enemies. [Ah¡­..well, this is awkward.] -------------------------------------------------------------- Jiri sagged to the ground with a grimace, before digging through her belt pouch for a potion. It wouldn''t do much for her arm, only the higher grade ones could fix broken bones, but it would reduce the pain enough so that she wouldn''t pass out anytime soon. She downed the pale red liquid and let out a groan as a wave of warmth spread through her body before concentrating on her arm. It faded quickly, but took the edge off of her pain, which had become a dull, aching throb that morphed into stabbing pains whenever she attempted to move the limb. The army healers would be able to treat it, but in the meantime she would just have to make do. As she redirected her gaze to the current fight, she once again found herself mesmerized by Nurenal''s elegance. He slipped nimbly from offense to defense, redirecting or dodging the Dragonkinght''s attacks with the most minimal effort. The elf had always been a genius with the spell and sword, and it was only a matter of time before he ascended to Tier 4. So, it was with some degree of shock, that Jiri realized Nurenal was losing. His opponent was clearly inexperienced, but he made up for it with an amazingly versatile set of skills, an unusual and hard to predict fighting style, and a degree of raw power that was difficult to ignore. Nurenal had so far been able to avoid suffering any serious injuries, but he''d also been forced to fight defensively, biding his time for the mistake necessary to turn the situation around. It was a little strange to see. Usually, the elf would simply overwhelm an opponent with superior technique, smashing them with an increasingly difficult to defend against series of magical and martial attacks until enough of them got through to end the fight. Now, however, he was acting cautiously. "He''s low on mana¡­" Jiri reasoned. The teleportation of the strike force, even though it had been largely accomplished through the use of magic items, had still needed Nurenal''s input to direct it safely. Clearly, she had underestimated the amount of energy necessary to facilitate that action, and now they were suffering because of it. [If this goes on¡­] She thought for a moment before coming to a decision. The Tenundian war effort couldn''t afford to lose Nurenal, the Marshal, or herself, as much as it pained her to admit. As such, she needed an option that provide them the best chance of survival, even if it meant a temporary defeat. Summoning her will, she rose to her feet and started walking towards the entangled combatants. She needed to get close enough for her voice to be heard. Chapter 204: Onwards and Upwards Mike dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding a sweeping blade of force, while summoning his mana and spreading it into the ground under the elf. The dirt quickly changed into a muddy quagmire 5m in diameter, catching Nurenal off guard. Seizing the opportunity, Mike launched three quick Stone Javelin spells, before concentrating on the mud once more. Nearby, two of the Gale Hawks traded blows with something that resembled a human composed of pure arcane energy. According to Appraise, it was an Arcane Construct, which was apparently some kind of quasi-elemental that Nurenal was able to call into existence. It fought by launching bolts of energy at its targets, but was thankfully limited to fighting on the ground. The third Gale Hawk was circling overhead, occasionally launching wind blades at the elf, forcing him to defend and wearing on his reserves. The battlemage managed to dodge the first of Mike''s javelins, and deflected the other two with his sword, although in doing so, he sunk deeper into the ground. Flexing his will, Mike caused the mud to surge into the air in an attempt to envelop the elf in the suffocating muck. He suspected that his enemy would have some counter measure, so he was already moving as the wave of mud began to fall. With a quick string of blurred syllables, Nurenal finished a chant and punched upward with one hand, creating an expanding sphere of arcane energy which pushed the mud away. Sinking low to the ground, Mike ducked underneath the spell effect while stabbing forward with his flame sword, in a manner that should have been almost impossible to foresee. Incredibly, Nurenal managed to get his own sword up in time to push Mike''s attack away from his vitals, but couldn''t fully escape the thrust. He gasped in pain as the solid bar of fire punched through his side accompanied by a sizzling sound, and the smell of burnt meat. He attempted to counter with his own weapon, but Mike simply ripped his blade out horizontally, while slipping past the battlemage. While not instantly fatal, the injury was nearly crippling, and only the elf''s iron will allowed him to remain conscious. As Mike moved in for the killing blow, Nurenal used one gauntleted fist to smash a gold colored gem embedded into his armor. There was a blinding flash of light, and Mike found himself flying through the air, before crashing back into the ground and rolling for a good distance. It took him a few seconds to regain his wits, but when he did so, he realized that he''d been thrown at least 20m. His arms and face were currently covered in burns that were still in the middle of healing. From the looks of it, all three of his Gale Hawks and the Arcane Construct had been destroyed in the blast. Rolling back onto his feet, he caught sight of the elf downing yet another potion, side already in the process of healing. [How annoying¡­.Is this what fighting me feels like?] He took a deep breath and got ready to launch into another round of attacks, when a female voice interrupted. "Dragonknight! Do you really have the time to waste fighting over here?" Jiri, the Tenundian strategist called while walking over to stand near Nurenal. "Even as we speak, our strike force is seizing the gates of Almirn." Mike glanced back towards the city. He couldn''t tell from this distance, but it did seem like there was some smoke rising from within the walls. Could the gate have already fallen? "Jiri, what are you doing?" Nurenal wheezed quietly, pain evident in his voice. His injury was healing, but it was taking longer than before, likely due to cauterization caused by Mike''s blade. She looked at him briefly before continuing. "You may eventually defeat our Mage Corps Commander here, but how much time will you lose in the process. Are you really willing to sacrifice everything you are fighting for, just to kill us? Is your anger so great that you cannot see what you should be doing?" Mike could tell that she was trying to get him to head back to the city, and his first instinct was to do the opposite. While there was the possibility she was trying to trick him, he nevertheless found himself conflicted. Taking stock of his current mana reserves, he determined that he was down to a little less than a third of his maximum. [I feel like letting them live will create problems in the future, but I can''t dismiss her claims out of hand. If she''s telling the truth, then they''ll need me back in the city.] The noise he''d heard earlier, right before he started fighting Nurenal, was also weighing on him. It resembled the tone created by the signaling magic items he''d given to Sera and Tal, only it cut off almost immediately after it started. While it could have been something he''d imagined or a malfunction of one of the items, it worried him nonetheless. With a sigh, he took up a more relaxed posture, mentally messaging the dragon who had been skirmishing with a group of Tenundian archers nearby. "Lily!" He yelled, "It''s time to go!" While he was waiting for his allies to arrive, he looked back at Jiri. "We''ll call this one a draw. However, I want you to know, that if you ever attempt to kidnap one of mine again, I will personally hunt you down and teach you a new definition of the word pain." He spoke quietly with a mana-infused voice, his words carrying much farther than they should have. The strategist started trembling, and even Nurenal seemed taken aback, although Mike didn''t bother watching their responses. Lily arrived first, cratering the ground after apparently jumping from somewhere else in the camp. Red wasn''t too far behind, landing gently while shaking to dislodge several arrows which had embedded themselves into his skin, but not deeply enough to actually cause any damage. "All finished?" Lily asked absently, while untangling the remnants of tent that had gotten wrapped around her at some point during the fight. She shot a curious look at the dragon that was patiently waiting for them. After a moment of inspection she turned back to him questioningly, completely unconcerned about the creature of legend. Mike climbed up onto Red''s shoulders and offered her a hand. "Yeah, let''s go. We are needed elsewhere." ---------- Brenden caught the haft of the halberd with one hand, stopping the Tenundian officer''s attack cold. Despite the man''s best efforts, he couldn''t free his weapon from the beastman''s grasp. "W-What? What kind of monster are you?" He stuttered, eyes filling with fear. Sighing, Brenden planted one foot in the officer''s midsection, kicking him away and sending him crashing into the wall of a nearby house. He might have found the man''s attitude flattering, if he hadn''t be subjected to it repeatedly over the last few days. The training techniques he''d learned from his master had given him an incredible level of power, but it was starting to get tiresome dealing with other people''s reactions. [I wonder if this is what Mike feels like most of the time.] Dismissing the thought, he concentrated on the battle in front of him. The Tenundians had been largely unable to push past the defenses his followers had set up, and repeated attempts to take the new barricades by storm had mainly resulted in a thick layer of bodies clogging up the road. Despite all that, it was getting increasingly difficult to throw them back. The original strike force seemingly had multiple intended targets, judging from the way they split up into four groups to pursue different objectives. After the fall of the 2nd Division headquarters, two of them joined together to attack the gate, and only Brenden''s direct intervention prevented them from seizing the structure. Now it seemed like the section of the strike force attacking them was getting reinforcements from the remaining two groups, and not just in the form of more soldiers. Powerful experts began cropping up amongst the enemy, leading to extensive casualties among Brenden''s followers. While some of the gang members were strong enough to hold their own, overall they were slowly getting pushed back and overwhelmed. [We should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive, at least.] Almost as if to spite him, one section of the defenses vanished in an explosion of heat and light. The sounds of the battle momentarily lulled to near silence, as all participants took stock of the sudden change. It didn''t take long for the panic to spread. "Fire Mage!" Someone yelled, and chaos ensued as the defenders scrambled for cover from the lethal projectiles they imagined raining down on them. For a second, Brenden was torn. Part of him thought it would be wise to rally his troops and throw back the current offensive. Already, the Tenundians were taking advantage of the defender''s confusion as they pushed forward vigorously. However, he realized that he needed to neutralize the mage if they wanted any hope of surviving the next few minutes. "Hubert!" He called to the noble who had been largely directing the battle. "Take over. I''m going after that bastard mage." Without waiting for a reply from the man, he leapt over the barricade and began cutting his way through the enemy formation, heading towards the most likely place for the mage to be. Another explosion ignited behind him, spurring him to move faster. [They would need a decent vantage point in order to avoid hitting their own troops. Additionally, they would likely try to operate out of somewhere hidden or concealed.] Brenden started scanning the buildings on either side of the street. His instincts told him that the mage would probably try to lob spells from the nominal safety of a third or fourth story window. It didn''t take long for him to find a suspicious looking one. On the top floor of chandler''s shop, he caught sight of motion in the darkened room behind a large bay window, facing the gate. Thanks to its placement at the corner of a Y-shaped intersection, whoever was inside had a commanding view of both the gate and the makeshift defenses in front of it. Feeling in his gut that he had the right place, he gave one last horizontal sweep with his great sword, momentarily clearing space around him, before bunching his legs and taking aim. As if fired from a cannon, he launched himself across the intervening space, and neatly flew through the open window with enough force to send the rooms occupants sprawling in surprise. Taking advantage of his natural agility, Brenden landed feet first on the opposite wall, and had enough time to take stock his surroundings while his legs and one arm absorbed the remaining force of his flight. Thankfully it was made of stone bricks, so it survived the sudden impact, at least until he jumped again. With the collapsing wall as a backdrop, Brenden maneuvered towards the first Tenundian he could see in the room. There were close to twenty of them occupying various parts of what looked like a storage room filled with a variety of crates and barrels. They all appeared to be dressed in leather armor emblazoned with an unfamiliar silver sword sigil. He cut down the first soldier before the man had a chance to respond, and was starting in on the next when a barrage of flame missiles forced him to dodge behind a nearby crate. One of the Tenundians was standing near the window while chanting in a low voice. Two others were standing next to him with hands on his shoulders. Brenden wasn''t sure, but it seemed like they were feeding him mana. "Come out and face us, coward!" One of the Tenundians yelled, as the remaining soldiers started carefully moving to surround him. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the lid of a nearby barrel, and threw it in one direction before running in the other. Another barrage of flaming missiles annihilated the circle of wood, but it created enough of a distraction for him to cut his way through another handful of soldiers and start moving towards the mages. Unfortunately, it seemed like some of the members of the team were particularly talented. A lithe individual armed with two daggers launched a dizzying series of attacks which Brenden was unable to fully avoid. He jumped back out of the man''s range, but not before he suffered a handful of minor cuts on his arms and torso. At the same time, a swordsman, using a style Brenden had never seen before, stepped around to his side and thrust at him with a rapier. The beastman was able to drive this new adversary off with a sweep of his sword, but it didn''t buy much time, and both enemies were on him before he had a chance to recover his stance. [Not good.] He thought to himself. These were exactly the kind of opponents that difficult for him to deal with using his current skillset. Not to mention the mage, who had been operating in the background and was even now lining up his next attack. While Brenden was seriously considering whether or not to activate his Atavism, another figure flipped in through the window. Landing softly behind the mages, this new arrival dispatched them with three graceful strikes with a dagger. The sound of their collapse caught the attention of the swordsman long enough for Brenden to grab and throw him into the dagger wielder. Thanks to the resulting entanglement it didn''t take long for him to finish off the pair. Looking up, he saw that the mysterious intruder had dealt with the remaining Tenundians, and only the two of them were left alive in the attic. On close inspection, it was clear that the figure was female. She was dressed in dark colored clothes, with her face obscured by a hood and veil, only showing the copper-colored skin around her eyes, and a few locks of curly brown hair. Meeting his gaze, the woman affected a cocky stance and started speaking. "You''re welcome, by the way." Immediately finding himself irritated, Brenden frowned. "I didn''t ask for your help. I had everything under control." She laughed in response. "Funny, from my perspective, you were about to be roasted." Growling slightly, Brenden yelled back. "I hadn''t gotten serious yet!" Even in his own ears, the excuse sounded a bit hollow. While it was true that he could have probably made it out with some generous use of his skills, doing so would largely incapacitate him for the rest of the battle, and there was still much to do. He didn''t want to admit it, but the strange woman had helped him greatly. "Anyway, who are you? I don''t think I''ve seen anyone like you among the gangs." She shook her head. "Yeah, I''m not about that life anymore. My current boss told me to keep an eye on you, and make sure you stay out of trouble." Brenden was about to ask some follow up questions, when a roaring battle cry from outside drowned him out. It seemed like the Tenundians were launching another assault. He needed to get back to his troops. Quickly walking towards the window, he made up his mind to put off any questioning till later. "Let''s go. If your job is to keep me safe, then you can help defeat the enemy in front of us, right?" She only replied with a sigh, but nevertheless followed him as he jumped out into the street. Chapter 205: Fortunes of War "¡­rend into thy eternal despair. [Dimensional Slash]" Emmanuel finished while sweeping his stiff fingered hand in a rising motion. Grimacing at the unpleasant, but familiar, sensation of space itself parting at the touch of his fingers, he completed the motion, creating a vertical line of slightly divergent reality that expanded in a crescent. The Tenundian mage, still suspended by the spatial disturbances that were attempting to pull him apart, was unable to evade against the attack. Even the mana shield he managed to throw up at the last second was helpless to stop the almost invisible line of death. When Emmanuel released his spells, the man fell to the ground in two neatly bisected halves. So clean was the cut, the body could have been mistaken for an anatomy model. "I think that about wraps it up over here, if you have somewhere you need to be." Johnathan commented lightly while pulling his spear from the corpse of another soldier. With a flick of his wrist, a wave of darkness pushed the body to join a pile of its fellows off to one side, keeping the side street he was protecting clear. "Alright, I''ll leave the rest to you." The Marshall told him, before turning and heading back into the merchant''s office they were currently using as their headquarters. He needed to know what was going on. Not long after the first reports of Tenundian strike teams appearing behind the wall, the Almiran Headquarters was attacked by a cadre of Tier 3s who promptly brushed past the compound''s defenses and initiated a powerful magical explosion. Thankfully, Emmanuel was able to evacuate the majority of the staff when he felt the mana fluctuations taking place. Although it had cost him. Even for a veteran Space Mage, transporting close to 200 people in different parts of the building the distance of a city block, all within a few seconds of detecting the problem, was a massive undertaking. The simple act of locking onto each individual person with the required level of precision had been trouble enough. Forcing each of them into their own portals had taken a lot out Emmanuel, even with the correction provided by his title. Luckily, some of the communication equipment had survived, and after a bit of wrangling, the members of the headquarters staff were able to commandeer a nearby merchant''s office to continue their efforts, while the Royal Guard and a few of the more skilled instructors pushed back the Tenundian strike force. "What''s our situation look like?" The Marshal asked as confidently as he could manage. The office he''d walked into was humming with activity, as his hastily assembled staff furiously attempted to gain the semblance of control over the course of the battle. "The 2nd Division headquarters has been overrun, and only a group of armed citizens from the slums are keeping the gate out of enemy hands." One of the staff officers started, hysteria quickly creeping into his voice. "The 1st Division is under heavy attack, and Commander Kiera is being forced to lead a counter attack with the few forces left at her disposal. The walls are in danger of being captured in at least three areas, and with the effective disruption of our forces command structure, it''s unclear what reserve forces are left, and who we could move to support the areas in danger." Despite his obvious panic, the man finished his report in a professional manner. Something fairly impressive considering the circumstances. [If I recall right, he''s a Finance student who volunteered to assist in the headquarters. I think his name started with an O¡­] "Understood. Do you happen to have any good news?" Emmanuel asked while he considered his options. The officer blinked, suddenly unsure. "Uh¡­As far as we can tell, our Dragonknight ally has succeeded in destroying the vast majority of the Tenundian siege weapons, so if we can survive the current onslaught, our chances will improve." "Oh? And where is he currently?" "Um¡­" He flipped through a stack of reports in his hands, before coming across the one he was looking for. "The last recorded sighting of the Dragonknight placed him in the middle of the Tennundian encampment, engaging their Mage Corps Commander in single combat." Emmanuel looked at him for a second before chuckling. "It sounds like all we need to do is crush the enemies inside our walls, and we''ll be in the clear. Is that about right?" "Well, that''s not too far off, although I doubt it will be as simple as it sounds." The officer replied skeptically. "Ah, don''t worry about it. I''ve never been much for strategy. I leave that to the advisors." The Marshal commented in a most unbefitting manner. "That said. I do have an idea." ---------- With a monotone battle cry, Tal thrust her hand out, launching a roaring gale of wind that caught the Tenundian Mage Hunters by surprise and slammed them against the wall. Sera''s arrows hit almost immediately afterwards, leaving them fatally injured. She caught the gaze of the younger of the two, a brown haired man who looked to be in his early twenties as he feebly clutched at the shaft embedded into his throat. There was no fear or anger in his eyes, only confusion that slowly turned into resignation as his movements grew weaker, before finally stopping completely. Lowering her bow, the Oracle gasped for breath, resisting the urge to vomit as the room spun. After a few seconds, the feeling passed, although she was pretty sure she would see the young man in her nightmares. It wasn''t her first time killing other humans, a lifetime spent on the run had seen to that, but that didn''t make the act any easier. They had been working with other members of the 1st Division command staff to slowly recapture the tower, but it had been slow going. Thankfully, there weren''t that many Tenundians left in the building itself, only a handful of the dark clad Mage Hunters. Nevertheless, they cut the inexperienced group of students turned soldiers to ribbons. Of the crew, only Tal, Sera, and the commander herself had any skill in combat. The other staff members were largely useless, often causing more harm than good. Finally, after a young clerk nearly skewered her with his makeshift spear, Kiera had ordered the lot of them to follow behind while the three experienced members took on the Mage Hunters. "Alright?" Tal asked in a manner that would have seemed like disinterest in anyone else. "I''m fine. Let''s keep moving." Sera replied while recovering her arrows from. The one in the man''s neck came free with a sickening pop that would probably also haunt her dreams. Another tremor vibrated through the tower as they met up Kiera on the stairs. She had already finished clearing the other rooms. Perhaps noticing Sera''s discomfort, she gave a slightly reassuring smile. "Only three more to go now. We''ll be done soon." The Oracle nodded while falling into step behind the other two. As they cautiously approached the next floor, the tower shook again. It felt like the vibration was getting stronger. Much like the floors above, the stairs leveled out into a landing with two doors, one on the left and the other on the right. If it was the same as the other times, each of them would open into a room, or series of rooms, that was composed of approximately one half of the floor. Kiera scanned the landing carefully, before motioning towards herself and then a door to the left. This meant that Tal and Sera would responsible for the one to the right. Moving as stealthily as they could, they crept towards their individual targets, halting until everyone was ready. Normally, this would be the point where they threw the doors open simultaneously and took the room by storm, but Sera was overwhelmed by a sudden wave of vertigo. She saw Tal reach up and grab the handle of the door, and before the Oracle had a chance to shout a warning, threw it open. A Mage Hunter, dagger at the ready, was standing there. Sera could only watch as the weapon descended, sliding into her friend''s heart with practiced ease. Tal only had a few seconds to stare down at the hilt protruding from her chest before she collapsed. The Mage Hunter pulled the dagger free, and turned towards Sera with lethal intent¡­ The dizziness passed, and the Oracle found herself watching as Tal reached for the handle of the door. Knowing that she didn''t have much time, she drew back her bow, aiming at the place she knew her enemy would be. She released as the door opened, revealing the Mage Hunter, her arrow punching through the man''s eye socket before he had a chance to complete his thrust. A quick scan of the room behind him showed that he was alone, thankfully. Tal eyed the body, which had fallen into a boneless heap before turning to look back at her friend. "Nice shot." "Thanks." Sera replied with a smile as she looked at her [Status]. More specifically at her new class, and the skill that had come with it. Judging from the descriptions, they were exactly what she had been hoping for. [I''ll show you, Mike. I''m not just baggage anymore.] ------------------ Mike sneezed, which seemed strange, since his enhanced Endurance had largely precluded the need for the act over the last few weeks. At least as far as he could remember. [What was the old superstition? This means someone''s talking bad about me? Or was that when your ears were burning? Bah, I can''t remember.] Dismissing the thought, he went back to scanning the battlefield while flying above the city. As far as he could tell, things were close to disaster on almost every front. The most concerning to him, however, was that the tower Sera and Tal had been staying in was currently flashing with lines of arcane energy, and visibly shaking every so often. He wasn''t exactly sure what that meant, but he assumed it was bad. For a moment, Mike was at a loss on how to react. Obviously, he needed to head over to the tower to ensure that his party members were safe. That took priority, but it looked like he was needed on several other fronts at the same time. According to a few mental messages with Selene, who had been protecting Brenden during his apparent attempt to singlehandedly sway the course of the battle, the gate was holding for now. Of course, that could easily change. Other parts of the were in chaos. The walls themselves were still under attack by a determined assault force. The confused and largely leaderless defenders were fighting valiantly despite the situation, but things were definitely balanced on a knife''s edge. This was in addition to the dozens of smaller fights that seemed to be raging between skilled combatants at various parts of the battlefield. To top it all off, Mike thought he saw several opportunistic citizens looting. [What a mess.] Finally, he came to a decision. Since there were at least three places that needed help, he would simply have to provide assistance to all three. He turned and looked back at Lily, who was still dreamily watching the clouds, evidently enjoying the experience of flight. "Lily, could you do me a favor?" He asked. "Okay." She answered with no hesitation. [I wonder if I should be worried about that.] "I''m going to set you down on the ground near the gate. Would you mind meeting up with a guy named Brenden and help him defend it?" She tilted her head for a second, but then shrugged. "Okay. I can''t fight for too much longer though?" "Why''s that?" "Giant''s Skin takes a lot of energy. I''m feeling pretty tired now." Lily said with a yawn. [So she''s running low on stamina?] He quickly sent a surge of healing magic through the woman. Surprisingly, it took a lot more mana than he originally anticipated. It felt a bit like he was trying to refill some vast reservoir and eventually had to stop to avoid exhausting his mana supply. By this point they were slowly flying over the region in front of the gate. A small army of soldiers were charging down a street already littered with bodies in similar uniforms. From behind makeshift barricades, a ragtag bunch were getting ready to fight them off. Mike thought he caught sight of someone that looked a bit like Brenden near the center. "How about now?" He asked. "Oh? I''m feeling better. I can definitely fight for a while." Lily spoke while watching the ground below them. As Red started banking around, she suddenly stood up. "Going now. See you later, Hero." "Be careful¡­wait, what?" He looked back sharply, but she had already dropped to the ground below, landing in the middle of the Tenundian formation with the force of a cannon. Mike sighed. "I guess I''ll worry about it after the battle." He leaned in closer to his mount. "Red! Take me to the tower and then go help the soldiers on the walls." He received a snort of agreement. Chapter 206: Finishing Up Sergeant Pierce absently scratched at his beard while looking back at the tower the higher ups wanted them capture. When that proved difficult and costly, the commander had decided to destroy it instead. Unfortunately, it''s built-in magical protections made that problematic. A few of their mages were plugged into the very base, and had been doing¡­something for the last twenty minutes. So far, it didn''t look like they were any closer to taking down the structure than they''d been when they''d started. It was a little disconcerting that they were having so much trouble here. The other tower had been quickly overwhelmed and taken without too much issue. [If we make it out of here, we''re going to catch shit about being slow. Speaking of which...] Thinking that it was about time for him to return to his place in the cordon, Pierce picked up his spear and the waterskins he''d been filling from the public tap, before walking back. On his way he saw a pair of officers bickering nearby, and started listening out of curiosity. "Commander, I need more soldiers, specifically higher tier ones. We''re so close to taking the gate. Just another big push and it will be ours." The battered looking officer was saying as Commander Harris consulted his map. The grizzled veteran glanced up with a grimace. "That''s what you told me before the last push, and here you are again." "The Almirans have been more stubborn than anticipated, especially after they were reinforced by group of thugs from the slums. Among them is a powerful Tier 3 warrior that is almost singlehandedly holding the line. If we had a few of the more skilled fighters at our disposal, it wouldn''t be long before the gate fell." Replied the increasingly desperate man. "Be that as it may, I simply don''t have the troops to spare. We are already having trouble keeping the Almirans penned up here. If we slacken, even for a moment, they will regain control and our comrades assaulting the walls will be the ones to suffer for it. Any high tiers we have are currently facing off against the Almiran Royal Guard, and they are the only thing keeping those monsters from tearing the rest of us to pieces. I cannot help you right now. You''ll have to make do with the troops you have." Harris answered firmly, evidently seeking to bring the conversation to a close. The other officer gritted his teeth before spinning on his heels and marching back the way he came. "You''ll regret this, commander." He yelled his shoulder before passing through the picket line. Pierce noticed the insignia on the man''s chest as he walked by, a shield emblazoned with an anchor. [A coastal marine? What are they doing on this mission? I thought we were supposed to be drawn primarily from the infantry, augmented by the usual auxiliaries from the Mage Hunters and Mage Corps.] Pierce stared after the man, feeling puzzled, but decided that it wasn''t his place to question. As he passed by Commander Harris, he gave the man a salute accompanied by a sympathetic smile. The officer replied with a friendly, if distracted nod before he started yelling at the liaison from the Mage Corps about how much longer they needed to be playing with that tower, and if they would be so kind as to hurry it up so that the rest of us could get back to the task of winning this war. Chuckling, Pierce returned to his squad and passed off the filled waterskins he''d been tasked with collecting. Harris wasn''t his favorite officer, but he was close. Despite commanding what amounted to a suicide mission, the man had nevertheless succeeded in driving the Almirans into a corner. With a little more effort, it felt like they could carry the day. "Did I miss anything?" He asked his squad leader, a bear of a man from the Ash Mountains, who defied all stereotypes by being a soft spoken intellectual. "There have been a few probes, but nothing serious. Judging from their equipment, it seems like an enemy militia unit has started pushing in our direction from the north. We might see a more coordinated effort in the near future." The squad leader replied absently while watching an ongoing fight between one of their Tier 3 fighters and an Almiran Royal Guardsman on a nearby rooftop. The pair had apparently been engaged in a long and difficult battle, and both were at the limits of their stamina, gasping for breath as they fought in brief, high intensity exchanges. Casual observers might wonder why Pierce and his squad didn''t help their ally, but veterans would know better. The Tenundian strike force had been assembled with offensive power in mind. As such, the vast majority of its component members were skilled veterans of the border wars. Most were also Tier 2, and as a result they had been able to overwhelm the inexperienced Almiran defenders without too much difficulty. That being said, there was still a world of difference between them, and the Tier 3s who formed the core of the strike force. Trying to get between them and their Almiran equivalents would end poorly for people like Pierce. While it was still possible to overwhelm a higher tier opponent with superior numbers, a commander had to be prepared to lose a large majority of his troops in the process. It still happened, and was currently happening if the coastal marine could be believed, but usually only in extreme situations. [Still¡­] Pierce thought while watching the exchange. [It''s frustrating.] He didn''t notice the knuckles of his right hand whitening on the haft of his spear. Sighing, he looked back at the tower. Hopefully, they could bring it down soon¡­ As he was looking an explosion rocked the area, and Pierce could feel hot wind blowing from the direction of a dust cloud forming around the tower''s base. Stunned, he could only stare for a few seconds before he heard his squad leader shouting. "Pierce! Take two of the others and check for survivors. The rest of us are going to hold this position." The large man ordered he took up his position. Pierce could see the Almiran militia already massing at one end of the street. From the looks of it, they were building the courage necessary to attack. Shaking off his shock, Pierce grabbed two other soldiers at random and started running. He wasn''t sure what he was getting into, but he had a bad feeling about the whole situation. ----------- Mike shook the dust off of himself, slightly regretting his dynamic entry and the dust cloud it created. It seemed like everything he did nowadays was accompanied by an explosion, and he was starting to get tired of constantly suffering from the aftereffects. Besides, even if his arrival was cool, it''s not like anyone could see it. [Not to self, Explosive Cannonball of Doom (Name Pending) will require fine tuning before I can roll it out. Perhaps I need to reduce the force, while adding Light Magic for the visual impact.] Using Air Magic, he dispersed the cloud with a wave of his hand, revealing the shattered city square surrounding the base of the 1st Division Headquarters'' tower. The few Tenundians that had survived his initial appearance were slowly getting to their feet. He hopped out of the crater he''d made during his landing, and channeled his mana into his hand, creating a crackling bolt of lightning. With a flick of his wrist he threw it at four figures clustered around the base of the tower. He wasn''t sure exactly what they were doing, but it seemed like they were probably the cause of the building''s strange shaking. One of the faster thinking individuals tried to throw up a quick mana shield, but the lighting tore through it without difficulty, and all four of them were reduced to steaming corpse after a few seconds. Glancing around at the remaining troops, Mike used quickly executed wind blades to finish them off before they had a chance to shake off the shock. He was just about to head into the tower when a trio of soldiers rounded the corner, a bearded man with a spear in the lead. As soon as he caught sight of the square, he stopped, momentarily taking in the carnage Mike had wrought, before motioning to the two following him. "Get out of here! I''ll hold him off!" While his subordinates turned and fled, the man charged forward, battle cry on his lips. Evidently, he was trying to buy time for his men to escape. It was a simple and heroic act, the kind that shows up in the midst of battle, done solely for the good of one''s comrades. Mike understood all that with a glance, so it was with a pang of guilt that he launched wind blades to cut the fleeing pair down. He watched as the man''s look of determination shifted to one of sick realization, but by that point it was already too late. Mike dodged the charging soldier''s attack before ramming the Fang of the Primal home. For a second the Hero stood there wordlessly as the brave man clutched at his arm, tears of frustration spilling from eyes that slowly lost their light. Once he slumped forward, Mike slowly laid him onto the ground. Pulling his weapon free, he took one last look at the fallen soldier before walking into the tower, thoughts of dramatic entries forgotten. Now he just wanted to end this. ------------------ Emmanuel stood on the roof of an apartment building, watching as the dragon delivered single combatants to two critical locations before heading out towards the walls. He guessed Mike was really pushing to bring this conflict to a close. Judging from the way dozens of Tenundian soldiers at the gate were being sent flying every so often, he felt assured that the situation was now well in hand. Assuming his student managed to liberate the command tower and reestablish control over the units fighting on the wall, encircling and crushing the remaining enemies would be relatively simple. Now he just needed to work on the next step. Glancing around, the old mage saw that the coast was clear, and removed a square pane of glass. He held it up to the light briefly, making sure the almost invisible runes were still there, before breaking it in half. Strangely, the two halves shattered into a fine mist of glittering particles, which slowly formed into the ghostly image of a woman''s face. It regarded the mage for a second, seemingly surprised. With a oddly flat voice, the face spoke. "Emmanuel. I didn''t expect to see you." There was some warmth in the tone, but it was almost overwhelmed by the venom that accompanied it. Wincing slightly the old mage replied. "I know I''m not someone you''d want to talk to, Vera, but I have no other choice." The face was silent for a moment, before sighing, "I take it this means that the rumors are true? Alexander really is¡­gone?" Emmanuel just nodded in reply. Vera''s face grimaced for a moment, as if holding some intense emotion back, before smoothing into professional indifference. "What do you mean you have no choice? What do you need?" "In a short time, the first battle of this siege will come to a close. As it stands now, it should be an overwhelming victory for the defenders, so much so that it will call the Tenundian Marshal''s competence into question. Once that happens, the Duke''s faction will try to have him removed." The face nodded. "They''ll try, but I''m not sure how well it will work. Kiertesan is popular with the Council of Lords. It would take something particularly damning to remove him." Emmanuel smiled grimly, "What if he mistakenly kidnapped a distant member of the Dovistani royal family, with the intent of torturing her for information?" "¡­That would probably be sufficient. Dovistani royalty, why would they¡­Are you saying they really tried to kidnap that disaster? Why in the hells did he think that was a good idea?" Vera asked, shocked. "Ah well, it seems she''s taken a shine to our Dragonknight ally, so much so, that they are actually sharing the same suite of rooms, but that''s not important right now. You are still embedded with Tenundian high command, right?" Vera frowned. "That''s...whatever. I''m not sure if being a handmaiden for the wife of the Logistics Minister counts as being embedded, but my cover hasn''t been blown, if that''s what you are asking. Are you wanting me to try and make sure that Kiertesan remains in power? I think you overestimate how much influence I have here." Emmanuel shook his head. "No, I want you to do the opposite. Make sure everyone is aware of how he failed, and how his actions might lead to war with Dovistan. We need to make sure the Duke''s faction takes charge." "¡­You read my reports, surely. You should be aware of what they''ve brought with them, right? The¡­things they''ve allied themselves to? Only Kiertesan''s influence has prevented them from taking action so far. Remove him, and this little conflict will escalate into a nightmare." The mage took a deep breath while scanning the battlefield. "Vera, the Tenundians were on the verge of a complete victory today, and only with the direct involvement of the Dragonknight and by the grace of the gods were we able to salvage a win. Yet, in doing so, we had to show almost all of our cards and expend the vast majority of our fighting strength." Looking back at Vera, he gave a sad smile. "If we continue on this path, I can only foresee a battle of attrition that will inevitably favor the one who brought a larger army." "I see...You want them to burn out in one big attempt to take the city, using everything at their disposal. I take it you have something in mind to throw them back? Something you can only use once?" Emmanuel only smiled in response. "Hm, there you go again with your secrets¡­Very well, I will do what I can." Vera replied caustically, before her tone softened slightly. "Stay safe, you old fool." With her words still ringing in the air, the cloud of glass dispersed, leaving the old mage to his thoughts as the battle started to wind towards its conclusion. Chapter 207: Survival and Clean Up Mike opened the next door cautiously. After climbing through three floors of the seemingly deserted tower, he was beginning to wonder if the command staff might have already evacuated or been captured. He worried that he might be wasting his time hunting through an empty building while his friends got farther away. Luckily, the next room had a group of nearly thirty Tenundian soldiers lying in wait, reassuring him that he was in the right place. They were crouching behind stacks of simple furniture, bows drawn and weapons at the ready, every eye focused on the door across from the one Mike entered through. It didn''t take long for them to notice him, and start turning in his direction. A leader of sorts, dressed in a more ornate uniform, started yelling a command. Acting quickly, Mike threw a hail of ice spikes in a wide arc, and then started chanting. Since he''d only focused on volume of fire, rather than accuracy, most of the crystalline projectiles ineffectively smashed into the walls and floor. The rest did their job, cutting down or incapacitating roughly half of the soldiers before they had a chance to respond. A few desultory arrows flew in his direction, but he dodged them with ease. Finishing his chant, he subjected the remaining Tenundians to a swarm of wind blades, cutting them to pieces. For a second he remained on high alert, fully expecting other enemies to make their appearance. Once it was clear that he was the only one left alive in the room, Mike sighed and surveyed the room while trying to calm his racing heart. [That surprised me.] He thought while making his way across the floor carefully. The scene of the brief fight now resembled something out of a horror movie, which would have once disturbed him. Now that was no longer the case. Thankful for willpower enhancement skills, he approached the next door while taking care not to step in any viscera. He was about to open it, when he heard the faintest of noises from the other side. With adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he felt sure that the sound betrayed the presence of another squad of enemy soldiers lying in wait. Taking a second to listen quietly, he heard a second scuffing noise, reminiscent of a booted heel rubbing against stone. Convinced, he began making preparations for taking the next room by storm. As quietly as he could manage, he took a few steps back, before sprinting forward and smashing his shoulder into the door. The simple edifice shattered under the impact, and he emerged into the next area with his spear ready, surrounded by a halo of splintered wood. Immediately in front of him was a woman armed with a rapier, toppling over backwards from the force of his entry. Without thinking he stepped forward and he was about to strike, when he heard a familiar voice. "Mike! Don''t!" He stopped, and looked around. Behind the woman he now recognized as Kiera, commander of the 1st Division, he saw Sera and Tal. The Oracle was breathing hard, as if she had just run a great distance. Seeing that the two of them were alive and still in one piece, he relaxed before looking down at the person he''d nearly impaled while scratching the back of his head. "Sorry about that, I thought you were another group of enemy soldiers, lying in ambush." She shook her head while standing once more, still looking a little shaken. "Such things are common enough in the thick of combat. Do not concern yourself with it." Leaning to stare past him, she commented. "I take it by your presence, you''ve cleared the rest of the tower up till this point?" He nodded, "Yeah, it should be clear up till the ground floor. I can''t say much about what''s going on outside, though." "That''s enough." She turned to Sera and Tal. "Go with this one and ensure that the area around the tower is clear. I will rejoin the rest of the staff and resume command." She was already moving upstairs by the time Mike realized that she didn''t have any authority over him. He briefly debated on arguing against the order, since he''d planned on taking his party members to a safer location before doing anything else. However, he figured that it was probably alright now that he''d crushed a majority of the invaders. Besides, it seemed like they had been taking care of themselves just fine without him. "You two alright? I thought I heard the emergency beacon going off a while ago, but it cut of suddenly." He asked. Sera frowned at him. "Yeah, we were attacked not too long after you left. They tried to hijack the tower''s defenses and destroy it while were still on the top floor. I used my necklace, but it only worked for a second before crumbling." She sniffed. "Thankfully, we didn''t end up actually needing your help." "Tower interference." Tal offered an explanation. "I see¡­" Mike replied quietly. He''d underestimated the situation a bit. [I didn''t think about possible interference from defensive magic. Looks like I''ll need to do some more testing before I can really rely on my creations.] He felt a hand on his shoulder. Tal was looking at him with the hint of a reassuring smile on her face. "Glad alright." Mike blinked for a second, before smiling in return. "Yeah, I''m glad you are both alright as well." Pouting slightly, Sera started walking towards the door while speaking sarcastically. "Yes, we''re all not dead. Isn''t it grand? Now can we focus? We''re still in the middle of a battle if you haven''t noticed...Ugh, what the hell happened in here?" ----------------------------------- Brenden sat down with a sigh. A unit of Almiran infantry had arrived near the end of the most recent fight, quickly destroying whatever was left of the Tenundians'' morale, and bringing an end to the battle for the gate. It seems like they had finally broken the Tenundian invaders'' resolve, and the few remaining attackers were scattering throughout the city. It would be troublesome to track them all down, but that was a problem for the guards. The beastman was just happy that he''d made it through the conflict without losing too many of his followers. Now, Hubert was organizing a makeshift field hospital while the newcomers took over the defenses. The surviving gang members were still in something of a stupor, not quite able to believe that the long fight was finally over. At least for the moment. He glanced over at the veiled woman, who had been watching his back throughout the last few assaults. Although he hated to admit it, her help had been invaluable. "It looks like we made it." He commented, sounding more tired than he''d expected. "Any chance you could tell me who you are, now?" The person in question glanced in his direction, offered a mocking salute. "Sorry, Your Thieveliness, but I''ve been told to keep my distance, for now. Don''t worry though, I think we''ll be meeting again soon. See ya next time." Growling, he stood and faced her fully, "Listen, you¡­" By the time he had gotten to his feet, she''d already vanished. Even her scent had disappeared, making tracking her all but impossible. Sighing, Brenden stood up and started making his way towards the other unexpected addition to their fighting forces. He figured that, while he was up, he might as well check on his comrades. Lily''s arrival had been shocking for all of the participants. Simply by dropping into the Tenundians'' midst and laying about with her monstrous strength, she had prevented them from making any kind of cohesive attempt at taking the gate. Since they apparently lacked the ability to actually injure her, they were forced to do their best to work around her, something that should have ended their direct assault attempts. Yet, despite the chaos her involvement caused, the enemy commander continued to use his human wave tactics until his casualties had become too extreme to continue. Brenden was at a loss to explain it, but by the end of the battle, it felt like they were simply throwing themselves onto Almiran swords in disciplined mass charges. It was disturbing and foolish, and he found himself wondering what the Tenundians were thinking by putting such an idiot in charge of a vital aspect of their battle plan. [Whatever, we''re done with it now.] The Dovistani noble was still standing in the midst of the blood soaked street with a dreamy look on her face. If not for the gratuitous amount of carnage in the area directly in front of her, it would have been hard to guess that she had recently been involved in desperate street fighting. "Oi, you good?" He asked, slightly concerned by her lack of concern. She glanced at him, looking a little confused. "Good? Good at what?" Brenden resisted the urge to sigh again. This was going to be painful. "No, I mean, are you alright? No injuries?" After briefly looking down at herself, she shook her head. "I don''t see any¡­" A slight pain began building in the region behind his eyes. "Okay¡­So, what are you doing here? I''m pretty sure you shouldn''t be getting involved in another country''s war." She frowned for a moment, as if in deep thought. "Well, I got kidnapped, but I fought my way out. Then Pretty Eyes came and gave me a ride over here. He asked me to help you out, so I did." He waited for a second to make sure there wasn''t something else to the story, but she switched to playing the fabric of the strange, black bodysuit that was her only surviving article of clothing. Her fascination was evident as she repeatedly stretched and released the material. Sighing, he gave up on getting anything else out of her. Since she was apparently uninjured, he decided to not worry about it, and focus on his other followers. After scanning the area, he located his irascible representative and started walking towards her, figuring that she would have a good idea of what was going on. The rabbit beastman was standing next to the barricade with her back to him. "Lara, what''s our status? How many did we lose?" He asked once he''d gotten close. His words caused her to flinch noticeably, and it was only then he noticed that she was shaking. Glancing past her, he saw the triage area, where the injured were receiving treatment. While the sights and groans of the wounded and dying were bad enough, her gaze wasn''t focused there. A little farther away, near the edge of their loose formation, he could see the rows of fallen defenders, who had not yet been covered. It was hard to tell from his vantage point, but it seemed like most of them were wearing the dark leathers of the gang members he''d brought with him. [Ah¡­looks like casualties were higher than I thought.] His gaze was drawn to a small figure lying in the midst of the other adult ones, one that he realized he knew quite well. Jorn, the best warrior of the Hunter''s Paw despite his youth, was now a corpse lying amongst dozens of others. Dead men and women who had followed him into battle, simply because he had asked them to. Because they believed in him. Guilt slammed into Brenden. This was not the first time he''d seen his comrades die. In fact he''d probably witnessed more death over the course of his relatively short life than many veteran soldiers. However, this was the first time he''d been responsible for bringing them to their ends. Never before had he made the decisions that had led so many of his friends to theirs deaths. He knew that they were aware of the dangers, that they were fighting to protect their home, but it did little to ease the pain that gnawed at his gut. [Another sin to add to the pile¡­] He thought bitterly as he moved up to stand next to the girl. Lara slowly turned to look at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He had never seen her look so lost. It was easy to forget that, for all her cunning and guile, she was younger than even Sera. With faltering steps she walked to him and buried her face in his chest. Brenden wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry her fill. He gently stroked the back of her head, still unable to look away from the results of his first attempt at leading others in battle. Although he regretted the thought instantly, knowing that it was unfair to all parties involved, he couldn''t help but wonder. If it had been Mike standing in his place, would things have turned out differently? Would fewer of the defenders have died? Would any of them? A familiar voice spoke from the depths of his mind, one that had not made itself known in a long time. Its stabbing words of venom sank into his consciousness. [You are weak. You are useless. This is all your fault...] ------------------------------------------------------------ A group of nobles sat within a tent, one side of which was left open, allowing them to watch the progress of the battle. To make certain that such an event wasn''t tiresome, they provided a wealth of fine food and drinks. Thus, despite the horrors occurring in front of them, the small gathering had a festive air. "It seems the attack has failed, Your Grace." Salens commented from his seat as he watched the battered and demoralized remnants of the assault force make their way back into camp. The courtier took another sip of his Mirithian Wine while sneering. The other members of the ducal party made sounds of agreement mingled with disgust. Despite it being the army of their country, they showed no sign of any emotion besides annoyance. Duke Alderbert, resting in an elaborate, throne-like chair he''d had brought all the way from Tenundi, snorted disdainfully, "Evidently, Kiertesan has lost his edge. We''ll need to act accordingly. Salens, have that disturbing creature brought here. It''s time to talk about our other options." Another voice broke in from a dark corner of the tent. "If I may, Your Grace, I thought such an eventuality would come about, so I took the liberty of making myself available." A thin, almost emaciated figure stepped into the light. It was swathed in grey robes with hood drawn. A simple white mask covered its face. Salens found himself suddenly very uneasy. He didn''t know much about the strange thing, other than it was something unnatural. It acting on its own, even for their convenience, was somehow deeply troubling to him, but he didn''t have the guts to say anything. He didn''t want to admit it, but the creature scared him. The Duke was a little more sanguine. "Sneaking into the tent of the Duke could be considered a treasonous offense. Luckily for you, I am a man of mercy, and will therefore let it pass this time." The figure gave an unnaturally deep and graceful bow, almost brushing the ground with its hood. "Your Grace is most merciful." Alderbert continued despite growing discomfort on his face. "Anyway, it seems my Marshal has failed, and we will have need of your device after all." "I predicted that this would be the case, Your Grace, and I have already taken the liberty of starting the preparations. We will be ready to move in two days." "Excellent news! You have my thanks¡­what was your name again, creature?" The Duke asked with a frown. "You may refer to me as Grim, Your Grace. Please, just leave everything to me." Although he couldn''t see it, Salens could hear the smile in the creature''s voice, and it gave him chills. Chapter 208: Recuperation "Ugh¡­" Sera complained while sinking into the outdated couch which adorned the dorm''s living room. "I''m so tired, I don''t think I could move another muscle. Tal, you''ll have to carry me." The elf gave her a blank look, not bothering to dignify that statement with an answer. Mike looked at the pair while scratching the back of his head, "In her defense, she has been up all night¡­" This just earned him a cold glance from Tal, but he could tell that she was just playing along with the mood, at least as much as her condition allowed her to. Audra was sitting on her shoulder, occasionally shooting scathing glares at him. Ever since he''d let her out of the bag, in the literal sense, she''d been avoiding him. He''d already apologized through his mental link, and it felt like she''d understood his motivations, but his familiar had still refused to have anything to do with him. Even though he''d done it for her safety, the little dragon''s attitude made him feel a bit lonely. He had to admit, though, he''d enjoyed Sera''s reaction as Audra flew past her and attached herself to the elf. Watching the Oracle''s momentary expression of surprised delight morphing into confusion, then indignation, and finally depressed resignation, was quite entertaining. Perhaps understanding his feelings, Tal leaned down and started whispering to Audra. This went on for a while, before finally the little dragon gave a nod and took to the air, landing on a chair near Mike. She fixed him with a slightly angry stare for a moment before turning and facing the other direction. [Is she pretending to ignore me?] He thought, having seen similar behavior in his family''s pet cat back on Earth. Perhaps he could solve the problem in a similar manner. Tal was looking at him expectantly, evidently hoping that he''d understand. He reached into his bag and pulled out an orange mana core about the size of a softball. As soon as he did, he noticed the little dragon''s gaze fix on it, her intentions clear, so he lowered his hand. She immediately pounced on it, devouring it with quick, crunching bites. When she was done, she gave him an odd stare, before scrambling up his arm and curling up on his shoulder with an affectionate chirp. There was a few seconds of silence as Mike paused to enjoy the feeling. The moment was broken when a series of soft snores started filling the room. Sera apparently wasn''t joking about being exhausted, since she''d fall asleep almost immediately after sitting down. Knowing that someone would have to do something about it, he picked her up and carried her over to her room, depositing her safely in bed. Tal followed after him, indicating that she would keep an eye on her. Once he''d closed the door again, Mike shook his head with a wry smile. It had been a long day already, and it was barely past lunch. There was still a lot for him to do, but he''d wanted to make sure that his party members were settled in first. In that line of thinking, he decided to wander over to a section of the dorm he hadn''t visited yet. William the butler answered the door after his quiet knock. The man was pale, and had a bandage wrapped around one side of his head where the abductors had struck him prior to making off with Lily. Despite his injury, he was obviously relieved to have his charge back home. Upon seeing who it was, the old man smiled. "Sir Mike! I can''t thank you enough for rescuing Lady Lilliana. Although you may not believe it, she is s rather delicate. The mere thought of what she might have suffered without your intervention¡­" He shuddered. "I''m glad I could help." Mike replied with an awkward smile. He tried to associate the word delicate with the woman, and just couldn''t bring himself to do it. "Anyway, how is she doing?" "With the exception of her wardrobe, which failed to survive the kidnapping," The butler''s face crimped, as if the thought bothered him a great deal, "she is well. In fact, not long after your acquaintance brought her home, she was already working on her next project. Apparently, she''s become fascinated with the fabric of that suit you made for her." William frowned, a little disapprovingly. "I know it was likely a difficult situation, but was there not some other, more¡­appropriate form of dress available?" "Ah¡­well, it was a bit chaotic, to say the least. I was a little more focused on her survival. Anyway, I''m glad she had no issues after we separated." Mike answered, deciding that it was perhaps time for him to make his escape, lest the butler engage in some other lines of questioning. Thankfully, Lily herself provided him with the perfect excuse. A small explosion rocked the dorm, and he could see a thin plume of smoke wafting from one of the rooms behind the butler. William sighed, "I must go attend to that. If you would be so kind, please pass along my thanks to Miss Selene. Her assistance in bringing Lady Lilliana back home was most appreciated." "I will express your sentiments the next time I see her." He said before making his way out of the dormitory. Once outside he looked over at the sprawling mass of draconic flesh that was currently lazing in the afternoon sun, and sighed. Figuring that any advantage inherent to hiding his identity had largely vanished after the Tenundians attempted to kidnap a member of his party, Mike decided that the time of secrecy had passed. This way, he could employ his reliable dragon mount as a guard to prevent such a thing from happening again. Or so he''d intended. It was a little difficult to imagine the creature in front of him being capable of guarding anything in his current state. At some point while he was inside, Red had found a grassy patch next to the dorm to lay down in. Evidently, the afternoon sunlight had proved too strong, and the dragon had drifted off to sleep, ending up on his back with legs splayed haphazardly in the air. Every so often, they twitched a little, making Mike wonder what kind of dream he must be having. [That looks like it should be uncomfortable for a creature with wings and bony spines running along its back, but I guess he''s pretty tired out too.] Despite Red''s apparent unconscious state, he did seem to have enough awareness to send a mental message essentially stating that Mike didn''t need to worry, because he had it under control. Although he was a little hesitant to believe the dragon, who looked about as relaxed as possible, he eventually agreed and headed out to run his errands. With a quick application of Air Magic, he launched himself forward, angling for the infirmary he knew was established near the front. By this point, his mana reserves had almost completely refilled and he felt ready to face the aftermath of the battle. Mike had access to some of the most potent Healing Magic on the continent, and he would feel morally remiss if he didn''t make use of it to assist the injured Almiran soldiers. Not to mention, that it would give him a good opportunity to practice a little used skill. He briefly considered creating another disguise, but he''d honestly gotten sick of all the lies and secrecy. There wasn''t much point in trying to hide his identity anymore. Nevertheless, he wasn''t quite ready to embrace the celebrity lifestyle, and therefore reapplied his now trademark mask. With this, the Dragonknight Erasmus would be getting a little more famous. ----------------------------------------------------------- "Manling! How long are we to sit and watch our enemies? My tribe grows more restless with each passing day. Soon they will attack with or without your permission, and I have little inclination to stop them." The Orc Chieftain boldly stated as she burst into Morris''s tent without any invitation or warning while he was in the middle of changing. Morris had gotten used to Talgratha''s blustery demeanor over the last few days. This particular invasion of privacy was normal for her, so he did his best to remain calm while pulling his pants back up. "As I''ve said before, the Count has ordered us to hold position here and not engage the enemy until he signals us." The coalition force had arrived at the crossroads leading towards the capital, only to find an Orcish army, augmented by a small number of Tenundians, already encamped on a nearby hill. Since basic military logic dictated that trying to take the camp by storm, despite the enemy''s notable terrain advantage, would not only be difficult, but lead to a high number of casualties. He assumed that the rowdy and battle hungry Orcs would force the enemy into attacking soon enough, even if they had to abandon the high ground to do so. However, two days had passed without any sign of movement from the other camp, and the excuse that he was waiting for some signal from his father was starting to wear thin. She pointed a threatening finger at him, "Listen well, human. I don''t care that your father is a famous warrior among your kind, nor that he left you in charge. Orcs only respect strength, and I have yet to see anything of it from you." [Is she trying to challenge my authority? Does she think I will rise to her provocation that easily?] Morris sat down in a simple camp chair that he''d scrounged up during the march, finding it much preferable to the ostentatious contraption he''d inherited along with his position as commander. "Chief Talgratha, when you and the Ashborn joined us for this campaign, you agreed to abide by our military decisions until the Tenundian threat had been eliminated. In exchange, we have signed extensive trade agreements and ceded a portion of the territory south the Ash mountains to you and tour tribe. Are you telling me, you no longer wish to honor your end of the bargain?" The woman narrowed her eyes at him, but remaining silent. [One more good push should do it.] He glanced over the campaign map laying spread out on the table before him, his gaze resting briefly on a star labeled Almirn, before snapping back to the orc. "Besides, you still want to have your rematch, right? Break ranks now, and my good friend Mike won''t give you the chance to restore your honor. I will make sure of that." She grunted, turned on her heels and left without saying another word. Once she was gone, Morris sighed. As time wore on, the fractured nature of the coalition was becoming more apparent, and he was increasingly being forced to rely on his negotiating skills in order to avoid a more serious conflict. [I hope things change soon, because I don''t think I can keep this up for too much longer.] As if to abuse him of the notion, a voice called out from outside his tent. "Commander Morris, I would like to speak to you regarding our current troop placement. I have a complaint to make." He recognized the nasally whine of Baron Tugh, one of the minor nobles who''d followed his father into battle. The man had once seen combat during a Tenundian border raid, and therefore became the preeminent expert on military tactics, despite the presence of vastly more experienced nobles in the army. Unfortunately, he was an influential member of the neutral faction, and therefore had to be treated with care. So, no matter how much Morris wanted to throttle the rat-like man, he was forced to play nice. "My good Baron, please come in and make yourself comfortable. I was only in the process of getting ready for bed, so no harm done." He called, trying hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Chapter 209: Uplifting Pain. Agonizing, all-consuming pain. It was the first thing Henry felt as consciousness finally returned to him. Gradually, he reached a point where he could form coherent thoughts once more. Trying to make sense of his fractured memories, Henry recalled that he had been fighting on the walls. A particularly heavy push from the besiegers nearly forced him and his small band of guardsmen from the parapets, at least until the massive red dragon, that served the Dragonknight Erasmus, raked the enemy with a tightly controlled line of fire. The effect was horrible, and it didn''t take much effort to eliminate the remaining Tenundians, or at least it shouldn''t have. That was when he took the hit. One of his subordinates called a warning, but Henry was slow to react, turning just in time to catch the blade of an enemy axe with his left arm. The force of the blow sent him staggering backwards, reeling to catch his balance. It wasn''t until he was starting to fall that he realized just how close he''d been to the edge. Staring back up at the receding faces of his comrades, he had just enough time to open his mouth and start screaming when he impacted the roof of a stable near the base of the wall, plowing through it with all the force of an armored man in free fall. That he didn''t die instantly was likely due his landing in a large pile of hay. It was hard to be sure on that point, since by then he was fading in and out of consciousness, but he distinctly remembered the scratchy texture and the smell. Everything after that was a blur until he awoke in a very different place. As a veteran of a few border skirmishes, he recognized the sounds of dying men, the smell of blood and offal, and the crowded, muggy air. He concluded he was in some kind of infirmary. It took him a few moments to realize there were people around him. An exhausted looking man in the blood-soaked robes of an Aminatrean priest was standing nearby. Henry thought it was odd that he didn''t have the usual solar disc embroidered on the front of his white and gold clothes, but then remembered that neophytes who''d just entered the church didn''t receive the symbol until they had passed their trials to become a full priest. He tried to speak, but found himself unable to talk, or really even move. Even the most minor motion caused waves of pain to shoot through him, nearly forcing him into unconsciousness again. However, the priest''s words kept him awake. He was talking to someone Henry couldn''t see, sounding tired and numb with whatever horrors he''d visited prior to this. "I''ve done all I can, but I don''t think he has much of a chance. He ruptured something in the fall and he''s bleeding internally..." [That and I seem to have broken every bone in my body.] The man trailed off briefly, before continuing with head bowed. "I''m sorry...if there was only a more skilled priest available..." "No...its alright." A husky female voice answered him, one he thought he recognized. Something about it reminded him of home, but he couldn''t place it. He sensed someone coming around to his side, sitting next to him. There was something wrong with his right eye, so he tried to turn his head to look, only for the resulting pain to drive him back into the darkness once more. He awoke some time later, feeling a good deal weaker than before. He wasn''t sure exactly how long he''d been out, but it seemed like he was alone now. [Probably left me to die.] He thought with some bitterness. A series of coughs wracked his damaged body, although he noted that it was no longer painful. That should be concerning, but it was getting hard to care about anything in particular at the moment. It seemed like the room was growing dimmer, little by little, as if the darkness was eating away at the edge of his vision. [Ah...I guess this is it.] He coughed again, a little more feebly. [I''ve had a good run, all things considered. No regrets...] A mental image of his sister''s angry face passed through his mind, but he pushed it away. Considering the nature of their last parting, she would probably welcome the knowledge of his death. Unconsciously, he tried to reach up and wipe the darkness from his eyes, only to realize that his left arm was no longer there, and his right was so heavily bandaged that he couldn''t bend it. Again, this felt like something he should have been concerned about, but it was still really hard to care. He was far too tired. In the distance he saw a pinprick of warm light appear. Slowly, it began to grow larger, dominating his vision and giving him the impression of a long tunnel. He didn''t know why, but he felt he had to move forward. Sensing the coming of the end, Henry found himself wondering about what awaited him on the other side of this passage. The priests said that righteous souls would find themselves in a paradise created by the gods, while the unworthy would be broken down and recycled to form the components of new souls, soon to be born into the world. While he hoped that it would be the former, he had to admit that the latter didn''t sound to bad either. Maybe he could find some solace in- A sudden, intense wash of energy passed through him, and he found himself coughing in a remarkably pain free manner. "Right, this one''s done. Where''s the next?" A man said from a point slightly behind his head. "I don''t believe it..." Another voice whispered. Henry twisted in the bed, ripping off a bandage that was obscuring his vision in the process. It wasn''t until he was sitting up that he realized he''d done it with his left hand. Gasps filled his surroundings as someone hugged him from the side. Glancing down, he saw his sister, Irene, her face a mess of tears. "I thought...you.." She started, unable to finish. Utterly confused, he looked around until his gaze rested on the figure of his savior. The Dragonknight Erasmus was standing there, arms folded impatiently as he fixed the young priest from earlier with his masked glare. Evidently it wasn''t have much of an effect, since the clergy member was still staring down at Henry with disbelief. ---------------------------------------------------- Mike was about to prod the incompetent young fool into action, when he realized he recognized the man he''d just healed. He held up a hand in greeting."Oh? Captain Henry, its good to see you." The watch captain, who was more bandage than man at the moment, returned the greeting with a dazed expression. He evidently hadn''t quite recovered from his brief brush with death. Not wanting to spoil what looked to be a tender moment between him and the charming young woman that was clutching at him, Mike got the priest moving on to the next patient. [He seemed like a bit of a playboy, but I guess there is at least one woman who genuinely cares for him. How nice.] He thought while healing a middle aged woman who''d been caught by a falling pillar and suffered a serious head wound. Despite the healers'' best efforts, she was still fading. A quick inspection with his magic determined that there was some kind of bleed inside her cranial cavity, and the resulting fluid buildup was causing her condition to deteriorate. Nevertheless, it was a simple fix, and in no time at all he was moving on once more, leaving the woman and her family thanking him profusely. Ever since he''d reached Tier 4 with his Healing Magic, it had become trivially easy to treat even the most severe injuries. With a little effort he could locate the source of the problem and correct the abnormality in a matter of seconds. With this increased precision came far greater efficiency. He''d been down in this infirmary for close to an hour, healing continuously, and he''d only burned through a small fraction of his reserves. In fact it had become tedious. So much so, that he found his mind wandering after the first half hour. [I''ll have to thank Selene when I get a chance. Tier 4 skills are pretty ridiculous.] That said, he''d yet to feel much progress on improving the skill, despite healing a few hundred patients. To some extent, it seemed like this particular activity was insufficiently challenging. If only he could do something to increase the difficulty without risking the people he was working on... [This would be easier if I could just heal them all at once...] He idly considered the problem while restoring a young boy''s leg. So distracted was he, that he completely missed the reverent, almost worshipful, way the lad''s mother thanked him. The idea of mass healing had merit, but it would be difficult to implement. It would require some kind of delivery mechanism, much like with his Cleansing Mist spell. That would likely accomplish what he was looking for, but it was too inefficient. Besides he''d started to wonder if there might be a better way. He pondered the conundrum for a few minutes. A solution came to him while he was in the middle of treating a soldier suffering from several arrow wounds to his chest. He was startled when several other men cheered their comrade''s recovery, but focused on the idea. [While Steam Magic can be used, its wasteful. Every part of the cloud of mist is infused with mana, meaning that much of it won''t directly affect the targets, and instead be expended. Rather than simply dispersing the mana over an area in the hopes that enough of it arrives at the right location, wouldn''t it be better to control where it goes directly?] The real question was how. His limited experience with the Mana Transference skill suggested that any attempt to push unaltered mana through the air would be difficult in the extreme. He frowned while casually re-emboweling a young female soldier who looked like she''d been caught in the business end of a wood chipper. [Why can I do it with my familiars, but not other people? What constitutes the link? Can I use something else to mimic it?] This seemed like a promising start, so he began playing with potential elemental combinations and chants. By the time he''d finished restoring the front half of a man''s torso, which had been somehow cleaved from him in manner that was reminiscent of an anatomy display, he''d settled on one option. While he''d considered using a combination of Aerosense and some form of elemental magic in order to simultaneously locate and form a link with injured people in a specified area, it would be very difficult to do all of that at once. Yet, just using Air Magic for its detection purposes seemed insufficient. He experimented a bit between patients, and after he finished healing a male dog beastman, who had been nearly split in half, Mike had a breakthrough. So pressing was this realization, that he completely ignored the white-eared rabbit beastman who had been sitting nearby, and was now staring after him, mouth hanging slack. [Air''s hold is too tenuous to be used for these purposes, and Water and Earth lack the flexibility I need. Fire is out of the question for obvious reasons. That leaves me with either Light and Dark magic, although the latter is probably too inefficient for what I want it to do.] After playing around with Light Magic, causing no little consternation to his surroundings, he discovered that he could focus his will along a beam of light and receive a very limited understanding of what it struck. [Some kind of LADAR-like effect? I''m surprised the System lets me analyze the information this way.] He''d also discovered that the ray of light could also easily serve as a temporary link. Putting the idea into practice, he fired one at a grey-bearded dwarf that was clinging to life despite having been cut nearly in two at the waist. At any other time, he''d have marveled at the dwarf''s incredible resilience, but as it stood, he was just excited that his idea worked. [That took about 30% more mana than healing normally, even with the addition of Light Magic. I think I''m on to something here.] Glancing around him, Mike realized that there didn''t seem to be any other patients to heal. He rounded on the young priest that was still following him around. "Is there another floor with more wounded?" The youth look at him with something approaching religious awe, "Benevolent One, you have already healed everyone in the infirmary, and quite a few of those who have flocked here after hearing rumors of your presence. I don''t think there is anyone else who requires your mercy." [...What?] Trying to maintain his cool Mike pushed on. "You mean to tell me that there is no one else in need of healing in this city?" "While I cannot speak for the city as a whole, Benevolent One, there are none remaining in the infirmaries we had set up for the battle." The young man answered with a degree of uncertainty in his eyes. Judging from the way he kept trying to lean forward or squat down, it seemed like he was troubled about whether or not he needed to be kneeling while speaking to him. "I see." Mike replied, trying to sound more confident than he felt. [I''m at about half of my reserves. Is that really all it takes to heal an entire army''s worth of wounded? I''m not sure how I should feel about this. Although I''m a little disappointed I won''t get a chance to practice my new spell idea.] "Benevolent One," The priest started, before hesitating, once again uncertain, "there is one other place with wounded, but I''m not sure..." "Take me there." He commanded, noticing a rather large crowd of people gathering around him with awe-stricken and grateful faces. He was starting to have flashbacks to last time this happened, and wanted to get out of here soon. "Of course." The priest smiled in a knowing way, "please follow me." [I feel like he just got the wrong idea about something.] Chapter 210: A Whole New Level Cecil resisted the urge to turn around and look at the wondrous being which had graced the infirmary with his presence. As a mere acolyte, he was not worthy of the task of guiding such an esteemed personage, but was resolved to give it his best effort. He didn''t know what brought the holy entity here, but was thankful to be a part of it. After all, it wasn''t often one had the chance to see a Saint in action. "Benevolent One, the area I spoke of is just up ahead. Although I dare not question your intentions, I must warn you that it is...not in the best state at the moment." He was having a hard time explaining that the holding cell for Tenundian prisoners was little more than a fenced-in pasture land near the wall that had been hastily converted to the purpose with Earth Magic, once the sheer number of captured soldiers became clear. To keep things simple they focused on making an inverted cone, but this just added to the misery. Of the thousand or so Tenundians who had entered the city in one capacity or another, only a little more than a hundred remained, and the vast majority of those were injured. Cecil had only seen the "Pit" in passing on his way to the infirmary, but he had been disturbed by such a concentration of human suffering in a single area. Although nominally secure against escape, the prison did little to protect its inhabitants from either the elements or the spite of the locals, who pelted the captured soldiers with all manner of refuse and insults. The guards, many of whom had lost friends, family, or comrades to the invaders, stood by without helping. It seemed that the only thing left for them, was a short period of suffering while waiting for the release of death. It pained the young acolyte to think of people being subjected to such agony and humiliation, even if they had invaded his home. Then again, he had always been softhearted, part of what had attracted him to the clergy in the first place. So, when the Saint asked for additional patients, Cecil understood at once. This merciful envoy of the gods had been sent to provide succor for all the sufferers in this city, regardless of their allegiance. It was an act seemingly torn from the church''s legends. "It matters not." The Saint replied, his steely voice sending shivers down the acolyte''s spine. "Yes, Benevolent One. Right this way." Cecil answered while forging a path through the sparsely populated streets. The assault had only come to an end a few hours ago, and the remaining citizens had emerged to take stock of the damage. However, as they approached the makeshift prison, the crowd grew thicker and more agitated. [This isn''t good.] Cecil thought to himself. Evidently, word had gotten around about the presence of Tenundian prisoners inside the city walls. He hoped that nothing unfortunate had yet occurred, but the mood of the Almirans around him was growing darker. They finally broke through to the road in front of the converted pasture. A mob, for lack of a better term, had formed in front of a thin line of guards, and was pressing up against a rudimentary barricade that was the only thing preventing them from getting their hands on the prisoners. While things hadn''t gotten violent yet, the young priest could tell that it was only a matter of time. Any second now, the Almiran citizens would get fed up, and simply overwhelm the guards. At which point, this street would become the scene of a tragedy. Cecil was still trying to figure out what to do, when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and with it came a wash of calming warmth. Suddenly he was relaxed, peaceful, and rested, as if he had just finished an afternoon nap while bathing in the summer sun. For a young man who''d spent the majority of his life inside musty libraries and temples, the feeling was new and refreshing. The Saint stepped past him with a simple nod in his direction, and slowly moved out into the street. It didn''t take long for members of the mob to take note of the newcomer, since his trademark mask made him stand out. Their response, however, surprised Cecil. "The Dragonknight!" A young woman yelled, looking astonished. "He''s here to finish the job!" Another man announced, eliciting a round of cheers. The Saint, or perhaps Dragonknight, Cecil was no longer sure, ignored the response of the crowd, and took advantage of the path that formed naturally, allowing him to approach the guards. The priest did his best to follow along. A man dressed in the uniform of a sergeant of the Almiran City Watch stepped out to meet him, a look of deep concern on his face. "Sir Dragonknight, it''s an honor, but I have to ask, what''s your business?" "I''m here to see the prisoners." Came the straightforward reply. Nevertheless, it carried a weight that made any argument impossible. The sergeant paled, but nodded. "I couldn''t stop you, even if I wanted to, but these prisoners are under my care. I have to protest against their maltreatment." His eyes took on a slightly shifty cast, before leaning in close. "Just for appearance''s sake anyway." Then, without another word, the man moved to the side while ordering his soldiers to clear a path for the Saint, who strode forward into the ''Pit.'' In the few short hours since Cecil had last seen the prison, it had grown much worse. Crowded into a teeming horde by the steep slope of the cone shaped enclosure, the Tenundian soldiers were a sorry lot. Most were still covered in the dirt and gore of battle, and many were baring fresh injuries and stains from thrown rocks and garbage. The former of which gave the already foul air a heady stench of rot. Due to the angle of the steep depression, the prisoners were forced to stand in uncomfortable positions, or simply collapse on top of one another, crushing the unfortunate soldiers underneath. From Cecil''s perspective at the rim of the prison, he could tell that the most severely wounded people were crowded near the center, where the accumulated garbage and debris had formed into something that resembled a flat plane. From the looks of it, many of these were on the threshold of death, if they hadn''t reached it already. The Saint took a moment to survey the group. They were a ragged bunch, eyes filled with sullen resentment and despair. These were people that had given up already, and were now simply waiting for it all to end. Cecil felt his stomach twist in sympathetic pain. While he was still trying to control his trembling hands, the divine being next to him went to work. By simply raising his hand, he drew the pit back up to the surface, bringing it to the same level it once held and erasing the work that had taken a team of Earth Mage''s nearly a half hour to complete. In doing so, he brought the Tenundians into clear view of the mob, causing the angry citizens to erupt into a bloodthirsty roar. The guards were forced back by a sudden surge of motion, barely holding onto the semblance of a formation. However, it was clear that they would soon buckle. Either not noticing the change in the mob''s demeanor, or not caring, the Saint stepped forward until he was was standing just in front of the Tenundians. While a few of them had enough courage to issue hostile glares, the majority of the prisoners averted their gazes, passively awaiting for whatever misery was in their future. The Saint whispered quietly in a voice that was just a little too soft to be understood, but the soothing and musical sounding words that flowed from the man''s lips spoke to something deep within Cecil. He sensed that something wondrous was about to happen. A warm light began to suffuse the clearing, growing stronger every second until it became painful to even look at. The priest could hear gasps of surprise, as the noise of the crowd died down completely, until the only sound that could be heard was the soft hum of energy seeming to come from the air itself. After a few moments, the strange light vanished. Cecil blinked in the sudden darkening, and started staring around at the clearing, surprised to see how dreary and unpleasant the area seemed to be after being exposed to the Saint''s illumination. He was so confused by the change, he almost missed it as the divine being passed by him, heading back towards the crowd. Whirling in surprise, the priest asked. "Benevolent One?" The Saint paused, glancing back. "I''m done here, so I will be moving on. There is still much I need to do." With that, he turned once more and vanished into the befuddled crowd. An excited cry arose from the prisoners behind him. "Lawrence! You''re alright!" Other, similar exclamations followed as the Tenundians realized that their injuries had vanished, and those who had been on death''s door mere seconds ago were now well enough to stand. Cecil marveled as their despairing faces morphed, almost as if by magic, into ones bearing joy and hope. He heard the guard sergeant fall in beside him, speaking in hushed tones. "He healed them. All of them. In an instant." He paused sounding confused. "But why? Aren''t they the enemy?" Cecil glanced back at where the Saint had disappeared, somehow knowing that the esteemed figure would not return to defend his reputation. He was starting to understand his purpose here. He was not meant to be a mere guide, for surely a divine being would have no need of mortal assistance in that regard. No, his role was a much simpler and more difficult one. He was to be a voice. "Sergeant, I understand your feelings." Cecil began, speaking loud enough for the crowd to hear as well. "To see the ones responsible for killing our comrades and endangering our home being blessed in this manner, inspires mixed emotions. Knowing that the Saint has seen fit to heal the soldiers of an enemy nation, one which seeks to destroy the great city of Almirn, is hard to bear." The young priest focused on his words, striving with every ounce of his being to not fail the one who had given him this task. Although he did not realize it, the clearing had lapsed into silence, with every person, Almiran and Tenundian alike, straining to hear his next words. "However, we cannot let our hatred destroy the very thing that gives rise to our greatness. As the Goddess Aminatrea said during her appearance before the first of the Pyrathien emperors, ''All that lives and breaths in this world stands beneath the same sky. All that dies, returns to the same earth. Let the boundaries between you remain nothing more than lines in the dirt, and embrace each other as siblings.''" He paused to take a breath, and realized that everyone was watching him, their faces largely unreadable. A tension hung in the air, and Cecil knew he had to finish strong or risk becoming a target of the mob''s ire. "Though the Tenundians have wronged us, they are still men and women who have been born into this world. They live and hope and dream just as all of you have. They are brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, fathers and mothers, whose families will mourn them once they have gone." Sweeping his gaze across the mob, Cecil smiled. "Let us not be dragged down into the depths of depravity by our hatred. Instead, show them the greatness of our spirit. Show them that, despite the conflicts of our two nations, we see them for what they are, fellow inhabitants of this world and beings deserving of our mercy." Silence fell on the clearing as the mob digested this. For a moment Cecil was afraid that he had failed, that the anger would return and nothing would stop the crowd from tearing the captured soldiers apart. However, a young boy, no older than ten, slipped past the guards and made his way towards the Tenundians. By some unspoken agreement, neither side moved to prevent him from doing so. Obviously embarrassed by the attention of hundreds of adults, the boy fidgeted for a few moments before drawing something from his pocket and holding it out to one of the prisoners, a young woman in a torn and bloodstained uniform. Numbly she reached out and accepted the item. It was an apple. Perhaps misunderstanding her shocked expression, the boy blushed in further embarrassment. "You looked hungry, so you can have that. This kind is my favorite." Mission accomplished, he turned and ran back towards the Almirans, slipping into the crowd as swiftly as he''d arrived. With that simple act of generosity, the mood changed for the better. The locals began bringing forward food and supplies, and grudgingly handing them over to the astonished Tenundians, who had the wherewithal to look guilt-stricken but grateful. As the guard sergeant started discussing the possibility of moving the prisoners into a more sheltered location, Cecil decided to take his leave. The crowd parted around him, the citizens treating him with the respect normally reserved the highest level of clergy. Clearly his actions and his relation to the Saint had elevated him to an exalted position in their eyes. Once that would have pleased Cecil greatly, but now he found himself dominated by a single concern. [Did I do well, Benevolent One?] ---------------------------------------------------------------- Mike ducked into a back alley before removing his disguise. He glanced around nervously, but sighed once he saw the coast was clear. [So, that was a thing.] He had been caught by surprise by the appearance of the mob, but quickly realized the nature of the situation once faced with the prisoners in the pit. He had been, quite frankly, at a loss about what to do. In the stories he''d read on Earth, this was when the protagonist would do something to inspire the crowd and take charge of the event, bending public opinion in the most favorable direction. However, he had neither the desire, nor the inclination to do so. Quite simply, there was nothing to be gained from it, especially since Mike wasn''t an actual saint who''d be willing to forgive his enemies that easily. A part of him wondered if it might not be easier to simple bury the lot of them. After pondering the issue for a few moments, he finally decided to just practice his spell and leave the Tenundians to their fate. It might harm his overall image, but at this point he didn''t really care. He slipped away after he was done, not wanting to bear witness to the group being torn apart by the mob. He did feel a bit guilty about the young priest he''d left there, but figured a member of the clergy probably had enough authority to protect himself. [Hopefully, this doesn''t cause too much of a commotion.] Chapter 211: Feeling Spirited After discarding his disguise, Mike continued on with his other business. Preparing for battle had consumed most of his time for the last few days, and now that the Tenundians had been beaten back, there were a few errands he wanted to get done before the next assault. Thankfully, it seemed like most of the city''s institutions were still functioning despite the siege, which gave him the opportunity to replenish his stocks. In his limited free time, Mike had been working almost exclusively on his Artifice skill, hoping to bring it up to a high enough level to help his party members. While he''d made a fair amount of progress so far, there was still a long way to go before he was satisfied. He''d hit a bit of a stumbling block when it came to the base materials. The few items he''d been able to acquire from the market had been mostly low quality, and he''d started to reach the point where he would need more valuable resources to make progress in his skill. Feeling that it might be a good time to take care of some other business in the process, he headed to the Adventurer''s Guild and checked with the receptionist for messages. Unsurprisingly, he had one informing him of a place where he could meet with a representative of the shadowy organization that had sold him books. He''d nearly forgotten about the letter he''d sent them a few days ago. Hopefully, they wouldn''t hold a grudge. Following the attached directions, he found himself in a little used section of the piers under the Span. A few abandoned warehouses occupied the narrow stretch of land between the base of the titanic bridge and the waters of the bay. Judging from the general state of disrepair, the deserted appearance of the area was not just a product of the ongoing siege. Mike wasn''t sure if this effort would bear fruit, since the messenger was probably no longer waiting for him. However, he figured that it couldn''t hurt to try. Thankfully, he didn''t have to worry. "You''ve keep me waiting." A gruff, irritated voice issued from a nearby warehouse. A thin, dirty man dressed in dark colored rags stepped into view. He wore a frown that could be seen underneath his tangled beard. Mike used Appraise while phrasing his response. ------------------ Roger Age: 36 Race: Human Class: Agent Title: Silenced ------------------ [...I feel like this guy should be some kind of international spy.] "Sorry about that, I''ve been a bit tied up with the invasion and fighting to defend the city." Mike replied drily. "I''m aware. That''s why we are having this conversation at all. Now, what is it you are looking for?" Mike noted that the man named Roger didn''t specify a type of goods. "Primarily, I''m looking for materials used for item crafting through Artifice, specifically ones of high value and rarity. I''m assuming you have a branch that handles that kind of thing, right? Secondly, does your organization deal in information?" The man frowned noticeably, but nodded. "The first request won''t be an issue, since we do indeed have a section that handles magic materials. The second will depend greatly on what kind of information you are looking for." He sighed. "Nevertheless, I will set up a meeting for you to speak with our brokers." He took out a scrap of parchment and quickly wrote down two sets of times and places. "Here are your appointments. I recommend that you not be late to them this time, since the other parties are a lot less forgiving than me." Mike looked over the sheet, noting that both events were scheduled for the following day. Squinting, he took a moment to contemplate the meanings behind such a move. They were essentially stating that there was no need to fear additional confrontation with the Tenundians until after tomorrow. Something that was in line with the intelligence Emmanuel had passed to him earlier. [Seems like they have some decent sources at the very least.] "Thank you." He said with genuine appreciation. Roger shrugged in response. "All part of the job. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I''m going to go take a well earned break. This place gets creepy at night, and I haven''t slept well since I was posted here." "Sorry." Shrugging again, the man started walking. "Not the worst experience of my life, but I won''t be coming back anytime soon." After the agent had departed, Mike took a moment to look around the deserted docks once more. Throughout the brief meeting, he''d been detecting a low level hostility from one of the warehouses nearby. However, he''d been completely unable to locate the source. It almost felt as if the building itself was expressing some kind of malicious intent. Curious, he walked up to it, and found the door secured by a rusted lock. While such a thing wouldn''t be much of an impediment to him, he wondered whether it was justified to commit what amounted to breaking and entering just to satisfy an impulse. In the midst of his internal debate, he grabbed the lock intending to test its durability, only to find it crumbling into pieces in his hand. [Poor craftsmanship? Or is it being this close to the ocean that caused this level of corrosion?] Examining the building once more, he realized that it was more dilapidated than it neighbors, seemingly abandoned long before the others started suffering from neglect. Between the warped, salt-stained wood, broken windows, and non-existent paint, the difference from the other vacant warehouses was so stark he wondered how he missed it in the first place. Mike rested his hand against the ancient door, and nearly jumped when it slowly creaked open with the screech of rusty hinges. At the same time, the hostility he''d been feeling suddenly spiked as the whole area was suffused with murderous intent. Had he not become such a ridiculous entity over the last few months, such a feeling would have concerned him. As it was, the sensation just sparked his curiosity. [...I wonder if ghosts are a real thing in this world...Now that I think about it, Tal mentioned something to that effect before. I wish I''d paid more attention.] Since the decision had been made for him, he decided to go ahead and investigate. He''d long ago learned that these occasional flashes of impulse often led him to interesting, although not always beneficial, things. The interior of the warehouse was strangely dark, despite the broken windows letting the early afternoon sunlight in. Not that it caused him any problems thanks to his ring. Still, it was a little unusual to see it in action. [Is this some kind of magic? It seems a little too subtle to be straight up Darkness Magic. An illusion maybe?] He''d read about a couple of ways to make illusions through magic, which ranged from simple optical mirages through Light Magic to full-on sensory hijacking through Arcane Magic. He figured there must be others, especially when considering the unique skills acquired by unusual races and monsters, but this didn''t quite feel like an illusion either. Shrugging, he boldly stepped in, and was almost immediately forced to jump forward as a section of the roof caved in, collapsing where he''d been standing a moment before. While the debris wouldn''t have done much damage, the timing of the collapse couldn''t have been an accident. [Yeah, definitely something here.] Mike pressed on, scanning the empty storage section of the building. He''d half expected there to be a bunch of old crates and barrels, but it was actually devoid of anything besides dirt and a few dead leaves. He also noticed that there were no signs of animal life either, which definitely seemed odd. After briefly looking through a few dust filled offices, he turned his attention to a set of stairs leading to some kind of loft. They were rickety, and judging from the current chain of events, he wouldn''t have been surprised if they collapsed as soon as he got halfway up. So, with a blast of wind, he threw himself up onto the second story, completely ignoring them. As he landed with a slightly smug grin, he could almost sense the entity in the building growing more angry. It therefore didn''t come as a surprise when the floorboards underneath him started creaking in a menacing manner, although they stopped when he moved to a more stable part of the loft. He glanced around and was a little disappointed by how empty the place was. The only thing of interest was a small ladder leading to a hatch, which presumably had been used for maintenance of the roof. It wasn''t exactly clear what this section of the building was used for, although Mike suspected additional storage. Perhaps the builders were looking to maximize the available space. Sighing, he almost started heading back down, when he noticed a strange dark patch on the floorboards in one corner of the loft. Moving closer to investigate, he realized it was discoloration caused by something that soaked into the wood. Glancing up, he didn''t see any obvious signs of a hole in the roof directly above, although that didn''t rule out the possibility of water being the culprit. As he squatted down to look a bit more closely, he noticed that the hostility of the building had changed. It no longer seemed angry, and instead felt more flighty, almost as if it was frightened. Whatever was occupying this warehouse, it was clearly centered here and was worried about what he might do. Reaching down, he cautiously touched the spot with a single finger. It felt cold, and slightly slimy. As he pulled his finger away, he noticed that a few flecks of a black substance stuck to it, evidently the source of the discoloration. The hostility he''d been sensing changed again, this time morphing into something cold, and sightly disturbing. He felt that to go any further would lead to a confrontation of some kind. While he doubted that something like a spirit inhabiting a rundown warehouse could pose a legitimate threat to him, Mike decided that the didn''t want to push things without knowing more. Under ideal circumstances he would have liked to have spent some time trying to interact with the entity. He had a feeling that do so could prove advantageous in some capacity. However, he had a lot to do over the next few days, and he''d already wasted enough time indulging his curiosity. So, after resolving to come back at a later date, he hopped back down to the first floor and causally left, closing the door behind him. He noticed that the hostility fell to an almost undetectable level as he did. [I''ll add ghosts to my list of things to research when time allows, and I think I''ll bring Tal next time, too. She should have a little more luck with this kind of thing.] He thought to himself as he started heading towards the market district. There were still a few errands left to run. As Mike started walking, he didn''t notice a creeping haze of frost develop one of the warehouse''s few unbroken windows. He also didn''t see a print take shape in it, almost as if something invisible was pressing a hand against the glass from the inside. A hand with long, spindly fingers that ended in claws. Chapter 212: Inner Piece Mike sat cross legged with his eyes closed, trying to feel what the book described as a ''quintessential oneness with all things.'' After nearly an hour of emptying his mind and attempting to harness his inner world, he''d achieved nothing more than a numb backside. He was beginning to wonder if the meditation guide he''d picked up from the library was some kind of fake. [I don''t think they would keep something ineffective in the restricted section, so is it a flaw in my methodology?] He asked himself while pulling the book out again and scanning the section related to unlocking the skill. It hadn''t taken long for him to finish his other errands, especially since the majority of the items he was looking for were no longer available for sale. Apparently, the Call to Arms included stipulations regarding the sale of certain materials and supplies that impact the war effort. In addition to controlling the price of such things, the edict ensured that the government got first pick. While it was a slightly tyrannical process, Mike couldn''t argue against it. He''d read enough to know that war profiteers, price manipulation, and scarcities go hand in hand with sieges, so preventing the worst of it through regulation made sense. He tried approaching Emmanuel or one of his subordinates about simply requisitioning some of the materials he would need for crafting, but ran afoul of the hastily formed bureaucracy of the University Army''s headquarters, which was still operating out of a merchant''s office. Due to their abrupt departure from their previous place of work, most of the documentation related to the army''s resources had been destroyed along with a fair chunk of their inventory. To complicate the matter further, some of the material actually belonged to citizens of the city, who were making use of the storehouses to provide for the scratch built militia units. While the staff was in the process of rebuilding the records, it would be several days, at least, before they could even start thinking about releasing anything stored in one of the outlying facilities. Mike thought he could probably force the issue by leveraging his role as the city''s defender, but finally decided it wasn''t worth the trouble. He was meeting with the underworld merchants tomorrow, and simply purchasing what he needed would be much less of a headache. For a few minutes, he was at a loss for how to spend the night. It had been several days since he''d had so much free time, and he didn''t want to let it go to waste. After considering several options, he remembered that the books he''d checked out from the library were due back soon, and he''d made no progress on unlocking the skills included within. Since Beast Taming was a little impractical, what with the siege and all, and Transmutation required him to expend his limited crafting resources, he decided to try acquiring the Meditation skill. While mana regeneration was no longer as big of an issue for him, he figured that it wouldn''t hurt to have the tool under his belt. Besides, he''d read enough stories to suspect that there might be more to the ability than simply improving his regeneration rate. Although, it was proving a little difficult. "Seriously, who wrote this thing? ''Release yourself from the bonds of your ego, and accept your place as a small piece of cosmic dust within then vast realm of the gods'' creation.'' This feels like some kind of New Age self-help book written by someone with only a passing familiarity with the actual technique." Mike muttered to himself as he held the pages of the volume down to prevent the wind from flipping them again. He sighed and put it away again. As far as he could tell, the book was mostly composed of incomprehensible pseudo-spiritualism, and very little of it actually covered the means of learning Meditation. What advice it actually offered was ridiculously simple, essentially consisting of a rudimentary breathing technique coupled with a specific set of concepts to focus on while he practiced them. It should have been easy, especially with his class bonuses, but he''d been sitting in one place practicing for nearly an hour and didn''t feel like he''d made any progress so far. As he once again reached the point of ruminating on the cosmic seed, from which life had sprung eons ago, he''d finally had enough. Standing, he stretched and took another moment to enjoy the view laid out before him. When choosing a location for his practice, he''d decided to try doing so in a place that inspired deep thoughts. As such, he''d made his way to the top of the Spire on a whim, and was rewarded by finding a small, triangular notch that had been carved into the tip of the structure. Its presence was somewhat mysterious, since it seemed to be the only damage the alien construction had suffered throughout its eons of existence. Whatever the origin of this small alcove, it proved to be the perfect size for him to sit and attempt to ''become one with the universe.'' Unfortunately, while it had been an excellent vantage point to enjoy the sunset and the subsequent starry sky, he wasn''t having any luck with unlocking the Meditation skill. [That''s it. I give up. This method isn''t working.] He thought to himself, while idly trying to remember how the protagonists always accomplished it in the novels. There were a plethora of techniques, but not many seemed practical to him. Finally, he settled on one he''d heard about actually working in real life. Taking a deep breath, Mike turned his thoughts inwards, picturing a small, but fathomless pool of water. Looking down into it, he could see no sign of the bottom, only an endless, lightless abyss, from which nothing could escape. All around him was a void of absolute nothingness, stretching limitlessly through his mental landscape. He slowly started releasing his thoughts, feelings, and worries, letting them sink into the pool like scattered stones. With each rock he dropped into the water, he felt some indescribable part of him relax. When he''d finally let go of the last one, he was calmer than he''d ever been before, completely free of worry and emotion. This went far beyond the state he achieved while enhancing his willpower, and was only matched by the strange condition he fell into the last time he activated Limit Break. Staring into the pool, Mike realized that there was something visible now, something that he hadn''t seen before. It was a reflection, or at least it should have been. A dark, vaguely humanoid silhouette took shape in the water. Its features were hazy, as if he was viewing it through a pane of frosted glass, but he sense on an instinctual level that whatever now occupied the pool was an outsider, something that didn''t belong in his mind. The figure suddenly rushed forward, slamming into the surface of the pool with a sound that resembled the crash of metal. It continued to bang on the apparent barrier for a few moments, before finally stopping. Pressing the portion of its form that roughly corresponded with its face to the surface of the pool, the thing growled with a hungry voice. "Still trapped, I see. Well, no matter. At least we finally meet." Mike waited for it to continue. Normally, he would have been overcome with revulsion by the thought that such a thing was occupying a portion of his mind, but his current emotionless state allowed him to react rationally. With one hand the creature began to stroke the barrier, eliciting a sharp, piercing noise. "You know, I''ve been watching you, and I have to say, I''m rather disappointed. You''ve should have been able to end this war with ease, yet you''ve struggled with inferior opponents. Why do you lower yourself to fighting with them on even terms? Why do you continue to hold back?" After briefly considering the question, he responded calmly, "I am not holding back." The creature made a sound that resembled the groan of tortured metal. It took a few moments for Mike to realize it was laughing. "Come now, there is no need to lie to me. Sure you threw a few meteors at the Tenundians, but we both know you''ve avoided making full use of your abilities. You''ve already come up with several methods to deal with their army, but you lacked the will to make use of them." For a second, Mike felt his internal void tremble and it seemed like the thin barrier holding the creature in place weakened briefly in response. Acting quickly, he flexed his will, and returned to his previous state. The thing narrowed its eyes, which now gave of a faint red glow. "I''m especially fond of your altered version of that healing cloud spell. It would be quite amusing to watch them start suffocating on that Carbon Monoxide thing without understanding what was happening. Although that flaming wave with white phosphorus would be interesting too, certainly better than that method of rupturing a blood vessel in their brains. Of course, if all else fails, you could always summon a swarm of dragons to simply crush them, but I think that method lacks a certain...finesse." "What do you want?" He asked, trying hard to maintain his calm. "Mike, old buddy, the only thing I want is for you to let loose a little. Its painful to watch you keep trying to take the high road, especially since its only making things worse." He found himself frowning, "What do you mean?" The creature smiled hazily in a manner that suggested it had a far too many teeth. "Your hesitation prolongs this war. The longer it drags on, the more people will suffer on both sides of this conflict. Do you really think your little healing stunt actually made a difference? The lives you''ve saved are only a drop in the bucket compared the number who have already died, or who will die. Not to mention the ones you''ve killed yourself. Why do you continue to play the hypocrite? You could stop this war anytime you want, you just don''t have the courage and willpower to do so." As much as he hated to admit it, the thing had a point. He''d been unconsciously avoiding take that last step. The void trembled again. "Cat got your tongue?" The creature asked with another horrendous laugh. "I know its a difficult decision for you, so here''s an idea, why don''t you just relax and let me in? I''ll take care of your enemies for you. It will be easy." Mike wasn''t sure, but he thought it was drooling. Deciding that he''d learned all he cared to, he wrenched his mind free of the mental construct. As he felt the image start to fade and the void collapsed inwards, he heard the thing growl and slam against the barrier again. Its voice was colored with frustration. "You''re a fool! Sooner or later you''ll slip up, and then you''ll be mine!" Soon only the pool was left. Within its depths, Mike could still see the creature as its obscured face twisted into another grin. "I''ll be watching." With a gasp he opened his eyes, as the suppressed horror of the event washed over him. Once he felt a little calmer, he took a brief look at his [Status] to confirm his acquisition of a new secondary skill. --------------------------------------- - Meditation (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Through ancient techniques the user can enter a state of enhanced relaxation, which makes them more receptive to ambient mana. As a result, they will recover their reserves at a greater rate. While active, provides a minor increase to mana regeneration rate. Serves as the prerequisite and limiter for all other Meditation skills. --------------------------------------- [Nothing about what I experienced, so it must have been some other interference.] Mike thought to himself. [I think I will avoid using this skill for now, at least until I have a better idea of what that creature was, and how it knew so much about me.] He sat there for a few minutes, contemplating possibilities, and planning for eventualities. So focused was he on this task, he didn''t notice that he was absentmindedly rubbing his right arm, which ached slightly. Chapter 213: Ritual Observance [Alright, now what do I do about this?] Mike was still sitting in the small alcove, idly kicking his legs against the side of the Spire, where he''d been contemplating recent revelations for the last hour or so. Despite going back and forth on the issue, he was at a loss. While he wasn''t sure about the exact nature of the strange being that had spoken to him during his meditation, his instincts told him that it was bad news. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to deal with the situation. He tried cleansing himself with a wave of Healing Magic, on the off chance that it would resolve the problem, but it proved ineffective. [Well, I''m not getting anywhere on my own, so I should probably get some advice. Tal works with spirits, so maybe she would have some kind of idea. Outside of that, I suppose I could try doing some research in the library, although I''m not really sure where to start.] He was a little hesitant to simply start asking people about his personal monster. Something told him that it would make things complicated if it got out that the Dragonknight was hearing voices. Course of action in mind, he stood up and jumped off the tower, allowing gravity to carry him towards the ground. He took a brief moment to enjoy the thrill, before using a blast of Air Magic to halt his fall. Afterwards, he made his way back to the dorm, studiously avoiding thinking about the creature''s words and recriminations. He wasn''t quite ready to face that just yet. Fortunately for him, Tal was still awake, and followed him out to the forest clearing to listen to his issues. She was silent throughout as he described his experience, listening with her characteristic apathetic expression. Once he was finished, she asked him, "Recognize it?" Mike shook his head, "I don''t. I even tried to make use of Appraise, but evidently it doesn''t work inside my own mind." "Not sure. Maybe possession. Unusual case." She squinted her eyes slightly. He took that to mean she was frowning, perhaps in concern. "Know someone. Might help." "Oh? Where is this person?" He asked with sudden surge of hope. "Riverlands, maybe?" "I see. That''s a bit difficult to manage. I probably need to find something sooner, rather than later." "Best known. Expert spiritualist." Tal insisted. "Can go?" Mike sighed, before nodding. "I''ve been meaning to explore a little more of the world, so maybe this is a good chance. Alright, I trust your opinion. Once things have settled down here, we''ll make a trip to the Riverlands." [Now that I think about, I haven''t left this continent since coming to this world. I wonder what other regions are like?] He started getting excited at the prospect, momentarily forgetting his concerns. "Oh, before I forget, I''m pretty sure I encountered a ghost, or a spirit, or something before I started meditating. Could that have anything to do with it?" Tal stared at him for a few moments in a manner that would have been slightly insulting from anyone else. "Explain." So, Mike told her about his experiences in the abandoned warehouse, as well as the strange feelings of hostility he got from the surroundings. "Show me." She demanded while leaning in, something close to excitement leaking from her otherwise emotionless tone. "What, right now? Its the middle of the night." She only nodded in response. He sighed, "Well, I guess I wasn''t planning on sleeping tonight anyway. Alright, let''s go." Tal ran back to the dorm to collect a few items, before joining him again. It didn''t take them long to make their way back to the docks, and the dilapidated building in question. On seeing it, Mike started to have second thoughts. If the ruin had been disturbing during the day, it was downright creepy at night. The wooden structure creaked and moaned in the cool ocean breeze. It seemed to howl as the wind passed through its broken windows and the gaps between its warped and rotting boards. "Maybe we should come back tomorrow, during the day." Mike suggested, his instincts on edge. He could already feel the intense hostility settling in. Tal stepped forward wordlessly, boldly entering the warehouse without any indication of concern or worry. He sighed, then followed after, hoping that she knew what she was doing. Figuring that she probably needed the assistance, he summoned a ball of light to illuminate their way. The elf stopped inside, taking a moment to survey the interior of the building, before focusing on a spot near the roof. He wasn''t sure exactly what she was looking at, but it evidently gave her some clue as to what to do. "Revered Ancestor, please shelter our path and keep the other at bay." Tal whispered in an easy, fluid manner that was a radical departure from her usual choppy method of speech. As she spoke, a wispy, silver-colored mist emerged from her back, then swiftly dispersed into the air, causing their surroundings to lighten slightly. It was hard to tell, but Mike thought the atmosphere got a little better. More tellingly, the hostility he''d been sensing since they''d arrived finally declined, almost as if the source was being distracted or suppressed. "Is Jiranigath." She commented, a hint of consternation in her tone. "What''s that?" "Type of Wraith." Tal didn''t explain further, and something about her body posture indicated that she didn''t want to, so he let the matter slide. When she was ready to move on, he grabbed her around the waist and launched them up to the second story with a blast of Air Magic. As he was descending, he couldn''t help but regret that he hadn''t mastered the art of flight yet. Despite his best efforts, he''d so far been forced to rely on the magical equivalent of a fire hose to push himself through the air in a haphazard manner. While it worked to move him around, he was starting to hate the lack of elegance. [Once I have the time to get back to casually improving my skills. Flight is definitely going on the top of the list of things I want to master.] His musings were interrupted by an alarming level of creaking and moaning from the boards underneath him, and he quickly moved away from the center of the floor. "Nexus here." Tal said, indicating the discolored section of wood he''d found last time. "Place of death." She kneeled next to the spot, gently reaching out towards it. "How sad." "What''s wrong?" He asked, curious. She started to speak, frowned, and then pulled out a scrap of paper and a pencil and began writing. Once she was done, she handed it over to him, then started pulling out several other items from the bag she''d brought from the dorm. As far as he could tell, it was a random assortment of miscellaneous junk. Even Appraise didn''t reveal anything more, only listing them as a variety of Tier 1 items with bland, generic descriptions. There was a bundle of feathers, splayed into something that looked like a crude fan, a cracked and deformed crystal, a small wax doll, a hoop of animal bone, a ball of bent and rusty nails bound in twine, and finally vial of greenish-blue liquid. Tal proceeded to lay the items around the discolored spot in a ritualistic manner. From the looks of it, she was about to perform some kind of seance. Figuring that he shouldn''t bother her while she was concentrating, Mike read the scribbled note. ''A Jiranagath is a type of Wraith that forms when a pure soul is corrupted by a horrific and violent death. Unlike others of their kind, they aren''t usually aggressive to the living, but have been known to assault intruders who disturb the site of their death. They''re rare, and typically lack the strength of more depraved spirits, but few can match them when it comes to emotional manipulation. Assuming it is amendable, I will attempt to form a pact with it.'' [Interesting. So I guess there are different kinds of ghosts in this world. Good to know. Still, I feel like I''m left with more questions than answers.] Once Tal had the items placed in a rough circle, she sat cross legged outside of it, and began whispering quietly in the same language she used before. "Spirit of the departed, I offer to you these gifts of soul and memory." For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then a cloud of thick dark smoke began pouring through the floorboards within the circle. It quickly formed into a towering pillar before taking on the shape of a cloaked, spindly figure. It was vaguely humanoid, and painfully thin. Where its head should be was merely a hood-like opening in the flowing and tattered garment it wore. In fact the only exposed parts of the creature were its pale gray hands, from which disturbingly elongated fingers grew, ending in wicked claws. As it appeared, the light from Mike''s spell dimmed noticeable, and he was forced to supply more mana to keep it from being dispelled. At the same time, a wave of depression swept over him, and he had to struggle to keep from sinking to the floor. So distracted was he, that he didn''t respond immediately as the Wraith began to move. With a raspy hiss, it reached out towards Tal in a threatening manner. Mike moved to intercept, but had a hard time acting quickly since his mind was still resisting the effects of the thing''s emotional control. Luckily, his help wasn''t need. As the cloaked being reached the line created by the odd items, its hand collided with an invisible barrier. With a start, Mike realized that Tal had created some sort of binding circle without any visible use of mana. [Does she have some sort of skill, or is it just a unique quality of the spirit itself. I feel like I''m going to have to have her walk me through this whole Pact Magic thing. The more I learn about it, the more questions I have.] The Wraith seemed to writhe in anger or perhaps fear, and it beat against the confines of the circle with increasing recklessness. "My apologies. This is necessary for your protection." Tal intoned, her voice carrying oddly in the suddenly heavy air. The creature stilled, empty hooded fixed on the elf, who continued. "You are trapped here, in this abandoned place, starving. I offer you a solution. Form a contract with me, and I shall free you from both your prison and your pain." For a moment, both parties were still. Mike felt there was some kind of silent communication going on between the two, but couldn''t understand anything about it. Finally, the Wraith finally sunk down into a wispy pile, hood nodding with acquiescence. Tal returned the nod, then drew a small, rune-carved dagger, and it to make a small cut on her arm. She then used the flowing blood to start drawing a small ritual circle in front of her. "By right of the ancient blood, I so declare the pact formed." Once she was done drawing, she got up and stood in the center of the new circle, before reaching out with a foot and pushing the wax doll a little to the left. Evidently this broke the the barrier, since the Wraith surged forward and enveloped the elf. Mike was worried that something had gone wrong, but relaxed once he saw the swirling mist slowly sink into Tal''s body. Her eyes briefly flashed with a grayish light, but quickly returned to normal. "Are you alright?" Mike asked, when it looked like the ritual had ended. He walked over and healed her arm while doing so. "Fine." She replied curtly, as if distracted. Finally, she sighed. "Depressing." "What is?" "Wraith''s story. Very sad. Will tell later." She paused again. "New sacrifice. No fish." "Like you can''t eat fish anymore?" He asked, slightly confused. She nodded. He thought about her communication problems and shrugged, "Could be worse, I suppose." "Liked fish." Tal replied with a hint of despondency. Mike chuckled, "Sorry. Anyway, I was a little surprised you were able to talk like that. It almost seemed as if you weren''t bound by any restrictions there." "Sacrificed language. Lost Pyrathien." She answered while gathering up the ritual items. "So you can talk normally in other languages? Like the one you used to talk with the spirit?" She nodded, then froze and looked up at him, mouth slack with the sudden realization. "You understand the Ancient Tongue, so I could use it to talk with you..." She muttered quietly. He couldn''t help it, he started laughing. Chapter 214: Ghostly Perspective "I''ll be waiting..." Mary had whispered as her husband''s ship slowly slipped over the horizon, unable to completely suppress the unease coiling in her stomach. That had been nearly a month, but no news had arrived yet, and she was starting to fear the worst. Rumors in the city were inconsistent, but the other nurses in the clinic had been saying that the war was going badly. With their usual level of sadistic cruelty, they made sure to bring up the hopelessness of the conflict every time Mary was in the room. Unfortunately, it was hard to ignore their jibes this time. With Will''s poorly equipped merchant ship joining up with the royal fleet to confront the Lacotian navy, it was taking all she had to keep her hope alive. Suppressing a sudden wave of nausea, she went back to work clearing up the discarded linens. Thankfully, it had been a slow day at the clinic, and there were few patients in need of care. She was still grappling with the crushing weight of her worries, when her foot caught on something, sending her spilling onto the floor, linens flying. A series of snickers sounded from behind her, as nature of the obstruction became clear. "How clumsy of you, dear child. You simply must watch where you are going." Beatrice announced in her dulcet tones. The other nurse was casually sitting in a chair nearby, her usual crew of cronies and sycophants in attendance. Mary gritted her teeth, quashing the frustration building in her heart, before turning to face the bully with a smile. "Haha, yes, silly me. I wonder when I will grow out of being a klutz." Beatrice scoffed, her curly blonde hair shaking in response. "Whatever. When you get done with those," she motioned to the soiled sheets lying on the ground, "the manager said to start cleaning the upper floor." "...Um..." "What? You have a problem with that?" The woman growled. [Of course I do! The upper floor is your area of responsibility!] Mary yelled in her heart, working hard to keep the simpering smile on her face. "No. No problem. I''ll get to it as soon as I can." "That''s what I thought." Beatrice replied dismissively. A couple of the other maids in attendance started whispering quietly to each other, cruel smirks on their faces. While Mary couldn''t hear exactly what they were saying, the word ''freak'' was clear stated. Holding back her tears of frustration, she stood, and with as much dignity as she could muster, gathered the discarded linens together and headed down to the laundry. It was shaping up to be another long day. -------------- Tal shook her head as the fragment of memory dispersed, quickly dismissing the sympathetic feelings of embarrassment and worry. From what she''d seen so far, this was shaping up to be an unpleasant couple of days as the dead woman''s spiritual echo slowly synchronized with her. Although that was to be expected, she supposed. Anyone whose death could give birth to such an entity as this Wraith, would leave behind some painful memories. "You alright, Tal? You look like you faded out there for a moment." Mike asked while holding onto her arm. She felt another surge of healing magic pass through her, completely chasing away her fatigue in a way that flew in the face of everything she knew about healing. "I''m fine." Tal resisted the urge to sigh. Ever since she''d met Mike, her common sense had been repeatedly overturned by the things he did, and that happened around him. She should have gotten used to it by now, but it always caught her by surprise when something so out of the ordinary occurred. [Seriously, how does someone encounter one of the rarest kind of undead spirits while just casually wandering around in the city?] It was enough to make her question the wisdom of whatever entity had blessed Mike with his destiny. Although thinking back to some of the things that had happened in the past, she had to admit it wasn''t all beneficial. That reminded her of Mike''s strange encounter with the being occupying a portion of his mind. Despite her reassurance to the contrary, she was at a loss to explain it. The nature of the interaction, especially the entity''s desire for Mike to surrender to it, suggested a type of possession, but she was a little confused on how that would be possible. As far as she could tell, Mike had access to a suite of resistance skills in addition to naturally high base attributes. All but the most powerful of spirits would have a difficult time even remaining attached to him, let alone manifesting in his psyche in that manner. And yet, a sufficiently powerful being would have already seized control. This state of coexistence was unnatural, something that could only take shape with outside assistance, such as in the case of Pact Mages. As far as Tal could tell, Mike hadn''t gone through any of the right steps to create a contract. Not to mention, that he probably lacked the requisite skills for it. Of course, he could probably acquire them, and then turn the tables on his unwanted guest, but he would need a more experienced teacher than she to do so. Hopefully, her old master could help. "Anyway, are you done here?" He asked with a wry smile. "Yes," She replied in the ancient tongue, concentrating on the difficult pronunciation and the hard consonants that were designed for a different anatomy. "It will take some time to fully integrate with the spirit, but there is nothing more that can be done now. I will simply have to wait." "Fair enough. Let''s get out of here, then. I don''t know about you, but all this ghost hunting is making me feel a little hungry. Want to see if there are any places still open in the market district?" He asked, this time with a more genuine grin. Tal hesitated. Something about the offer seemed a little out of character, especially considering the circumstances they were currently in. After all, there was no guarantee that the Tenundians wouldn''t attack again soon. Carefully studying his expression, she caught a hint of concern in his otherwise cheerful features. [Is he worried about something?] "Alright." She replied with a nod. The pair of them set off, but it didn''t take long for Mike to broach the subject that was bothering him. "So, I''ve been wondering for awhile now, what exactly is a spirit?" "Is this because of the Wraith?" She asked, slightly confused. "Ah, well that''s part of it. I''ve been under the impression that the term referred to manifestations of nature or the elements, or something to that effect. So finding that these...ghosts are in the same category is a little strange." "I see." She tried to frown while trying to find the right way to explain in the old language, but was unable to. "You aren''t exactly wrong. Spirits are immaterial entities composed of pure mana or energy. Generally, they can be divided into three main groups depending on their origins. Spirits like Akiriti, my first companion, arise naturally in areas of high mana concentration, taking on the aspects of the area they were born from. These are the most common type of spirit, often referred to as Nature Spirits." Tal paused to assemble the complicated sentences in her mind. "The second major category consists of what you might refer to as ghosts, echoes of living beings who have perished. When powerful people lose their lives in a traumatic manner, it can leave behind an impression on a place or object. Depending on the nature of the individual and the manner in which they died, this can give birth to a fragmented consciousness that can draw upon ambient mana to give itself a rudimentary form. There are a plethora of different kinds of spirits that belong to this category, but they are still somewhat rare, comparatively." "So wait, they aren''t actually the souls of the deceased?" Mike asked suddenly. "Generally speaking, no. I think there have been a few cases where powerful magic users have been able to attach their soul to this world, but usually the souls are drawn into the cycle of reincarnation. Supposedly, only the gods have the ability to interfere with that process, and even then, its rather difficult for them." "What about the undead, then? Aren''t they kind of a contradiction to that?" "Undead with bodies are either animated corpses, or still have their soul, corrupted though it might be." He frowned in concentration. "I see. Alright, what''s the last kind of spirit?" "The last category is comprised of those varieties that can''t be placed in either of the other groups." Mike looked at her with mild disgust. "....Oi..." "It is regretful, but there are many kinds of spirits, and the experts can''t agree on enough to create new categories for them. I wouldn''t be concerned about this group, though. They are rare in the extreme." Tal paused, realizing that she made a slight mistake. "Forgive me, I forgot to include something that might be important for you, given your experiences. This third category also features those beings from other worlds that must take on an immaterial form upon entering Ea. The most commonly seen of these are demons, who frequently invade this world in a limited capacity and possess living beings to spread chaos and misery." He grimaced, froze, a look of realization on his face. "Is there any way to identify a demon that is possessing someone." [Ah, so that''s what he''s worried about. Still, I would be surprised if there were any demons short of a Demon Prince capable of possessing him in any capacity.] "I believe certain practitioners of Divine Magic have a means of doing so, but I am unfamiliar with that process. Other than that, one can usually only identify the possessing spirit during periods of stress, when the host manifests the entity''s sign." "The sign?" Tal nodded. "When the spirit uses the full extent of its abilities while possessing a person, a symbolic representation of it arises from the host. Depending on the spirit in question, this could be anything from a slightly cool breeze, to a tattoo that details the spirit''s heritage, to a phantom image of the spirit. It varies in every case." He nodded again, lost in thought. Evidently he was concerned about his own spiritual visitor. [I would recommend that he seek out a temple, if I thought it would do any good. Whatever''s inhabiting his inner space is likely far too powerful for the average priest. It would take someone on the level of a Saint or a Heirophant to even have a chance. Unfortunately, there aren''t any on the central continent that I know of.] "I know you are worried, but I am sure that my friend in the Riverlands can help." She tried to smile in a reassuring manner, but couldn''t. Not that she was concerned about her intentions not being conveyed. For all of his denseness in other areas, Mike had always demonstrated an unusually keen understanding of her emotional state, even with her inability to express it. He looked back and smiled warmly, obviously appreciating her gesture. Tal was struck by how a simple curve of his lips and squinting of his eyes could make him look so much older and more mature. If she didn''t know better, she would think she was speaking with someone in his late twenties. "You''re right. After all, nothing bad has happened yet. Whatever that thing is, I don''t think it has any real power over me unless I let it in. So long as I avoid using Meditation, I should be fine. Anyway, it doesn''t look like there is much open at the moment." Tal was slightly surprised to find herself in the market district. They had covered a lot of ground without her noticing. "Oh! Look! That Ateshan place is still serving! I''ve been meaning to try it out." Mike exclaimed before moving over to a small cafe in one corner of the district. And just like that, he reverted to energetic young man she was more familiar with. Chuckling, she followed in his wake, momentarily putting aside her own concerns. However, she couldn''t fully shake a feeling of unease. Chapter 215: In Need of an Acting Skill Mike left the basement of the popular tavern with mixed feelings. It had been completely deserted so early in the morning, which had detracted from the clandestine air that came with meeting in a bar to discuss an illicit trade. The broker this time had been a matronly woman, who was dressed much as an innkeeper, complete with a beer stained apron that she wiped her hands on before introducing herself. Negotiations themselves went rather smoothly, and it only took him an hour or so to receive his purchases. He left better equipped than when he went in, but his wallet had taken a beating in the process. Apparently, there was some kind of blockade going on out at sea, which, when combined with the siege itself, was creating some difficulties in getting fresh materials. Mike thought it was a little strange that he hadn''t heard about the blockade yet, but figured that the organization wouldn''t want to harm their relationship with him by cheating him at this juncture. Besides, he immediately struck it off with the broker, who started by offering him a generously proportioned breakfast, free of charge. He decided to just consider it a service fee. He''d successfully acquired several materials he could use for crafting, but the selection had been more limited than he''d expected. Evidently, the wartime squeeze effected even the underworld merchants. Nevertheless, he should have enough to start working on a few of his projects, even if only the simplest. A part of him was itching to take the materials back to the dorm and start working on transmuting mana cores while using Artifice. Combined with the little practice he was able to complete last night after escorting Tal back to the dorms, he thought he might be close to a breakthrough. However, he still had a few tasks left to complete. The next destination was a merchant''s stall in one of the poorer corners of the Span''s markets. Finding it proved easier than he anticipated, as it was the only one in the area that was still open. Unlike the actual market district in the New City, it seemed that these businesses were more adversely effected by the siege. The merchant in question dealt primarily in pottery, and several clay vessels of various sizes and shapes were on display. An old, grumpy looking man sat in a folding chair nearby, idly fanning himself while sweating in the morning heat. He glanced at Mike briefly, before losing interest and resuming continuing to stare into the distance. [That''s strange, the note said to meet the contact here at four bells.] Almost as if it was responding to his thought, the distant clocktower sounded four times. [Ha! I knew I was right. Could they be late.] "Alright, boy. Let''s get this over with." The store keeper groaned while standing. "Take a look at that pot over there, and pretend like you are seriously interested in it." "What? Really?" Mike asked while looking around at the deserted street. "Is this necessary?" While he was waiting for a response, he used Appraise on the man who was apparently the information broker. -------------------------------- Seth of the Mountain Green Age: 34 Race: Human Class: Infiltrator Title: Master of Disguise ------------------------------- Mike swallowed his surprise. The man in front of him looked seventy, at the very least. [That''s an impressive disguise.] Seth glowered at him, "Yes, its necessary. You never know who might be watching. Now, act like I just gave you a bad price for the pot, argue for minute, then lose interest and find something else. While you do so, tell me what kind of information you are looking for." Trying to keep the various instructions straight in his head, Mike pretended to grow irate, and made a slashing motion with his hand. "There are a lot of things I want to know, but mostly I need information about the Tenundians. Specifically what they are planning on doing now that their initial assault has failed." "Dial it back a bit. You don''t want to oversell it." Seth replied with a placating but exasperated expression, "That can be arranged, but it will be hard to give you anything you couldn''t just get from your teacher." Mike had been expecting them to know a fair amount about him, all things considered, so the revelation didn''t surprise him. Placing the pot on the stand, and moving over to a bowl, he twisted his face into a look of mild irritation while asking, "Can it be done? Emmanuel has decided to keep certain details close to his chest. I think he knows more than he''s telling, but I can exactly force it out of him." "Hey man, just making sure you know what you are asking for. Anyway, that kind of information will take a bit of snooping to get a hold of. Ever since the battle ended yesterday, the Tenundian command section has been cracking down on intelligence leaks. Getting in there is going to be difficult, and therefore expensive." Casually examining the bowl, he asked. "Are you really telling me that you haven''t already sent someone to figure that kind of thing out?" Seth laughed. "I didn''t say that at all, but you have to take care of your field agents, or they end up working for someone else. In the worst case, without telling you." He lifted up another bowl that was slightly different than the one Mike was holding. "Come check this one out, and pretend to be listening seriously." Mike complied. "Now, we can get you that information specifically, or I can have one of my people compile a report on the full military specifications of the Tenundians and the majority of their combat forces. Look surprised now." The ''shopkeeper'' muttered while handing him the bowl. He didn''t have to pretend, the idea of such a report was startling. Especially, since he was dealing with what amounted to a non-state entity engaged in illicit information trading. "Perfect. The second option is obviously more expensive, and will take more time to fulfill, however, most of the information has already been gathered so it should only be a matter of putting it together." "How much?" Seth grinned at him. "In a business like this, we don''t discuss price until the required information is in hand. Come back at ten bells, and we''ll have both options available by then. The cost will be determined by how valuable or worthless that information became in the intervening time." Mike frowned. Since it was unlikely for the Tenundians to simply pull up their stakes and leave, chances are the price of that kind of data would only increase. He briefly debated about simply walking away at this point. There were probably other places that could provide him with information, and he could always beg his teacher to let him in on it, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Seth''s report would come in handy. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, I''ll be back." "Ah, before you go, buy that bowl. Its only two silver." "...Why?" Seth gave him an ingratiating smile, "Hey, a man''s got to make a living. Just think of it as a commission fee." Sighing, Mike handed the money over, and left. Hoping to put some distance between himself and the rapacious information broker. [What am I going to do with this?] Mike asked himself while looking down at the bowl. Out of curiosity, he used Appraise. ----------------------------------------- Clay Bowl Item: Tier 1 A simple clay bowl made by a potter. ----------------------------------------- [...Helpful.] Mike tossed in his bag and promptly forgot about it. It was still early in the day, and he had a few hours until his strategy meeting at the makeshift Almiran headquarters. If he went back to the dorms now, he could maybe get in a solid hour''s worth of work before he had to leave. It was tempting. Alternatively, he could hang out in the market district until the meeting. This option eventually won out by appealing to his lazy side, the heavy breakfast from this morning making him feel sleepy and content. [I guess I''ll stop in and see Gail. Now that I think about it, its been a while since I''ve worked on my Alchemy. Maybe this would be a good chance to do so. I''m sure she would be willing to let me use her facilities.] Destination decided, he began making his way back to the market district by the most direct path he could manage. This took him near the slums, where he could sense Selene, presumably still watching over Brenden. He was briefly tempted to make a detour, but figured that the beastman probably still needed some space, since he hadn''t come back on his own yet. Hopefully, Brenden wasn''t one of those tsundere types that refuses to return until someone asks them. He didn''t seem like the type, but for some reason Mike couldn''t shake the idea. [I''m sure he''s just too busy unifying the local gangs.] He thought about it some more. [Well, I''ll give him a few more days before I bother him.] Mike was walking through a narrow and narrow and sparsely populated street when he detected several sources of mild hostility. Blinking in surprise, he looked around and realized that he''d unconsciously strayed into one of the rougher neighborhoods. He''d apparently become the target of a group with less than honorable intentions. Judging from the sensations he was getting, they were working to carefully surround him. [Huh. How long has it been since the last time I was attacked by thieves?] Mike thought idly while he strolled nonchalantly down the street. He was already mentally preparing for when they struck. A small hooded figure stepped out in front of him. For a moment, his focus slipped. The thief he was facing couldn''t have been any older than her early teens. While he wasn''t one to underestimate an opponent based on their age, he found himself losing all interest in the coming fight. As she advanced forward, with a determined look on her face, he relaxed into a stance that would allow for greater range of motion. Hopefully, she wouldn''t resist too strongly. She stopped a little outside of his reach, pointed one finger at him, and dramatically announced. "There you are, you lying, conniving, cheating bastard! How could you?! What about our child? Little Marty? What are we supposed to tell him." Mike''s mind blanked for a second as the unexpected words hit him right as he was about to launch himself into a disabling maneuver. All he could muster in his defense was a simple, "Huh?" "Play along." She hissed through clenched teeth, before marching up to him and grabbing him by the collar. With a surprising amount of strength she began dragging him towards a major road. As she did so, he noticed that the hostile presences stated to fall back. "Just wait until we get home! I''m going to make sure you never stray again!" [I see. I can''t believe that actually worked. Do they really think I would be with a girl that young?] Dismissing the troubling line of thought, he spoke quietly to her. "You can stop. They''ve backed off." The girl turned. "Eh? Already? They don''t usually give up that quickly." She let go of his collar and favored him with a smile. "You should watch yourself, mister. The Crows are a nasty bunch. They have a habit of beating their victims rather badly. You''re lucky I came along." He smiled ruefully, "I guess I am. Thanks." She nodded as if that were to be expected. "Still, I can''t believe they are still doing this stuff. Don''t they know there''s a war going on, and good people are dying?" The girl suddenly became gloomy. Mike had the overwhelming instinct to pat her on the back and tell her everything was going to be okay. But before he had the chance to, she bounced back into cheerfulness with a speed that was liable to give someone whiplash. She threw back her hood revealing two white rabbit ears. "Anyway, the name''s Lara. What''s yours?" Chapter 216: Befriending Small Animals "I;m Mike." He replied, feeling a small smile forming on his face. He was having a hard time not getting caught up in her pace. Out of curiosity, he used Appraise. --------------------------- Lara Age: 16 Race: Beastman (Rabbit) Class: Trickster Title: Silvertongue ---------------------------- [...How the hell is she 16?] He found himself asking. [I suppose it could be a trait of rabbit beastmen, although that''s a depressing thought. I had hoped...] "So, where were you headed? Looking for a place to eat lunch? I happen to know a great tavern, and I can even get you a discount." Lara''s smile took on a rapacious quality, which all but admitted her financial involvement in the establishment she recommended. Mike sighed, dismissing his thoughts of women in bunny costumes. It was still a little early, but he wasn''t exactly in a hurry. He figured that he might as well enjoy some of the local flavor. "Alright, I suppose I could use a good meal." "Excellent choice! Right this way!" She answered excitedly while pulling on his sleeve. "Most of the crew are still out for and Arbitration match, but the cook shouldn''t have left. He isn''t much of a fighter." "Arbitration?" Mike asked, not following the flow of conversation at all. He wondered if the word had a different meaning in this world, since he didn''t understand the relationship between it and fighting. Although, something about the situation struck a chord in his memories. Hadn''t he heard that term recently? "I know, right? Its crazy to be doing this kind of thing in the middle of the siege. Hopefully, the King will unify the gangs soon, so we can focus on more important things." [Ah, she must be talking about that contest that the underworld uses to settle their disputes. Luckily, it sounds like she''s on Brenden''s side.] "Are you talking about the King of Thieves? I had heard another pretender to the throne popped up recently. Do think he has what it takes to inherit the legacy?" The beastman whirled suddenly, hands on her hips. "Hey! He''s not a pretender! He''s the real deal!" She responded grumpily while staring him down, but looked away after a few seconds. "Although, I suppose he''s not very kingly, and he hasn''t really done anything to earn the title, and he''s been a bit moody since yesterday..." [Definitely sounds like him.] She shook her head. "Anyway, he''s brave and kind, and a great person. He''s done more good for the people of the slums in the last few days than generations of Almiran monarchs, so he''s a real King in my book." Mike made a placating gesture. "Fair enough, I was just curious on your perspective. Sounds like you really like the guy." She blushed slightly, but waved it off. "I don''t know about that, but he''s really fun to tease, and he always gets the right kind of upset when I get him into trouble. My life has been a lot more interesting since he showed up." She replied as they resumed walking. [Hmm...] Before he had a chance to ask the question weighing on his mind, she stopped in front of a run-down tavern. Above its door hung a sign reading The Cat''s Paw. "Here we are, the finest establishment in the district." Mike took a moment to inspect the old and obviously poor building before looking back at Lara blankly. "What? Its not like there is much competition." She answered his unasked question defensively. "The interior is better. Besides, the food is why you are here, right? I can promise you, there aren''t any better cooks inside this district." Shrugging, he followed her in. The interior was a little better. Despite the coarseness of the furniture, the place was kept clean and orderly. At least until a small swarm of beastman children mobbed Lara as she entered the tavern. She was able to squeeze out directions to the common room, before drowning in a sea of small bodies that demanded her participation in playtime. Chuckling, he walked through the door and found himself a seat at an unoccupied table. While the room was fairly crowded with several young beastmen, he seemed to be the only actual patron, so his entrance earned him a few curious stares. When he sat down, one of the young observers ran out of the room, only to return with an older female beastman, who appeared to be the innkeeper. He ordered himself a simple vegetable stew with a tankard of ale to drink, and settled in for a relaxing lunch while watching the children playing. They were in the middle of some kind of game that involved three active participants. One would carry a rock in their pocket, while two more tried to get it from him or her through a variety of complicated and intricate means. The most successful strategy involved having one of the two attackers, for lack of a better term, create a distraction, giving his or her partner a chance to swipe the rock. They accomplished this with an almost professional finesse, so much so, that even Mike had trouble following the act. It took him a few repetitions to recognize the game for what it was. A training exercise for pick-pocketing. He was a little saddened by the realization, but figured that he probably shouldn''t judge without knowing more. While he wasn''t really fond of thieves, despite having one as a familiar, he supposed there were worse ways to make a living. At least it seemed like they were focusing on petty theft, rather than anything too serious or dangerous. Lara eventually entered the room and sat down across from him. By this point he''d finished the vegetable stew, and was polishing off the remnants with a chunk of black bread. "Pretty good, right? They don''t have much in the way of ingredients, but they know how to make them work." The rabbit beastman smugly commented as she watched Mike eat. "Yeah, its not bad." He admitted, finding the meal surprisingly delicious. It didn''t quite match up to some of the other places he''d been in the past, but the food here was certainly better than the majority of what he had eaten since being reincarnated. She chuckled arrogantly, but stopped with a strange expression on her face, before leaning towards him and taking a big sniff. "You smell...familiar." "I''m sorry?" He asked while leaning back, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I caught a whiff while we were running, but now I''m sure. I''ve definitely met you before." She frowned. "But where?" "I don''t think we''ve met, but that doesn''t mean you couldn''t have encountered my scent at some point. It might just be that we bumped into each other in the street at some point, and then forgot about it afterwards." "Maybe...but I think-" Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by a sudden commotion from the front door. Upon hearing it, Lara''s eyes lit up. "Oh! Your in luck! The King of Thieves has just returned. You were curious about him, right? I''ll put in a good word for you. Believe it or not, I''m kind of a big deal in his organization." Mike checked on Selene''s location, and determined that she had gotten much closer. It looked like he was about to have his meeting with Brenden anyway. Judging from the course of events leading up to this moment, he wondered if his luck had something to do with it. [Well, lets see what he has to say.] -------------------------------------------------------------- Brenden contemplated his next move as his gang returned to the Cat''s Paw for their victory celebration. They''d made good progress today. A few more Arbitration matches would see him the master of Almirn''s slums, with pockets of influence in other parts of the city. That, in and of itself, wasn''t a great accomplishment, since the district had lacked any kind of strong, centralizing force. The other districts of the city were better organized, with more powerful and influential gangs in control. It would be tough going to get them to bend to his will, but so be it. Their best chance for their survival laid in working together to resist the invaders. If he had to break a few recalcitrant fools to accomplish that, so be it. He noticed that the men and women around him were silent, and realized that his face was taught with tension and anger. Sighing, he tried to relax and put them at ease. "Alright, good work today. Once we get back to the Paw, the first round''s on me!" A half-hearted cheer rose up from the following gang members, but the furtiveness in their eyes betrayed their unease. They mostly completed the rest of the journey in silence, with only the occasional whispered comment. It seemed that it would take more than a few words to improve their mood. [I suppose that''s understandable, considering the losses we sustained yesterday.] The core of his organization had taken a rather severe beating, as several key members were either incapacitated or killed during the battle. Thankfully, the majority of the wounded had been healed in the kingdom''s infirmary. He hadn''t gotten the details yet, but from the sounds of it, a gifted healer had donated his time and energy to curing all of the injured, even among the captured Tenundians. It seemed a little crazy that someone would do that for free, but Brenden supposed that there must be some benefit to defending the capital city of a nation. If they couldn''t provide a decent number of soldiers, at least they secured adequate healing resources. With the return of the wounded, he was able to organize a few more Arbitration matches, securing vital territory and resources for the next battle. He hoped that the Tenundians would give him enough time to unify the majority of the city''s underworld. If he could bring more of the gangs into the conflict, then perhaps he could avoid a repetition of yesterday''s debacle. Brooding on such thoughts, he entered through the doors of the Cat''s Paw, and was immediately surrounded by excited children. "The King''s back!" Someone exclaimed. "Did you win?" A pudgy bear beastman named Francis asked in a hushed voice, awe virtually oozing from his eyes. Brenden forced his face relax into a smile. He had to try hard to live up to their expectations, even though they made him feel like a fake. "We did." He announced in as serious a tone as he could manage. This inspired a round of celebration from the surrounding throng, and he had patiently endure a sudden barrage of celebratory back-slaps, handshakes, and hugs from the tavern''s other occupants. He was attempting to remove a young cat beastman, that had attached herself in a lamprey-like manner to his leg while rubbing some of the snot from her runny nose onto his pants, when a familiar pair of white ears entered his vision. "Oi! You''re back! Did you have fun? Did you bring me a souvenir from the docks?" She asked in an ingratiating manner. He scowled, "I wasn''t on vacation! We had an Arbitration match against the Sons of Suldin, who happen to have a team composed entirely of burly dockworkers. I can promise you, it was anything but fun." "Meh. I doubt they were really a problem for you." She replied dismissively. "Oh! By the way, there''s someone I want you to meet. I promised to put in a good word for him, so you should treat him nicely. Think of it as payment for not getting me a souvenir." He growled, "I was there on business, so I don''t owe you anything!" He paused to glare menacingly at her for a few moments, noting with irritation that she maintained her self-satisfied grin, finally, he sighed. "Alright, where is this guy?" Even with the injured returning, he was short on manpower for managing his growing enterprise. Since Lara had historically been a good judge of character for potential recruits, he figured this person would be worth checking out. "In the common room." She replied while taking the lead and heading in that direction. "I actually saved him from the Crows, who were about to beat his brains in for the contents of his pockets. Can you believe they''re still doing that stuff?" "If they have the time and energy to waste on that sort of thing, perhaps I should speed up my expansion plans." Brenden murmured, lost in thought. Lara made a face. "Ugh. Do we have to? They''re a bunch of creeps." She passed through the door to the common room and stopped. "Anyway, this is Mike. Mike this is the King of Thieves. Thanks to his generosity, you don''t have to bow or anything. Just act normally." Brenden''s mind froze as he laid eyes on the man he''d been avoiding. Mike smiled apologetically, "Hey, Brenden." Chapter 217: Airing of Grievances [Well, this is awkward.] Mike thought to himself as the minutes of silence continued to tick on by. They had moved to a small bedroom upstairs, avoiding Lara''s increasingly scandalized questions in the process, but so far Brenden had yet to say a word. Finally unable to take the tension any longer, he tried to break the ice once more. "So, it seems like you''ve been pretty busy lately." The beastman just grunted without really replying. He was sitting on his bed, arms resting on his knees with his hands folded in front of his mouth. Gaze fixed on an empty spot on the floor. While Mike didn''t have a great deal of experience with this kind of thing, it didn''t take an expert to see that he was wound up and ready to snap. He tried again to break his friend out of his shell. "That Lara seems like a real handful. She probably caused by you all sorts of problems, but I can tell that she really respects you too. As far as I can tell, everyone here does." "What do you want, Mike? Why are you here?" Came the gruff reply. "...In truth, I didn''t come here by choice. I actually did almost get attacked by thieves, and Lara did help scare them off," He had to suppress a wry grin as he continued in a mutter, "although, I''m not exactly fond of her method of doing so." He shook his head to clear the last few dredges of shameful memories, "Nevertheless, I did want to speak with you. It''s been nearly a week since you disappeared on us, and while the others haven''t said anything, I think we''re all starting to get worried about you." Brenden shot a glare up at him, anger filled eyes burning a hole in him for a few moments, before he returned to staring at the floor. "I''m fine. There, you''ve heard it, so you can leave now." [I''m not really sure what to do here, but I evidently can''t let things continue as they are. It''s clear he''s feeling backed into a corner by something. If I can get him to let it out...] Mike drew himself up straight, and stared down at the beastman. "Is that it? So you''ve given up?" Moving with a speed that was almost impossible to track, Brenden appeared in front of him, slamming him against the wall with one hand gripping his collar. "What in the Hells do you know?! You think you get to judge me just because of some blessing?! That just because you can get stronger so easily, that you''re better than me?!" [He''s gotten faster.] His face was twisted into a snarl, anger clearly the most dominant emotion, but Mike thought he could detect a sort of desperation mingled with sorrow in those eyes. "I''ve never viewed you as anything besides a friend and comrade. Someone I could trust to watch my back." Brenden glowered at him. "Really? When was the last time we fought together? When was the last time you trusted me to carry my weight in a fight? Ever since we came to this city, you''ve been leaving me behind! Admit it! Ever since the fight in Wyrport, you''ve never thought of me as anything more than baggage! Someone to sit around you and worship your greatness!" "That''s not..." Mike hesitated, remembering Sera''s frustration and insecurity, Tal''s quiet resignation. He recalled the battle yesterday, and how, rather than bringing them along, he chose to place them in a ''safe'' location. It had seemed prudent at the time, considering the risk of kidnapping, but he couldn''t quite dismiss the look on Sera''s face when he''d left. The look of a person realizing their own powerlessness. [I had resolved myself to making them stronger, helping them to stand beside me, but as soon as the war broke out I let that fall by the wayside.] "That''s not true..." He finished, but with none of the conviction he''d wished. Brenden searched his eyes for a moment, although Mike was unwilling to meet his gaze, before finally letting go and returning to his seat with a sigh. "So that''s how it is...I guess I should have known, but its still a shock to see it." "Brenden, I-" Mike started. "I don''t want to hear it!" The beastman cut him off with a growl. "The others might be content to stay in your shadow, clinging to your influence like some kind of parasite, but I can''t be! So why don''t you just go back to your harem! You can certainly have your fun now that I''m out of the picture!" White hot anger surged through his mind. A part of him knew that Brenden was just lashing out in his own rage, but that didn''t matter to him. He just wanted to return pain for pain. Face cold and voice echoing with mana that he''d unconsciously invested, he spoke in a dispassionate manner, "So this is your way of coming out from my shadow? Consorting with thieves and criminals? Inheriting the actual title of the King of Thieves and unifying the Almirn underworld? All because some girl got you involved? Do you really think that any of that was your doing? No, you''re just half-heartedly going with the flow like you always do. You keep that up, and all you are going to accomplish is getting a lot of people hurt. Like they did yesterday." "How do you..." Brenden started, before a look of realization passed across his face. "The masked woman, you sent her." He grimaced, teeth audibly grinding in the process. "How long has she been following me?" "Selene has been watching over you since the day after you left." Mike replied simply, face impassive. Brenden raised his fist with a roar, as if to strike him. For a moment he held it there, shaking, but then he hesitated as something broke in his eyes. Finally, he sagged. "Ah...All this time...I never managed to do anything on my own, have I?" Mike felt the anger ebb out of him, leaving him tired and empty. He watched as his friend sat back down on the bed, face in his hands. "I know you probably won''t believe me, but the only time she interfered was during the fight against the Tenundians." The beastman scoffed, "It doesn''t matter. You were right. I have been doing this half-heartedly. I never asked to be the King of Thieves, or get involved in territorial acquisitions, but I didn''t fight against it either. When one of my subordinates suggested we help the defense forces against the invaders, I didn''t even stop to think about the consequences." His voice took on a hollow cast as he continued. "I led them there, to that hell, and they followed me willingly, never doubting me. They trusted me to protect them in battle, and died believing that they were helping me. Even now, with so many of their fallen comrades filling pauper''s graves, they still look at me with hope." Brenden looked up at him, despair wrought in every line of his face. "Even when I failed to protect my subordinates, they treat me like a hero. How can I go on like this? How can I lead them in battle again, knowing that even more will pay for my hubris? How do I carry the burden of their expectations?" For a moment, Mike was silent. The words had struck a chord in him, reminding him a bit too much of the worshipful way people had been looking at him when he wore his mask. Like he was their savior come to deliver them from all of their problems. He also heard the quiet recriminations of a certain dark being calling from the depths of an abyssal pool. One that pointed out his own failures and inadequacies. His own powerlessness to prevent the suffering of the people around him, and his own unwillingness to make the hard choices that were required of him. [So this is what it looks like from the outside. Kind of ridiculous, now that I think about it.] The more he thought about it, the more he felt relieved of some unnoticed burden. Something that he''d been carrying around without ever realizing it. "Brenden..." He started uncertainly, before growing in conviction. "You aren''t perfect, nor are you all-powerful. No mortal is, and from what I''ve heard about the gods, I don''t think they are either. You are beating yourself up about this failure of yours, but let me ask you this, if you really failed, would we be having this conversation right now?" The beastman blinked, "What do you..." "If the gate had fallen, and the Tenundian army had entered the city, do you think we would have the luxury of worrying about the death toll? No, we''d be fighting for our lives, running from the city in ignominy, or laying dead in the streets. And that also goes for everyone who is staying at this inn right now." Brenden flinched, as if he''d been visibly struck. "But if I had done better...led them better...If I had gone all out from the start, then maybe..." Mike sighed. "People die in war. Neither you nor I can change that fact. Its something that every man and woman that followed you into battle must have known, but they chose to stand beside you anyway." A sad smile split his face, as he relived the memory of the fight. "In many ways, I''m a little jealous. You''ve only known these people for a week, and they were ready to lay down their lives because you asked them to. Because they believed in what you were doing. That''s not something I''ve been able to accomplish." "They were just protecting their homes and families." "And yet, I didn''t see any of the other gangs fighting at the gate. It was only those individuals you led, people that many would see as common criminals, who risked everything to keep us safe from the invaders. You were the one to inspire them." His smile deepened, "Lara was right. You are the real deal." Brenden stared at him for a few moments, a question forming on his lips, when he was interrupted by a sob. They both turned to look at the door, where Lara and several others were standing with tears in their eyes. It wasn''t clear how long they had been listening, but neither of them had heard the door open. She clasped and unclasped her hands a few times, before running up to Brenden and throwing her arms around his neck. A small army of beastman children followed her example, mobbing him in a crying tide. Mike observed with some measure of satisfaction that Brenden''s face went slack with shock, before morphing into indignation, and finally settling into amusement. "You''re too hard on yourself, kid. I can promise you, that nobody blames you for what happened." A rough looking bear beastman commented from the doorway. Mike vaguely recalled him as being the leader of a rival gang, one that had become a subordinate of Brenden after losing to him. The erstwhile King of Thieves couldn''t bring himself to reply, obviously feeling emotional. Mike saw this as his cue to leave, and started heading to the door. He had a feeling that the rest of the conversation could wait. "Mike..." Brenden called, arresting his progress. He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn''t seem to know how to start. "I''ll be back." Mike replied to the unasked question. "There were a few dishes on the menu that I still wanted to try." He left the tavern and started heading to the market district, feeling better about things than he had in a long while. Although, he had to admit, it made him a bit lonesome as well. Perhaps sensing his discomfort, Audra popped out if her pocket for the first time today, crawled up onto his shoulder, and nuzzled into his neck. "Well, good to see you up and about. I was starting to get worried." He murmured while scratching under the little dragon''s head. With a smile on his face, he left the slums, moving onto his next destination. Chapter 218: Strategic Thinking "We cannot simply wait until the enemy is ready. We must strike now and crush them while they are still recovering from their loss. Only by breaking the siege can we ensure our survival!" Baron Kalt finished and sat back down, looking satisfied at the amount of support his statement had accrued. From what Mike could remember, he was some kind of representative for the lower noble houses of Almirn, or at least those who had chosen to remain behind when the Tenundians attacked. He had been suggesting that they launch a counter attack ever since the meeting started, and in the process, he seemed to be slowly convincing the other members of the council. Not that it really mattered what they thought. According to Emmanuel, the Call to Arms gave the Marshall virtually unlimited power when it came to matters of the city''s defense. Only a ruling monarch or regent can overturn his decisions, and since the Prime Minister rarely left the royal palace these days, it seemed unlikely for that to occur. Nevertheless, it is always unpleasant to have one''s ability''s called into question by detractors, and so Mike''s teacher rose to the challenge. "I understand your concern, Baron, but you are greatly overestimating the strength of our combat forces if you think we can manage a counterattack at this point. Honestly, its something of a miracle that we manged to resist the first assault at all." Emmanuel commented drily from his seat at the head of the long conference table. It looked like he''d developed a few more gray hairs since the last time Mike had seen him. Evidently, his responsibilities were weighing on him heavily. Adopting a smug grin, the noble shook his head condescendingly. "I don''t believe that for a second. Sure we suffered some casualties, but our forces are still strong. They should have no problem throwing back the rabble at our gates. Besides, we have the Dragonknight on our side. After his display yesterday, I don''t see any reason we shouldn''t simply march out there and crush them." All eyes in the room turned towards Mike, who was still sitting disinterestedly with his head propped up on one hand. He shot a look over at the baron, then glanced over at the Marshal. They had discussed this possibility before meeting, as well as possible countermeasures. Depending on how things played out, it would be up to his teacher to decide how they should proceed. All Mike had to do was follow Emmanuel''s lead. "Baron, I ask that you do not take our Dragonknight ally''s contributions for granted. He is assisting us in this conflict, even though it contradicts some of the basic tenets of his order. Of course, this means that he would have every right to rescind his help and simply fly away, leaving this city to its fate." Emmanuel shot Mike an apologetic look, "Not that I am saying you would do such a thing." "Be that as it may, Marshal, I still believe we have the resources necessary to launch a counterattack, even if the Dragonknight didn''t participate. After all, we were able to successfully defeat the elite Tenundian assault force, utterly crushing the best of their troops. The blow to their morale must have been severe. By now they should be one good defeat away from turning tail and running back where they came from. Our soldiers, on the other hand. are riding high on the thrill of victory. Give them the opportunity and I am sure they''ll drive the Tenundian dogs from the field in short order." Princess Andrea, the royal family''s representative broke in at this point. "Baron, I understand your feelings, but I am afraid I must disagree. Quite frankly, our forces are in tatters. We lost an entire divisional command in the fight yesterday, and it will take days, if not weeks to rebuild it. Our mages were forced to burn through the majority of their consumable items just to keep the fight on the walls going, and many of them are still recovering from the effects of mana exhaustion. Although our casualties are better than expected, thanks to the Dragonknight''s intercession in the infirmary, we still paid a heavy price for our city''s defense." She paused her speech to reference a report she''d been looking over since the beginning of the meeting. Something she read there caused her face to twist in sorrow. The rest of the council waited respectfully for her to continue. "Roughly 18% of our established fighting forces lost their lives yesterday, with those units serving on the walls suffering the worst of it. The majority of those are now operating at half strength or less, and in some cases, entire units were wiped out and will have to be reconstituted from trainees." [I knew it was rough, but I didn''t think it would be quite that bad.] He briefly saw the mental image of the abyssal pool from his meditation session, while a familiar voice echoed up from its depths. ''You could have stopped this. If you had been fighting seriously from the start, those people wouldn''t have died. How much longer must they suffer because you are too much of a coward to take the necessary steps?'' Mike quickly flushed his system with Healing Magic, which succeeded in banishing the figment. He was reward with a mental hiss of pain from the creature as his mana impacted something and drove it back into the pool. [Talk all you want, but you won''t bother me with that trite bullshit.] "What do you think about it, Sir Dragonknight?" Baron Kalt asked with a slightly disgusted look on his face. The conversation had evidently moved on while he was distracted with internal matters, and now the entire room was looking at him, awaiting his response. [What were they talking about? Why are they asking me for my opinion?] "I feel that it is a good idea." He ventured hopefully. Apparently, this was an unexpected response, as almost everyone in the room looked at him like he was crazy. "Surely you jest." Andrea spoke up. "Your presence is one of the few deterrents we have. I am sure that your absence would be quickly noted by our enemies. If they attack while you are still tied up, it would be disastrous." She shot him a look, that was more worried than angry, "Besides, it would be quite dangerous, even for one a skilled as yourself." Before Mike had a chance to speak up and announce that he''d changed his mind in response to the Princess''s solid argument, Emmanuel broke in. "Actually, it should be relatively easy to cover your departure from the city, especially since the Tenundians are still recovering from their loss yesterday. A simple invisibility spell would do the trick, and by the time it wore off, you should already be well on your way. If we''re lucky, you should be there and back in before the enemy even knows you are missing." "While that is a fair solution, Marshal, it does nothing to alleviate the dangers he will face. Even with a dragon on his side, what you are asking of him is too much." Andrea countered passionately. [Can someone please explain what I volunteered myself for?] "Please, Your Highness," A stout looking man that was currently serving as the Marshal''s naval attache starting speaking, "The Dragonknight would be facing a mostly stationary armada. They have few, if any weapons that could seriously injure something like a dragon. Besides, the sailors, on the primarily wooden ships I might add, will be much more concerned with saving their own lives once their vessels catch fire." "But..." She tried to argue again, trailing off once it became clear that she didn''t have any supporters in the room. Emmanuel stood up. "Then, in order to maximize the effect of this enterprise and reduce the possibility of the enemy preparing an ambush, I believe it is prudent to act with haste. If you are alright with it, Sir Erasmus, then we will plan to launch this operation tonight. We are expecting a cloudy night with little to no rain, which should be perfect for our purposes." Mike made a show of considering the issue, while he was really putting the information together in his head. [So, I guess they want me to launch a surprise attack on the Tenundian Navy, probably with the intent of breaking the blockade. Well, that shouldn''t be too hard. I''m not sure why Andrea was so upset about it.] "That is fine." He answered, eliciting a round of admiring chatter from the rest of the councilors. "Very well, we''ll begin the preparations. I''ll speak with you about the specifics once this meeting has been concluded." The Marshal said before directing the conversation to training efforts for the militia forces. This continued for some time, but since it wasn''t something that directly impacted him, Mike found his attention wandering. [Ugh, they make these meetings so painfully long, even though very little of consequence gets decided here.] Eventually, it wound to a close, and Emmanuel dismissed the council with the promise of holding another meeting soon, duty permitting. Mike rose from his seat and was in the process of following the Marshal out, when Andrea approached. "Sir Dragonknight, I just want to wish you luck on your endeavor tonight. I also want you to know, that I don''t hold it against you that you decided to agree to this course of action. It is a brave and noble thing, and, even though it will likely remove any chance of my twin and I inheriting the throne, I still respect your choice." She glanced around suspiciously, before leaning in and whispering. "Truth be told, I don''t really have any desire to be Queen myself. I merely wished to find some path where we weren''t disposed of secretly. So if you indeed manage to rescue my brother from the danger he seems to have fallen into, I won''t blame you for it. I only ask that you intercede to secure a few concessions from him prior to him taking the throne." Mike stared at her from behind his mask for longer than was probably appropriate, mind churning on this new information. [How should I answer this? I don''t want to alienate my only ally in the ruling family, but if I explain the situation, she''ll think I''m an idiot.] Finally, he remembered his manners, and gave a respectful bow. "Your understanding is most appreciated, Your Highness, but I personally believe that the one best suited for political power is the one who wants it least. Ambition can be both a virtue and a vice depending on how it is employed, but those without it are often free to make the most effective decisions when in a position to do so. In that regard, I feel you would be a good fit for the throne." Andrea swallowed, suddenly nervous. Her gaze darted around, looking for potential eavesdroppers, "Your vote of confidence is appreciated Sir Erasmus. However, in the future, I believe it would be best to speak of such things away from the general public." [But you''re the one who brought it up!] "Very well. If there is nothing else, Your Highness..." "Ah! Of course. I''m keeping you from your meeting with the Marshal. Please excuse me." She spoke quietly, flushing slightly as if embarrassed. Mike watched her walk quickly out of the room, before following after. [She''s even more confusing than Sera. Are all noblewomen like this?] He dismissed the thought, before concentrating on the task at hand. Evidently, he''d volunteered himself for something big. Now he just needed to figure out what it was. Chapter 219: Highly Informative "I''m a little surprised you agreed to this mission. Your situation as an unofficial supporter of the Princess means that you will have much to gain if the Second Prince were to perish. Rescuing him would probably postpone the worst parts of the dynastic struggle, even allow us to put it aside until the Tenundians were taken care of, but it would continue afterwards regardless." Emmanuel commented as he sat down behind the plain desk he was making do with at the moment. Mike took his seat on the other side. "I''m not going to lie, I wasn''t really paying attention until he specifically asked me what I thought about the idea." The Marshal blinked at him in shock, "What, really? Do you have any idea what you volunteered yourself for?" "Other than it involves rescuing the Second Prince and fighting some naval ships, no." Knuckling his forehead in exasperation, Emmanuel sighed. "Alright, let me explain. We recently received some intelligence that the Second Prince''s ship was captured by the Tenundian Navy a few days ago, and is currently being used as part of the blockade of the Almirn Bay. The council was suggesting that we take the opportunity to launch a rescue mission in the hopes that it will mobilize his supporters to aid us." "They are just leaving him in the blockade?" Mike asked, wondering exactly how much he missed of the briefing. "Indeed. Although, the way the Tenundians are handling the situation was a little strange. Normally, a captured member of the royal family would be brought somewhere secure and held for ransom or used as leverage during negotiations. In this case, they aren''t doing anything of the sort." "Could the perhaps not know he''s the prince?" Emmanuel nodded. "That appears to be the case. Based on where the vessel was supposedly captured, it seems likely that he was traveling incognito. From the sounds of it, he was meeting with representatives of the Ateshi Commonwealth to negotiate for their support of his bid for the throne. Of all the nearby powers, he has had strongest relations with them, and they would be his best bet for external support now that the elves of the Forest of Shadows are allied with our faction." "So, they are treating him as a captive crew member, which means..." Mike trailed off, realizing that he didn''t know enough about naval warfare in this world to make the supposition. In his own world, it was not uncommon for sailors of captured ships to be forced into servitude. "That he''s likely been impressed into the Tenundian Navy, and so long as no one reveals him, he will likely be relatively safe there." Mike frowned. "Isn''t there an Almiran Navy? What are they doing?" Emmanuel hesitated before speaking, "We''ve been trying to keep this under wraps in order to avoid a panic, but the majority of our ships were caught in a major storm that blew up out of nowhere. The few that survived, were scattered and isolated when the Tenundians invaded. Only a handful were able to limp into neutral ports, where they are now trapped until we can clear the Tenundians from the bay. Combined with the vessels that were lost when our forward naval bases fell during the initial invasion, when our command structure was in tatters, our navy was almost completely captured or destroyed." He leaned back in his chair, looking older and more worn than before. "With the exception of the airship that you recaptured, the sum total of our naval assets at our disposal include a few warships that were in the Almirn harbor for repairs, and whatever commercial ships that can be converted for wartime use." "And you didn''t want to tell us this, because?" "It would cause a panic." He shook his head. "You see, Almirans are a maritime people. They have it in their heads, that so long as the sea is open, then their is no reason to fear the invaders. Many still have personal boats they intend to evacuate with, should the walls fall. As such, the news of the blockade was rather disheartening, and only the minor deception that our navy was working to break it kept the populace from rioting." Mike took a moment to visualize the situation he''d gotten himself involved in. It was starting to look desperate. "Its not all bad news, though." Emmanuel commented after a few moments. "Our last word from Count Graveston indicated that he was commanding a fleet of vessels from the Barren Isle, although his destination was unclear. Nevertheless, the threat such a force poses has kept the Tenundians from capitalizing on their naval victories." "Good to hear, I suppose." Mike murmured. "Alright, so what''s the plan? I just swoop in, grab the prince, and high-tail it back here?" "That would be the simplest solution, yes, but I think you''ll find it a bit more difficult than that. Despite what we said in the council room, the Tenundians will likely have methods of attacking airborne targets. Indeed, a covert infiltration would probably be most effective in this case, but I will allow you to proceed as you see fit. You will be the one facing the challenge." Emmanuel finished with a sigh. [Covert, huh? Might be a good chance to practice my Stealth skill.] Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Mike shot his teacher a calculating look. "Not to sound insubordinate, but wouldn''t it be easier for you to just teleport in, grab the prince, and teleport out? I feel like that could save us a lot of time and effort." "Yes and no. I could do as you say and simply try to remove him with Space Magic, but I should point out there are two limiting factors that make that idea untenable. First, it is difficult to distort space enough to teleport without being able to see the target location or being particularly familiar with it. While it can be practiced without such knowledge, the results would be quite horrifying if I messed up. Even though the teleportation spell displaces matter in the target location, meaning you won''t accidentally kill yourself by teleporting into an object, you could still wind up buried alive underground, cursed to slowly suffocate while being completely unable to move." He shivered involuntarily. "Second, if I try to use that kind of magic anywhere near the fleet, their mage''s would probably detect it, and take steps to prevent me from escaping. Now, I could potential teleport in, find the prince, and leave fast enough that they won''t be able to respond, but there is a lot of margin for error. Should I fail, it will expose the prince, and put my own life at risk." "Okay, fair point, but I still think this kind of thing might be better suited for people with different skill sets. Don''t we have any spies or operatives that could do this sort of thing?" Mike asked, already sure of the answer. "We do, of course, but almost all of them are currently deployed to various places in both the city and the region, gathering intelligence and countering their Tenundian counterparts. Not to mention the group that has been working on tracking down the assassin who killed my predecessor." A flash of anger passed through the old mage''s eyes. "We cannot allow her to threaten our leaders if we want to have any hope of fighting against the invaders. Thankfully, she has been inactive since the last time, perhaps she needed time to recover after you wounded her." [Or maybe she''s already completed her mission and has left the city.] Mike sighed, and made a placating gesture. "Alright, I won''t try to get out of it any more. I volunteered for it, after all." Emmanuel gave a sympathetic smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I can''t think of any other person who is more qualified for this mission. You already have experience rescuing royalty from ships. After doing it in the air, how hard could one on the ocean be?" "Yeah, yeah. I get it." He waved off his teacher''s attempt at a joke. "Anyway, I need to be heading out. I''ve got an appointment with a pottery merchant that I don''t want to be late for." [I would probably be forced to buy more of his cheap crap, just to make up for it.] "A pottery...No, I don''t want to know. Once again, I''m leaving the details of the mission up to you." He handed over a capped tube. "Here''s a scroll of the Invisibility spell. Its Arcane, but you should still be able to make use of it. I recommend activating it before you take off. It should last about ten minutes, so don''t dawdle." "Will do." Mike replied with a half-hearted salute before turning to leave the office. "Good luck," His teacher offered as the door closed, Mike completely missing the look of sorrow and guilt on the old man''s face. ------------------------------------------------------- A few short leaps later, Mike was standing in front of Seth, the information dealer, once more. Unfortunately, it didn''t take long for some disturbing news to pop up. "They weren''t able to get anything solid at all?" He asked, feeling slightly exasperated. [Maybe I should just blast in there myself. It would probably save a lot of time and effort.] "Like I said. The Tenundians are keeping things locked tight. My agents can hear all sorts of rumors, but nothing confirmed. We''re working on getting a few infiltrators into their inner circle, but that kind of thing doesn''t happen overnight. It will probably be a few days before we see any results." Seth said with a shrug. "It happens all the time in this business." "Is there anything useful you can tell me at all? Anything that might give us some indication of what''s coming?" The merchant hesitated, glancing around at the mostly abandoned market before answering, "Tell you what, since you seem like a nice fellow who appreciates fine pottery, I''ll tell you this bit for free. A few of my guys have seen a person of interest going into and out of a big tent in the center of the camp. That''s the part of camp the Duke has locked down. Only his personal troops are allowed in and out." "Who is it?" "We aren''t too sure. He''s always completely wrapped in grey robes, so much so no one has seen his face. That said, one of my agents overheard a few guards talking about him briefly. Apparently, his name is Grim, and he is in charge of some secret weapon the Duke intends to use against us." Mike frowned, eyes still focused on the large vase he was pretending to consider. "Any idea what kind of weapon it is?" "They haven''t heard. In fact, it seems like that is a closely guarded secret." Seth paused, looking a little disturbed. "Although there is one piece of information I haven''t told you yet." "Oh?" "My agents saw large groups of captives being brought in from the surrounding countryside, villagers and travelers who had the misfortune of being caught out in the open when the army rolled through. All of them were taken to the large tent in the center of camp." "So, its some kind of prison?" "If only. None of my agents ever saw any of them leaving, but one of them overheard two soldiers discussing the disposal of the captives'' clothes." Mike recalled stories he''d read about the atrocities committed during World War II, and suddenly he felt tired. [Are they testing it? Or is it something that requires live sacrifices to operate? This is giving me the same sort of feeling I got during the attack on Wyrport. I wonder if the Cabal is involved somehow.] "I see. Thank you for telling me." Seth shrugged. "No worries. All part of the job. Anyway, I won''t make you buy anything this time around, but give me a few days, and I''ll see about getting you some information worth your money." "How much for the vase?" This earned him a heartfelt smile. "Ah, I see you are indeed a man of refined taste. Since you are a connoisseur, I will give you the special price of eight silver for this work of art. Quite the steal, you know." Mike resisted rolling his eyes as he passed the money over. "Alright, I''ll be back in a few days. Chapter 220: Covert Ops Mike dropped by the Almiran Scouting Corps, a sort of catch-all military organization that was once an esoteric knight order specializing in reconnaissance, but had evolved, like many others of its kind, into something else entirely. They handled most forms of intelligence gathering in Almir, covering everything from espionage to surveying. While he didn''t have complete access to their information, something that only the reigning monarchs and their direct representatives would, he could still request reports on almost anything. Unfortunately, like many other components of the Almiran military in the capital, they were woefully understaffed, with a majority of their personnel trapped behind enemies lines with the Western Army. After a little trouble locating their office, since they had taken up in the basement of a chandler''s shop across the street, Mike collected the dossier on the situation with the Second Prince. He tried asking for any further information about the Tenundians'' activities, specifically about what was going on in the camp, but was told that nothing new had been uncovered. Deciding that it would be better to head home and get ready for the mission, he went back to the dorm. He could use the time to plan and prepare. It also gave him a chance to brief the others on what was going on. Something which had surprising results. "I''d like to go with you." Tal commented once he finished his explanation. "I''m not sure what she said, but don''t think you are leaving me out of this one." Sera chimed in as well. He was about to categorically deny them, when he remembered his conversation with Brenden. Mere hours ago, he''d had a fight with him over just this sort of thing. Perhaps it was time to ignore his instinctive response. [Yeah, it would keep them safer, but is it the best thing for them?] "This is an infiltration mission at the center of an enemy fleet. If anything goes wrong, or I am incapacitated for any reason, you''d be trapped there. Are you sure you want to participate?" He asked, trying to appear solemn as he did so. "That''s fine. I have no intention of being a burden." Tal replied without hesitation. "Right. What she said. I think." The Oracle chimed in. Mike sighed, dropping the stack of papers from the Scouting Corps onto the table. "Alright then, we have a few hours to work on a plan. Our target is the Huntsman, a mid-sized merchant vessel that was recently outfitted for wartime usage. Crew size is estimated around thirty, but its likely the Tenundians have several soldiers on board to maintain order. Thus, we can expect a mix of Almiran sailors and enemies in a roughly equal ratio." He lifted the first page of the document, "According to this report, the Second Prince was likely in the process of returning from a meeting with the Ateshans when the boat he was on was captured. He was traveling incognito, and is believed to have been impressed along with the rest of the crew when the ship was captured." "That''s a silly thing for him to do." Lily commented absently. "Well, its not all that strange..." Mike blinked at the newcomer who had snuck in while he was distracted. "How long have you been here?" "Since the bit about the prince getting captured." She replied nonchalantly while sitting down in one of the open chairs. Sera glowered at the woman. "We''re talking about something important at the moment, and it doesn''t concern you. So, could you give us some space." Lily gave the Oracle a blank look, "Why?" Suppressing a chuckle at the vein that started throbbing in Sera''s forehead, Mike cut in before this went too far. "Lily, we''re planning a mission. One that''s going to be rather dangerous, but also require a degree of subtlety. I''m not sure if it really suits someone of your...proclivities." "Hm, that does make sense." [She''s aware of it?] "Wait, wait. Why are you even entertaining taking her. I know she''s a martial arts student and everything..." Sera leaned closer and whispered, "but she''s kinda of crazy." "I heard that." Lily commented with no hint of sarcasm or irritation. Ignoring the cross chatter, he explained. "I suppose with all the confusion during the attack yesterday, I forgot to mention. Lily has a rare bloodline which gives her ridiculous strength and the ability to negate damage up to a certain threshold. Together, they make her a combat powerhouse. So much so, she played a large role in crushing the last Tenundian offensive against the main gate." Sera frowned, "Well that''s all well and good, but if she goes with us, she could end up learning certain secrets. Specifically the big one, if you catch my meaning." She waggled her eyebrow in an effort to communicate subliminally, but it ended up looking ridiculously obvious. [Well, it had to come up eventually...] "I don''t think that''s going to be an issue." He replied with a sigh. "What do you mean?" Tal asked in the ancient tongue, suddenly looking concerned, at least as much as she was able to. "Did she discover your identity?" "In same manner the rest of you did, actually." He replied eventually, feeling guilty about it for some reason. [This is probably how a cheating husband feels when introducing his mistress to his wife.] Tal went stony, but remained silent. Sera, on the other hand, understood enough from context to make the logical leap. "What? With her?! Why?!" Rubbing the back of his head, he answered, "Well, its not exactly like I have any control of who ends up getting the title, and she did help me out quite a bit while I was storming the Tenundian encampment...I''m not really sure how this whole thing works." "Only one?" Tal asked seriously. Despite her emotionless tone and face, the words seemed to carry an unseen pressure. "The only one who got the title, yes." Mike paused, thinking about it seriously, "at least to my knowledge." "Oh great! So you could be spreading your destiny around, and you don''t even know who might be effected!" Sera exclaimed. "Look! I don''t know how this all works! I don''t know the requirements for acquiring the title, so I can''t rule out the possibility that others are out there. However, I high doubt it. I haven''t seen or felt any other evidence to the contrary." He shot back defensively. The Oracle glared at him for a few moments, then sighed. "Fine, that''s fair. Still, that doesn''t mean we have to take her. You said yourself, she lacks discretion." "Anything else?" Tal broke in once more, still intense. He figured she was asking if there were any other revelations he needed to share. "No, that should be..." He remembered his newest familiar. "Well, there is one other thing." "Yes?" The elf prompted. "So...to make a long story short, I ran into a Vargul while doing a request for the Adventurer'' Guild, and ended up healing her condition, turning her back into a regular vampire...and forming a familiar bond in the process." The room was still and silent...well mostly. Lily had apparently gotten bored with the proceedings and pulled out to bits of dull colored metal, and was in the process of rubbing them together. Sera massaged her temples, "There was far too much absurdity packed into that statement, so I''m just going to forget about it so we can move on." "Where?" Tal asked, once again ignoring the Oracle''s input. "I have her keeping an eye on Brenden at the moment." This earned him a nod of understanding. "We can speak of her later, then. For now, we should focus on the mission." "Right. Well, I think we were discussing basics before we got sidetracked." He said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, and exercising his will a bit to quench the fire that had spontaneously broken out in palm of Lily''s. "The way I see it, we have three things we need to focus on..." ------------ Nathaniel collapsed against the gunwale, utterly spent. The last few days had been a never ending slog of manual labor, as their captors forced them to transfer the Huntsman''s cargo of spices and textiles to another ship. It was a painfully slow process that took the surviving Almirans much longer than it should have due to the lack of proper equipment. Rather than making use of the block and tackle system to lift the crates and barrels out of the hold, the captives were forced to carry everything out by hand. A nightmarish prospect in the cramped and poorly lit interior of the ship, where accidents were frequent. Few members of the crew escaped without their fair share of bruises and abrasions. Though, luckily, no one suffered a serious injury. "Looks like you''re finally done, lad." A Tenundian marine commented with a laugh while polishing off the last of a bottle of grog. "Good on you. Now they''ll just have to find something else to keep you busy...Maybe they''ll have you move all that cargo back?" Nathaniel shot the obnoxious man a dark look, wanting nothing more than to throttle the smug drunkard. However, he resisted the urge towards physical violence, and swallowed down the angry rebuttal, instead venturing a feeble, "Haha, that might be..." This caused the marine to grin and lean back against the gunwale, knocking the scabbard of his cutlass against it in the process. Losing interest in the disguised prince, he glanced over towards a knot of his fellows who were likewise celebrating on deck, laughing at the antics of one of his drunken colleagues. Apparently, one of the marines had found the trumpet which belonged to Nathaniel''s herald. He was currently trying to play a lively tune, but clearly had no experience with the instrument. Or music from the sounds of it. [That''s right, fools, keep on laughing. We''ll see whose laughing after I make my escape.] He worked hard to convince himself that his submissive attitude had everything to do with pragmatically keeping his head down until an opportunity arose, and nothing to do with fact that the other man outweighed him by a factor of two and looked like a veteran warrior. He nearly succeeded. "Anyway, that''s enough fresh air. Back to the hold with you. Wouldn''t want the rest of the Almiran dogs getting lonely, now would we?" Nathaniel groaned audibly as he rose to his feet, and meekly headed back in the direction of the stairs leading below deck. All of his muscles were sore thanks to the unusual level of physical activity he''d been forced to participate in. He wondered idly if there was any food left he could scavenge. The Tenundians had only been feeding them a thin gruel twice a day, so his stomach, used to richer fare, felt practically hollow. As he was slowly crossing the deck, he heard the marine exclaim. "Hey now...what''s that?" Glancing back, he saw the man straining to see something off the port side of the ship, down near the waterline. "It looks like...Ah!" The marine managed a short yelp, before he was violently pulled off the deck. Nathaniel heard a muted splash down below. Suppressing the urge to shout in alarm, he looked around at the other marines. Incredibly, they appeared to still be so occupied with their revels that they completely missed one of their comrades going missing. Nathaniel would normally be inclined to feel as sense of superiority, since no Almiran marine would be caught so unawares. At least, he assumed so. However, he soon heard the faint scuffing of something clambering on board, and suddenly the cramped and stifling hold didn''t seem so bad. Moving with a great deal more energy than he had at any time during the last few days, he hurried downstairs. A part of him hoped that whatever it was that killed the marine would eliminate the rest of the Tenundians. However, a wiser part of him realized this was foolish. Unless this was some kind of rescue attempt, which was unlikely considering the vast majority of his followers were half a continent away and probably weren''t even aware of his capture yet, then it meant something was attacking the ship. The ship he happened to be stuck on. The ship that he was trapped inside of, unable to escape whatever creature might seek his life. For a moment he hesitated on the stairs. Perhaps it would have been better to jump overboard and hope that he could make it to shore while the thing was busy eating the rest of the crew. He was just about to head back up and take his chances with the ocean, when he heard footsteps coming down in his direction. Heavy footsteps. He scurried down into the hold, stumbling over a few of the prone forms of his fellow captives and creating a great deal more noise than he intended. Ignoring the cursing of the men who were woken by the clamor, he pressed himself between two water barrels and did his best to control the chattering of his teeth. Hopefully, he would be spared from whatever horror was about to be unleashed. -------------------------------------------------------------- "I got him." Lily whispered calmly while hanging from the side of the ship with one arm. In what could only be described as an act of pure brutality, she''d caught the Tenundian soldier by the neck, snapped it, and chucked him overboard in one clean motion. Mike suppressed a chuckle as he observed Sera''s face. She was standing on Red''s back, who was still mostly submerged, a look of surprise clearly written on her features. After all, it wasn''t every day you saw a woman jump close to three meters, dispatch a full grown man, and dispose of the evidence with aplomb. The Oracle noticed him watching, shrugged, and whispered. "Alright, I can see why you brought her. Still doesn''t mean we have to get along." Sighing, he jump up next to Lily with burst of Air Magic, doing his best to make it quiet. Fortunately, the wind was rather strong this night, so most of the noise was drowned out by the sounds of the waves brushing up against the side of the ship. [Now for phase two.] Chapter 221: Operation Extraction [Alright, there are the soldiers that are theoretically on guard. Tenundian Marines for the most part, and fairly weak at that.] Mike scanned the rowdy group with Appraise, just to be on the safe side, but didn''t see anyone that would warrant concern for him and his comrades. [The dossier mentioned that captured ships tended to have a few Tier 2s stationed on them, to provide muscle for overwhelming the captive crew when necessary. I don''t see anyone that really fits the bill, but they could be located in one of the cabins or below deck.] Carefully analyzing the situation, he determined that he needed to disable the Tenundians discreetly, while preventing them from signalling the rest of the fleet. He didn''t want to start a large scale conflict without knowing precisely where their target was, lest the prince get caught up in the crossfire. That also meant he couldn''t make use of any of his flashy techniques or spells. He dropped back down while maintaining his grip on the side of the ship, and whispered over his shoulder at the others, "Alright, we''ve got eight enemies on deck. They''re drunk and distracted, so I think we can take them by surprise. The last thing we want to do is attract attention at this stage. I have an-" Lily sneezed loudly. "Hey, what was that?" One of the Marines asked. "I think it came from over there, by the edge of the ship." Another spoke up. The sounds of booted feet moving across the deck followed shortly thereafter. Mike resisted the urge to facepalm, and shot the woman an exasperated glare, which was returned with a confused head tilt as she rubbed her nose. [Fine. We''ll just do this the hard way. I played enough of those something creed games to know how this goes.] From the sounds of it, a trio of the soldiers were approaching cautiously. He began to detect a low level of unfocused hostility, which indicated their wariness. Thankfully, this also allowed him to triangulate where they were without lifting his head back over the top of the railing. He signaled Sera and Tal to be ready, and then adjusted his grip on the gunwale, waiting for the last second before making his move. The marine started to lean over the side, and Mike heard an intake of breath as the man prepared to say something. Stopping the soldier''s shouted warning with a quick application of Air Magic, he grabbed the man by the front of his uniform and levered him down into the waters below, where his party members would finish him off. Nearby, Lily repeated her previous maneuver, sending another dead marine overboard. This time, the crack as his neck broke resounded through the quiet air, easily heard by the others on deck. They would only have a few moments before the alarm was raised. Moving with surprising grace, she swung up onto deck and grabbed the third soldier as he tried to draw his sword, a cry already leaving his lips. "Intrude-" Mike''s spear tore out his throat before he had a chance to finish the statement, and before the man had even started falling, he was moving towards the larger group. Despite their inebriated state, the Tenundians quickly formed a plan and executed it. Three marines charged forward, cutlasses raised. Evidently they intended to buy time, since one of them broke into a run for the door leading below deck, and the last started fiddling with a long stick-like implement. Something about the object concerned Mike, so he hurled the Fang of the Primal at the man, spearing him through the chest and driving him up against the railing of the ship. He noted that the stick had rolled from the man''s nerveless fingers, so he shifted his attention to the other fleeing soldier, while letting Lily take care of the three attackers. Gathering the shadows, he hardened the darkness around the man''s feet and ankles, freezing him in place from the calves down, and bringing his headlong sprint to an abrupt halt. Which had unfortunate consequences for the man''s legs. With a sickening pop, he hyper-extended his left leg, dislocating his kneecap and tearing all kinds of tendons and muscles in the process. A spike of darkness ended the man''s agonized squealing, once he was no longer a moving target. Threat removed, Mike turned back to the remaining three marines in time to watch Lily go to work. Ignoring their weapons as they bounced harmlessly off of her skin, she simply stepped forward and grabbed two of the soldiers by their armor, lifted them up, and slammed them against the deck of the ship. Before they had a chance to move, she drew back with both fists and delivered devastating punches to their solar plexuses, crushing bones and organs in the process. A quick glance was all it took to determine that they were out of the fight. The last marine, perhaps starting to understand the futility of his situation, turned to flee, angling to throw himself off of the side of the ship. Unfortunately for him, his escape was halted as Lily latched onto his leg with her steel grip, dragging the man back towards her for a final dispatching blow. [Alright, that went well. Although we made a bit of noise, hopefully the wind will drown most of it out. Now, if we can just sneak below deck and find the prince-] A brilliant flash of red light rose into the air above the ship. Once it was about 300m high, it curved and began to slowly descend towards the ocean. As Mike watched, similar lights appeared above other nearby ships, this time in green colors. He looked back down at the marine he''d impaled with his thrown spear, and was slightly impressed when he saw that the man had managed to drag himself over to the stick-like object, which was clearly a flare of sorts, and activate it before passing out. Suppressing a sigh, he hurried over to the side of the ship, and helped Sera and Tal up. They didn''t have much time before enemy reinforcements arrived, so they would need to move quickly. ------------- Yawning, Garret leaned on his halberd while trying his best to stay awake. He''d been stuck at the guard post near the center of the camp for nearly eight hours now. An unfortunate consequence of being one of the few Tier 2 Tenundian soldiers not directly involved in the strike team, and therefore one of the few to have escaped their near annihilation once the assault failed. A fate he avoided by virtue of a nasty case of food poisoning, which had left him bedridden for much of the first few days of the siege. Immediately after he''d recovered, his commanding officer attached him to the Duke''s house troops to assist in guarding headquarters. Apparently, the arrogant and immaculately dressed soldiers, who looked nice but couldn''t fight their way out of a paper bag, needed the assistance of the Tenundian regulars to provide security for the sprawling compound. As a veteran of three wars, Garret knew that it was important to guard the leaders of the army. Even more so, when that leader was the ruler of your nation, but he felt that the Duke was being a little paranoid. Three lines of security surrounded the cluster of tents, and no one besides a select few nobles were allowed to enter all the way to the center. Well them, and the groups of captives the Duke''s troops brought in periodically. Like the one that had come through a few hours ago, he recalled in distaste. He didn''t know what was happening to them, but the rumors going around weren''t good. Supposedly, their disappearance into the cavernous tent at the center of camp had something to do with the Duke''s strategy for taking the city. Something inside seemed to require a large number of people, although the reasons behind it varied from rumor to rumor, and included everything from demonic sacrifice to slave labor. [I''m getting too old for this shit.] The 34 year old thought, and in his boredom he began fantasizing about the farm he was planning on buying with the money he got from this particular campaign. Assuming he survived anyway. Considering the death toll among his peers, that wasn''t exactly certain, regardless of what the hardliners said. A sudden shout of alarm from far behind him startled him from his musings. Judging from the sound of it, the yell had come from the second checkpoint, a little further into the Duke''s compound from where Garret was standing. He peered into the darkness of the camp, noticing that most of the torches in that section of the encampment had gone out. [I have a bad feeling about this.] Almost as if to punctuate his fears, the silence of the night was rent once more, this time with a strange, bestial roar that vibrated the very ground he stood on. Garret found himself suddenly unable to breath, vision narrowing in terror as the sound continued to grow louder before stopping suddenly. After a few moments, he took a panicked breath, gasping for air like he''d just come up from underwater, and levered himself back onto his feet with his halberd. "What in the hells..." He muttered, staring into the darkness, suddenly more terrified than he''d been at any other point in his life. He was still recovering from the episode when a tawny headed woman sprinted out of the darkness and collided with him. Both of them were sent sprawling in the dust. "Uff...Ow." She complained while pushing herself up and rubbing her head. As soon as she caught sight of Garret''s uniform, that changed. "Shit!" She exclaimed, while hurriedly rising to her feet. "Um, sorry about that..." a quick glance at his rank insignia gave her the words she was searching for, "sergeant, I''m in a bit of a rush at the moment, and I wasn''t looking where I was going." Garret shook the dizziness from his head while standing up himself, and in the process, blocked the escape route that she was edging towards. While it wasn''t exactly his job to monitor people coming out of the compound, this woman obviously was up to something. The better question was, did it matter in the present circumstances? A loud crash sounded from the center of the camp, followed by a few quick thuds and a long screech of metal grinding on metal. Even in the dim torchlight of his checkpoint, he could see the woman visibly pale at the noise. Glancing back in the direction she came from, she started unconsciously muttering, "Oh, that''s bad. It''s waking up earlier than its supposed to. Emmanuel is going to kill me." She looked back at him. "Sergeant, I don''t really have time to explain at the moment, but we need to get out of here fast." "Is this about whatever made that roar?" He asked, while eyeing the rest of the compound warily. "Indeed. There is something terrible being stored at the center of this camp, and its in the process of waking up. Once it does, there is a very real chance that it will simply destroy everything in its vicinity until its master can bring it under control. I suggest we move out of its way." Another series of thumps followed by a few indistinct shouts of alarm from the Duke''s compound accentuated her point. He thought he saw a large, grotesque shape rise above the tents, although it could just be the shadows playing tricks on him. After a few moments weighing his options, he decided that he wasn''t getting paid enough for this nonsense. With a simple nod of acquiescence, he took of running. It was time to start seriously thinking about that farm. Chapter 222: No Pressure "Hurry! Get below deck!" Mike told the others while sending a mental message to Red, commanding him to remain below the waterline until he was needed. From the looks of it, they would have to fight their way out now. As he reached the entrance descending into the ship, he nearly ran into a marine hustling up the stairs. For a moment, the pair of them just stared at one another, but then the Tenundian raised his cutlass with a war cry. A quick stab through the chest was enough to silence the man, and while he was in the process of collapsing, Mike pulled him back onto the deck to keep the stairs free. "Come on." He motioned for the others to follow, and started heading in. Hopefully, they could find the prince without too much difficulty. In keeping with his luck, however, the first landing ended with three possible options. First, there appeared to be a cabin set in the very rear of the ship, likely once belonging to the captain. Additionally, there was a second deck stretching towards the fore, seemingly designed for crew living spaces and cannon emplacement. Finally, the stairs continued heading down, evidently leading into the cargo hold. [What to do? The captives are probably being held in the lowest level, but I can''t exactly leave these other places uncleared. That would be just asking for someone to come stab us in the back. Guess I have no choice.] "Alright, we''re splitting up. Lily, I want you to clear this deck. There are probably still some Tenundian marines, a few of which might be Tier 2, so be careful. Tal and Sera, I want you to go down and see about releasing the captives. If the prince is there, secure him and bring him back here." He whispered quietly once they had grouped up on the stairs. "What about you?" Sera hissed, looking meaningfully at the door in front of them. "I''m taking this one." He nodded towards the cabin. In all likelihood, the Tenundian elites were staying here, which meant it would be the most dangerous task. "Now, we don''t have much time-" The door to the cabin opened, and Mike made eye contact with a grizzled looking marine standing in the doorway, who was just as confounded by their appearance as they were. "Go!" Mike yelled before hurling himself into the room spear first, driving the marine forward in the process. His enemy succeeded in diverting the path of his attack, taking only a minor scratch along his side. However, he couldn''t stop Mike''s momentum, so the pair of them ended up sprawled just inside the cabin. As he rolled to his feet, he took a look around the room, seeing another two marines who were in the process of getting up themselves. Judging from their appearance, and the higher quality gear, he surmised that these must be the Tier 2 soldiers stationed on this ship. [Good. If I can take care of these three here, it will make the next step easier.] The first to move was the marine he''d pushed into the room initially. He was large and heavily bearded, with a gut that suggested an over fondness for food and drink, but he moved with surprising speed and grace. Whipping a pair of boarding axes through the confines of the small cabin, he drove Mike''s spear down and away, attempting to deliver a decapitating strike. It was a valiant attempt that would have worked on other opponents, but not one with Mike''s variety of skills and ridiculous attributes. Rather than attempting to bring his spear up to protect himself, he simply reached out with one hand, placed his palm against the man''s chest, and summoned a small, but intense, blast of flame, punching a hole straight through to his back. As the man collapsed, a look of shock on his face, one of the other marines gave a cry of anguish. "AHH! Gerard!" The woman screamed before running at Mike with her sword held in a two-handed grip. "Damn you!" "Kathy, no! Don''t! We need to fight him together!" The last of the three added, desperately trying to free his own sword from its scabbard. Unfortunately for him, it seemed to be stuck. Mike slid to his left, avoiding the woman''s overhead chop and moving to block her follow up attack with the Fang of the Primal. As soon as the blow had landed, he kicked out with his right foot, catching her in the midsection and driving her to her knees, gasping and retching. With a grimace, he finished the woman off by neatly stabbing through back, aiming for her heart. When she went limp, he turned to face the last of the marines, who had finally succeeded in free his sword. He was of average height, but had a lanky, almost malnourished appearance, which strangely seemed to fit the look of growing despair on his face. "Your him, aren''t you? The Dragonknight whose been causing so much damage for the assault forces." Feeling a tinge of pity, Mike nodded while bringing his spear up to the ready. The man laughed in a slightly maniacal way, "She told me this mission would get me killed, I just didn''t believe her. Oh well, at least I can go out like a soldier. Come on, give me your best shot!" "Alright." Mike answered quietly while falling into a stance designed to facilitate a quick thrust. Once he was ready, he launched himself forward in a blinding flash, punching forward with his spear. The marine, perhaps guessing at the nature of the attack, dodged to his left with all the speed available to him, narrowly avoiding a lethal blow as a line was scored across one arm. Recovering quickly, the man whipped his sword in a horizontal slash, aiming for his opponent''s head. Although he was a little surprised by the efficiency of the evasion and counterattack, Mike wasn''t too concerned. His pure physical abilities had long ago reached the level of superhuman, thanks to overlapping bonuses from his skills and titles. So, even though he wielded superior skill and strategy, the Tenundian had no chance of victory. With a small motion, Mike leaned back, allowing the blade to pass harmlessly in front of his face. A maneuver that would have been unthinkable during his own life, but occurred almost naturally for him. The whole situation struck him as being slightly ludicrous when he thought about it. Even as he caught his opponent across the throat with a return stroke of his spear, he found himself marveling at the change a few months had made. In his previous life, he''d had all the athletic talent of a particularly lumpy potato, and even when he was reincarnated, he initially struggled to hold his own against even the weakest of enemies. Yet, here he was now, easily dispatching three people who were considered elite warriors of a nation''s military. People who had probably been training for years to reach that point. [I know I don''t really have any right to complain, all things considered, but the System is really unfair.] Sighing, he left the room, heading in the direction Lily went. He didn''t think she would need the help, but she was probably the only one still fighting by this point. If they moved quickly, they could hopefully extract the prince and be on their way before the rest of the fleet shows up, assuming there weren''t any further delays. ------------ "So you aren''t here to save us? What in the hells do you expect us to do, then?! Won''t the Tenundians just take revenge on us once you leave?" The agitated sailor demanded while grabbing Sera''s shoulders. Trying to keep herself calm, she replied levelly, "I understand your concerns, but I can''t help you. We don''t have the means of taking everyone here with us." "But you could take some of us, right?" Another sailor broke in, obviously desperate. Tal interposed herself in front of Sera, and answered in her usual fashion. "Will slow escape. Can''t take risk." "Surely, just a few more couldn''t hurt." The woman replied, "Please, I have two children at home!" "Yeah, well I have three kids who need me to support them." Yet another sailor yelled, this time an older man. "Take me with you!" By this point, the crowd of terrified men and women were crowding close, each attempting to argue their case in increasingly convoluted ways. Sera was sure she even heard something about one of them needing to fulfill his life dream of trying every kind of liquor in the world, so he couldn''t die here. "Alright! That''s enough!" She yelled, finally getting fed up. "This all can wait. Our first priority should be to ensure that the prince is taken care of. Does anyone know where he is?" The crowd quieted for a moment as its members looked around. One of the sailors commented, "He was one of the last ones still working up on deck. Did anyone see him come back?" Another round of mutters confirmed that no one knew exactly where he''d had gotten off to. [Damn, of course it can''t be that easy.] Sera thought to herself, feeling a sudden sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach at the idea of failing in the one task she''d been assigned since forcing herself onto this mission. "What do we do now?" She hissed at Tal, not fully unable to keep the uncertainty out of her voice. The elf shrugged. "Take ship?" "That''s not..." She trailed off as she considered the possibility. If they took into account the massive war potential that Mike and Red represented, as well as the mobile nature of their current location, it might very well be their best option now that they couldn''t locate the prince himself. Summoning up all of her reserves of confidence, Sera gently pushed past Tal and addressed the crew. "Alright, change of plans. We''re taking everyone back, but to do that we''ll need your help. We need to get this ship moving back towards the Almirn harbor." A grey-haired sailor, dressed a bit better than the others, laughed. "That''s a good one, missy. Do you really think we can outrun the entire Tenundian fleet? Especially since it seems like they''ve already been alerted. No, we won''t get more than a few meters before they take down our sails and mob us with marines. The only reason they haven''t started firing on us already is because they are worried about their own soldiers. Start moving, and it will be clear that we''ve taken over." Sera frowned at the naysayer, demanding, "Do you have any better idea? Who are you anyway?" The man grinned at her attitude. "The name''s Xander Carthan, once captain of this very vessel. Now, nothing more than a mere captive like the rest. As to your other question, I''m afraid I don''t have an answer. From the sounds of it, you have access to a limited means of transportation. I would suggest you take whoever you can, and make your escape. Just leave the rest of us." The assembled sailors protested feebly, but Sera could tell that their heart wasn''t exactly in it. The captain evidently still commanded the crew''s respect, despite their circumstances. She would need to convince him if they wanted any chance of getting the ship moving. "You make a good point, Captain, but their is one thing you didn''t take into account. The leader of our rescue team is none other than the greatest fighting force the city of Almirn has to offer. With him and his companion on our side, we could take on the entire Tenundian fleet and still come out victorious." A hush fell over the sailors as they contemplated the implications. The desperate man, who had been the first to voice his fears about their fate, spoke up. "You don''t mean..." "Indeed, I do." Sera proclaimed confidently. "The Dragonknight is here with his mount, and I promise that, together, we will rescue all of you." As the crowd murmured, suddenly filled with hope, she turned to the captain. "Still feel like its impossible?" The man chuckled. "Ah, whatever. Let''s give it a shot. Our lot can''t get any worse." ------------------- "That seems to be the last of them." Mike told Lily while pulling his spear free from the Tenundian corpse. "Now if we can just..." He trailed off as a sudden chill ran down his spine. [Why do I feel like the difficulty of the mission just increased?] Chapter 223: A Little Bit Harder Mike watched the surprisingly energetic crew as they went about their business. Apparently, there was more to it than simply raising the anchor and unfurling the sails. He''d been briefly introduced to Captain Xander, and had only barely caught his name, when the man started firing off a barrage of of orders that got the sailors moving quickly. "Sera," He said gently, getting the attention of the sheepish young woman as she tried to shy past him. "A word, if you please?" While it was difficult to find a quiet place on the now crowded deck, they moved off towards the forecastle, where they could both get a little privacy, and watch the approaching Tenundian boarding craft. Judging from the movement of their oars and the speed with which their sleek prows cut through the water, it wouldn''t be long before things got hectic. Mike looked over at Sera, noting the blush on her cheeks and her inability to look him in the eye. "Care to explain?" She started fidgeting with her hands. "Well, we couldn''t find the prince, and the crew wasn''t cooperating. They were too scared of the what the Tenundians would do once they arrived, you see. So, I thought that the best way to make sure we got him out, was to take the whole ship with us." He sighed. "You could have waited for me. I have the Aerosense skill, which would let me pick up on his breathing, assuming he was still alive. Had I known that finding him was proving difficult, I could have swept the ship in a relatively short period of time and either located him or determined that he was no longer on board. In either case, we could have evacuated quickly, with little danger." "But what about the rest of the crew? Were you really just going to abandon them to their fate?" She asked seriously, starting to sound a bit defensive. "They probably wouldn''t be any worse off than before we arrived." "Huh?" Mike turned to watch a crew member clamber up into the rigging confidently, but with no safety gear. "I''m not completely sure, since the circumstances are a bit complicated, but I''m fairly certain that sailing is a skilled profession. As such, I can''t see them wasting and entire shipload of competent sailors simply because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Sera frowned in thought, then grimaced. "I suppose..." "All we would have to do is make a show of our departure, ensuring that they knew who was responsible for killing their soldiers, and it shouldn''t have been a problem." "...Yeah, that makes sense." She finally responded, looking despondent. He sighed again, laying a hand on her shoulder. "That said, your plan is risky, but the rewards are higher too. If we succeed, not only would it add to the city''s war potential, but it could be good for morale." One of the longboats from the closest ship had just about reached them. In fact, he could already hear the sounds of muted commands spoken by the boat''s leadership. Judging from the way the crew of the Huntsman was still moving in a frenzy of energy, they needed more time. As he summoned his will for a little delaying Water Magic, he shot a glance back at Sera. "Look, I don''t want you to think that I am blaming you for this. Chances are, if I was down there instead of you, I''m fairly certain I would end up doing the same thing. I would have a hard time saying no to all those desperate people. But then again, I''m a hapless idiot who muddles through difficult situations relying purely on luck." A few panicked cries filled the night, as the Tenundian longboat turned over, dumping its occupants into the ocean. Turning to face her fully, he gave a half smile. "I know you can do better." "Full speed ahead! Let''s make her run for all she''s worth!" Captain Xander yelled from the rear of the ship. He was answered by a chorus of hearty cheers from the crew, and the whisper of canvas sliding against itself as the sails unrolled to their full spread, snapping taut as the wind caught them and causing the vessel to lurch forward in sudden acceleration. "Anyway, just keep all the options in mind the next time this sort of situation arises. Now if you''ll excuse me, I need to go make a distraction." He said while hopping over the side of the ship and landing on Red''s back as the dragon surfaced. Apparently, whatever magical effect that allowed him to fly in the first place, could easily overcome the difficulties inherent inherent in raising such a large body into the air without any outside help. So, it wasn''t long before they were airborne and the Tenundians started taking notice. Mike could hear the shouts of alarm and the yelled commands as the enemy began maneuvering to attack. "Okay, buddy. All we need to do is keep the enemy focused on us until the ship can get far enough away. Shouldn''t be too hard, right?" He received a derisive snort in response. Mike chuckled. "Alright, since you''re so confident, why don''t you show me what you got?" The dragon turned back to look at him, and Mike could swear he saw a gleam in his reptilian eye. He had just enough time to regret his taunt as Red rolled into a steep dive, heading directly for the surface of the ocean at blistering speeds. ------------------------- Sera felt a sympathetic pang as she watched Mike and Red begin their maneuvers. It looked like the dragon was moving at a blistering pace in a vomit inducing manner that would drag his rider through all kinds of dangerous situations. [I wonder what he meant by that.] She thought to herself. [Did he really agree with my choice, or was he just trying to make me feel better about it? Does he really have that kind of faith in me?] The more she thought about it, the more confusing his actions seemed to be. [Gah! That man never fails to drive me crazy!] She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she moved to stand with Tal and Lily in their designated stations. Since they lacked the skills to helps with the ship itself, they were instead responsible for dealing with any enemy forces that got past Mike and Red, not that it looked like that would be an issue. As soon as Red had made his appearance, the entire fleet began to focus on him to the exclusion of all else. "He looks like he''s having fun." Lily commented absently as she followed the pair with her eyes, a small smile on her face. "Mike?" Tal asked in monotone, although her body posture seemed to indicate that she was interested in the spectacle. "No, the dragon." Came the succinct reply. "Pretty Eyes is probably miserable." In spite of herself, Sera had to chuckle. For all that she disliked the pushy woman who had somehow insinuated herself into the group, she had to admit that the Dovistani noble was amusing in her own way. Turning her attention back to the ongoing firefight, she found herself slightly awestruck by the display. Clearly, the Tenundians had been preparing for this kind of fight, since their ships calmly maneuvered into a loose formation that minimized the amount of damage that could be done by a single wave of dragon fire. At the same time, they unveiled several specially designed cannons, which began filling the air with short fused shells that exploded into clouds of lethal shrapnel. Ordinarily this would have been a deathtrap for any kind of aerial forces. Red, however, was moving far too quickly to be effectively targeted. His graceful spins, dives, rolls, and the like made it nearly impossible for the Tenundian gunners to draw a bead on the dragon. So while the enemy fire made for an impressive fireworks display, it accomplished little else. Sera also noted that the acrobatics kept both Mike and Red from doing much more than occasionally performing a quick hit and run attack. [They''re in a battle of attrition now. We''ll just have to see which lasts longer, the Tenundians'' ammunition or Red''s stamina.] Her eyes slid down to the waterline once more. She noticed a trio of ships had broken off from the rest of the fleet, and were angling to intercept the Huntsman. It was hard to tell with how slowly the sailing vessels appeared to move, but she thought there would be a period of time when the enemies would have a chance to attack. [Seems like we''ll be doing some fighting after all.] The Oracle was in the process of searching for a good vantage point when she began to feel a strange tingling in the back of head, the place where her vision headaches usually started. Typically, this would signal the beginning of one of her episodes of foresight, but it felt different this time, easy and more fluid. As if her body was no longer fighting the process. [This is strange.] She had time to think before sinking into the throes of the vision. ---------------------------------------------------------- Tal watched the ship carefully, waiting for the telltale puffs of smoke before releasing her spell. As soon as the enemy vessel unleashed its broadside, she let go of the pent up mana, creating a powerful downdraft in the space between the two ships, and driving the fired projectiles into the ocean. She sighed in relief as a veritable wall of water burst into the air a few meters from the Huntsman. Fortunately, the enemy was still aiming to recapture the vessel, and had been primarily using chain shot in an effort to damage their rigging and sails. The complex ammunition was more susceptible to strong wind currents, giving her a chance to deflect them with her magic. So far, she''d succeeded in protecting the ship from all three enemies, thanks in large part to their need to draw close to accurately shoot with the chain shot. However, she knew that it shouldn''t be too much longer before they resort to simply sinking the Huntsman, something she couldn''t easily prevent. She simply lacked the raw power necessary to defend against the more traditional cannonballs. [Perhaps its time to make use of my new spirit...] She took a moment to sink into her spirit realm, turning her senses towards her most recent acquisition, and felt a bit disheartened by what she saw. The wraith was still resisting the compulsion of the contract, and lashing out at the bindings that held it in place within Tal''s soul. So long as it remained uncooperative, unleashing it on the enemy could very well prove disastrous. Perhaps if she could soothe it somehow... "Tal! I need to talk to Mike!" Sera''s panicked cry broke her out of her ruminations. The Oracle had spent most of the battle staring blankly at the sky, in the throes of what could only be another vision. Since there was nothing to do but wait for it to pass, Tal had left her friend in a sheltered area near the aft of the ship. She''d hoped that Sera would recover soon enough, but dreaded whatever information she''d awaken with. The things she saw never seemed to be anything good. Judging from her demeanor, Tal was right to worry. "What''s wrong?" "I need to talk to Mike!" Sera spoke fearfully, hands tightening on Tal''s shoulders. "Do you still have the pendant?" Tal pulled the item out in response, holding it out to the distraught woman, who grabbed it and activated it as quickly as she could. As soon as that was done, she turned her attention to the sky, waiting for Mike''s response. "What''s happening?" Tal asked, torn between wanting an explanation, and her need to keep an eye on the enemy ships, who were beginning to maneuver closer for some reason. Although the panic was still there, taking action seemed to have calmed the Oracle a little. She answered huskily, "The city is in danger. The Tenundian Duke has made a deal with forces he couldn''t hope to comprehend, let alone control. Together, they awakened a...creature. One that will overwhelm the Almiran defenders and slaughter the city''s inhabitants before turning on its erstwhile creators. If we don''t act soon, the resulting destruction would be horrific to contemplate." A chill of fear crept up Tal''s spine. Something that could destroy an entire city and its powerful defenders should be well within the realm of a Tier 4. An uncontrollable beast with that kind of power at its disposal was a nightmare given form. [Would Mike be enough to make a difference? Could he even survive against that kind of thing?] Tal felt compelled to ask even though she already knew the answer, "Be alright?" Sera looked at her, face twisted with fear and guilt. In a pained voice, almost a moan, she whispered. "I don''t know." Chapter 224: Spatial Awareness Gasps and exclamations of disbelief filled the air as Emmanuel teleported onto the walls. Such a thing was not uncommon when he made use of his Space Magic, however, the attention of the soldiers wasn''t focused on him. They were staring out towards the Tenundian encampment. "Lord Marshal!" A man wearing the insignia of a captain of the 3rd University Division spoke up. "Thank the gods that you are here. We have a situation." "I''ve been briefed." The mage replied as he pushed forward through the crowd to get a view for himself. The Tenundian camp was just barely visible with the paltry light of the waning moon, but even an inexperienced observer could tell that something was going on. Or rather that chaos was reigning amongst the enemy. Several fires had broken in out amongst the tents, and frantic soldiers could be seen moving around in a disorganized mess. Shouts and screams were heard, quite a few of which seemed to be more horrified than anything. However, Emmanuel barely noticed any of that, as his attention was drawn to a much larger and more pressing concern. Near the center of the camp was a massive irregularly shaped mound, roughly 50m tall, that seemed to be trembling and swaying. After watching it for a few moments, he realized that it was moving in their direction like some kind of malformed behemoth. A moan split the air, seemingly coming from the mound. It shook the air with its intensity and caused several of the soldiers on the wall to fall to their knees in terror. A few of the youngest were even on the verge of passing out. [This is bad. If it can affect them from this far away, it must be near Tier 4 in power.] Emmanuel thought while gritting his teeth. [It was supposed to be weaker than this. That was the whole point of provoking them into action.] He turned to the captain, who was looking staggered under the weight of the creatures aura. "Clear the walls of all Tier 1s, then call up the other divisions. We''ll need to bring in everyone we can if we want to slow this thing down." The man saluted and then hurried off himself, shouting commands. Glancing back at the advancing monstrosity, Emmanuel began mentally calculating how much time they had until it arrived. Although it appeared to be moving slowly, it had already exited the Tenundian camp, and was in the process of crossing the empty filed leading up to the walls. So long as it maintained its current pace, it should be entering the range of their cannons in about three minutes, and would be at the wall itself in five. He cursed under his breath. Things were moving faster than he anticipated. Based on the report he''d received, the creature was supposed to still be quite weak. Something must have pushed it to evolve beyond his expectations. [As it stands, I''m not sure if I can take care of it in one go. We''ll need to weaken it before it gets to the city, but for that, we''ll need time to prepare.] He thought as he strode to the edge of the wall, and clambered up onto the battlements in a manner that belied his rather advanced age, all appearances to the contrary. Sighing and feeling older than he had in a long time, he turned back to the captain who had relayed his orders, and was now standing by with a confused look on his face. "When the general gets here, have her take charge of the situation. Tell her that she needs to load the cannons with solid shot and prepare to bombard the creature as soon as it gets in range." "I will sir, but what about you? Where are you going?" "I''m going to go buy us some time." The mage replied as he finished the silent chant that teleported to the ground in front of the wall. He hadn''t paid close attention to where he''d aimed the spell, so he was a little surprised when he found himself next to an abandoned cart. One of the wheels had broken off, and the owners must have decided to leave it rather than attempt to repair it. [Probably left behind during the exodus to the city.] He thought to himself, before turning to focus on the creature, much to his discomfort. It was still too dark to see it fully, but when he was this close, he could make out enough to feel revolted. If forced to describe its appearance, Emmanuel could only explain it as a walking mound of meat, although walking was a bit of an exaggeration. Staggering was more accurate. It was seemingly composed of pile of disturbingly pale and malformed flesh, bulging and writhing as it moved. Throbbing veins could be seen coursing through the tissue, pumping a dark, sludgy substance throughout the creature. At the moment, it appeared to have four short, limb-like appendages that it was attempting to walk on, but he could see other, similar pseudopods of muscular flesh occasionally forming from the creature''s torso to assist it in the process. This created a stumbling, awkward gait that one would normally associate with a drunkard. [Or a newborn...] He realized with some horror. Shaking his head, he focused his thoughts and mana. The creature''s awkwardness gave him a weakness he could take advantage of, should his initial attempt to disable it fail. [Well, let''s start things off with a bang.] The mage thought to himself as he finished the silent chant. [Dimensional Slash.] A vertical, infinitesimally thin rip in the fabric of space appeared in the air in front of the creature before shooting forward and passing through it in the blink of an eye. For a moment, nothing seemed to have occurred, but then a tidal wave of blood spilled onto the ground as its bulbous form fell in two pieces, cleanly bisected. Emmanuel stared in disbelief. He''d knew that spell was effective, but he figured that the creature would have at least some kind of defense against it. However, from the way its chunks were laying still, it looked like he''d killed it. [Well, that was easier than I thought. I wonder what all the fuss was...] He was caught by surprise as the two building sized chunks of meat rose from the ground and slapped against each other. The slice along its mid-line closed almost instantly, and in a few seconds he was facing an uninjured creature once more. [...High speed regeneration and an ooze-like resistance to slashing attacks. Both of which weren''t included in the original report. It looks like I''m going to have to have a word with Alexander''s agents at a later date. Now what else does it have in store for me?] The mage thought as he prepared for his next attack. While he was watching the thing closely, he noticed strange convulsions taking place near its center of mass. Feeling a sudden sense of apprehension about it, he aborted his spell and quickly dodged to his right, using the now directionless mana to reinforce his limbs for the maneuver. It was good that he did, as the creature heaved once, and with a disturbing huffing noise it launched a piece of itself at him. The chunk of meat slammed into the ground with the force of a cannon, cratering the earth with the impact. Emmanuel resisted the urge to swallow hard as a sudden weakness passed through his body. Unlike his student, he had the typical constitution of a mage, and therefore such an attack could have easily killed him if he hadn''t acted sooner. The worst part, however, was yet to come. As he watched, the separated mound of flesh began to quiver on its on, before six thin, spider-like appendages sprouted and raised its bulk off the ground. This new, smaller monster spun in place a few times, as if to get a scent, before scuttling in his direction. He was forced to dodge again as the flesh spider threw itself at him in a mess of spinning limbs. He unleashed one of his favorite spells before it had a chance to attack a second time. As the smaller creature stopped its inertia and simply reversed, in a wholly unnatural manner, a quickly moving portal engulfed it, sending hundreds of meters underground and hopefully crushing it against the bedrock. Emmanuel took a moment to catch his breath, suddenly finding himself winded from all the running around and dodging he''d been doing. Although he was mage at the peak of Tier 3, he had the physical abilities of an average human, and an old one at that. Not to mention, that he''d rarely engaged in combat over the course of his long life, preferring the dusty halls of academia to the blood-soaked battlefield. He forced his breathing to calm, and started chanting the words to his next spell, the one he intended to use initially. [Let''s see how well you put yourself back together with this.] The creature began its convulsions again, evidently seeking to launch another of its horrible children at him. "Too slow!" He called as he finished the chant. "Spatial Dispersal!" This was a spell that Emmanuel had learned from his master, a Tier 4 Space Mage that had long ago retreated into seclusion in a bid to achieve Tier 5. It had been among the last the crotchety old dwarf had shown him before vanishing into the east. The intended purpose of this spell was to violate one of the basic tenets of Teleportation Magic by selectively moving pieces of the target to inter-dimensional space, where they would be destroyed by the chaotic energies that made it inhospitable to organic life. This was understandably lethal to most of its targets, and due to its nature, was extremely hard to resist. In fact, the only thing he knew of that could help at all, was the blanket Magic Resistance skill, a rarity in the extreme. Unfortunately, it did have a rather steep mana cost. Forcibly separating the component parts of an enemy required much more energy than simply moving a similarly sized object. As a result, he only made use of this spell when he was faced with a particularly stubborn or resilient foe. One that could resist his other attacks, for whatever reason. He felt himself smiling as large chunks of the monster started vanishing, creating great, bleeding crevasses in its flesh. An almost agonized moaning sound issued from somewhere near the center of its bulk, although the sound was strangely muted, as if it originated deep within the things body. It collapsed once more, falling onto the ground with tremendous thud. Taking a deep breath, Emmanuel endured a bit of lightheadedness from his depleted mana reserves. While he still had a fair amount of power left, he doubted whether he could continue in this line for much longer. Unsurprisingly, the creature stirred once more, reforming into its usual shape, although noticeably smaller. Once it was upright, it paused, as if sniffing the air. [Well, at least if I keep this up, it will eventually be small enough to simply teleport into inter-dimensional space all at once. For now, I just need to-] Several pseudopods emerged from the creature''s body, before latching onto the trees that lined the road leading into the city. The tall oaks were ripped from the ground and dragged into the monster''s bulk, quickly disappearing behind a wall of flabby tissue. With a sinking sensation forming in the pit of his stomach, Emmanuel watched as the creature regained some of its previous size. After a few moments, the pseudopods reappeared, questing for their next targets. [Its absorbing organic material to increase its own bulk.] He realized with a start. [What sort of madman could dream of such a thing?] Calling up his mana once more, the mage began another chant. Although it was clear that he could no longer handle it on his own, he knew he needed to buy time for the others to prepare, and for a certain student of his to return from a mission. Chapter 225: A Part to Play Mike was hanging upside down, doing his best to cling to the back of his mount when the signal started ringing in his head. [What the? Red! There is a problem back at the boat!] He urgently messaged the dragon, not trusting himself to speak under these circumstances. In a maneuver that would have been virtually impossible for a bird, let alone a massive reptilian creature, Red performed a complicated midair flip and completely changed directions in about a second. This of course had the side effect of putting a great deal of pressure on Mike, so much so that he felt his vision narrow for a moment. [Damn. This must be what it feels like to be a fighter pilot.] They shot over the enemy fleet, barely visible to the Tenundian gunners, who had been attempting to fire on them for most of the last ten minutes to no appreciable effect. Despite doing little in the way of actual damage, Mike and Red''s presence had apparently been sufficiently distracting to occupy almost all of the enemy ships. Only a handful had gone after the Huntsman, and those looked to be having trouble taking it down. [They seem to be alright. I wonder what the issue is?] Just to be on the safe side, he had Red rake the closest enemy ship with dragon fire, setting their rigging alight. It quickly started falling behind as its crew began focusing on keeping themselves from burning to death. Perhaps out of concern for a similar fate, the other two nearby ships fell back a bit, keeping a wary distance. Mike hopped off his mount, landing on the Huntsman''s deck with a blast of Air Magic. "What''s the problem? Is someone hurt?" he demanded as soon as he had his legs under him. "You have to go back to the city! They need you!" Came Sera''s reply as she ran up to up to him. "Huh? Did you..." He leaned in close before whispering. "have another vision?" "Yes, and we don''t have time! You need to move. Now!" He took a moment to look her over. Although she appeared uninjured, she was pale and there were tears in her eyes. Worse yet, he was shivering uncontrollably. Whatever she''d seen had shaken her terrible. "What is it?" The Oracle shook her head. "There''s no time. If you want to have any hope of stopping this thing, you need to leave!" He glanced back at the Tenundian ships. They were still keeping their distance, no doubt worried about provoking the dragon that was still circling the Huntsman in a somewhat lazy manner. However, as soon as he left, the pursuit would no doubt continue. Even as he watched, some of the lead elements of the blockade fleet changed began moving to intercept. [If I leave now, they''ll be on their own against them all. Unless...] "Alright, but you three are coming with me." He said while focusing his mana. The very least he could do now, was to leave the ship with some protection. Sera hesitated, then nodded. "That''s fine, but we need to leave soon." "Just give me a moment." He replied while concentrating. This would be the first time he attempted this particular spell, but hopefully, it would turn out alright. He started chanting. "I call thee noble protector. Come forth and guard my chosen comrades. Render them safe from harm and bring despair to their enemies. [Conjure Guardian Monster]" This particular spell was designed to increase both the relative power of the summoned monster, and the length of time it could remain in effect as compared to other more common summoning spells. The only downside, was that the monster''s actions were limited towards protecting a particular location or person. If it was ordered to do anything beyond that one specific function, the spell would fail. A large amount of mana flowed out of him. So much that he actually wondered if he''d overdone, until the stream eventually stopped as the creature took shape. The water next to the ship began to froth as a large serpentine head broke the surface, rising out of the ocean. It was sleek and distinctly snake-like, with a oddly dragon-like head. It vaguely reminded Mike of the being he''d somehow summoned back in the dungeon below Wyrport, especially in terms of the long, sinuous bodies and the adornment of crested frills and horns. However, this new monster lacked the former''s elegance and beauty. Nevertheless, it was an impressive beast, towering over the ship even with the majority of its body still underwater. It was about 3m in diameter, and had to have been dozens of meters long, judging by how easily it was able to lift its head above the gunwale. Knowing that he didn''t have long to tarry, but unwilling to completely ignore his curiosity, he used Appraise while signalling Red land on the other side of the ship in preparation for their departure. ------------------------- Sea Serpent Age: 0 Race: Sea Serpent Class: Sea Serpent Title: Draconic Summon ------------------------- [Huh, I guess that''s-] "Sea Serpent!" Someone yelled in panic, causing the several of the sailors on board to stop what they were doing, and grab a number of long, wicked pikes that seemed to be designed for fighting off large enemies. "I need the cannons loaded, now!" Captain Xander commanded over the noise. "We need to scare the beast off if we want any chance of survival!" "Wait!" Mike jumped out in front of the creature, which had by this point lowered its head curiously to investigate all the commotion. "Its here to help!" The grizzled ship captain looked at him as if he''d just said that the sun was going to explode. "Are you crazy?! Those things are ship killers! Unstoppable engines of destruction on the open ocean! Scourges for all seafaring folk!" "Yes, well, this one isn''t like that. I should know, since I summoned it myself." He replied, reaching up to stroke the side of the creature''s head to prove his point. "Mike..." Sera urged him from the other side of the ship, reminding him of more pressing matters. The others had already descended to Red''s back, and were ready to leave. Sighing he turned back to the captain. "Listen, I don''t have time to explain right now, but trust me, this thing is here to protect you." He looked up at the Sea Serpent, noticing that its eyes were focused on him. "Protect this ship from the others," he waved towards the Tenundians, "and get them back to port safely." The creature stared at him for a moment, before sliding back into the water and disappearing. [I don''t know if it understood, but its the best I can do at the moment.] He thought to himself as he ran across the deck, vaulted the gunwale, and landed on Red, just as he was in the process of taking off. In seconds they were in the air, speeding off towards the city at a blistering pace. --------------------------------------------------------- Another howling moan filled the air, causing the grimy glass of the seedy bar''s windows to rattle, and sending another shiver down Prime Minister Faril Couthbotan''s spine. He was sure he looked terrified, much like the other occupants of the bar, who were waiting for whatever was coming while downing the sour swill they called beer here. "Are you sure there is nothing I can do?" He glanced around to make sure that no one was listening, although he needn''t have bothered, since the poor folk occupying the bar had other things to worry about. The animate corpse that was once the King of Almir, turned and gave him a smile from within its hood, the dirt and grime they''d applied its face doing little to hide its deathly pallor. "Whether or not this city survives its current plight is a matter for beings far more powerful than you to decide. Instead, you should focus your attention on the task at hand. It would difficult to track her down again, especially if she knows she has pursuers. So, I recommend you do things right the first time." Faril nodded, before swallowing uneasily. Long years of working in politics had ill prepared him for this kind of thing. There was a slight tick in the corpse''s expression. "There she is, already heading down the stairs. Now, just follow the plan, and everything should work out." Without another word, the Prime Minister of Almir stood and nervously started walking towards the narrow staircase which lead into the bar''s basement. He hadn''t seen the woman at all while they''d been talking, but he''d learned to take the entity inhabiting his friend''s corpse at face value. Although, he still couldn''t control the shudder of revulsion he experienced every time he laid eyes on the creature. He descended into the dark, stairs creaking under his feet until he reached the basement. Ordinarily, in such an establishment, this room would be protected by a locked door to avoid any nosy or thieving patrons from finding their way inside. However, the Rusted Bucket, the charming establishment they''d finally tracked the woman to, lacked even that basic level of protection. It was almost as if they knew that nothing inside was worth stealing. As he stepped into the dank pit, he felt the faintest of breezes slide over his skin. The mere sensation caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise, and he was just about to turn around and walk back out, animate corpse be damned, when he felt a blade press against his throat. A breathy voice whispered in his ear, "Well, well. What do we have here? A lost little lamb wandering into the wolf''s den? Or perhaps a wannabe hunter, looking to make his name? Tell me little sheep, what are you looking for?" Faril remained silent, not trusting himself to speak in these circumstances. Thankfully, all he had to do was wait until the corpse was ready. "Not talking? Well, I know a few tricks to-" "That''s enough, Vivienne. You can let him go. I promise he''s harmless." The corpse''s voice sounded from the stairs, eliciting a hiss of surprise from the woman. "You! How...No, why are you here?" She demanded, although Faril could hear the fear in her voice. "I have my reasons, my dear. However, you should be more concerned about what Lord Fruthik will do once he''s learned of your failure. Especially since you revealed yourself in the process." Faril felt the woman stiffen against him. "They may have seen me and a little of what I can do, but they shouldn''t know what I am. Information on us is scarce." "The Dragonknight has the Appraise skill. You were revealed as soon as he could lay eyes on you." The corpse replied matter-of-factually as it descended the stairs. "It didn''t take long for him to start making inquiries." The blade against Faril''s throat trembled slightly. "So they know what I am? What of it? There was always a danger of such a thing occurring once I made use of my abilities. Lord Furthik should have been well aware of the risks when he sent me here." "It is one thing to employ your skills in the course of your usual duties. So long as you followed basic procedure and left no witnesses, they wouldn''t have proof of your existence. It is quite another to have your class, race, and title revealed in the midst of an assassination and not only fail to eliminate the appraiser, but allow him to communicate what he learned. I think we both know that your master won''t be pleased." The blade trembled again. This time harder. "You think I don''t know all that?!" The woman yelled angrily while unconsciously letting her arm go slack, releasing Faril. "Why else would I hide in this shit hole of a basement?!" The corpse nodded understandingly, "Indeed. I''m sure you find yourself in quite the bind. If you return to your master as is, you can expect a flensing, at the very least. Likely coupled with a soul binding so you can be included in Lord Furthik''s Lantern Hall, unless I miss my guess." "...You probably have the truth of it." Vivienne sighed. Stepping forward until he was within arms reach, the corpse smiled its ghastly grin. "Which is why, my dear, I''m going to offer you an alternative." The woman froze, a look of utter terror on her face. "I-I don''t want that! I''d rather spend eternity trapped in a soul jar!" "No, no. You misunderstand me. That is a fate reserved for those I consider my enemy. No, I''m merely offering you a deal." After a few calming breaths, she asked, "What kind of deal?" Chapter 226: Holding the Line "Incoming!" One of the soldiers yelled while Brenden was still occupied with the creature in front of him. He severed a muscular tentacle with his sword, before diving to his right, mostly on instinct. Another flesh blob slammed into the parapets where he had been standing only seconds ago, and crushed an unfortunate soldier under its bulk. Brenden could hear the man''s muffled screams as the monster began to devour him, gaining strength in the process. Growling a curse, he strode forward and swept his sword through the still forming mass, causing a torrent of blood to gush across his lower body, and soaking his clothes with gore. Despite subjecting him to a messy aftermath, this was exactly what he intended to do. As much as these creatures were capable of regeneration, he found that slowly bleeding them of their vital fluids was one of the only ways to get them to stop moving. They could restore damaged flesh relatively easily, although they needed to absorb other living things to provide the biomass. It was apparently more difficult for them to replace blood, and so he began to intentionally seek exsanguination. Brenden was forced to dodge back again, as the new arrival lashed out with its crudely formed limbs, shattering the stones of the parapet when it missed. By this point, the injury he''d inflicted had largely stopped bleeding, and was well on its way to healing completely. Judging from the sudden silence from the man buried under the creature, it was also nearly finished digesting its victim. To make matters worse, his original opponent was still advancing on him, which led to the two flesh blobs cornering him against the edge of the wall. If he didn''t act quickly, he would soon be trapped. However, this also gave him an opportunity. He delivered a few quick strokes which scored superficial lines on the creatures, provoking them into attacking. As he''d noticed in the last few minutes of furious fighting, the flesh things weren''t smart, and appeared to be functioning almost entirely off some primitive instinct. So, they very naturally responded to his attacks by throwing their bulk forward in an attempt to pull him down and engulf him. Brenden waited until the last second, and kicked off from the wall, and throwing himself into the air and over the creatures who had trouble changing directions once in motion. They slammed into the parapet, which then became a fulcrum for their large and heavy bodies. He landed on the other side, just as the flesh blobs were sliding off the wall, towards the ground below. Unfortunately, a fall from that height wasn''t enough to kill the things, and he could already see several other of the creatures working their way back up. Many of them had failed to reach the top initially, slamming into the wall before falling back down to the ground below, but they soon develop climbing limbs that allowed them to scale the obstacle. He tried to catch his breath as he took stock of the battle. For all that they represented the elite of the city''s forces, the higher tier soldiers around him were having a hard time of it. Each of the flesh blobs was at least a Tier 2 monster in its own right, but had the propensity for gaining size and strength by consuming the men and women they fought. If they didn''t take care of the monsters quickly, they could grow to dangerous sizes and become nearly unstoppable. Thankfully, members of the Royal Guard arrived with the first batch of reinforcements, and the general put them to work eliminating the enemies that had gotten too big for the regular soldiers to handle. So far, they''d been able to avoid heavy casualties, but it looked like it was only a matter of time at this point. He glanced over at the source of the monsters, the titanic creature seemingly made out of a mountain of flesh, and gritted his teeth as he saw another of the blobs being launched towards the walls. The Marshal had succeeded in occupying it for nearly an hour while simultaneously preventing it from absorbing too much of the surrounding trees. By the time he''d been forced to retreat and regain his strength, it had lost a lot of its former size. Not that it seemed bothered by that fact. After its initial attempt to scale the walls was rebuffed by several volleys of cannon fire, it retreated back to its former location and began launching smaller versions of itself at the walls. Initially, its accuracy was all over the place, with the blobs landing far short of their intended targets. However, it slowly, but surely, became more skilled at placing its minions where it wanted them. "We got one coming over!" A soldier yelled from nearby, as a fleshy tentacle ending in a sharp point of keratinized tissue reached over the parapet and stabbed into the stone of the wall. Soon afterwards, the bulk of the creature could be seen struggling to rise over the crenelations. Brenden launched into action, darting forward and sweeping his sword through the tentacle in a shower of blood. He swiftly followed up with an overhead chop which pushed the rest of the creature free of the wall with the sheer force of the blow. He watched as it fell back to the ground, squirmed for a few moments, and then began working its way back up once more. "We got another one! Shit! There''s too many!" An officer was yelling from somewhere behind Brenden, although he could hear the cries of other soldiers nearby. At this rate, they would be quickly overwhelmed. A blob slammed into the wall a few meters away, and began unfolding itself to attack. Unlike previous versions, this one immediately sprouted several disturbingly flexible, spider-like legs, and began laying about with them. Its sheer ferocity forced the solders around it to retreat, and the swirling mass of limbs prevented them from counterattacking. With resignation in his heart, Brenden prepared to move. He was going to have to fight seriously against this one, and make use of some of his more tiring abilities to do so. Concentrating on steadying his breathing, he reached deep into himself and drew forth the primal power that resonated in his blood. After a few moments, he felt the tell-tale tingling on his skin as it swiftly began to grow a thick coat of fur. While his face was elongating he broke into a run, his sword held out, and away from his body. A howl spilled forth from his changed jaws as he smashed his way through the flailing limbs, clawed his way up the side of the creature, threw himself into the air, and delivered a mighty overhead chop with his full strength. Ordinarily, such a blow would be weak, since fighters in the air lacked the same kind of leverage they enjoyed with their feet planted on the ground. However, Brenden''s enhancement skills were a product of the System, and therefore worked by directly affecting the nature of reality. This was never so noticeable as when the beastman made use of his full strength. His Basic Power Enhancement skill augmented his strike to the point that, even in such unfavorable circumstances, it cleaved cleanly through the flesh blob, separating the creature into two halves. His sword continued afterwards, and ended up embedded in the stones of the wall, something that would have surely broken it, if not for its indestructibility. He knew that such an injury wouldn''t stop the creature for long, and so he freed his weapon quickly. As the fleshy pieces began to wiggle towards one another in an attempt to reunite, he whirled and started chopping and dicing in a frenzy. It took nearly a minute for him to cut it down to bits that were too small to effectively regenerate. While he was catching his breath after that sudden burst of exertion, two more of the creatures slammed into the wall nearby, scattering soldiers in their wake. [Can''t keep this up much longer.] He thought as he readied his sword once more, only to have his enemies disappear in a sudden wash of fire that left them as charred and twitching corpses. He glanced up at the dragon flying overhead with mixed emotions. While his friend''s presence was reassuring, he hadn''t quite gotten over the issues that had led him to leave the group in the first place. [Whatever, I''ll forget about it for today. After all, he''s our best hope of taking down the big one. I suppose I need to start carrying my own weight.] He started moving towards another of the flesh creatures that was in the middle of dragging a soldier into its core. So focused was he on his renewed efforts, he barely noticed that his despair had fled, to be replaced by a small but growing sense of hope. Suddenly, things didn''t quite seem so bad. ---------------------------------------------------------- [What in the hell?] ---------------------- Agony Age: Varies Race: Abomination Class: Abomination Title: The All-Consuming ---------------------- Mike was having a hard time figuring out how such a large...thing, for lack of a better term, was moving, let alone attacking a city. In fact, it shouldn''t be alive at all based on his understanding of how biological creatures functioned. [I know I''m in a fantasy world, but this is ridiculous. Next thing you know I''ll be fighting a gigantic, radioactivity-power lizard that shoots energy beams from its mouth. Really, how do I keep getting into these kinds of messes?] They were in the process of circling the battlefield, surveying the situation. It became quite clear after the massive flesh creature launched a few miniature copies of itself at the wall, that they needed to take it down first. "Do you know anything else about this thing?" He yelled back at Sera over the roaring of the wind. She shook her head, "Not really, although I think there might be something like a core that serves as its heart. I saw a vague image of you striking towards the center of its body and doing damage as a result." [Hmm. I don''t really want to go fight it blindly, but I can''t really leave it alone at the moment...] He issued a few mental commands to Red, and the dragon descended to the wall, hovering in place until his four passengers could disembark. [Try to keep it occupied for a bit while I look into the situation more, but be careful. I don''t want you getting too close until we know what its capable of.] His scaly mount gave him a disdainful look before flying out to the monster. Using his superior mobility, Red started performing flyby attacks that elicited agonized moaning from his target. The creature attempted to swat him out of the sky with a pair of flailing tentacles, but the measure was clumsy, and failed to hit anything other than itself. Monster successfully distracted, he now needed to focus on information gathering. He needed to know what had happened up to this point to develop an effective strategy. For that he needed someone who''d been here since the beginning. Looking around, Mike spotted Emmanuel sitting near the door to one of the defensive towers built into the wall. The older man''s eyes were close and he looked like he was asleep. Mike figured this must be what using the Meditation skill must appear like when viewed from outside. [Should I interrupt?] He asked himself, and was just about to call out to his teacher, when he spotted another familiar face. "Captain Henry!" He called, waving at the city watchman who was in the process of directing a series of soldiers armed with rifles. At the sound of Mike''s voice, the man stiffened, blood draining from his face. He didn''t turn, almost as if he wanted to pretend that he hadn''t heard the call. Unfortunately for the young captain, he couldn''t escape that easily, and it didn''t take long until Mike was standing in front of him, looking serious. "I''m so glad I found you. I have a favor to ask." Chapter 227: Breaking and Entering "So you didn''t notice any weakness? What about a central core, or some kind of nucleus?" Mike asked conversationally while observing the creature in question. "Did it seem like it was vulnerable to any specific kind of attack?" "I already told you everything I know! Now, would you help me already!" Captain Henry yelled back as he fended off a smaller flesh blob. It had succeeded in pulling the man''s shield free of his arm, and was now attempting to impale him on one of its spiky forelimbs. "Come on. There has to be something." Mike commented absentmindedly as he raised an arm and casually blasted the monster with a bar of intense fire, incinerating much of its body and leaving a few charred, twitching limbs behind. He glanced at them before muttering, "Maybe I should just blast it with as much firepower as I can muster and hope for the best." "Haa..." Henry sighed in relief, "Couldn''t you have done that a bit sooner?" "I was thinking." The captain looked as if he was about to shout a reply, but stopped himself and finally sagged. "Whatever. I suppose it worked out. Anyway, Sir Erasmus, I don''t have any information that you might find useful." Mike took a moment to scan the battlements and locate his party members. They had split up and were in the process of dealing with the other flesh blobs. Now that the main monster was no longer producing them, their number was quickly dwindling. [They seem to be doing alright, so it should be safe to leave them here for now...] He glanced back at Henry with a frown, "But you watched Emmanuel while he was fighting it, right? Did you notice anything out of place?" "You mean the part where the Marshal threw a bunch of high level magic at it, literally tearing it into pieces multiple times, only to have it regenerate repeatedly? Yes, I did see that." He replied sarcastically before leaning against the parapets looking exhausted. "We all thought he was making progress until it started eating the trees..." "Wait, explain that bit." "Well, it seems to be able to absorb other living things-" Mike cut him off, "No, I already heard about that. What do you mean he was making progress?" "Oh. Uh...I think it was when he used some kind of spell that caused sections of the monster to disappear. It regenerated from the injuries, but it had gotten smaller afterwords." His mind started racing as he considered the possibilities. He''d been hesitating to attack the creature, because he was worried about burning through his mana in a few big attacks, only to have the monster come out the other side unscathed. However, if he could just destroy enough tissue... "I suppose there was one other thing. Not sure if it will help you though." Henry spoke up while he was concentrating. "Oh?" "When it was regenerating after the Marshal''s spell, I could have sworn I saw...something buried deep in the creature''s flesh." The captain gave an involuntary shudder at the memory. "What did you see?" "I''m not sure. I only saw it for a few seconds before the flesh closed over top of it, but it looked like the upper body of a person was trapped inside of it. At first, I just figured that it was some unfortunate bastard that the creature had grabbed, but it seemed strange that he hadn''t been fully absorbed yet. Maybe he''s related to the monster somehow?" Mike stared hard at the captain, remembering Emmanuel''s evaluation of the man prior to their ill-fated diplomatic mission. Supposedly, Henry was lazy and a bit cowardly but had excellent intuition, which had served him well during his time in the watch. He had a knack for finding his way to the heart of whatever problem he came across. It was part of the reason he''d been promoted to his current rank, despite his young age. [Could that human figure be its core? Maybe that''s what Sera was talking about.] His thoughts were interrupted by a furious roar of pain coming from the two creatures doing battle on the plains before the walls. The roar was accompanied by a panicked mental message from his dragon ally. Without taking the time to think it through, Mike leapt into action, blasting himself towards the combat with a jet of concentrated air. So intense was the movement that several nearby soldiers were thrown to the ground by the wind his passage created. He began gathering his mana while surveying the situation. Red''s left hind leg had been snared by the creature, and he''d been forced to the ground as a result. Now he was furiously attempting to shred his way free as the much larger monster started to engulf him. Tentacles of meat were wrapping about him in a bone crushing embrace as he was dragged towards the creature''s center. A spike of adrenaline surged through Mike as he realized that he only had seconds to act before his companion was devoured by the monster. He felt his mind grow cold as a familiar calmness fell on him, allowing him to perceive his surroundings with clarity. A small part of him realized that he''d unconsciously pushed a large amount of mana into enhancing his Willpower, but the rest was concerned with making the most of his time. [Judging from the ineffectiveness of Red''s breath, the creature has either learned to endure the flames or somehow gained a resistance skill since the start of the battle. As such, fire will be difficult to use against it. Based on its body structure, it likely has a resistance to blunt force trauma, and its unclear how it would respond to lightning or freezing. Both methods also have the negative aspect of potentially damaging Red in the process. Therefore, cutting would be the most expedient method...] This entire line of thought had taken less than a second, and before he''d even traveled halfway to the rolling combatants, he was finished with a hurried chant. "By aural heights doth thy loose. Let thine roar cleave the heavens. [Howling Wind Blade!]" He called, naming the spell he''d invented on the spot by combining elements of other spells he''d used in the past. With a mournful howl, shimmering lines of compressed air, buzzing with barely contained energy, roared forth and slammed into the fleshy mound surrounding the dragon. They cleaved through the tissue with ease, cutting the monster into chunks of blood-soaked meat, and freeing Red from its grasp. The dragon awkwardly hopped away, broken and shredded wings flapping weakly in the process. In his state of enhanced concentration, Mike took note of the numerous wounds that now covered Red''s body. Wherever the creature had touched him, it had torn away scales, skin, and even muscle, leaving patches of bleeding flesh that almost looked like burns. Regret filled Mike''s heart. He saw now that letting the overconfident dragon tackle this thing alone was folly. It was far more dangerous than he''d originally given it credit for. He felt even worse when he came to the logical conclusion that he didn''t have the mana to spare in healing Red, and that he would have to employ his wounded companion for an additional task. As the creature began the process of putting itself back together, Mike channeled his mana into the ground below it. Dozens of earthen spikes erupted into the air, spearing the chunks of flesh and holding them in place while he moved towards Red. He pulled a squawking Audra from his pocket and tossed her over to the larger dragon with a quick mental message. [Take her and get clear of this thing.] There was a hint of reluctance in Red''s acknowledgement, coupled with a bit of shame, but he agreed, gently wrapping the little dragon in one claw and limping away despite her angry protestations. A series of cracks from behind him caused him to turn. The monster was already well into the process of reforming itself, shattering the spikes of hardened earth in order to do so. In a matter of seconds, it would be back in action. [Is it healing faster now? Or am I simply not doing enough damage?] He thought as he began running over to it, gathering his mana as he went. A crackling aura of lightning started surrounding him as began the chant for one of his most devastating area of effect spells. -------------------------------------------------------------- Salens Kristenist, loyal retainer of the Duke of Tennundi, couldn''t believe what he was seeing as he returned to camp. He''d been assigned the task of meeting with their rearguard and passing along important orders from the Duke that were too sensitive for a regular courier. It had been an annoying and thankless task that had been complicated by the rearguard''s commander. The woman hadn''t shut up about the missing supply convoys that were supposed to be arriving from Tennundi, as if he had time to deal with such a minor problem. So long as they took the city, supplies would hardly be an issue. Thankfully, he was able to use his position to hurry his way through the meeting and managed to return to camp with his retinue a little after nightfall. However, the only thing that greeted him was devastation. While the outer edge of the encampment, where most of the regular army had been stationed, escaped the worst of the destruction, the central portion, where the Duke and his household troops were based, had been virtually annihilated. Fires had run rampant through most of the tents, leaving little more than a few charred skeletons and unidentifiable bits of metal. Corpses dressed in the Cobalt blue uniforms of the Duke''s household troops filled much of the remaining space. Strangely enough, there were no visible injuries on them, but each of their faces was twisted into the rictus of palpable horror. Evidently, their last moments had been ones of true terror. Salens rode his horse through the remains of the camp, slowly taking in each fresh nightmare with a slack-jawed expression of shock. Although he considered himself something of a military man, the fact of the matter was, he''d never so much as stepped onto a battlefield before this night, let alone participated in a fight himself. A massive roar of thunder and brilliant flash of light suddenly split the night. It looked as if a localized lightning storm had erupted somewhere near the walls of Almirn. After a few seconds the storm ended, leaving Salens ears ringing and eyes momentarily blinded. Clearly something was going on, but for the life of him, he couldn''t figure out what. Confused and uncertain, he unconsciously made his way towards the very center of the encampment, where the Duke had resided. This particular area had been torn asunder by some great cataclysm. Fractured earth, mixed with the shattered pieces of tents, wagons, and people was all that remained of the once proud camp. When it started to get too difficult for his horse to advance, Salens dropped from the saddle and started clambering over the rent ground, ignoring the feeble protests of his retinue. He suddenly had a powerful and compelling need to find the Duke. It didn''t take him too long to locate the remains of the Ducal tent, thanks to its eye-catching color, even with the thick layer of dirt and grime covering it. Once he''d made it there, however, he was at a loss as to what to do next, and could only numbly stare down at the tattered scraps of cloth. At some point, his unseeing gaze wandered, and he found himself staring at a discarded helmet a few meters away. It was hard to tell, but he thought it resembled the kind of field armor the Duke and his retinue wore. The visor was closed, hiding its interior, but something about it caught his attention. The longer he stared at it, the more he felt that there was something wrong, and it was giving him a queasy sensation in the pit of his stomach. Unable to quell his curiosity, he stood and moved towards it. For some reason, his heart was pounding in his ears, drowning out all others sounds except for his gasping, wheezing breaths. As he reached out to lift the visor, a sickening sensation of dread overcame him, causing his vision to narrow to a point. Still, he felt compelled to continue. A perverse urge driving him to find out. His fingers brushed the cooling metal... "Are you sure you want to see?" A raspy voice sounded from his left. "Gah!" Salens cried, falling over himself in a sudden panic. A figure swathed in grey cloth had appeared next to him, leaning forward in a manner that would have suggested concern in another person. However, coming from the agent of that terrible organization, it gave the impression of amused interest. "You!" Salens squawked, anger supplanting his other emotions. "What happened? What did you do? Where is the Duke?!" The being known as Grim leaned back and regarded him. "An intruder managed to make it to the holding tent and break Agony''s containment before it had a chance to fully develop, and beforewe could finish its conditioning. Now it will simply rampage until it exhausts itself. Quite unfortunate, all things considered." "Unfortunate how? What happened?" Grim pointed in the direction of the city walls. "Since it was released far too early in its developmental process, its lifespan has been significantly reduced. I''d be surprised if it survives till the end of the weak at its current rate of progress, which is quite the shame. We haven''t such a viable experimental sample in a long while." Salens shook his head. None of this was making any sense to him, but he understood the basic fact that this...person''s monster had broken loose and caused all this damage, potentially harming his lord in the process. He drew his sword and leveled it at the grey-cloaked figure. "Answer me! Where is the Duke?" In response, it simply tilted its head back and laughed in gasping, wheezing breaths. Blind with fury at the insult, Salens swung his sword with both hands, fully intending on cutting the monster in twain. However, it was not to be. Grim reached out, and casually caught the blade of the weapon between two fingers, stopping it dead. Salens tried to free it, but found it stuck in place, as if glued to Grim''s fingers. "Its funny. The Duke actually responded in a similar way when I explained the situation. I suppose a dog really does take after its master." All humor had leaked out its voice, leaving it cold, alien. "Its only fitting that you should share his fate." The pressure on his sword sudden released, and Salens toppled over onto his knees. He was still struggling back to his feet, when he felt an impact to his torso. Looking down, he saw an arm swathed in grey cloth buried up to its wrist in his chest. With a wet squelch, it pulled free, dragging a pulsating glob of meat in its wake. "Hmm..." Grim muttered as it examined its prize. "Utterly worthless, as I expected. Oh well, I guess I''ll have to find some other replacement for the experimental subject. Maybe the Almirans have someone..." As the grey robed figure left, Salens toppled over onto his side, no longer able to move. The last thing he saw before his vision faded to black, was the lone helmet, just out of reach. Chapter 228: Devoured Mike choked a bit on the acrid smoke that filled the area and carried the scent of charred meat. Even with his resistance skills, the stench was a bit overpowering, but he had to get close enough to make sure that his attack had been effective. He''d put a fair amount of mana into that spell, but its seems to have paid off. The blackened chunks of the creature had stopped moving, having been unable to fully reform into their original shape. They now appeared like small, smoking hillocks that broke the otherwise even ground of the plains. [I guess that worked? Seems a little too easy, though.] He kept his distance for a full minute, looking for any signs of activity. However, nothing seemed to have happened. [Should I hit again just to be on the safe side?] Deciding that he didn''t want to take any chances against this kind of monster, he began channeling his mana, intending to unleash yet another blast of lightning. Hopefully, it would reduce the remaining pieces of meat to charcoal. While he was preparing the spell, he began to feel a strange sensation. It was a bit like low-grade hostility, something on the level of a particularly malign animal, but it was coming from below ground. As he paid attention to it, he realized that it was moving closer. [Some kind of subterranean monster? Why is it-] The hostility suddenly surged, and he began to feel tremors below his feet. "Shit." He cursed, canceling his spell and leaping back as a hardened spike of flesh punched through the ground he''d been standing on mere moments ago. "Looks like its getting smarter." Landing, Mike began preparing for his next attack, intending to cave the earth onto the creature and crush it. However, he was interrupted when another tentacle broke through the ground behind him and wrapped around his lower legs. He changed his focus at the last second, hurriedly forming a stone javelin with the intent of pinning it to the ground. Unfortunately, he was just a little too slow. The world turned upside down as the rest of the tentacle broke through the ground and whipped him up into the air. For a moment, he was hanging roughly ten meters up, looking down as the creature freed itself from the earth. He had just enough time to notice that its skin was in the process of changing, taking on a more scaly, reptilian appearance, when it pulled him down and slammed him into the earth. A few months ago, such an impact would have been instantly lethal. As it was, Mike was left with dozens of broken bones, an unknown amount of internal damage, and the inability to breathe for several seconds while his chest cavity resumed its normal shape. It took several more seconds for him to regain the ability to think in any meaningful capacity. When he could open his eyes, he realized with dawning horror, that the creature had pulled him towards itself, and was in the process of smothering him with its bulk. The exposed skin of his arms and face was burning, and he could almost feel his tissue dissolving. He had to fight hard to control his panic. Even with his enhanced Willpower, the sheer horror of what was happening was setting off every survival instinct he had. He had to get out. Had to escape. Struggling proved pointless, as even his magically enhanced strength was helpless against the creature''s bulk. That left cutting his way out. Unconsciously he tried to form his flame blade, but only succeeded in burning himself, since the monster was apparently now resistant to it. As the flesh finished closing over his head, he was swallowed in darkness. The crushing pressure which had been keeping him pinned in place began to increase. He could no longer move nor breathe, and he was afraid that his consciousness would soon fade. [Come on! Focus!] He tried to concentrate on forming his mana into something, anything, that might be able to cut him free from this crushing prison, but it just wouldn''t take shape. He''d grown used to the almost unconscious ease with which his mana bent to his will, and to have it fail him at this crucial stage was almost maddening. [Some sort of disruption effect? Is that even possible?...Ugh...it''s getting hard to think. System...now would be a great time for Limit Break. I know I''ve still got a while before the cooldown expires, but could you cut me some slack?] Mike thought he heard the faint sound of sadistic laughter from somewhere deep within his mind. Thankfully, the roaring of the blood in his ears drowned it out, and he did his best to ignore it. He had bigger things to worry about than the creature which seemed to be squatting in his soul. While the pressure and the slow, steady dissolution of his body were problematic, it was the suffocation which was quickly bringing him towards death. His chest was burning, and his brain kept sending panic signals, trying to drive him to escape the smothering embrace of the creature. Yet, struggling just seemed to hasten his end, consuming his remaining oxygen in a futile bid for freedom. Fatigue settled on him like a heavy blanket. It was getting harder and harder to think as his mind began to recede away from the painful end he was facing. The blessed relief of unconsciousness waited for him, just as soon as he gave in. [...If I could just get some air...] His oxygen starved mind, on the verge of collapse, began to focus on that last word. It started playing in his head like a broken record. Over and over again. [Air...Air...Air...] Suddenly, he was floating in a vast empty sky. Everywhere he looked was a cloudless blue that extended as far as he could see. Even the ground below him had vanished, and it felt like gravity held no sway in this realm. Yet, for all its apparent emptiness, the sky seemed to be filled with a massive presence. Gentle eddies of wind brushed against him, and for a moment, he felt like he was a part of something far greater than himself. Looking out at the endless skies, he felt truly free... Then he was back in his body, still surrounded by the crushing meat of the creature that was trying to devour him. With a gasp, he filled his lungs with a breath of fresh air that he conjured forth with an ease that belied all of his previous efforts. Fully aware, he drew on his mana and surrounded himself with a thin layer of rapidly moving air that pushed back the flesh. Energy filled him, coursing through him in a way that he''d not felt since his fight with Brutus, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to let it free. With a roar, he unleashed it. --------------------------------------------- To the soldiers on the walls, it seemed like the creature had simply exploded. One minute, it was focused on consuming its most recent victim, much to their horror and despair, the next, it had been reduced to a fine red mist in a violent display of raw power. Howling whirlwinds ripped through the surrounding landscape, tearing up the earth and venting their rage on the few remaining chunks of the monster. In less than a second, they reached the walls of the city, and it was all the observing soldiers could do to hold on as a veritable storm of agitated air washed over them. Forced to lay flat, they covered their heads and waited as the windstorm passed them by. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the winds had abated to the point that they could raise their heads and witness the aftermath. What they found was astounding. The plain before the wall had been painted crimson with the liquidized viscera of the monster. It stretched for nearly a half kilometer in a loose circle around a single point. There, floating a few meters above the ground, was the victorious Dragonknight, untouched by the gore that surrounded him. After a few moments, he sunk back down to the ground. A stunned and awestruck silence reigned on the walls, with the defense forces too overwhelmed from the sudden reversal to do much more than stare with mouths hung open in disbelief. Among them, however, were a handful of individuals that were a bit more used to Mike''s antics. "Damn it. How many times is he going to make me go through this kind of thing?" Sera complained to Tal while doing her best to wipe away the tears that had started pouring down her face. The elf only replied with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, not fully ready to speak herself. When Mike had been caught, she''d feared that his luck had finally run out. For a moment, she really began to believe that he''d picked a fight he couldn''t win. The realization left her cold, and not even the surge of relief she''d felt at his survival was quite enough to dispel her disquiet. She was engaging in some introspection, hoping to figure out what was still bothering her, when a shout from one of the soldiers snapped her out of it. "It''s moving!" They looked on in horror as the blood and viscera that now coated the plain began to quiver and move. It flowed back towards Mike, and only a quick application of Air Magic saved him from being subsumed in the crimson tide. He jump back a good five meters, and watched as the fluid coalesced into a sphere, before compressing itself down into a shape. Flecks of dried blood began falling from the figure, eventually revealing a humanoid form, about three meters in height. From their vantage, they could tell that it resembled nothing so much as a muscular and hairless man, with one minor difference. The bulbous protrusion that served as its head was completely smooth and devoid of any discernible features. Looking at the creature, a wave of dread spread through Tal and she realized that, not only was the monster not dead, but that it had turned into something even more deadly than its previous form. With his previous display of power, it wouldn''t be surprising for Mike to be low on mana at this point. Now, he had to face the newly improved monster alone. Or did he? A plan began to take shape in her mind. One that could potentially turn things around, but she would need some help to accomplish it. Looking around, she spotted Brenden and Lily. The pair had just finished taking down one of the last flesh blobs, and were now watching the events on the plain. Tal grabbed Sera and began pulling her in their direction. "Wait! What are you doing?" The Oracle asked, confused. "Need everyone." She didn''t have time to explain. "Have to help." "But...No, I see what you mean. Let''s go." Sera replied, before taking the lead herself. Evidently, she''d guessed Tal''s intention. ------------------------------------------------------ [What is this, a JRPG? Why in the hell does this thing have multiple forms?] Mike complained to himself as he appraised the creature once more, not really expecting anything of use. ------------------------ Agony Age: Varies Race: Awakened Abomination Class: Awakened Abomination Title: The All-Consuming ------------------------ [Great. Of course it had to pull off something crazy like evolving into a new race at the last second. Hardly seems fair...although, I guess I''m not one to talk.] He checked his mana reserves, and found that he was at roughly sixty percent, which was a lot better than he''d expected. Whatever force that decided to channel its energy through him had evidently put forth the majority of the effort required to create that destructive windstorm. He focused his attention on the monster, feeling slightly unnerved by its complete lack of facial features. It was tall and hulking, looking a bit like a power lifter who had more than doubled in size in all directions. Its bulging muscles and throbbing veins aside, it had a strangely shabby appearances, as if it were a statue that the sculptor had not yet added details to. As he was observing it, the roughly formed blob that served as its head turned towards him, and a wave of intense hostility bore down on him as it began to charge. Chapter 229: Deciding Factor Brenden couldn''t help but flinch as a spray of dirt rained down on him. He wasn''t even entirely sure what had caused the small explosion, which had left a crater a few meters in diameter in the ground, but he could only assume it was yet more collateral damage caused by the fight going on in front of him. The ongoing struggle between Mike and the newly shaped monster was hazardous to everyone and everything in their vicinity. Not only the plain itself, but even parts of the wall had been caught up in the confrontation, and had been severely damaged as a result. So far, it had been a furious and devastating battle, although you couldn''t tell by looking at the participants. The monster appeared to be much the same as when it had reformed, save for its skin, which had taken on an almost scaly, almost reptilian appearance. Mike''s mix of damaging spells and weapon attacks hadn''t left any appreciable injuries, as the creature''s regeneration proved to be even more potent than in its previous shape. The man himself was still uninjured, since his natural evasiveness coupled with his own regeneration managed to mitigate and then heal any wounds he''d suffered. However, he''d been forced to use excessive amounts of magic just to keep up with the monster, and Brenden was sure that he couldn''t maintain this level of combat for long. He tried to imagine going up against the three meter tall creature himself, and shuddered at the thought. Not only was it moving and attacking at speeds that would be hard for him to match, but the sheer bulk of its form lent an incredible amount of force to every blow. To add to that, it had the disturbing tendency to reform portions of itself into a variety of deadly-looking weapons and add them into its attack routine every now and then. Thankfully, it still moved with the awkwardness of an amateur combatant, and it was therefore not impossible to evade its furious flailing. Yet, judging from the way it had been learning and improving of the course of the battle, he wasn''t sure how much longer that would be true. "So, what''s the plan?" He asked Tal once they were in position behind a low stone fence that ran along a small secondary road. From this location, they could observe the ongoing fight that was taking place roughly thirty meters away with a reasonable amount safety. Any closer would have brought them into the crossfire. The elf briefly opened her eyes and glanced at him with a blank expression on her face. "Give moment." She had her right hand placed against her chest, and it appeared like she was concentrating on something. Despite traveling together for awhile now, Brenden still had trouble understanding her. Not that he really blamed himself for that, since it was really difficult to get a read on someone who completely lacked the ability to express emotion or even speak coherently. It was something that he and Sera had talked about on occasion, but they hadn''t been able to find a decent solution for the issue. [One of these days, I''m going to need to have a conversation with Mike about how he does it.] He thought to himself, slightly jealous of the way the other man had always been able to easy interpret Tal''s meaning with just a few emotionless words. There had to be some kind of trick to it. At a loss for what to do, he glanced around, and almost cursed out loud when he noticed Lily was still standing upright, not even bothering to crouch behind the wall. "Get down, will ya? We don''t want to draw that thing''s attention." He said while pulling her down. "Why? I don''t think it cares about us right now." She replied calmly while complying with his demand. "We don''t know that for certain, and it doesn''t hurt to be cautious." He said, while poking his head over the wall for a moment to get an idea of what was going on. He was just in time to catch a glimpse of Mike hammering the creature''s torso with a magically enhanced kick, filling the air with an audible thud. So intense was the blow that, even though it was just for a moment, he could see the ripples of force pass through the monster''s flesh in a manner that reminded him of the waves that were created when someone dropped a rock in a still pond. However, this same phenomenon had the effect of diluting and weakening the resulting impact, and it accomplished little more than pushing the monster back. Clearly, this kind of attack was largely ineffective, but then again, Mike seemed to understand that. While the creature was still off balance, he stabbed into the back of its left knee with his spear, driving his weapon almost all the way through the meaty appendage before withdrawing it quickly. Unfortunately, this also appeared to be ineffective. "It''s only mimicking a humanoid form." Sera commented grimly from his right. "It doesn''t have the same anatomy, or any of the weaknesses that anatomy provides." Brenden was forced to agree as he watched the creature shrug off the injury and spin in place in an attempt to squish the nuisance that was dancing around its feet. At the same time, sickle shaped protrusions of hardened flesh emerged from its calves and began swinging wildly in wide circles around its legs. He grimaced at the bizarre display. "Then what are we supposed to do? I hate to say it, but this monster is beyond our capacity to deal with it. Maybe its even beyond Mike''s." A strange look entered Sera''s eyes, and for a moment she carried the air of someone far more mature than her scant decade and a half of life should have allowed. Flashing him a thin smile, she said, "Every enemy has some kind of weakness. Something that can be taken advantage. Its just a matter of finding it." "You make it sound simple, but isn''t that what we''ve been trying to do this whole time?" "Tal''s got a method that should open things up for us. Once she acts, we just need to figure out where to attack." She tapped her temple. "Ever since my class changed, my eyes have the ability to do just that." He paused to consider the implications. "Did you have some kind of vision? Do you know how to stop it?" The Oracle shook her head. "Unfortunately, its not that simple. My new skill lets me see moments of opportunity. While it can eventually allow me to deliver a lethal blow in a fight, on more difficult opponents, I typically have to go through a number of steps to even have a chance of doing so. Against this monster, I haven''t been able to see much of anything at all.." Brenden frowned, "So then, what good is it?" "Even if I can''t see the path to victory at the moment, it doesn''t mean that one doesn''t exist. My ability is telling me that much. Assuming Tal''s plan works, it should show me exactly what we need to do." He took a moment to study her, and realized that she was very pale, and there was a pinched nature to her expression the suggested extreme fatigue. Whatever this ability of hers was, it obviously took something out of her to use it. He wondered if he should say something, but eventually decided not to. They didn''t really have the luxury of avoiding a particular method simply because it was taxing. Besides, he didn''t want to discount her efforts. "Almost ready." Tal intoned to the group. "Wait, what? What am I supposed to do?" He asked while Lily and Sera stood up. Lily gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over in the process. "You''re the coy." "...Come again?" "She means decoy. We need someone to keep its attention off Mike for a little while. There''s no one better suited for the job than you." Sera answered. "Are you kidding? That thing will murder me!" "Only minute. Be fine." Tal replied heartlessly. Brenden looked at the other two, hoping to find some level of sympathy, or perhaps mercy in their gazes. Alas, there was none. "...You''re still angry at me for leaving, aren''t you?" He found himself asking, already resigning himself to becoming bait. Sera shook her head in an exaggerated manner, while asking him sarcastically, "What? Do you think we''re angry about the way you selfishly walked out on the group without saying anything, leaving us to wonder if you were dead in ditch somewhere? How could we be?" He sighed, "Whatever, lets just get this over with." -------------------------------------------------------- Mike jumped back desperately, narrowly avoiding the creature''s meaty fist. It was starting to get faster and more accurate, and if not for some timely rank improvements to his own skills, it would have been very difficult to keep up with it. As it was, he would need to start enhancing his Agility in the near future, or risk a debilitating injury that would leave him vulnerable. He''d nearly given up on actually killing the thing, since virtually all the methods he could use to attack it had proven largely ineffective. At this point, he could only hope that there was some kind of limit to its endurance. [Alright, lets see how Ice Magic works on this thing.] He thought to himself while gathering his mana once more. With an effort of will, he directed it towards the creature, forcing the temperature of its tissue to drop rapidly. Despite being a product of freecasting, he was rewarded for his efforts by a thick layer of frost that formed on the creature''s skin, starting on its legs before spreading upwards. It began to slow, and eventually stopped moving entirely. Just to be on the safe side, he kept feeding mana to the spell until he was certain that it had affected the monster''s entire body. He took a moment to catch his breath as he watched the ice covered creature, wondering if this might have been the solution all along. From what little he recalled about biology, he was fairly certain that freezing live cells caused them to burst. Maybe all he needed to do was ensure that not a single cell survived. He was still contemplating possible methods of doing just that, when the creature began to disintegrate. For a moment, he could only look on in confusion as the frozen beast was quickly reduced to a pile of icy dust. [Did that do it? Is it finally dead?] He thought before he had a chance to stop himself. Cursing his uncontrollable tendency to raise flags, he was not surprised with the dust melted into a pool of liquid before rapidly returning to its bipedal shape. He was resignedly preparing himself to start fighting it once more, when a brown blur swept past the partially reformed creature, severing its legs from its torso in the process. The blur stopped just long enough for him to recognize a transformed Brenden, before he lept back into the fight, cutting at the monster with his sword in a frenzied manner. "Mike! Over here!" A voice called. Sera was waving from behind a small mound of displaced dirt, beckoning him to come over. He could see Lily and Tal as well. The elf had her eyes closed, and it looked like she was concentrating on something. The other woman was watching the battle between Brenden and the monster with a concerning level of interest. Based on his previous experiences with her, Mike guessed that she would soon join the fight, regardless of whether or not it was a good idea. Slightly annoyed at their presence here, he jogged over and hunkered down next to them. "What are you doing?" He asked, a little more forcefully than he intended. "We''re here to help." Sera answered simply, not taking her eyes off of the monster. "You can''t beat this thing with your usual methods." [Okay...fair point.] "Are you saying that you can defeat it?" She shook her head. "I''m saying that, together, we can defeat it. Tal believes she has a method that can stop its regeneration long enough for us to target its core, but we''ll need you provide a decent opportunity for her to make use of it." Mike felt a flutter of hope. "What do you need me to do?" "You can make sound with Air Magic, right?" He nodded. "How loud can you make it?" Chapter 230: Sounds Like Victory Watching and waiting proved to be harder for Mike than actually fighting, but if he was going to follow along with the plan, he needed to wait for the right moment to make use of the spell he''d hastily developed. Although he understood the reasoning behind the decision, it was still hard to stand by and do nothing as the monster tried to kill two of his friends. Lily had joined in the fight recently, jumping in when it looked like Brenden would be overwhelmed. So far, the pair of them had been able to hold their own against the creature, but there had already been several close calls. It didn''t take a tactician to tell him that they could not keep this up forever. For what felt like the hundredth time in the last minute, he glanced over at Sera and willed her to give him the signal to begin. However, just like every other time, she simply shook her head without looking away from the monster. She''d been watching it intensely since the fight started. "I know this is tough for you, but you will have to be patient. Tal still needs more time to fully prepare. If we move too quickly, her ability could fail to take effect and allow the creature to develop some kind of resistance or countermeasure. Then, we''d be in a truly dire situation." He grimaced. "I get that, but what if one of them gets injured before that time comes? What if one of them is killed while I''m just standing here, watching? How am I supposed to live with myself then?" Mike knew he was being petulant, but he honestly didn''t care at this point. The mental stress of nearly dying, combined with the long period of near constant battle had left him touchy and irritated. He only wanted to be done with this whole situation, and only his sense of duty and concern for his friends in the city, kept him from simply leaving. Sera momentarily turned to look at him, exasperated. "Then find some way to deal with it. If we want to have any chance of beating this thing, we need you to be ready to act the moment it shows an opening." "I know, I know." Mike muttered. He resumed the process of mentally refining his chant for the new spell. The intended effect wasn''t particularly difficult to create, but he wanted to make sure their weren''t any grammatical mistakes that could lead to problems during its casting. He''d quickly learned that proper word choice and sentence structure was paramount when attempting to direct mana in an unusual way. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time concentrating. After a few more moments of trying to not watch the fight, Mike spoke up again, unable to keep his silence under in the current circumstances. "...So, what exactly are we waiting for?" Sighing, Sera answered back with more than a little irritation in her voice. "The moment where it fully commits to an attack, and no longer pays any attention to its defense. When it will be vulnerable to Tal''s ability." Mike blinked, "Is it paying any attention to its defense in the first place? It looks like its just ignoring all the damage and relying on its regeneration to fix any problems that arise." "Look, its hard to explain, but one of my new skills allows me to evaluate an enemy through what is essentially intuition. While it doesn''t give me any specific information, I can get a general idea of what its capable of, and this skill is telling me that this creature is still being cautious." "That''s pretty handy." He muttered while examining the monster, who was currently in the process of stabbing at Brenden with several tentacles ending in barbed points of hardened tissue. It was missing, but only because the transformed beastman was devoting himself entirely to evasion. Mike thought he detected a note of blind panic in his lupine face. "So, what else is it capable of? Do you know anything specific?" The creature''s barrage of attacks were interrupted by a terrific impact as Lily delivered a devastating flying kick to its torso. It stumbled and nearly fell over, which finally gave Brenden the chance to counter attack. With a leap, he buried his sword in the creature''s chest. The blade sunk nearly till the hilt, before he twisted it and ripped it out horizontally with a powerful sweep of his arms. He neatly dodged backwards to avoid both the wash of blood that accompanied the injury, in addition to the monster''s retributive strike. "It doesn''t really work that way. I can tell that it''s capable of continuous evolution, and will likely become much stronger if we leave it alone, but I don''t know anything concrete..." She trailed off and squinted her eyes in concentration. "I think...yes, its coming. Get ready!" Mike switched his gaze back towards the fight, and saw that the creature had changed shape once more, although it wasn''t as dramatic of a change as before. While maintaining the same general shape, it had gotten shorter, and was now standing roughly 2.5 m tall. In contrast, its limbs had elongated and thickened, before splitting into dozens of ropy tentacles covered in strangely shaped spines, whose purpose was revealed as the creature moved to attack Brenden. As the multitude of tentacles filled the air, the spines leaked a thick, oily substance, which promptly burst into flame, creating trails of fire every time a tentacle waved. A blizzard of burning droplets accompanied every movement of these exaggerated limbs. [I wonder how it learned to do that...] Mike thought to himself as he started his chant. "Oh twining wind, free of all that binds you, grant this humble request. Bring forth my sound and share it with all. Make the heavens quake in awe. [Amplification]" He felt a metaphysical snap as the spell took shape, and began directing its area of effect towards the monster. As soon as he felt comfortable with the targeting, he sucked in a deep breath and then simply yelled, "HEY!" A visible distortion in the air itself suddenly surrounded the creature, and a muffled echo of Mike''s voice could be heard. It didn''t seem particularly intense to most observers, but the spell''s caster knew that things were very much different inside the area of effect, where the monster was being bombarded by an amplified version of his shout. Although he didn''t know it, the intensity of the sound was comparable to standing next to a jet engine during take-off. Needless to say, the creature, which had never experience anything along those lines, was stunned and began writhing in agony. This was precisely the moment that Tal was waiting for, and as soon as the monster had collapsed onto the ground, she was casting her own spell. Mike didn''t hear the words to this one, his own ears were still ringing with the sound of his shout, but he did notice it when a ghostly presence emerged from her body. It was a dark and gloomy figure, cloaked in a tattered, black robe. [The wraith? What is it supposed-] The apparition surged forward, leaving a trail of dark smoke in its wake. It slammed into the monster, and was quickly absorbed by it. For a few moments, it seemed like nothing had happened, then the creature went still. [Never mind. I take it back...] Its flesh started to melt away, sloughing off into a puddle of vile smelling goo. Slowly, but surely it began to shrink, until it was roughly human sized. Tal staggered. Although she looked like she was on the verge of passing out, she nevertheless flashed a quick thumbs up to indicate the successful completion of her task. "She did it! We just need to deliver the final blow!" Sera exclaimed while pointing to the prone figure still lying motionless in the coagulating pool of muck. "One stab through the heart should put an end to it." Mike looked over at Lily and Brenden, noting that they were covered in nasty looking burns that would need his attention before long. While one of them could probably finish it off, he felt like it might be asking a lot of them when he was perfectly capable of doing so. He walked over to the monster, taking care to use the most solid portions of the puddle. Unfortunately, he still ended up with his boots full of the squishy and disturbingly warm substance. Wanting to get this over with, he swiftly lined up for a thrust, and was prepared to drive his spear home, when he noticed that the monster had changed once more. While it was still a hairless bundle of flesh roughly approximating a humanoid form, it now had discernible facial features, and to his horror, Mike realized that he recognized that face. Not wanting to believe his eyes, he used Appraise on it once more. ------------------------------------- Anton Barthelemus Unther Age: 47 Race: Abomination Class: Abomination Title: Traitor to Humanity ------------------------------------- A wave of nausea surged through him as he read the name of the Branch Manager of the Mayde Adventurer''s Guild. "What the hell...? He muttered as he stared down at the man''s sightless eyes. "What are you waiting for?! Kill it before Tal''s spell wears off! You don''t have much longer!" Sera yelled from her vantage. He opened his mouth to give an explanation, but stopped, uncertain of what he should do. [Do I try to heal him? Can I even fix this? Judging by that title, he is at least partly responsible for what happened to him. So, does he even deserve to be spared?] While he was deliberating, the flesh of Anton''s body twitched, and then began to writhe and swell. At the same time, the Branch Manager''s face twisted into a rictus of agony, mouth wrenched open in a silent scream. Whatever was happening was clearly torturous. Sera yelled again, an edge of panic in her voice. "Its breaking free! Kill it now!" [Screw it.] With a roar, Mike slammed his spear through the Anton''s chest, punching through the area where a heart should be, and pinning him to the ground. The man locked eyes with him, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. He gave a relieved sigh, mouth curving into a smile, before falling lifelessly back to the ground. After a few seconds, what remained of his body started to disintegrate, quickly joining the rest of the decaying sludge. Mike was still staring down a the pool when the soldiers on the wall broke out into cheering. ---------------------------------------------------- "It looks like we''re a bit late." The creature known as Grim commented as the experimental subject was finally put down. It was standing openly on a hillock a few dozen meters away from the site of the battle, but didn''t fear being spotted. On the contrary, it would have given it an excellent excuse to prey upon the tired group which had dispatched its creation. Alas, its passive stealth skills proved to effective, and it was left to watch from afar as Agony was killed. "Still, what a surprise? To think that we''d find her here, in the company of the false Dragonknight." It muttered excitedly as its inhuman gaze fastened on the Oracle. "The ultimate research material..." "Do...not...forget...the...others..." A voice hissed from Grim''s robes, near what would have been a waist on a human figure. "Yes, yes." The creature replied while gently patting its robes in a soothing manner. "She''s surrounded herself with quite the selection of promising subjects. We''re especially looking forward to dissecting the one with giant blood. Such straightforward enhancement of one''s abilities would be a great help when designing different abominations. Perhaps they''d lack the same kind of adaptability our current generation has, but they will make up for it in potency." "Need...Oracle...soon..." Grim issued a surprisingly human sigh and looked down at himself. "We know...we know. Fear not, the preparations for her seizure are already underway." Chapter 231: A New Round of Talks Brenden sat down on the wall with a sigh. He was feeling exhausted now that the adrenaline of battle had faded. Looking over the plains, he took note of the lightening of the sky that marked the approach of dawn, before glancing over at Mike. His friend had been strangely quiet since they''d finally defeated the monster. Even while he was performing his usual round of after combat healing, he''d hardly said a word. [Probably just worried about what comes next. Can''t imagine the Tenundians want to keep fighting after all this, but crazier things have happened.] He thought to himself before turning back to the others. "So, I guess we can call this a victory. I''m surprised it actually worked." "It was a bit touch and go there a couple of times, but we came out on top." Sera agreed. "If that monster had been able to develop for a while longer, I''m not sure if we could have beaten it." She was resting against the low stone wall between Tal and Lily. The elf was unconscious, a product of the backlash caused by her application of Pact Magic, and would likely be so for the rest of the day. Lily, on the other hand, seemed completely fine. Her natural defenses had kept her injuries to a minimum, although she had somehow managed to get herself coated in a layer of drying blood that she''d yet to clean off, or even really notice. "What do you mean?" He asked while idly scratching a spot on his arm that had been healed by Mike. The patch of skin was still fairly sensitive, as the new tissue still needed to be toughened up a bit. That, he knew from personal experience, wouldn''t take too long. "Well, like I said earlier, one of my new skills allows me to sense the relative strength of an enemy. With it, I got a fairly good idea of what was going on with that creature." "Oh?" "It felt...young, but flawed and sickly. Like a child born too early. Anyway, that''s part of why Tal and I had the idea of implanting a self-destructive urge in the creature while its mental defenses were lowered. We figured that it wouldn''t have the kind of resilience necessary to shake off that kind of effect." The Oracle replied, fatigue leaking through her words. "I''m surprised that worked. A primitive thing like that should have had a strong survival instinct." Sera nodded, "I feel the same. Honestly, we were only hoping to suppress its regeneration long enough for Mike to kill it, but I guess our methods were more effective than we''d planned. Perhaps it naturally sought death in some capacity? We can ask Tal about it when she wakes up. She might be able to tell us more about it." "Let''s leave that for another time." Mike said while standing. "We should be heading back. Its nearly sunrise, and you all deserve a long rest." To illustrate his point, he gathered Tal up into his arms and carried her over to Red. The recently healed dragon was patiently waiting for the group, going so far as to lower his body all the way to the ground to provide Mike an easily accessible place to climb onto his back. Evidently, his experiences during the fight had left him humbled, although Brenden was certain that this new attitude wouldn''t last too long. He fell in behind Sera and Lily, naturally taking his place at the back of the group. Perhaps it was because of this vantage or merely because he finally took the time to think about it, but he realized that he had a choice to make. It was obvious to him now that his friends were ready and willing to welcome him back with open arms, albeit with a bit of ribbing in the process. Being just another follower again would agitate his pride a little, but it no longer seemed like such a terrible fate. His time as the leader of his own organization had taught him that there was a special kind of satisfaction that came with being part of something larger than oneself, and with Mike in charge, he felt certain that big things were in the offing. However, he also knew that he''d changed in the short time he''d been away from the group. Whether or not that change was for the better remained to be seen, but he honestly felt that he''d matured in his new role. Returning to the group would mean giving up some of that. Not to mention the myriad of followers and responsibilities that he''d somehow acquired since becoming involved in the city''s underworld. Leaving would mean abandoning them, and yet it was clear that Mike wouldn''t be staying here for much longer. Judging from the man''s personality, he wouldn''t want to be the center of attention if he could avoid it. Unfortunately, his actions up to this point pretty much made it a guarantee. The only recourse would be to travel somewhere he wasn''t so famous. Brenden spent most of the short ride back to the dorm thinking about the problem. By the time they arrived, he''d yet to come to a decision. He was still standing outside of the rundown dormitory, debating his options, when the source of his issues interrupted his thoughts. "You heading back?" Mike asked wearily. Despite his youthful face, he looked like nothing so much as a middle aged man who''d just finished a long and difficult day of work. It wasn''t the face of a triumphant hero who''d just slain a terrible monster and saved the city in the process. Rather, it resembled someone weighed down by hardship and worry. "Soon enough, I think." He replied, knowing that doing so would likely make his decision for him. Mike nodded with a tired smile. "I understand. It was good to have you out there, all things considered. I don''t think we could have done it without you." Brenden waved the praise off, "You''d have figured something out. You always do." "Maybe, but we didn''t have to take that chance, since we had someone there we could trust to get the job done." "What''s with all this? You getting sentimental on me now?" He asked while turning away slightly, not really comfortable with where the conversation was going. "I just wanted you to know that you''ll always have a place with us, even if you decide that your path leads in a different direction." Mike answered while patting Brenden on the shoulder. They stood there in a slightly awkward silence for a few moments, before Mike turned away. "Anyway, I should be getting back to headquarters. They''ll probably want a full debriefing on the situation, and I expect that there will be another round of negotiations with the Tenundians." Brenden nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I doubt they''d be willing to keep fighting after all of this, but good luck regardless." "Thanks," Mike replied with a chuckle. A thought suddenly occurred to Brenden, "Hey, before you go, do you still have someone watching me?" Mike glanced back, "Not right now. I have her working on something else at the moment, but I will likely have her return to her usual mission once she''s done. Why, does it bother you?" "A little, but its nothing I can''t tolerate. That said, I''d like to speak with her face-to-face sometime. I never got a chance to thank her for her help during the assault." "That shouldn''t be a problem." Mike said while slowly lifting off the ground. Once he was a good few meters up, he waved, then turned and flew off in the direction of the New City. [So, I guess he can actually fly now.] Brenden thought to himself as he began his trek back to the slums, not surprised in the least. ---------------------------------------- "We''ll be negotiating for their withdrawal. With their losses over the last few days, I think they''ll agree that the fight is largely over." Emmanuel was saying as they waited for the Tenundian representatives. This time the meeting was supposed to take place in a neutral area between the city and the siege encampment, and an awning was set up for the purpose. Mike''s teacher had looked tired and ill since his fight with the titanic monster. So much so, that even the prospect of potential peace didn''t seem to cheer him up. "Hopefully. I could use a break." Captain Henry replied with a sigh. "By the way, can I ask why I''m here?" "No." The Marshal answered brusquely, obviously annoyed by the question. Mike stifled a chuckle as the watchman was left with his mouth hanging open, unsure of how to respond to that answer. "I think what our esteemed Marshal means to say is that you''ve been involved since the beginning, and that finding another representative for the City Watch would be difficult at this juncture. Not to mention your easy accessibility, given the circumstances." Jarron Forthill, the acting mayor of Almirn, commented in reassuring manner. The plump, middle aged man reminded Mike of a friendly uncle. One who might take you on a fishing trip and let you have one of his beers when no one was looking. However, from what he''d gathered from rumors, the mayor''s kindly exterior hid a ruthless streak that once had him known as the ''Tyrant'' of the Third District during his time in the City Watch. Supposedly, he still had a substantial bounty on his head that had yet to be collected. "Think of it this way, Henry," Mike started, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. "You are sitting next to two of the most powerful people on our side of the fight. Quite frankly, this is the safest place you could be." "As you say, Sir Dragonknight, but my bunk back at the station seems to be much more attractive right now." "Enough," Emmanuel broke in, "they''re here." A few moments later the air in front of the tent warped and Marshal Kiertesan appeared with his two subordinates. All three of them were in rough shape, likely a byproduct of the events last night, however, they moved with an energy that betrayed a degree of desperation. "Good of you to make-" Mayor Forthill started before Kiertesan cut him off. "We don''t have time for pleasantries." He stated with a chilly voice. "There are matters of great importance that we need to discuss." He stared around the tent for a few moments, as if daring someone to contradict him. When none did, he continued. "Before I start, you should know that I speak with the full weight of the Tenundain government behind me. The events of last night have left me the highest ranking member of this expedition, and I fully planned on using this newfound authority to run this campaign in the manner I thought best. However, I received a report this morning that changed all that." "Let me guess, you want our help in dealing with enemy at your backs?" Emmanuel asked gruffly. Kiertesan grimaced, "You must be the Almiran Marshal. I''m starting to see why we had so much trouble. Your information network must be extensive." "You are the one that said you were short on time. State your business." There was a moment of silence as the two Marshals glowered at each other, before Kiertesan sighed and looked away. "Although you already seem to know, I''ll explain it anyway. A few days ago, we sent out a scouting expedition that was meant to investigate the disappearances of our supply convoys. This morning, the only surviving member stumbled into camp on the verge of death. He was rushed to the healers, but perished before he could receive treatment. However, he did managed to pass on a message scrawled by the expedition''s commander." He drew a scrap of paper from a pocket, and threw it onto the table in front of them. "You''re welcome to read over it if you like, but I''ll summarize. We, the people of Tenundi have been duped. According to our scouts, an army of undead bearing the banners of the Necrocracy of Lacot are advancing towards us from the direction of our homeland." There were a few gasps of surprise from the Almiran party, although Mike noticed Emmanuel seemed unfazed. "What of the rearguard you left at the crossroads? Shouldn''t they be the first target?" Mayor Jarron asked, a thoughtful look on his face. "They should be, but considering the size of the undead army, I doubt they will be much more than a momentary distraction." Kiertesan answered grimly. "How big?" Emmanuel asked, for the first time looking slightly unsettled. "Our scouts didn''t have time for an accurate estimate, but they believed the number to be somewhere in the hundreds of thousands." A minute of stunned silence followed as everyone, even Emmanuel, was shaken by the news. Finally, even though he looked like he really didn''t want to hear it, Jarron asked. "Where did they come from? Surely they couldn''t have transported all of those soldiers across the ocean without us noticing." The answer came to Mike before Kiertesan had a chance to answer. "They were made in Tenundi, right?" "...Yes, we believe so. Which means that the men and women that came with us on this expedition likely represent the entirety of the Tenundian people still alive..." The Marshal answered, shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of the sorrow his words brought him, but he straightened after a moment. "As such, I wish to negotiate a cease fire and an alliance, so that I may protect the remnants of my people while we face our common foe." "You have a lot of nerve to ask that of us after all you''ve done." Jarron growled. "Do you know how many good people we''ve lost due to your invasion? And now you want to-" "Enough." Emmanuel cut him off with a gesture. "We have bigger problems." He stared at Kiertesan for a moment, before nodding, "Alright, what are your terms?" ---------------------------------------------------- Below is a status update. Please feel free to skip it and move on to the next chapter. ---------------------------------------------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 3 (High) -------------- Title: None Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Antagonist Wyrmkin Fortuitous Alchemist Known to the Lurker Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline Dragonknight Elementalist Battlemage (NEW) Iron Soul (NEW) Slyphkath (NEW) -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 3) Advanced Healing Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Appraise (Rank 3) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Intermediate Water Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Advanced Fire Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Air Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Intermediate Earth Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Light Magic (Rank 2) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 2) Basic Alchemy (Rank 5) Master Scrivening (Rank -) (TIER UP) Basic Artifice (Rank 3) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Intermediate Evasion (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Advanced Elemental Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 4) Intermediate Riding (Rank 1) Basic Haggling (Rank 5) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Intermediate Unarmed Fighting (Rank 1) Intermediate Chanting (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Dual Casting (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Aerosense (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Stealth (Rank 3) Basic Dismantling (Rank 3) Basic Blacksmith (Rank 4) Mana Transference (Rank 5) Mana Shield (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Mana Attack (Rank 1) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Advanced Poison Resistance (Rank 1) Basic Heat Resistance (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Intermediate Mental Resistance (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Electricity Resistance (Rank 1) Large Mana Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Large Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 4) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 3) Moderate Willpower Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 4) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser -------------- Titles ---------- - Battlemage Initiate - You have demonstrated proven skill in both martial and magical arts, as well as the potential for improvement with both. Minor system correction to all weapon skills. Minor increase to the efficiency of all attack spells. - Iron Soul - You have resisted the efforts of a powerful entity that sought to control you, giving you some insight into the means of defending your soul. Minor resistance to harmful effects that target the soul. - Slyphkath - You achieved a true connection with the Elemental Source of Air. Whether achieved at a moment of breakthrough or by channeling a pure elemental force, you are now forever marked by this connection. You are favored both by air itself, and air elementals of all kinds. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Air Elemental Magic and Charisma when interacting with Air elementals. Large resistance to the harmful effects of inhaled substances. Immunity to suffocation in an airless environment. ------------------------ Skills: ------------------------ - Intermediate Water Magic (Tier 2, Rank 5) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Water magic allows the user to create and manipulate water. It is characterized by flexibility in both offense and defense, but lacks the overt power of other types of magic. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 5 Effects: Flexible Casting - Flexible Casting - One of the foremost strengths of Water Magic is its flexibility. Intermediate Water Mages learn to harness this principle and apply it when practicing their art. After casting a Water Magic spell through the use of a chant, they can alter the effects of the spell by adding additional mana. More radical changes require a greater amount of mana. - Intermediate Fire Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Fire magic allows the user to create and manipulate fire. It is characterized by powerful offense, but lacks fine damage control and defensive techniques. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Flame Mastery - Flame Mastery - Advanced Fire Mages master the innate volatility of their chosen element, granting them unprecedented control over fire they create. Allows the user to control size, shape, color, solidity, and intensity of any flame produced with magic. Requires a larger amount of mana for changes that drastically differ from standard fire. - Intermediate Air Magic (Tier 2, Rank 5) ¨C One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Air Magic allows the user to create and manipulate wind and air. It is characterized by its speed and constancy of motion, providing strong offensive power, mild defensive strength, and some utility. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 5 Effects: Flight - Flight - Intermediate Air Mages have mastered the air of propelling themselves through the skies on magically created air currents. So strong is their bond with their chosen element, that such movement can be done almost without a thought. Allows for the use of Air Magic to fly. Greatly reduces both the concentration and mana required to maintain sustained flight. - Master Scrivening (Tier 3, Rank -) - The art of drawing arcane runes with mana infused ink to create scrolls. Provides a minor system correction to act of Scrivening. Higher levels of skill increase the mana efficiency and potency of inscribed spells. - This skill has reached the maximum that it can achieve independently. Fuse with related skills to advance further. - - Advanced Elemental Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - The third most fundamental form of Elemental Magic. Allows users to access magic skills for the four primary elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Additionally, allows access to magic skills for the four high elements: light, dark, time, and space. Higher levels of skill provide a bonus on mana efficiency and potency. This is a Prerequisite and Limiter skill for all other Elemental Magic skills. Rank 1 Effect: Composite Elemental Magic Mastery - Composite Elemental Magic Mastery- Practitioners with two or more of the primary Elemental Magic skills of intermediate level or higher, are able to combine them to produce different forms of elemental magic. Air and water produce ice, air and fire produce lightning, air and earth produce sand, water and fire produce steam, water and earth produce mud, and fire and earth produce magma. Advanced Elemental Mages with the requisite skills may combine three elements to create different effects. Air, water, and fire produce plasma. Air, water, and earth produce wood. Air, fire, and earth produce metal. Water, fire, and earth produce crystal. Includes the effects of all lower skill ranks. Chapter 232: On the Verge of Calamity "Sir! The Ashborn are moving to attack the enemy!" Fredrick yelled as he pulled open the tent flap. Morris snapped awake, already rolling out of his cot before the adjutant''s words had penetrated the fog of his sleep-addled brain. It didn''t take him long to respond in a suitable manner. "Shit. How many? How long ago did they leave?" "We think they took the majority of their warriors, somewhere in the region of 4000 orcs. The lead elements departed roughly twenty minutes ago, with the remainder following shortly thereafter." The old soldier replied. Morris paused in the process of pulling on his boots to look up. "Why wasn''t I informed earlier?" "Sir, they claimed to be conducting reconnaissance in force under your orders. The officer on duty was given written documents to that effect that included your signature. It was only after they''d left the compound and started marching towards the Tenundian camp that we realized the deception." Gritting his teeth, Morris stood, grabbing his campaign cloak and throwing it over his shoulders. [They must have forged my signature. Gah! I should have implemented stricter security measures for written orders.] He shook his head to clear his thoughts. [There will be time for kicking myself later. Now, I need to focus on how to mitigate the damage this will cause.] He essentially had two options. One, he could abandon the Ashborn, allowing them to win or lose on their own. This was the route he was inclined to follow, since they''d disobeyed his direct orders. Not that he could really blame them for that, since they were only allies, and therefore weren''t really beholden to him or his authority. Only his father''s reputation had kept them in line up to this point, but the Count had been gone long enough for even that to fade. Quite frankly, he was surprised that the warlike Ashborn had stayed their hands as long as they did. He''d been fully expecting them to simply walk out of camp one day, saying that they''d had enough. Which, now that he thought about it, was a far more believable scenario than this misdirection with orders. It was frankly uncharacteristic of Talgratha and her people. [Is something else involved? Or someone?] It was worth looking into once the current crisis had passed. His other option was to move to support the Ashborn''s attack. Strategically, this was probably the best option. The coalition army was superior in terms of both numbers and equipment, and would likely make short work of the Tenundian rearguard and their orcish allies. However, this would not only defy his father''s commands, but put the already delicate balance of power among the members of the coalition at risk. In the worst case scenario, it could lead to the dissolution of the army in its entirety. Ordinarily, this kind of decision would require careful deliberation, but he didn''t have the time. Acting on instinct, he decided to proceed with the second option, which he hoped had the best chance of maintaining the cohesiveness of the coalition army. Following through on the Ashborn''s attack would require his personal supervision. He would need to be on site to coordinate the haphazard addition of his troops, when they were available. Morris forcibly calmed himself, and began giving commands. "Go find General Holmes and have him get the cavalry ready to move. I want them to move up behind the Ashborn, and prepare to act when I give the signal to do so. Also, I want him to assign a team of twenty skilled combatants to be ready to follow me when I depart. When you are done with that, get the command section to issue a stand-to warning. We need everyone up and ready to fight as soon as possible." The adjutant saluted, and started sprinting towards the south side of the compound, where the horse were being kept. Morris scoured the nearby tents. He needed to get ready himself, but that would require assistance. Luckily, he spotted one of the Graveston footmen nearby, and Morris was able to direct him to prepare his horse and armor. The man went to grab a few of his colleagues and swore that he would complete his task in short order. Commands given and preparations made, he stalked over to the mostly deserted command tent and took a moment to look over the current scouting reports on the enemy''s location and formation. By all appearances, they were still holding to their defensive earthworks on the top of a nearby hill, but suspected that would change once the battle started in earnest. His strategists had long ago noticed the weakness in the Tenundian defensive perimeter, a narrow, but gentle slope on the northern side of the hill, which would be ideal for potential attackers. Not only was it the most easily accessible section of the defenses, but its unusual shape limited the defender''s field of fire, greatly reducing the damage one could expect to receive during an assault. It was such an obvious vulnerability, that any commander with a modicum of military experience would have gone to great lengths to reinforce it, yet the Tenundians hadn''t done so. Which was precisely why Morris had his tacticians plan to attack from other directions, should it have become necessary. Unfortunately, since he''d never intended to actually launch an assault on the encampment, he hadn''t bothered to share his opinions of the approach to his commanders. So, he was concerned that Talgratha and her errant tribe might head for the weak point without considering what sorts of traps might be laid there. [Surely she''s smarter than that.] He tried to convince himself, knowing that it was probably futile to hope. The half-orc was intelligent by the standards of her people, but she suffered from the same directness and single-mindedness. This made her an extremely effective leader when there was a clear goal in sight, but it could cause her to ignore or try to fight through obstacles that she''d be better off avoiding. He could all too easily see her finding the easy approach suspicious, but deciding to attack up it anyway, trusting on the ferocity of her charge to push her way though any difficulty. While looking over the map, he considered his options. [If I can get them to divert to the other side of this ridge line, then I can bring up the rest of the army to pressure the main front here. They''d be a bit exposed, and will probably have a hard time overcoming the defensive line, but its better than the alternative.] He was still musing on tactics, when a pair of Graveston footmen arrived bearing his armor, a suit of field plate. With practiced ease they assisted him with the laborious process of putting it on, and in a few short minutes, he stepped out of the command tent, dressed for battle. His horse was tied at the hitching post nearby, and surrounded by the contingent of cavalry he''d requested. Apparently General Holmes had appreciated the urgency of the situation, and had his men moving with their trademark swiftness. The team was led by a captain wearing the uniform of the Eastern Army. She saluted Morris as he approach to began the laborious process of getting onto his horse in full armor. "My lord, we''re here as requested. General Holmes wanted me to tell you that he''d have 2000 horsemen in place within thirty minutes." Morris was impressed. The Eastern Army''s cavalry division had a reputation for effectiveness on the battlefield, and he was beginning to see why. Getting that many soldiers up and moving was a monumental task in and of itself. Having them formed up nearly a half-kilometer away within thirty minutes was nearly miraculous. "Good." He replied once he was situated. "In case you haven''t been told, we''ll be supporting the Ashborn in their attack. However, I need to confer with their leader as soon as possible. Please escort me to them." "Yes, my lord." She answered with another salute, before flashing a quick hand sign that had the rest of the team moving towards the camp''s exit. They were quickly ushered through once the guards caught sight of Morris. Once on the plain, they fanned out and formed a loose, moving perimeter around him. [Now, lets see. Where did they get off to...] While scanning the horizon, he caught a glimpse of movement to the southwest, in a span of tall grass that stretched across much of the intervening land between the two encampments. In the early morning light, he could just make out the wide break in the otherwise gently waving grass which marked the road leading west. As he watched, several humanoid shapes slid through the area, heading in the direction of the Tenundian encampment. Unless he missed his guess, it looked like they were heading toward the weak point in the defensive network. "Over there." He said while pointing. The captain nodded, and then flashed a few hand signals to the rest of the cavalry squad, causing them to change course with ease. [Now if I can just get to Talgratha before-] Several bright red lights appeared in the air over the encampment, illuminating the grasslands. For a moment, he feared that his team had been spotted, but the sounds of combat from the southwest dispelled that notion. He realized he must have spotted the Ashborn''s rear elements. "Shit!" He cursed, before turning towards the captain. "Get me over there. I need to see what''s going." "Are you sure, my lord?" "Unfortunately, yes. If I''m going to salvage anything of this situation, I need to be in the thick of it." He answered as they broke into a gallop, making conversation largely impossible. ------------------------------------ "Send the Tuskbreakers around to the west. Tell them to get past that trench, even if it means filling it with their bodies!" Talgratha commanded imperiously. The effect was ruined, however, when she was forced to duck a low flying arrow. She growled at her aides, "Where are the archers? What are they doing?" "Most of them are still struggling through the mud pit. They were nearly five minutes behind us when the attack started." The orc responsible for coordinating troop movments responded defensively. "Well, tell them to hurry up! We''ll need the covering fire if we want any hope of storming this place." She blustered, trying to sound confident. However, she couldn''t help the unease which had settled into the pit of her stomach. The plan had been to launch a surprise assault just before dawn, taking the defenders by surprise. That required the Ashborn to remain unseen until the very last moments, and then storm the earthworks quickly to avoid getting bogged down and destroyed piecemeal by the enemy''s archers. For those reasons, she chose to attack the northern slope, despite the fact that it was likely heavily defended. She''d hoped that a combination of surprise, and the intensity of the Ashborn''s attack would be sufficient to break through the defenses before too much damage could be done. Things had gone well initially. Their vanguard, composed of veteran skirmishers from the eastern fringes of the Ash Mountains, had succeeded in closing to a scant ten meters in front of the earthworks without being noticed. She''d just given the order for them to begin the assault, when the terrain simply shifted. A deep, chasm-like opening in the ground appeared directly in front of the enemy defenses, while at the same time, the grassy soil underneath them turned into a quagmire of sticky mud. Before she had any chance to issue another set of orders, several flares had risen from the enemy encampment, and with them came a rain of arrows. [They were ready for us!] Talgratha had thought to herself, before ordering the Ashborn''s few mages to do what they could to solidify the ground again. She knew they would have difficulty overcoming the spells of the Tenundian mages, but didn''t see any other option. They needed to push through the torn ground in order to come to grips with the enemy. Part of her thought it would be wiser to retreat and cut her losses, but her pride wouldn''t allow it. She''d been harassing the Graveston heir for days about launching just this sort of assault, fully believing that it would be an easy victory, even without the rest of the coalition army, but he''d turned her down time and time again. She''d thought the man a coward, unwilling to step out from the shadow of his father, and unworthy to lead the army in his absence. When it became clear that he had no intention of doing anything more than digging in and waiting for the situation to change, she''d decided to take matters into her own hands. To fall back now would be tantamount to admitting that he was right and she was mistaken, and she would be damned before she let that happen. "Chief! We got cavalry coming up on our right!" One of her aides called. "Kerthok!" She cursed while turning to follow the orc''s pointing finger. There, she saw a handful of armored figures moving through the grass in their direction. [Looks like a detachment. Could they be scouts for a larger force? Wait...who''s...] Talgratha growled as she recognized one of the leading figures. "That''s the Graveston whelp. Let them through." Chapter 233: Convergence of Mistakes "Pull back your forces for now. We''ll need time to overcome those defenses." Morris commanded as soon as he was within speaking range. "Hopefully, we can pull something out of this disaster." Talgratha growled, irritated both by his condescending tone and the implications of his statement, "I didn''t ask you for help. The Ashborn answer to no one, and we are going to continue fighting until our enemies are dead. We do not acknowledge your authority." Morris frowned, and she knew she''d hit a sore point with him. Although he was the de facto leader of the coalition army, he didn''t have a real position. Quite frankly, he had no real authority over anyone present. Doubly so, with the Ashborn. The orcs never cared much for formalities, but they demanded both competence and strength from their leaders. Morris''s order to sit and wait in front of a much weaker enemy, regardless of the reason, was abhorrent to the orcs, who saw it as cowardice. Talgratha was smart of enough to know that these sorts of campaigns were inherently different from the usual clan skirmishes that most of her followers were used to, but she also understood that her people lacked the ability to see beyond their own limited experiences. So, when her six sub-chieftains surprised her in her tent yesterday, she knew the reason before they even started talking. They called Morris a fool and a coward, and questioned her own leadership for going along with his apparent weakness. Against her better judgment, she rose to the provocations and declared that, "If the coalition won''t fight, the Ashborn will." Having done all that, she couldn''t simply bow down and accept his commands now. Giving in would show her unfit for the position of Chief, especially now that they were facing difficulties on the battlefield. If she weakened for a moment, all that she had worked for would be for naught. For nearly a minute, Morris quietly regarded her. Something that was made all the more disturbing by the continued sounds of her warriors dying under the enemy''s arrows. Finally, he sighed and looked away. "Whether you respect my authority or not, I am your best bet of securing victory. You have a choice. Either work with me, and maybe we''ll both get out of this situation without too much damage done, or continue to go it alone and suffer the consequences of your decisions. At this point, I really don''t care either way." Talgratha recognized his statement for what it was. He was giving her the opportunity to accept his help without seeming to be acceding to his authority. While her reputation would still take a hit, simply due to her inability to carry the day through her own skill, this would be the best option for her. All she would have to do was lower herself to accepting his help. [I will be putting myself in his debt, but do I really have another option?] She looked back at her forces. They were still bravely advancing to the kill zone, although she could tell a few of the less experienced units were wavering. Pretty soon, they would start to run. "Fine. We''ll take your help." She replied grudgingly. ------------------------------------------------- "We''re starting to run low on ammo. Runners have been sent to bring up our reserve supply, but I estimate that we can only keep up this rate of fire for another few minutes at the most." Captain Furthin reported with a smart salute. General Xavier nodded, feeling the pressure of a headache building behind his eyes. "I see. Send someone to the orcs, and see if they are willing to participate in this battle. Let them know that if our defenses are overrun, it will be their camps that are hit first." Furthin saluted once more, before jogging off in the direction of the hodgepodge of poorly built and managed tents which demarcated the orcish section of the encampment. Evidently he meant to see to the matter himself. Xavier sighed, mentally complaining about the ridiculousness of the his situation. He''d been left behind by the Tenundian high command with nothing but a scant 600 soldiers to prevent the Almiran reinforcements, an army that numbered in the tens of thousands by the way, from reaching the siege. While he technically had close to ten thousand orcs on his side, their lack of anything resembling military discipline and total disrespect for both Xavier and his soldiers, meant that the human members of this encampment were largely on their own. A fact that became much more obvious, and dangerous, when the Almirans finally launched an attack. [Seriously! Why are they doing this now? Its almost like their trying to get themselves killed. Do they really not know about the Lacotian horde a little more than a day away?] When the assaulting force had first been detected, Xavier had wanted to send envoys to see if they could halt the attack before it started. Unfortunately, he''d underestimated the Ashborn orcs, which seemed to comprise the majority of the attackers. Before he''d even had a chance to pick out representatives to speak with them, he saw the flares go up, indicating that the battle had begun. Thankfully, the enemy had chosen to attack the most fortified position on the hilltop for some reason, so his soldiers were able to hold them back with a combination of judicious Earth Magic and missile fire. Yet, he also knew that this could only be maintained for a short time, until his small number of human troops were either exhausted or ran out of ammo. If he could only get in contact with the enemy leader, let him know what was going on to the west, then maybe they could put an end to the fighting and discuss possible alliances in the face of their mutual enemy. Any fool could see that it would be in their best interests to put aside their squabbles and turn their attention to the much more pressing concern of impending doom. As if to answer his hopes, he noticed a change in the enemy formation. It appeared that they were pulling back. [Excellent. Now, I just need to send someone to speak with their commander-] "Sir!" Captain Furthin yelled as he ran up, huffing breathlessly as he did. Looking at his subordinate''s face, he suspected that the news wouldn''t be good. Once he was able to speak, Furthin managed to squeak out a few words between gasps. "Sir...the orcs are attacking..." "Well, of course they are. That''s why we''ve been having...wait...which ones are we talking about?" Just then, a warhorn echoed across the battlefield as close to ten thousand orcs began marching into battle. Xavier could only stare as his supposed allies pushed through the hilltop''s defenses and started running towards the retreating enemy. "Why?" He whispered, more to himself than anything. Furthin had the gall to confusedly state, "Well, you did ask them to join the battle." Xavier rubbed his temples, head now furiously throbbing. ------------------------------------------------------- "What now? We going to counter attack?" Talgratha asked as the pair of them watched the approaching horde. Morris could tell that she was furious about something, but then again he couldn''t recall an instance where she wasn''t angry about one thing or another. He wasn''t sure if it was an orc thing, or just something innate to the woman next to him, but he''d long ago gotten used to it. "Definitely. I''m not sure what the enemy commander is thinking, but this is exactly what we need." For the fist time since his abrupt awakening this morning, Morris was beginning to feel some hope. Although he was not an accomplished general or tactician, even he could see the obvious implications of the loose and chaotic swarm of infantry as they chased after them through the wide open plain. It was something that no sane leader would have let their troops do. He could only surmise there had been some miscommunication. While remaining on horse back, he waved over the leader of his escort team. "Send someone back to General Holmes. Tell him to take his troops around to the north and hit the enemy from the side. He should know when the best opportunity to do so is." Turning towards Talgratha, who was looking askance at him, he explained, "I had one of my commanders bring his troops out in the event we ended up needing them. With five thousand cavalry, we should be able to shatter them. However, for that we''ll need to keep their attention long enough for them to get into position." The half-orc''s face twisted a little, as if she found the idea of the resulting slaughter unpleasant, but she nevertheless rounded up her officers in a traditional orcish fashion. "Oi! You lot, get over here!" Morris watched in mild amusement as six hulking representations of the orc species rushed over and genuflected to Talgratha. It was always a bit strange to see them act with such deference to someone who looked to be half their size, but he guessed that just demonstrated the respect the half-orc commanded amongst her followers. A few short orders later, the sub-chieftains scattered back to their own tribes. "They will be continuing the retreat for a few more minutes, then turning and forming a defensive line. The enemy will think we are hoping to throw them back long enough to retreat in full. If I know Huthar and Jurtrik, they''ll push hard and try to break us. That''s when your cavalry should hit them." She commented absently while watching them leave, casually mentioning the names of the orc tribal leaders most likely to be in charge of this push. Morris nodded speculatively. That was more or less what he''d had in mind. It was easy to forget that for all of her bluster, Talgratha was a rather accomplished tactician in her own right. Which just made the whole series of events leading up to this moment unusual. It almost felt like things were orchestrated towards some goal he couldn''t quite see. [What am I missing?] He was interrupted from his musings by a thump on the leg. "Come on. The rest of the Ashborn are leaving us behind." "Right." He replied, wheeling his mount and having it follow after the half-orc, who was already running. -------------------------------- "Like I said, we need to head a little more towards the east!" Sera yelled. "That''s where the coalition army is camped." "And like I said, we can''t afford to wander off in random directions, so we will be following the road until we get to the crossroads. We should be fairly close to the camp by that point, without any danger of overshooting it." Mike replied as calmly as he was able to, however, he was starting to get irritated by the backseat flyer. Him, Sera, and Tal were currently riding on Red''s back on their way to the coalition army''s camp to rendezvous with their leaders. Lily had wanted to go, but her irate butler William had all but demanded that she remain behind. Apparently, she hadn''t told him before joining up with their previous adventure, and he''d spent most of the night in a state of constant worry. He was so distraught that even Lily, with her general lack of empathy, eventually agreed to stay in Almirn. "If we go that way, we''ll be flying right over the Tenundians too! It would ruin any chance we''d have of taking them by surprise." Sera argued, stabbing her finger towards him in an accusatory manner. He gritted his teeth. "We don''t want to take them by surprise! We want to negotiate with them! Why is that so hard to understand?" Sera leaned back and crossed her arms. "If you think it will be that easy to get their orcish allies to follow along, you''ve got another thing coming. But fine! Do it your way. I don''t care." Mike had to work hard to resist the urge to let the irritating Oracle fall off Red''s back, but he was eventually able to overcome it thanks to some impartial mediation. "Will fight. Regardless. Sooner or later." Tal interjected, before speaking to Mike in the ancient tongue. "Please don''t let her bother you. She means well, but she''s upset about not having foreseen any of these events." He sighed, allowing the tension to flow out of him in the process. "I know, but she really knows how to press my buttons." "Buttons? Like on clothes?" She asked, sounding mildly confused. "Its complicated. I''ll explain later." "Ugh! I hate it when you two start talking in that language and cut me out of the conversation." Sera complained, looking increasingly upset. He shook his head in exasperation, and was about to explain, when he noticed something unusual on the plain in front of him. "Is that a dust cloud? Could there be something going on?" He asked quietly. Tal gripped his shoulder suddenly, her eyes focused on the cloud, and simply uttered. "Battle." [Well, crap.] Chapter 234: Unstoppable Charge Using a move he''d practiced thousands of times while training for the Order of the Wheel, Morris deflected the orc''s axe to the side with his shield and then stepped forward to drive his short sword into his opponents chest. The orc managed to lean back in time to avoid a lethal blow, but still suffered a deep gash across his right shoulder which caused his arm to droop noticeably once the two fighters had regained their spacing. Normally, Morris would have jumped back into the fray to keep his enemy off balance, but he''d been fighting nonstop for close to twenty minutes at this point, and it was all he could do to avoid collapsing under the weight of his armor. [This is what I get for slacking on my morning routine. If I end up surviving this, I swear I''m going to take martial training seriously from now on.] He fought to catch his breath while doing his best to avoid looking too worn. Appearing vulnerable in any capacity would invite an attack, and it would be difficult for him to defend himself for more than a few seconds without exhausting himself. Luckily, he''d so far managed to avoided any injury, thanks in large part to the expensive plate armor he was wearing, but at this rate it would only be a matter of time before that changed. He''d lost his horse somewhere during the chaos of the initial clash, and was now fighting on foot, taking his place alongside Talgratha''s subordinates and a few members of his escort team. The Ashborn managed to put together a tough defensive formation, which had so far resisted the enemy''s assault. In response though, the hostile orcs simply surrounded them and maintained a constant offensive in order to let their numbers gradually wear the Ashborn down. It was neither the most efficient or effective method given the circumstances, but Morris guessed that the enemy leaders probably weren''t well versed in large scale tactics. Since then, the fighting had eventually broken down into a swirl of individual brawls, as orcish discipline reached its limit. Even Talgratha couldn''t keep her forces in line, and was only able to watch as they gave up any attempt at fighting as a unit. Morris would have worried about the possibility of friendly fire once General Holmes had arrived, since the orcs were now intermingled in a manner that made it difficult to tell who was who, but he had more pressing concerns. Such as killing the frenzied orcs who kept attacking him for reasons he didn''t fully understand. [Maybe they think I''m important since I''m wearing heavy armor? I suppose I do stand out a bit like this.] His thoughts were interrupted when the orc he''d been fighting roared a bloodthirsty battle cry and threw himself forward, axe swinging furiously. Judging from the way he moved, he was no longer feeling the pain of his injuries, and indeed seemed be getting faster. Morris had been in enough fights with orcs during his time at the Order of the Wheel and seen this very scenario often enough to know that his opponent probably had some kind of berserker class with a rage skill. He knew he would have to be careful not to get overwhelmed by the assault, since the orc had gained strength, speed, and endurance by falling into a rage in this manner. It would only take a few good hits from that axe to take him out of the fight for good. However, he also knew that berserker abilities, while powerful, had very exploitable weaknesses. Slipping the shield off his left arm, Morris held it at the ready until is opponent was nearly upon him. Moving quickly, he threw his shield towards the orc, but at a slight angle. His opponent batted it down with his axe, bloodshot eyes focused on the spot he expected Morris to be occupying once the obstruction was out of the way. However, a flash of confusion passed over the orc''s face as he found himself staring at empty space. He''d just started sweeping his gaze to the left, when Morris''s sword struck home, punching through the orc''s side, plunging towards his heart, and killing him almost instantly. Once his enemy had fallen, Morris went over to reclaim his battered shield, feeling exhausted as he did so. Using it as a decoy was dangerous, since it could leave him open to counterattacks if it failed. So, he normally would never use such a tactic in a fight. However, berserkers were highly vulnerable to misdirection when in their rage state. Even something as simple as pulling their gaze to one side while you attack the other, was highly effective. "Not bad, although I can see why you had so much trouble against my follower last time. Your style of fighting is too reliant on using both of your hands simultaneously. It makes you vulnerable should someone cripple one of them again." Talgratha commented from his left in an off-handed fashion. Her usual angry tone had softened somewhat, and she almost sounded happy. [So she''s only content on the battlefield? That''s a disturbing trait to find in the leader of her people.] She was standing with spear at the ready, but was curiously free of attackers. Judging from the pile of bodies around her, this was probably because she''d killed enough of the enemy to discourage them from coming after her. Morris found it a little disheartening that he hadn''t accomplished the same. He wanted to fire back with a snappy comeback, but honestly, he didn''t have the energy, and instead merely grunted to acknowledge her statement. The half-orc surveyed the battlefield before turning back towards him. "It looks like your men have yet to arrive. How much longer will it be?" [As if I''d know. I''ve been a little too busy fighting for my life, if you hadn''t noticed.] He thought to himself, before forming a more diplomatic reply. "They should be here soon. We just have to wait for them to sound their horn-" A wave of noise crashed over the battle, as nearly a dozen war horns sounded almost simultaneously. They were accompanied by a low rumble resembling the distant crash of thunder, but continuous and growing louder. Morris felt the hairs raise up on the back of his neck as he realized that his reinforcements had finally arrived. ----------------------------------------- The orcs of the Ash Mountains had a reputation for viciousness and brutality which stemmed from a long history of raids launched against the humans of the central continent. Several times every year small bands of warriors would descend on the plains, looking for loot and slaves. While they had mixed success, these raids nevertheless had a great importance on the makeup of orc society. It was during the raids, that young orcs could make a name for themselves and prove their courage to the tribe. Where established warriors would seek the wealth necessary to pursue their chosen spouses. And where chiefs would demonstrate their skill and worthiness for leadership. Indeed, so central was the concept of raiding to their culture, that most orcs of the Ash Mountain could only conceive of combat in terms of raiding warbands. A fact which made it difficult for powerful orc leaders to form a stable army that could act in a cohesive manner. The few historical examples of such a thing, when a charismatic chieftain united enough of the disparate tribes to create a force capable of threatening the human nations, usually ended in a crushing defeat on the field of battle. For all their ferocity and individual combat prowess, the orcs lacked a tradition of military discipline and large unit tactics, and that would prove to be their downfall. Without the unity of purpose such discipline provides, it was incredibly difficult for a lightly armored force composed entirely of infantry to withstand a massed cavalry charge. ----------------------------------- The Almiran cavalry hit the enemy orcs with a terrifying crash, the shock of which was felt throughout the battlefield. Morris could actually see a wave of motion pass through the massed troops in front of him as the unstoppable onslaught shattered any hint of a formation the enemy might of held. Faced with the devastating charge, it didn''t take long for the first orcs to start running. In a matter of minutes, the enemies were swept away by a tide of Almiran horsemen. General Holmes, likely understanding the situation with a glance, apparently separated his troops into two wedges, which he then directed in curving paths around the surrounded Ashborn, neatly scything away the rest of the orcs and scattering them out into the plain. [I''d forgotten how overwhelming those can be when your right in the middle of them.] Morris thought as he watched the carnage while feeling a little queasy. Even though he knew it was necessary, it was hard for him to feel comfortable with that amount of death. "I think I''ll avoid fighting you humans on the open plain in the future." Talgratha commented mildly as she moved over to stand next to him. While she was still as calm as before, he thought her voice sounded a little subdued. Not that he could blame her, considering the circumstances. "Hopefully, there won''t be any fighting between us in the future." He replied absently, before shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts. "Anyway, General Holmes should be chasing down the scattered remnants of the enemy army, we should take this opportunity to move your troops to a safer location and let them rest." Talgratha glanced at him and laughed. "And let you Almirans take all the spoils? I think not. If it hadn''t been for us..." She trailed off while staring up at something behind him. "What? What is..." Morris started to say while turning, but stopped when he caught sight of the creature hovering in the air over the battlefield. "Is...is that a drag-" A thunderous roar split the sky with its fury, causing the air to tremble and buzz with its ferocity. The whole world seemed to vibrate, and even covering his ears did little to lessen the sheer magnitude of the creature''s voice. The sound went on for several seconds before gradually trailing off. In its place only silence followed, as every living thing on the plain, even the Almirans'' horses, stood stock still, too terrified to even move. It was at this time that Morris, who for some reason felt no danger from the crimson dragon, noticed a barely perceptible figure on the creature''s back. One that seemed to be sitting on its back. [This must be the Dragonknight that was mentioned in the reports from Almirn. I can see why he made such an impact on the defense of the city.] The figure straightened, and a youthful, male, and magically augmented voice rolled out across the battlefield. "Cease this conflict at once! You are playing into the hands of the real enemy." Their was a pause as the speaker jerked suddenly. Morris thought he saw another humanoid figure pulling on the first, as if to stop him from speaking. After a few moments, the Dragonknight continued. "I will be descending soon. Bring me the leaders of your respective armies so that I can explain the situation." With that, the dragon began a slow descent, giving the soldiers and orcs underneath it sufficient time to get out of the way. Whatever effect that had locked them into place had evidently faded, as that entire region of the battlefield quickly descended into chaos with troops from both sides fleeing in every direction. Morris straightened and glanced over at Talgratha. "Come on, let''s go meet him." She stared at him like he was crazy. "Do you really want to get closer to that beast? What if it decides to turn on us?" "Its rider won''t let that happen." He replied with a smile. "At least, I think so. I''m assuming he hasn''t changed too much since the last time I saw him." "What? You know the master of that monster?" Morris laughed. "Of course, don''t you recognize the voice? You know him too. Now, come on." Chapter 235: One Sided Reunion Mike jumped off as soon as Red landed, putting himself far enough away from the dragon to avoid being unapproachable, but close enough that none of the combative parties would think him vulnerable to attack. While he was waiting for the leaders of both armies to arrive, he took a moment to survey the situation. The milling chaos he''s caused by showing up had largely quieted down now that he and Red were on the ground. Soldiers from both factions were openly staring at him, briefly united by their mutual confusion and uncertainty. By all appearances, he''d interrupted what should have been a crushing victory for the Almirans. Just going by the number of orc casualties that he could see, one could argue that such a victory had already taken place, but it was clear he''d interceded at the moment the cavalry force was attempting to capitalize on the success of its initial charge. [It seems I''ve manged to avoid the worst case scenario, where our allies managed to completely wipe out the Tenundian side. That''d be a bit awkward, right after we''d completed a cease fire. Still, this is going to be difficult to manage diplomatically.] As he was thinking, a group of about twenty orcs broke free from the circle which had formed around him and Red, and approached. Based on their appearances alone, it seemed like they were composed of two distinct factions. He guessed that these were the leaders of the orcs allied with the Tenundians, along with their escorts. The members of first faction were dressed almost entirely in leathers, with bones of various sizes and shapes sewn into them. What skin they left exposed was covered in elaborate designs made with a chalky white war paint. This culminated on their heads and faces, which were uniformly shaved and painted with a grinning skull. The others were wearing darker colors, primarily a mix of greys and browns. While it was difficult to tell, Mike thought these orcs were a little poorer. Something about their pinched faces and thin limbs suggested malnutrition. The only effort at decoration amongst them seemed to be lines of dark red tattooed into the skin of their faces. The meaning wasn''t very clear, but he noticed that the orcs that looked to be older and had more scars also tended to have more lines. [Some kind of status markings?] Once the orcs were a few meters away, they halted and allowed two of their number, one from each group, to approach. On the left was an orc from the white painted tribe. He wasn''t particularly tall or muscular, but had a veritable network of scars on his limbs and face, attesting to a long history of violence. The painted skull on his face had been recently marred by drops of blood. A longbow and a quiver of arrows was slung over one of his shoulders, and several daggers were strapped to various parts of his body. The one on the right was more of a stereotypical orc leader, standing close to 2 meters tall and probably weighing around 120 kg, primarily of muscle from the looks of it. Although he was only wearing a rough and battered suit of leather armor, his weapon served as a demonstration of his status as the head of his tribe. A massive warhammer rested across his broad shoulders, seemingly made entirely of a dull grey metal that resembled the material used in Brenden''s sword. Greasy black hair hung in clumps from his head, and an extensive beard covered much of his jaw, although it was shaved to show off over a dozen of the tattooed lines of his people. The most Mike had seen so far. "Hmph. So this is the whelp that the manlings are afraid of. Not much to look at." The larger orc muttered to his fellow with a sneer. "Makes sense, when you think about the leader they chose to ally with." "I would be careful what you say, Jurtrik." The second replied cautiously, eyes never leaving Mike. "You never know who might be listening, and whether or not they understand you, even when you speak in our tongue." "You worry too much, Huthar." The orc apparently named Jurtrik said casually, with a wave of his hand. "And you don''t worry enough, which is why we are in this mess in the first place." "...You blaming me for this?" Suddenly tension filled the air between the two, and Mike noticed a shift in both of their stances which suggested that they were preparing to attack one another. Deciding that it would be best to redirect their attention before their alliance broke down entirely, Mike stepped forward. "Alright, that''s quite enough." Both of them snapped their gazes towards him, and he could tell they were shocked. "You know our ton-" Huthar started before Mike cut him off. "Yes, yes. I can speak your language, now can we discuss something a bit more important. You are the leaders of the orcs allied with the Tenundians, correct?" Huthar bristled slightly at his dismissive tone, but evidently thought better about making it an issue. After a few moments, he nodded a greeting and introduced himself. "Indeed we are. I am Huthar, chief of the Skulltakers." He motioned to his fellow, "This is Jur-" "I can speak for myself, weakling." The larger orc interrupted, earning himself a scowl from his supposed ally. "You can refer to me as Jurtrik the Blooded, chief of the Bloodtongues." Mike nodded. "I am the Dragonknight Erasmus. Now, I''ve come before you all to discuss something vital to the survival of all living beings on the central continen-" "You''re supposed to be strong, right?" Jurtrik cut in while wearing a slightly strange smile. He started leaning forward slightly, and adjusted the position of his feet. "What in the hells are you doing, fool?!" Huthar exclaimed while taking a step back, as if to remove himself from the danger zone. "Hmph. You''re the fool if you think I''m going to sit here and be prattled at by a whelp who''s barely old enough to step out onto the battlefield. Now come boy, and let me show you what a real warrior..." The orc trailed off and slowly shifted his gaze upwards. A small tremor passed through his body, and his skin paled slightly. Mike didn''t have to turn around to know that Red had come up behind him, and was now looming over the meeting in a threatening manner. "While I appreciate your concerns about my abilities," He commented dryly, "I have to ask that you keep them to yourself until such time as we deal with more pressing matters. Is that understood?" Jurtrik shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts, before finally grunting his assent. He turned around as if he no longer cared about the situation, but Mike noted with some amusement that he took the opportunity to put a little more distance between himself and the dragon. "Having fun?" Sera asked while walking up to join him. She and Tal had apparently climbed down from their perch while he was busy dealing with the orcs. "More or less," He replied cheerfully, before leaning over and whispering, "Although, I''m beginning to see why these guys were losing so badly before we stepped in." Straightening, he turned back to address the orc leaders. "Now, do you know where the representatives for the other side are? I feel like its taking a while for them to get here." Huthar shrugged, and then motioned in the direction of a large knot of orcs some ways to the east. "The last I heard, they were fighting with the rest of the Ashborn over there. We had them encircled until the cavalry arrived." Mike scanned the crowd of onlookers, noticing a group pushing their way to the front. It looked like they''d been delayed by the concentration of fighters still milling about uncertainly. However, he saw what an orc and and a human approaching. He was going to call out to them when they broke through the crowd, but stopped when he finally got a good look at them. A smile started forming on his face unconsciously, as he started walking up to meet them. ---------------------------------- "This time, for sure, I will defeat him. Mark my words. I have been training for this ever since that day." Talgratha was saying as they approached the dragon. Morris could practically hear the smug grin he knew she was wearing, without even having to turn around. "Judging from his manner of arrival, I''d bet he''s been improving as well." He countered, suspecting that his friend had long ago surpassed both of them. "Hmm...you have a point. He has probably become a powerful mage." She replied with a frown. "However, it matters not to me. We shall compete in a contest of arms. No doubt I still enjoy a considerable advantage in that field." He recalled how quickly Mike had picked up his martial arts skills all those years ago, and found himself doubting that sentiment. Nevertheless, he didn''t want to discourage her. He figured circumstances would do that for him. "Well, you should have a chance to challenge him, because here he comes now." He indicated the young man who was rapidly closing the distance. It wasn''t long before he''d reached them. "Morris!" Mike yelled excitedly before wrapping the older man in a hug. "It feels like its been ages." "Urk...That it has." Morris replied in a strained voice, rib cage too compressed for him to speak clearly. [He''s definitely gotten stronger.] "Oops, sorry. Anyway, what are you doing here? Are you with the coalition army?" "Ah, well I''m technically in charge of it at the moment." Morris said with mild embarrassment, doing his best to ignore the direct contradiction to that statement, who happened to be standing nearby with an increasingly irritated look on her face. Mike looked at him seriously for a few moments, before speaking. "...I see. Where is your father? I was told he was responsible for putting all this together. I was supposed to deliver a message to him." [It makes sense that he would ask that, but it still stings a bit.] "While we were passing Wyrmrest Lake, he embarked with a large portion of the Graveston house troops onto a fleet of Theldon naval vessels. However, he wouldn''t tell me where he was going, only that it was vitally important that I keep the army here at the crossroads until further notice." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but he feared that some leaked through anyway. "So, he mysteriously vanished one day while giving you cryptic directions and expecting complete obedience? Sounds like he''s the same as ever." There was a sympathetic smile on Mike''s face. Morris couldn''t help but chuckle at that. "You''ve got a point." "Who''s this? An old friend?" A silver haired girl asked while walking up to join them in the company of a bored looking elf woman. "Ah! I suppose you haven''t met yet. This is Morris, who can arguably be called my oldest friend. If it wasn''t for him and a few others, I would have probably been eaten by some monster or another a long time ago." Mike answered enthusiastically. Morris nodded a greeting as his friend continued with the introductions. "And these are some of my current friends, Sera and Tal. The two of them, along with a guy who isn''t here at the moment, have been with me since Wyrport. They''ve been helping me stay out of too much trouble." "Hmph." The one named Sera snorted. "As if we could do that. I''m sure you are aware that this guy is basically cursed with unusual luck. Honestly, we just try to avoid getting caught up in the fallout of his problems. "Hey! Its not that bad!" Mike protested, a little unconvincingly. The elf shook her head before muttering in an emotionless manner, "It''s tough." "You too, Tal..." Morris chuckled again. He was glad that his friend had managed to find others to accompany him on his journey, especially considering his title, which came with so much extra baggage. A few helping hands would make that burden easier. [Speaking of which, that doesn''t really explain this situation...] "By the way Mike, do you mind if I ask what''s going on with the dragon?" His friend glanced back at the massive reptilian creature as if he''d completely forgotten about it. "Ah! Well, its a bit of a long story, but for all intents and purposes, I am a Dragonknight." He leaned in a bit closer and whispered, "I''ll explain more later, when we aren''t in such a public forum." "Oh, and this is Audra. I found her egg while I was fighting a kraken." He continued while pulling out a small, blue dragon who promptly nipped at his hand before climbing back into his pocket. "Unfortunately, she''s still a bit mad at me." Morris sighed, feeling the old, familiar headache coming on. He''d forgotten how stressful it was to deal with Mike and his shenanigans. [There''s a lot to process here, but I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised that he''s still getting into these kinds of situations.] "Sounds like we have a lot to catch up on, but it''s good-" Morris started before he was interrupted. "How much longer are you going to ignore me?!" Talgratha exploded while stalking over to stand in front of Mike. "I will not be ridiculed by one such as yourself." "Ah, sorry about that. I got caught up in meeting my old friend." Mike replied apologetically. "Hmph, whatever. It matters not." She returned, far more subdued than Morris thought she''d be. "It has been a long time human. I hope you are ready for our rematch." She clenched her first, excitement leaking out of her every gesture. "This time for sure I will defeat you, and make you bend to me." Mike stared at her for a few moments, before finally scratching the back of his head. "I''m sorry, do I know you?" "Pft." Morris laughed. He honestly couldn''t help it. Chapter 236: Orcish Pride [Alright, think Mike. How many orcs have you met over the course of your time in this world? Surely there can''t be that many. What was the name of that raider who nearly enslaved you? Talg or something? Anyway, she was a short tomboy, not a statuesque amazon.] The shocked and increasingly furious orc was a lot more obviously female than the warrior in his memories. She was wearing a mix of leather and chain armor, that was still light enough to not restrict her movements. As a result, her muscular but womanly frame was readily apparent. A long spear was clenched in one hand, although he noted that her knuckles were becoming alarmingly white as they tightened on the haft. Fearing that the answer wouldn''t come to him, he used Appraise in the hopes of jogging his memory. ----------------------------- Talgratha Age: 19 Race: Half-Orc (Human) Class: Raid Leader Title: Chief of the Ashborn ----------------------------- [...Crap.] "Ah! Talgratha! I hardly recognized you. How have you been?" He asked with as much feigned excitement as he could manage. Evidently this was not good enough, since she growled and raised her fist in a threatening manner. For a moment it looked like he would try to strike him, but she eventually she unclenched her fist. With a disgusted noise, she instead pointed at him, "We are going to have that fight, and you are going to spend the next twenty years as my footstool. But first, let''s hear about this message that was so important you had to stop our battle." [Why a footstool? Or rather, do we really have to fight?...Now that I think about it, why does everyone keep trying to challenge me to some form of ritual combat?] "Well, we can talk about the first part after we deal with the second, but let''s bring in the other side''s leaders. This message concerns all of us." As they were walking back to Red, Sera leaned over and whispered to him. "I know you''ve got that strange destiny and all, but I still find it odd that you manage to make so many enemies." "Its not that...alright, I see your point. In my defense, shes only angry because I beat her in a fight months ago, and I only did that because she was threatening to enslave me if I didn''t." "And I understand that, but somehow I feel it was still your fault in some way." She replied with a hint of a laugh in her voice. [I''m glad you''re finding this entertaining.] Once they rejoined the rest of his intended audience, the various groups naturally formed into a triangular pattern, with Talgratha and Morris on one side, Jurtrik and Huthar on another, and Mike, Tal and Sera forming the last. It didn''t take long for the two opposing factions to begin bickering. Unsurprisingly, it was Jurtrik that started causing mischief. "I see the Almirans brought their pet dog along with them. Tell me manling, does she really kneel down and beg for scraps like they say?" Before Morris had a chance to cut in, Talgratha was already launching back with her own insult. "Huthar, why do you continue to ally with this fool? His idiocy is going to get you both killed at some point. In fact, if it wasn''t for this one stepping in when he did," She pointed at Mike,"you and all of your warriors would have been crow food." "Jurtrik is a fool. That is certain." The Skulltaker''s chieftain started, earning a growl from his ally, "But at least he isn''t a half-blooded mongrel. It is an abomination before Angrosh, that one such as you has risen to Chief of the Ashborn. I can only imagine that your orc ancestors are gnashing their teeth in the Otherworld." Talgratha shrugged in response, "That is merely your interpretation of the Unconquered''s edicts. If my existence was really such a problem for him, he''d have never allowed me to reach my position. Rather, it is your tribe''s practice of upholding outdated traditions that has led you to this point." She drew herself up to her full height of nearly 1.8m, and allowed herself a smug smile. "Both of you are on the verge of annihilation, and in a generation, there will be no orc that can recall the name Bloodtongue or Skulltaker." Evidently, this was a terrible insult for the leaders, who immediately pulled out weapons and prepared to attack. Morris and Talgratha did likewise, although only the latter looked keen for a fight. Clearly this would evolve into an outright battle if nothing was done. With a sigh, Mike exercised his will and crushed the three hot-headed orcs to the ground under pillars of condensed air. "That''s enough of that. We have bigger things to worry about." He waited until they''d clambered back onto their feet before continuing, "I am here, in part, to inform all of you that Kingdom of Almir and the Dutchy of Tenundi signed a cease fire this morning." "What?" Morris asked, shocked, "What happened? Did we win?" "In a sense, yes, but the cease fire has more to do with our common enemy than the results of any battle." "Ha!" Jurtrik cut in while nudging an annoyed Huthar with his elbow. "That bastard lost his nerve in the end. I told you it was a mistake to ally with the Tenundians. Didn''t I tell you the Duke didn''t have the spine for it?" The Skulltaker Chief huffed, "Whatever. I take it that means you''ve found out about the Lacotian forces coming up behind us? Are we to fight together now? I''m surprised that the Duke would even tolerate such a course of action, given his feelings about the Almirans." Sera spoke up, "The Duke was killed last night, along with the majority of his court. They unleashed a powerful monster with the intent of using it against us, only to have it turn on them. As of right now, Marshal Kiertesan has taken charge." "While that is important information, I would rather hear about the Lacotians." Morris interrupted the stream of questions that followed her statement. "What is the situation?" "According to Tenundian scout reports, a force of roughly 300,000 is currently marching west on the Continental Highway. They should be here by tomorrow." Mike answered seriously. His friend suddenly looked intensely thoughtful and began muttering under his breath too quietly to be heard. "The undead hmm...I haven''t had a chance to fight them yet." Talgratha commented absently. "That is because you Ashborn have long held the eastern mountains. You need not face the Tainted Dead every year like us." Huthar commented solemnly. "All I hear is the complaining of weaklings too incompetent to secure better land for themselves. Besides, there is a world of difference between those cursed corpses and an undead army led by Lacotian necromancers." "How could he know and not tell us?!" Morris''s sudden exclamation prevented any further provocation from the orcs. "Are you talking about your father?" Mike asked, suspecting that his second task had just gotten more difficult. "Of course I am! He set this all up so that our forces would be right here when the Lacotians attacked. He even wanted me to stay on the defensive to preserve our fighting strength! And yet we..." He turned his furious gaze towards the surrounding field, which was still littered with dead and dying. "Argh! If he had just told me in the first place, I could have done more to prevent all this!" [While I''m sure that someone as devious as the Count had his reasons for keeping this quiet, I can''t help but wonder if it was the right decision in this case.] Unsure of what to say, Mike simply patted Morris''s shoulder, in what he hoped was a sympathetic manner. It somehow seemed to help, since the older man calmed down almost as quickly as he got angry in the first place. A cool, razor-sharp focus replaced the fury as he began speaking in a commanding manner. "Now''s not the time for this. I will have a long and in-depth discussion with my father the next time I see him, but for now, we need to concentrate on our next step. I presume that both Marshals are bringing their forces north in order to reinforce our position here, rather than have us fall back to the city?" Mike nodded, "Yes. They deemed that giving the enemy free passage into the rest of the country was too risky when considering how easy it would be to swell their numbers with Almiran civilians. Our best hope at victory rests on containing them in the western half of the continent. To do that, we need to hold them here." "We brought about twenty thousand, all told. Even combined with what remains of the Tenundians and their allies here, we''ll still be outnumbered ten to one." Morris said with a frown. "That will be steep odds for us to overcome." "Pah! You expect us to fight with you!" Jurtrik exclaimed. "I don''t know about you, Huthar, but I''ve had enough of these manlings and their nonsense. I''m taking what''s left of my people and going back to the mountains. You all can fight it out with the corpses." "Is that head of yours for show?" Talgratha demanded. "Do you really think that the Lacotians will tolerate your existence if they win? Your people are just as much in danger as the rest of us." The larger orc whirled on her, eyes filled with simmering hostility. "Then you''d have me fight alongside the people who were killing my warriors not ten minutes ago? I''d rather die than see the Bloodtongues reduced to such a state! If the corpses come for us, we will make them pay for every inch of ground." "Death in this fight would be worthy of respect. It would earn us a place of honor at Angrosh''s table," Huthar started as his ally began walking away once more. "But I cannot ask my warriors to stand shoulder to shoulder with their enemies, regardless of the situation. I too will take my people and return to our homeland. There we shall face our destiny." "Are you two serious? The entire continent is at stake here! Maybe even the entire Inland Sea Region!" Morris yelled. "We''ll need every soldier we can get, if we want to survive." "I don''t care. I''m done with all of this." Jurthik replied while walking away. "As am I." Huthar echoed as he moved to join him. [And I thought the elves were stubborn and bullheaded. Well, I guess its time for Plan B.] "The both of you are cowards who are unfit to lead your tribes!" Mike intentionally spoke loud enough for the surrounding onlookers to hear. He used the orc''s language to allow his target audience to understand him, and infused mana into his voice to ensure his words had their intended effect. "You weaklings don''t deserve to be in charge. Therefore, I challenge both of you to Kal''thelk." They were silent for a few moments, as if processing the sudden change of events. Jurtrik, as usual, was the first to respond. "...Ha....HAHAHAHA! Alright brat! I''m going to teach you the definition of suffering!" "Fighting you two on one is dishonorable, but refusing your challenge would be more so. Therefore, I will have to assist in Jurtrik''s lesson." Huthar commented dryly, however there was a fire in his eyes that suggested he was also feeling the sting of Mike''s insults. [So I have to fight them at the same time now? How does that...Whatever. It doesn''t matter at this point.] Mike pulled his spear out and held it at the ready. "Alright, lets get this over with. We still have a lot of planning left to do before the real enemy arrives." "Ohh, I''m going to enjoy this." Jurtrik muttered murderously as he unlimbered his warhammer. ------------------------------------------------ Huthar slammed into the ground next to his unconscious ally and laid still, evidently too injured to keep moving. And with that the Kal''thelk came to an end, with Mike as the obvious victor. Truth be told, it was the most one-sided beat down Morris had seen since watching his father train his older brothers in martial arts when they were kids. The truly sad pare was that it wasn''t even a matter of skill, Mike was simply too fast and too strong for the orcs to keep up. They never even stood a chance. As the mockery of a duel came to an end, Morris couldn''t help but feel conflicted. On one hand, he was glad his friend had improved to this point, and showed every indication of living up to the potential of his title. On the other, he couldn''t suppress a certain degree of jealousy over how easily Mike managed to become strong. The speed with which he reached his current, dominating level of power was disheartening to anyone who spent years training to accomplish even a fraction of what he did. [Something to get used to, I suppose.] Glancing around, he noticed that he wasn''t the only one affected by the results. The crowd of orcs from all three tribes had initially rooted for their kinsmen. Even the Ashborn seemed to favor their own race, despite political lines. However, the cheering had quickly subsided, leaving only sullen silence as the two chieftains were literally beaten into the ground. Talgratha, for her part, stood with arms crossed, a faint look of disbelief on her face. She was watching Mike, unscathed after his brief confrontation, as he moved over and began healing his two opponents with a brief touch of his hand. It was enough to make you want to complain to the gods about fairness. "Still want to challenge him?" Morris asked the woman at his side. She didn''t answer at first, too busy staring. Finally, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned an angry gaze on him. "So what if he can crush those two fools with ease? He''ll find me a much more difficult prospect. Actually, this is better. When I win, it will prove I am not only superior to him, but both of the other chieftains as well." [Is she in denial?] Mike started speaking loudly to the leaders he''d defeated. "Alright, you two have lost, and therefore your tribes will be assisting us in stopping Lacot. Are there any other individuals who wish to question this course of action?" After a few moments of silence, he continued. "No? Okay, then lets get to it." Chapter 237: Defensive Measures "The Brotherhood of the Ancient and Most Salubrious Art of Fishmongery just sent us three white-trimmed herring in a small barrel. Their messenger made sure to announce that it was a gift of recognition. Congratulations, lad." Brenden, having just come downstairs after waking up, stared at Fang blearily for a couple seconds. He''d only manged to get a few hours of sleep since coming back from his fight against the giant flesh monster. His sleep had been interrupted by by Mike''s follower Selene, who had a jarring message to deliver. At the moment, had neither the patience nor the desire to divine the meaning of the old beastman''s words. Shaking his head, he wandered over to a table and sat down, ordering breakfast in the process. "Griselda! One of whatever you''re serving." The matronly innkeeper quickly brought out a plate of fresh baked bread, accompanied by a helping of butter and a mug of ale to wash it down. Placing it all in front of him, the de facto leader of the criminal gang known as the Hunter''s Paw gave him a warm smile. "We''re in the process of cooking up those fish he''s talking about, but it will be a few minutes before they are ready. In the meantime this should tide you over. Let me know if you''re still hungry afterwards." Brenden nodded his thanks before cutting himself off a piece of bread and slathering it in butter. As he was chewing, he glanced up at Fang, who was still hanging around as if unsure of how to respond to being ignored. Sighing, he finally replied, "I don''t really have any idea what that means, but thanks? I guess?" The bear beastman blinked before letting loose with a relieved chuckle. "Ah, I forgot you aren''t from around here. I was worried there for a minute. Well, lad, the Brotherhood is widely regarded as the most pre-eminent force in the Old City. They are an ancient gang, dating back to the Pyrathian Empire, and are known to be some of the richest and most powerful inhabitants of the city''s underworld." "...Really?" "I know what you''re thinking. How could a bunch of fishmongers rise to such prominence? Well its actually a long and interesting story..." Brenden was massaging his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Can you abbreviate it?" Fang was momentarily taken aback, but continued with his usual energy. "Right, well its not important at the moment. The big thing is that, they were the only major gang who hadn''t joined up with us yet. Them giving you those fish, especially as a gift of recognition, means they''re accepting you as the ruler of Almirn''s underworld. Its their traditional method of swearing fealty. This means that all the members of the council are backing you." [Seriously? Why do these gangs have the most ridiculous rules and traditions? If they tried to pull this stuff in Wyrport, they''d be laughed out of the city.] He groaned slightly. "So I''m officially in charge of things now? Is that right?" "Well, not exactly. Technically there still needs to be a council meeting where the leaders of Almirn''s biggest gangs recognize you as their ruler. But don''t worry! I''ve already got the meeting set up. In just a few days time we can make this official." Brenden took a long swig of ale, buying himself some time to think. [If what that Selene woman said about the undead was true, then we have much bigger problems to worry about.] It occurred to him that the ruler of the city''s underworld would probably be able to mobilize the gangs to help the war effort. With how desperate things were seeming to become, every bit of support was going to be needed. "Is there any way to move the meeting up?" He asked, a plan forming in his mind. "The sooner the better." Fang frowned, but nodded. "I''ll see what I can do, but are you sure lad? We''ll need time to make a proper ceremony of the event. Anything we could rig up on short notice is going to seem pretty undignified." "I''m sure." He replied solemnly, before breaking out in a smile as the tantalizing smell of cooked fish started wafting in from the kitchen. Apparently, lunch was nearly ready. ---------------------------------------------------- Mike flexed his will once more, and the last of the solid stone walls rose to join their fellows. This completed the hilltop defenses, or at least the outer portion of them. He was planning on reinforcing them a bit, and maybe even putting up some towers and a keep. Assuming he had the time, he was also thinking of a number of ways he could lay some traps for the enemy, and was hoping to do some experimentation before they arrived. For now though, he decided it was time to take a break. "Good work." Morris commented from his folding chair, eyes still on the pile of documents he was slowly sorting through. He absently gestured to the other side of his camp desk, where a similar chair sat empty. "Have a seat." "Thanks." Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, only the rustle of Morris''s papers breaking the silence. Finally, Mike spoke. "So, what do you think of our chances?" His friend glanced up at him and frowned. "Honestly, I''m not sure. The sheer difference in numbers is going to be hard to overcome." He''d said as much during the battle planning that had concluded a little while ago. The Lacotians would outnumber them by a factor of ten, and therefore wouldn''t really need to do anything unorthodox. They could simply force the coalition army into a battle of attrition. "The walls should help, but we don''t know what to really expect from the enemy." Mike stared off towards the northern horizon at the brooding grey presences of the Ash Mountains. "You mentioned a weakness. Something we can exploit." Morris sighed, "I don''t know if its exactly a weakness, but it might be our best bet of winning this fight. It goes without saying that an undead army has a number of advantages, right?" [Here comes lecture mode.] Mike thought while nodding. He was having the oddest sensation of nostalgia. "They don''t have to worry about food, shelter, or rest. They don''t know fear or pain. Worst of all, every battle gives them a chance to replenish their numbers." He set his papers down and rose to his feet, taking a moment to stare off into the west, as if he could see the distant enemy already. "The vast majority of the Lacotian military is composed of the weakest kind of undead, mindless animated corpses. They are called zombies or skeletons depending on their state of decay when raised, and are extremely easy for necromancers to make. If our assumption is right, and the enemy used the war as a cover to infiltrate Tenundi and convert a large portion of its population into an undead army, then its probably almost entirely composed of these animate corpses." "Let me guess. Because they are mindless, if we kill the necromancer that created them, they cease to function, right?" Mike interjected during a natural pause in the lecture. He''d seen this pattern in a few stories, and figured he''d speed the process up a bit. "Close, but not quite. Animate corpses that lose their masters revert to whatever instinctive behavior survived the transition. Unless the Lacotians spent a fair amount of time cleansing their victims of any remnant soul before they reanimated them, they would begin acting based on their previous personalities." Mike frowned in thought. "So for a bunch of human non-combatants, that would mean they''d try to go back to their old lives, or something? Should I expect to see a bunch of zombie farmers in the near future?" "No, unfortunately." Morris replied solemnly. "I haven''t seen it myself, but I''ve talked to a few veterans who''ve hunted down renegade necromancers in the past. Supposedly, the moment of cognizance is so traumatic to their leftover bits of psyche that most end up destroying themselves as soon as they are free of their master''s control. The remainder typically just wander randomly, passively watching the world and not even lifting a finger to defend themselves if attacked. Only on rare occasions do you see one capable of taking independent action." "That''s a bit...horrific to contemplate." "Indeed." The pair lapsed into silence for a few moments, before Mike spoke again. "So, we just need to eliminate the necromancers, and their army will fall apart. That''s what you meant by a weak point?" "Pretty much, but it doesn''t help us a lot since the Lacotians are aware of this fact as well. They will do everything in their power to protect their necromancers, and we have no means of knowing exactly what kind of monstrosities they have in reserve. Our only saving grace is that we have a powerful force of our own, capable of penetrating deep into enemy ranks and escaping with near impunity. With you and your dragon, we might actually have a chance of striking that weak point." "I don''t know." Mike replied hesitantly. "I''m not sure if we can count on air superiority. They will have had plenty of time to come up with countermeasures." "Like I said, we have a chance. A lot of this will depend on what the Lacotians brought with them to augment their corpse army. Until we get a good idea of that, everything I say is largely conditional. We''ll know more once the scouts come back." "I could still take Red on a flyby investigation. Judging from their positioning, it wouldn''t take long to get there, and I could see a lot more from the sky than scouts on the ground." Morris shook his head. "I know, but the benefits don''t outweigh the dangers. You are our ace in the hole. We can''t afford to risk you on mere information gathering when we don''t know how serious this invasion is. In the worst case scenario, and the Archlich himself is involved, you won''t be able to take him on directly." His frown slackened and transformed into a wry grin. "Of course, if he''s here in the flesh, there''s not much we can do about it besides pray that the Archmage or another high Tier 4 entity decides to intervene before its too late." "Speaking of which, where is the Crimson Disaster? Surely she could help us now that the entire continent is threatened." Morris sat down in his chair again, and rubbed his face. "Unfortunately, she has the honor of being the only Rank 9 adventurer that hasn''t retired yet, and is therefore the person of choice when considering missions that are too dangerous or difficult for weaker adventurers. In what can only be described as suspicious timing, she was given one of these tasks a few weeks ago." "You think someone set this up?" "Possibly, but its hard to say. Apparently, the guild has been receiving reports from adventurers in Dovistan, stating that the monsters of the Vale of Silence were behaving unusually. I''m not really certain on details, but they supposedly commissioned several parties to investigate deeper into the forest to see if they could locate the origin of the disturbances. None of which returned. This continued for nearly two weeks before the Dovistani branch began requesting help from the Guild''s headquarters. They, in turn, decided that the scouting parties simply weren''t strong enough, and hired the Crimson Disaster to get to the root of the issue." "That seems a bit excessive." "A little, but you have to understand, a lot of adventurers had already gone missing, and gradually increasing the strength of the scouting parties could have increased the number of casualties. I''m guessing the leaders of the guild decided to play it safe and put forth their strongest asset from the start." Mike didn''t necessarily agree that the best solution to this issue was to continue blindly sending people into a dangerous and unknown situation, but he couldn''t think of a better way that would be practical. "Is there any way we can call her back? Emmanuel, our Marshal, is an accomplished Space Mage that should be able to assist the logistics, if need be." "The guild should have a means of getting in contact with her, assuming they want to." Morris muttered bitterly. "What do you mean?" "I imagine that the guild would be hesitant to act unless we can confirm the presence of the Archlich. After all, they wouldn''t want to provoke a response from him by bringing a Tier 4 into a national conflict." Mike took a few moments to work through the implications of that statement. It kind of made sense, if one thought about a Tier 4 individual as being equivalent to something like nuclear weapons, but he still found it frustrating. "So we are basically on our own until a being capable of destroying the entire country decides to make his presence known." Morris shot him a pained look, likely sympathizing with the bitterness his friend felt. "It is possible that they attackers aren''t acting with the permission of the Archlich. In fact, that''s how they''ve gotten away with launching periodic attacks on other countries in the past. Although this one is a bit bigger and more ambitious than in the past." "We can only hope." Mike replied while standing. "Anyway, I should be getting back to work. Don''t stay out here by yourself for too long. We don''t know if they have another of those assassins, and you''d make a tempting target." "Considering my unimportance to the war effort, I''ll probably be fine. Now get out of here before Talgratha finally tracks you down. I''d like to avoid being caught up in the crossfire of your fight." Mike chuckled as he walked away. Chapter 238: Prelude to Destruction "I guess that about does it." Mike whispered to himself, taking a moment to admire his handiwork as he put the last few touches on the rudimentary keep located at the center of the encampment. He knew it would look like an ugly brown splotch on the horizon when seen in the daylight from afar, but right then it seemed pretty impressive with the starry sky as a backdrop. He was still staring at the stone structure when reinforcements arrived. A warping in the air nearby alerted him, and a few seconds later a large group of people simply appeared. Had he not already been informed of his teacher''s arrival, along with as many power fighters and mages as the mage could bring with him, the sight would have been concerning. As it was, he just felt impressed at the demonstration of magical might. Close to two hundred people materialized in a small area that had been cleared for that exact purpose. According to the message he''d given to Morris, Emmanuel had been planning on rounding up the most combat effective members of the First University Division, to include as many mages as they could spare. The intent was to provide the coalition army with as many high tier powerhouses as possible prior to the arrival of the undead. Knowing that it would be impossible to match the enemy in terms of quantity, he aimed to surpass it in terms of quality. Owing to his place at the center of the encampment, Mike was among the first to meet the group as they shook off the disorientation that accompanied long distance teleportation, which seemed to affect everyone except the Marshal himself. As he approached, he noticed several familiar faces, including a majority of his magic instructors and a number of students he recognized in passing. For some reason Edgar, the unfortunate dhampyr, was among them. "You brought more than I expected. Is there anyone left to defend the city?" He asked with a smile while walking up. Emmanuel frowned at him, "I know I''ve essentially cultivated an informal relationship between the two of us, and for good reason, but would it kill you to treat me with a little more deference when we are in front of others? I am, at least in theory, your instructor in magic." "...Would it even matter at this point?" Mike asked, wondering if, after a host of public appearances and meetings, the damage hadn''t already been done. The Marshal opened his mouth to reply, paused and then answered with a resigned sigh, "...Probably not. Never mind, then. Anyway, I''ve brought most of the faculty from the Martial Arts and Magic Departments, or at least those we could spare. The rest are a grab bag of promising students, particularly competent citizens, hired adventurers and mercenaries, and a few Royal Guardsmen I was able to talk into coming with us." "Eh? Only a few? They do realize that we are fighting to defend the entire country, right? Why isn''t the entire Royal Guard here?" "Unfortunately, they have the unenviable mission of protecting the royal family, to include all of the component members, no matter the political situation. Since you managed to rescue the Second Prince from his confines on a perfectly safe ship in the middle of the bay, he now needs to be protected." Emmanuel lowered his voice so it wouldn''t be overheard by the others nearby. "Especially since there are several people who''d like to see him dead for all the trouble he''s caused us." "Bah, I wasn''t even sure if he was on that boat." Mike replied defensively. "Apparently, he was hiding below decks out of fear of some kind of sea monster. Apparently he witness something indescribably horrible killing some of the Tenundian marines. Speaking of which, some stir was created when the Huntsman put into port accompanied by a Sea Serpent. The harbor guard were fully mobilized in response, and it took several rounds of persuasion from the crew to convince them that this particular ship murdering monster was an ally. Something about the Dragonknight calling it forth from the depths with forbidden magic, I believe." A wry smile had formed on his teacher''s face. "I don''t think standard summoning magic counts as forbidden, although I''m surprised it stuck around that long. I only intended on having it buy time for the Huntsman to get clear." This caused the older mage to frown again, "You didn''t use the same sort of spell as with your red friend?" Unsure, Mike took a moment to look inwards to see if there were any new mana bonds that had formed without his knowledge, but only sensed the usual three. "No...Is there a problem?" "Hmm, I''m not sure. Its possible it managed to eat something with a sufficient amount of mana to maintain its existence for awhile, and will vanish naturally after some time. Then again, it would not be the first time you''ve unintentionally shattered my expectations of what should be possible with magic. In any case, its not the issue we should be focusing on right now." He turned to look back at the rest of the transported Almirans. "Alright, you all should be feeling better by now. Just in time, from the looks of it." By this point, Morris, Talgratha, and a handful of the leaders from both sides had arrived, and were standing awkwardly to one side, as if waiting to be acknowledged. They''d formed into two clearly divided groups. The first consisted of a small contingent of Tenundians and their orcish allies, while the second contained representatives from the coalition army, to include a rather annoyed looked sun elf dressed in gleaming armor, who maintained his distance from the rest. "Its an honor, Marshal. I suspect you''d be interested in seeing the layout of the situation. May I suggest that we retire to the command tent, where we have the most recent scouting reports." Morris spoke deferentially once he saw they''d been noticed. "Count Graveston''s heir, I presume. Dispensing with needless formalities while maintaining a polite demeanor and humble attitude. Quite admirable for one your age. My student could stand to learn a lot from you." Emmanuel commented dryly while shooting Mike a smug look. "Please lead the way. Jonathan, Asterion, and Edgar come with me. The rest of you, make yourselves comfortable. We''ll be back to explain your assignments in a moment." Jonathan responded quickly enough, grabbing the confused looking Edgar and dragging him towards the tent. They were joined by a grey skinned elf in a silver robe bearing several pictures of the moon in various phases. His features were largely obscured by his drawn hood, but Mike noticed a sharp angular chin and a few locks of dark grey hair framing his face. Interested, he took a moment to use Appraise. ----------------------------------- Asterion Ruthganti Mal Cornorin Age: 136 Race: Moon Elf Class: Ecclesiarch Title: Seeker of the Woven Mystery ------------------------------------ [Some kind of Divine Mage? I guess I haven''t seen him before because he belongs to another department.] While giving Edgar a sympathetic smile, he followed after the group, joining them as they entered the aforementioned command tent and clustered around a map. Apparently, Emmanuel had been asking Morris a few quick questions on the way, because he suddenly exclaimed, "What?! You don''t know that the enemy''s composition is? Don''t you have any mages capable of casting divination magic?" "We do, but it looks like the Lacotians have countermeasures in place. Any attempt to scry on anything besides the outlying portions of their army has been met with failure." Morris replied calmly. Emmanuel shook his head, "Unfortunate, but we need information. Thoughts Jonathan? You have the most experience fighting the undead." Mike''s Elemental Magic instructor flinched when his name came up. It looked like he''d been staring intensely at someone on the left side of the tent, but Mike couldn''t see who. "Ah...yes. We had a similar problem in the past, and we were never able to fully overcome it. Lacotian magic is known to be more advanced than ours, and only by beating them in terms of raw power could we hope to punch through their protections. That might be an option, considering our resources, but my recommendation is to bypass their countermeasures entirely, and visually inspect the enemy." Morris broke in. "The parts of the army that are of interest to us are located near the center of their formation. Anyone attempting to lay eyes on them would have to pass through hundreds of thousands of their soldiers unseen. While they might be mindless undead, for the most part, we don''t know what other security measures they have in place. Without that knowledge, it would be tantamount to a suicide mission." "Which is why I suggest we make use of summoned creatures that specialize in stealth. Melinda, one of our Summoning Magic instructors specializes in summoning fairies. A few of her more common choices would be ideal for this mission." Emmanuel nodded, "Good. Have her get started on it as soon as possible. We''ll need a solid idea of what we are facing." Jonathan saluted and headed out, casting one last look over his shoulder at the left side of the tent, eyes roaming for something, but ultimately not finding it. "Now, how far away are the Lacotians?" Emmanuel asked once he''d gone. "According to our latest reports, they are currently located here," Morris pointed at a portion of the map roughly a dozen kilometers away from the encampment. "They are advancing slowly for some reason, but at their current rate of movement, we anticipate they will be arriving here a little after dawn." "That doesn''t give us much time, but its more than I expected. Does anyone know the reason for their slower march? Is something impeding them?" Asterion stepped forward, and gave a polite bow to the assembly, "If I may be so bold, I have a theory about that." He waited for a few seconds until he''d received an impatient ''go on'' gesture from Emmanuel. "Considering the amount of energy required to create and maintain an army of that size, it seems probable that they are attempting to conserve their power prior to the initial assault. Moving slower would reduce the overall demands." [So animated undead require additional energy to sustain them? Something about that doesn''t sit right.] Mike thought to himself. There was an odd element to the elf''s explanation, but he couldn''t quite place it. He felt his concerns solidify when he noticed Edgar''s face contorting into something approaching a pained grimace. Obviously, he was contending with some pretty serious emotional turmoil. Deciding to get a second opinion, he sidled around the crowd, angling to get near the dhampyr while the conversation moved on. "Is that so? Then I suppose we can count our blessings. In any event, show me where our troops are currently allocated. I haven''t had a chance to survey the defenses, but this fort looks sturdy enough from the inside." Mike tuned out the rest, suspecting that it would devolve into tedious logistical discussions. He moved up close enough to whisper to Edgar, and asked quietly, "What''s the matter? It looks like you''ve swallowed something sour." The dhampyr jumped and let out an awkward squeak that was thankfully too quiet to do much more than annoy a few of their neighbors. "Ah! Mike, I didn''t see you there." "Sorry about that. Wasn''t trying to sneak up on you." "Its alright," Edgar replied once he''d calmed his breathing down. "So what''s wrong?" Mike pressed. "Ah...well, its...nothing...really." As bad as that explanation was, the way Edgar twisted his fingers together and avoided looking him in the eyes betrayed the lie even before he started speaking. Trying to keep his face straight, Mike pushed a little harder. "Really? you didn''t think there was something wrong with what Instructor Asterion said? You can tell me. We''re friends, right?" There was a few moments of indecision, before the dhampyr finally started speaking. "He''s a lot more experienced with Divine Magic, so I''m sure he know better than I...its just..." "Just what?" Edgar looked down, almost as if he was ashamed of calling out the elf on his claims, "...From what I know about necromancy, their is no real energy requirement to keep them moving, at least so long as you animated them properly the first time. All you have to do is create a minor mana repository affixed to their corporeal form, and it should refill naturally. I''m not so sure about incorporeal undead though..." Mike ignored the dhampyr as he lapsed into necromantic theory, mind racing with possibilities. A feeling of dread was slowly coiling in the pit of his stomach. He interrupted Edgar''s monologue with a question. "If that''s the case, why would Asterion think otherwise. Isn''t he the University''s expert on undead or something to that effect?" "Hmm, I guess? I think most Divine Mages can animate the undead, although I don''t think they do it very much...or at all, really. Its kind of frowned upon." He sagged slightly, "That''s part of the reason why I was brought here. Since I''m the only necromancer in the University, including the faculty, they thought I might be handy to have around." [If a junior necromancer who''s just barely begun his training is capable of creating animated corpses that don''t have additional mana requirements, then surely the Lacotians can do the same. That means they slowed down for some other reason. Why would they want to delay their arrival until daylight? Wouldn''t it benefit them to attack at night, when the majority of our forces are effectively blind? Unless...] Suddenly it all fell together in his head, and he rounded on the table where the leaders of the army were still debating details. "Its a ruse! The Lacotians aren''t going slowly because they want to conserve energy. They are planning to-" He was interrupted by the sound of a horn, long and low, which rose from the west side of camp. "What''s that signal mean?" Emmanuel demanded. Morris started running out of the tent, only taking a moment to yell back over his shoulder. "It means we''re under attack!" Chapter 239: Opening Fire The first thing Mike noticed as he left the tent was an unusual droning buzz that seemed to be filling the air. As far as he could tell, it was coming from the west, and was growing louder. In fact, it was quickly starting to overwhelm the sound of the signal horn, not that it seemed like it was necessary anymore. A crowd had gathered on the western side of the encampment, many of the soldiers milling about uncertainly. After a few seconds, Mike realized what the problem was. They''d mobilized as part of the general alarm, but there was no clear enemy, simply the droning sound which was growing increasingly ominous. [So they didn''t actually see the enemy, and were just spooked by the strange noise? Are they really that unsettled by the circumstances?] Glancing around, he spotted Emmanuel moving purposefully forward, brow furrowed in thought. "I''m going up for a better look." He yelled, taking off into the air before his teacher had a chance to stop him. Moving quickly, he shot out past the wall and began scouring the region to the west of camp for anything that might be causing the noise. He''d gone maybe a kilometer when he noticed the anomaly. [Some kind of cloud?] He thought as he noticed a dark mass which stretched across the horizon, but was clearly moving in his direction. [Its a little too low for a storm cloud and too dark for fog or mist. At that scale, its probably not smoke either...] Something about it was tickling at a memory he couldn''t quite recall. For some reason he had the mental impression of being trapped in a phone booth, but he couldn''t find the relation. On impulse, he used Appraise, not expecting to get any results back. However, he did, and the implications were horrifying. ----------------- Unnamed Age: 2 Race: Crow (Zombie) Class: Exploding Zombie Title: None ----------------- [You''ve got to be kidding me...] By this point, they had approached close enough that he could start making out the individual creatures. From all outward appearances, they looked like normal birds, albeit with unnaturally swollen abdomens. They flew with stiff, jerky motions, which gave the cloud a disturbing, undulating appearance. He tried to estimate how many of the creatures he was facing, but found himself balking at the task. Judging from the size of the cloud alone, their number at to be in the millions, at the very least. After all, the swarm stretched as far as he could he, and they still kept coming. He stopped his forward momentum, and began flying in reverse, already chanting his tried and true fireball spell. As soon as it was ready, he let it loose into the oncoming swarm. The missile streaked forward, bypassing the leading elements of the cloud and detonating in their midst. As he expected the birds had no resistance to the blast, and many were quickly incinerated. Alarmingly, the zombies who were a little outside the radius of the fireball''s flames, but close enough to experience its concussive effects, exploded themselves. They burst into clouds of hissing bone shards with all the force of a hand grenade. A part of him expected that to set off a chain reaction, but the rest of the birds simply shrugged of the rain of shrapnel and continued on. Evidently their creators had already created a counter measure for that issue. [These things shouldn''t be able to hurt me, but they will tear the coalition army apart.] Mike thought. [I need to warn them.] In response to his attack, large sections of the cloud broke off and began streaming towards him with lethal intent. While he was sure they lacked the power necessary to actually harm him, he didn''t want to put that to the test by simply ignoring them. Redoubling his efforts, he rushed back towards the encampment while sending a mental message to Red. He would need the dragon''s cover in the coming moments. Spotting Emmanuel near the crowd of increasingly confused soldiers, he descended quickly and landed in front of him. "We got trouble! The Lacotians sent a swarm of exploding bird zombies!" His teacher stared at him for a beat, obviously trying to work his mind around Mike''s statement. It was admittedly a bit outlandish. To his credit, however, he didn''t waste time asking inane questions. Swiveling in place, he yelled in the general vicinity of the group he''d brought from Almirn. "Harnik! Can you get a barrier in place around the camp?" The mage in question glanced around before shrugging, "Maybe? I''ve got the materials for it, but it will take me a few minutes at least. Even then, I''m not sure if it will hold for long." "Start working on it, and take whoever you need to get it done. The rest of the mages follow me! Everyone else stay out of the way." "What''s happening?" Morris asked while running up. Mike could see the rest of his command team in hot pursuit. "Exploding zombie birds." He replied with all seriousness. "...Really?" Mike simply nodded. "To the walls! We need to hold them back until Harnik finishes." Emmanuel yelled while leading a group of his followers to the western edge of camp. "You''d best tell your people to get out of the way. Mages are the best choice for this enemy. They are the only ones who can use area of effect attacks from a far enough distance. Anyone else would just be in danger." Mike caught Morris''s attention long enough to pass that message along. He nearly had to yell to be heard over the droning of zombified wings. He surged back into the air, already hearing the sounds of detonations as the leading elements of the swarm began exploding amongst the wall''s defenders. Red began sweeping the cloud with cones of flame, destroying hundreds in the process. Several of the birds bypassed his breath weapon and collided with him explosively, but his hide proved more or less impervious to their assault. Nevertheless, the blasts were sufficiently disorienting to prevent him from simply diving into their midst. Instead, he skirted the swarm, keeping it condensed and picking the isolated pockets that had broken of from the main group. Yet all of his efforts could not halt the steady advance of the undead birds. [Alright, think. What should I do?] What they really needed was time. Enough so that Harnik could get his shield up and running. As he flew, Mike sorted through the various methods he could use, but had trouble finding one that would accomplish his goal without devastating the coalition army in the process. "Screw it. Now''s not the time to be worrying about precision. Gotta go big or go home." He muttered to himself as he started gathering mana. He stopped and began hovering in place, needing to concentrate. It was a reasonably simple application of Air Magic, but the massive scale he was attempting to utilize it on required both an extensive amount of mana and complete focus. Although he wasn''t conscious of it, the sheer force of his magic was causing the air around him to vibrate with an invisible pressure. It tensed, almost as if it were a living creature, like a snake coiling itself in preparation for a strike. "Come forth with thy purifying zephyrs. Clear the air in front of you, repulse that which resists, and free the sky from those who''d trespass against it. [Windblast]!" The air over the encampment erupted into a powerful wall of wind, howling forth with all the intensity of a thunderstorm. The undead birds within range were blasted backwards, slamming into each other in the process and detonating in small bursts. A wave of explosions filled the western sky, continuing with greater ferocity as he forced the swarm back even further. He focused his will and fed mana into the spell, increasing both its range and its strength, and finally pushed the undead swarm away from the encampment. A surge of elation ran through him as he imagined how many of the enemy had been destroyed with that spell. He could only guess that the number was in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, yet there were still many, many more. A seemingly endless supply of them continued to fly in from the west. While effective, the Windblast spell was rapidly draining his mana reserves, so once he''d burned through roughly fifty percent, he let the winds calm. Almost immediately, new undead birds were surging forth to fill the gap. Thankfully, the other mages had gotten into position in the intervening time, and were already unleashing a barrage of magical projectiles on the enemy. To this was added a few desultory volleys of arrows. Taking a few deep breaths, Mike flew over to the top of the keep he''d created. He needed to conserve as much mana as he could, since it was growing clear that he''d underestimated the sheer size of the swarm. The defenders at the wall were having a hard time holding them back. They''f probably need his help again soon. He was still considering whether or not to repeat his previous spell when the air shuddered briefly, and the sky seemed to shift slightly. For a second, he thought he was seeing things, but then the undead birds began to detonate again, filling the air in a half kilometer radius with sizzling fragments of bone and feathers. [Looks like Emmanuel''s handiwork. I''m not really sure what he did, but its certainly flashy.] His teacher''s spell had bought them a few seconds of breathing room, but the assault was far from over, and in fact took on a dangerous new aspect. As if acting under the control of a singular will, the swarm stopped their mindless rush at the western defenses, falling back until they were outside the defenders'' range, and instead split down the middle, allowing them to encircle the entire encampment. Clearly, whoever was controlling the undead birds was planning on simply overwhelming them with simultaneous attacks from all directions, and Mike wasn''t sure if he had could stop them all. As he furiously contemplated his options, he looked up at the circling wall of undead birds, and felt it trigger a memory from his previous life. [A storm wall?] He thought, as a crazy idea started forming in his head. [Could I do it? The ocean''s a bit too far away, but I could potentially mimic it with the right kind of Water Magic. The problem would be mana. There''s no way I have enough for the kind of brute force application. Could I finesse it with specially formed chant?] He felt his pocket shift as Audra clambered out onto his shoulder. Surprised, he reached over to push her back down, but stopped when he felt her mental reprimand. She fixed her gaze on his, eyes filled with an ageless wisdom that seemed to give lie to her usual animalistic behavior. [Listen.] A soft, feminine voice sounded in his mind, speaking with an urgency that demanded his attention and provoked a burst of mild annoyance, which faded quickly as the rest of the message came across. Slowly but steadily, a stream of jagged symbols began entering his consciousness. Symbols he somehow knew belonged to a language that was ancient before the first High Elves walked this world. Their individual meanings were simple enough for him to divine thanks to his Communication Magic, but together they formed a massively complex chain that he couldn''t begin to fully comprehend. However, Mike understood enough to know that this might well be what he''d been looking for. With this he could create a real storm, and possibly save the day. [You''re really living up to your last name.] He thought back while hurriedly preparing the mana core infused ink he''d need to create the formation. Once he''d finished it, a simple application of Water Magic would allow him to paint it without too much difficulty. He just hoped that he''d have enough time. Chapter 240: Eye of the Storm Sera managed to make it to the top of the keep just in time to witness the attack. In unison, the swarm of undead birds turned and fell on the encampment from every direction. The droning buzz, created by the flapping of millions of mummified wings, grew to almost intolerable levels as the wall of rotting bodies fell down upon the camp''s defenders. It reminded Sera of her most recent venture into the open ocean, when Mike managed to awaken some kind of primordial sea monster whose mere arrival created a wave capable of shattering full ships. While they were radically different encounters, the sheer size of the hostile presence was similarly overwhelming. So much so, in fact, that she''d largely discarded the idea of helping with her bow. No matter how many arrows she shot, it wouldn''t make a difference at this point. Instead, she was struck by a sort of fatalistic apathy as she watched the approaching swarm. The threat had fully transcended the point where she could even help, and all she could do was pray that Mike had a solution. She finally managed to break her gaze away from the approaching wall of doom when the encampment''s defenders unleashed their last, desperate barrage. The flashes of various energies, combined with the perspective skewing spell the Marshal had used before, gave her enough of a reason to look at her party member. Mike was seated near the center of the keep''s roof, brow furrowed in deep concentration. The stone around him had been painted with dozens of strange runic markings, arranged in a chaotic and spiraling pattern. As she watched, a floating blob of ink began applying itself to the floor, quickly morphing into another of the symbols. [I''m not really sure what he''s doing, but I guess its something that will help. Can he finish it in time?] She thought as she moved to stand near him, careful to not step on any of the already painted runes. While she quietly waited for him to take notice of her, Sera couldn''t help but marvel at how calm she was, all things considered. Part of her felt that the undead birds weren''t as dangerous as they appeared, even given their unnerving numbers. She''d never received a vision about them, so her instincts told her they weren''t a real threat at the moment, all evidence to the contrary. The rest of her, however, was beginning to come to a realization about her party''s leader. After surviving a long series of increasingly life-threatening scenarios that Mike managed to resolve with a combination of his ridiculous abilities and bizarre luck, she was starting see a pattern. It was almost as if some god or a simliar entity was altering events in a way that forced him to undergo progressively more difficult challenges. This of course made sense, when considering the destiny he''d inherited. The gods who had bestowed it on him would naturally want him to grow into a more powerful champion, and there were few better ways to do that then to throw him into battle. However, she doubted that they''d force him to take on anything he wasn''t able to handle. They wouldn''t want to risk losing him before his destiny played out fully. Which was why, on some instinctual level, Sera knew that things were probably going to be alright here. Intellectually, however, she understood that her life was in danger, and only something on the level of a miracle would be able to save them at this point. Speaking of which, as she was engaging in this round of introspection, a pale blue dome of energy formed around the camp. Harnik had evidently succeeded, but she could tell that his efforts only bought them a little more time. Already the light of the shield was beginning to fade, as continuous waves of undead birds pummeled into it, exploding in the process. She estimated that there were only a few minutes before it broke down completely. "Alright, that should do it." Mike muttered to himself while standing. He took a moment to survey the situation, and noticed Sera as he did so. A look of concern flashed across his face, "Didn''t see you come up. You alright? Did something happen? Where''s Tal?" [Is there something wrong with my facial expression right now?] "I''m fine, and Tal was also fine the last time I saw her. To my knowledge, she''s still down by the walls, helping the rest of the mages. But do you really have time to be worrying about us right now? Weren''t you in the process of doing something important?" He frowned, but nodded. "I am, but that doesn''t mean I can''t be worried too. Anyway, I''m still focusing the mana I need to use this formation. Can''t really speed this part up." [Formation?] "What exactly is all of this? What''s it supposed to accomplish?" She asked while gesturing at the symbols inscribed on the roof. Mike grinned at her. "I''m about to do something pretty damn epic, is what." Sera suppressed a sigh. Couldn''t he take this a little seriously? The air pulsed suddenly, as the presence of an overwhelming amount of mana made itself felt. So much so in fact, that she was having trouble breathing and her vision was narrowing. Not that Mike seemed to notice. "Alright, here I go." He said gleefully, before starting to chant. [What in the hells is he doing?! This is almost as bad as the time the Cabal nearly summoned a Demon Lord. If he ends up killing me by accident with his stupid spell, I''m definitely haunting him!] She complained silently as she fell to her hands and knees, no longer able to keep herself upright. It took all of her strength just to gasp for breath, let alone call out to the idiot who was still focused on his spell casting. While in a desperate situation, Sera still had enough presence of mind to realize that he was using an extremely unusual chant. Unlike the lilting and lyrical language of the High Elves that she was used to hearing from mages, this sounded guttural and primal. Something about it resonated deep within her soul, making her feel even sicker in the process. After suffering for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Mike finally finished his spell with a thunderous exultation. "[Kark mor na gant!]" The symbols, starting with the ones at his feet and continuing in a spiral pattern around him, began to glow. A bank of mist formed along the edges of the roof and began to swirl in a circle, creating a ring-shaped cloud with Mike at its center. It was small and slow at first, but gradually gained both speed and mass. Pretty soon the keep was at the center of a spiraling column of tempestuous clouds, that continued to grow as more of them streamed in from outside of the shield. "Hm, I guess its semi-permeable to air, although, I shouldn''t be surprised. It would have to be in order to avoid suffocating its occupants. Anyway, get ready. This next bit is going to be a bit rough." A fascinated Mike commented as he watched his handiwork, still utterly oblivious to her plight. Even after the casting, she was feeling pressure. If anything, the mana in the air had become denser and more difficult to handle, and it was taking every ounce of her will to not pass out. [Notice! You jackass!] Suddenly, the cloud expanded in circumference until the entire encampment was incorporated within its swirling mass. For a moment it stayed there, seemingly creating a perfectly circular barrier that none of the birds could bypass without self-destructing. Then, the last dozen symbols all lit up at once, and unleashed the full fury of the storm Mike had summoned. With a titanic roar of thunder and the howl of tortured winds, the area surrounding the encampment for hundreds of kilometers in every direction was swept with a powerful wave of wind and rain, as the continent experienced a storm the likes of which had never been seen in this part of the world. It only took a few moments for the undead avian cloud to be subsumed in the currents, and wiped out completely. The sound of the storm faded soon afterwards, and the stunned defenders were left staring up at the towering wall of spinning clouds, which now rotated around them at a great distance, leaving a circular pocket of clear sky that was ominously still. Thankfully for Sera, who had toppled over onto her side by this point, this release also let loose the mana which had been crushing her. She celebrated this new freedom by gasping for the air that had been denied to her since the fiasco started. "Whoa." Mike muttered as he staggered slightly. "That took just about everything I had, but it worked, I guess. I doubt those birds could survive long in a hurricane, even if its a relatively weak one." He took a few moments to survey his handiwork again, and frowned. "I might have overdone it a bit. Hopefully it won''t cause too much collateral damage. Anyway, its pretty cool, huh?" He asked while glancing over at her, only to be shocked to see her collapsed in a heap. "Holy crap, Sera! Are you alright?" She mustered up just enough energy to give him an angry glare before finally passing out. ----------------------------------------------------- Teun was enjoying a soothing ''bath'' when she felt the disturbance in the weather around the central continent. While she was familiar with this type of storm, since they plagued the southern hemisphere of Ea during certain months of the year, the Inland Sea Region was too sheltered from the open ocean for them to occur there. Someone had to have forced the usually temperate air currents of the area to form into a devastating phenomenon. Growling, she stood and began marching towards her scrying room, totally unconcerned about droplets of molten rock that she was leaving in her wake as her ''bathwater'' slid off and began to rapidly cool into bizarre volcanic formations. Ordinarily, she would have let it harden into a spongy consistency and then carefully peeled it off, leaving her skin refreshed and glowing with vitality. However, she didn''t have time for that. Moving through the elaborately made tunnels that riddled her realm, the goddess swiftly emerged in a large circular chamber. At its center floated a miniaturized replica of the planet Ea. Several of her servant Gartuns, sentient plant creatures that resembled a humanoid mass of vines and leafy tendrils, were clustered around the replica, undulating wildly as they communicated in their subsonic language. Normally, they were in charge of fine-tuning the planet''s weather, as she was far to busy to do it herself, but it appeared that this was beyond them. "What''s happening?" Teun demanded while stalking forward. She spent a minute amount of effort to summon a diaphanous shift to cover herself. The Gartuns wouldn''t have minded, seeing as they were techinicallly nude themselves, but she always found it easier to give commands when clothed. One of the larger Gartuns, whose name Teun had never bothered to learn, stepped forward and gave a flexible bow. "My lady, roughly a minute ago we detected an anomaly in the weather around the central continent." "I''m well aware of that. Why else do you think I''m here? No, what caused it?" The plant genuflected again, "We are still looking into it, but based on the signs, we can surmise it was the product of immensely powerful Elemental Magic." Teun frowned as she looked over at the replica, taking not of the swirling mass of white clouds which covered much of the central continent. Specifically, she stared at the circular hole at its center. The culprit was likely there. She could tell at a glance that the storm was unnatural, and would quickly disintegrate if she left it alone. At this point the damage had been done, and it would be best to simply wait for the weather to return to normal. "It would take a Tier 4 Elemental Mage at the cusp of ascending to be able to pull something like this off. What Tier 4s are currently in the vicinity?" She asked, feeling an indignant rage building within her. "Regretfully, my lady, we aren''t aware of any such individuals currently on the central continent, although our divinations have proven unable to reach the eye of that storm for some reason, so I cannot dismiss the possibility that one is hiding there." [He''s able to avoid detection, even from my most accomplished diviners. Sounds a lot like that brat who absconded with the Hero''s Destiny. I''d like a visual confirmation, but this thing doesn''t have the resolution for it, and of course this had to take place at night, when Aminatrea is functionally useless. Ugh, I really rather not get the twins involved if I can help it. Then again, there may be another way.] "Murthinax is still living on that volcanic island, right?" She asked while staring at the replica''s version of it. "Yes, my lady." The goddess nodded, "Good, then prepare to send him a message. Its time that lazy dragon finally earned his keep." Chapter 241: Testing Out Skull Lord Kultanis was annoyed. This was a rare occurrence for the ancient entity, as he''d long ago stopped feeling anything but the strongest of emotions. Even his fear of death, which had encouraged him to enter his current state of being, had long ago faded completely, leaving him in a perpetual calm. Yet, he found the situation in front of him increasingly annoying, and that was not merely because of the weather. Rain and wind were lashing at his undead army, bringing with them all kinds of debris which were in turn proving more dangerous than he''d like to admit. Every now and then, he''d see one of the animate corpses that made up the bulk of his forces being crushed by an airborne tree, or picked up bodily and thrown some distance. Of course, such losses weren''t the cause of his annoyance. Rather, it was the source of the storm that bothered him. He gestured to one of his necromancers nearby, and the creature began to chant in dark, sibilant whispers. Soon a sphere of translucent, grey energy surrounded him and much of his command staff, protecting them from the worst of the storm. The Skull Lord did not order this out of his own discomfort. Indeed, things like the rain and cold had not bothered him for several centuries. Rather, he desired to speak, and wanted his words to be heard. "I am beginning to suspect that you underestimated the Dragonknight, human. Did you not say he would be overwhelmed by our bird swarm?" Kultanis rumbled, his voice echoing strangely in the confines of his ornate, black armor. He shifted his gaze enough to look down at the pitiful living being who had assured him of the plan''s infallibility. "My lord, I did not think him capable of doing this." The human aristocrat replied calmly. The man''s lack of apparent fear, even in the face of his failure, was annoying Kultanis even further. "Is that all you have to say for yourself? Do you have any idea how many resources we invested in raising that swarm of zombies? How much time was spent in simply gathering a sufficient number of corpses?" "I understand your frustration lord, but I am no seer. Considering how much difficulty he had in confronting the Cabal''s abomination, it seemed reasonable to believe that he lacked the power to stop the swarm. Nothing of our observations indicated him capable of summoning this kind of storm." Kultanis gestured at the sky, "Evidence suggests otherwise." The man frowned slightly, the first change in his facial expression since he''d arrived. "Truthfully, only a Tier 4 mage could perform this kind of feat without external aid. Since I have a reliable source that confirms he is still Tier 3, I can only assume he has access to an artifact that allows him to control the weather." The Skull Lord briefly considered disposing of the man. His schemes had been helpful in truth, but once the remaining Almiran and Tenundian forces were crushed, the traitor would have outlived his usefulness. It was questionable whether or not it was worth it to keep him around now that he''d failed. [Well, he''s a fairly accomplished mage, for a human. I''ll allow him to participate in the coming battle, and should he survive, I simply need to dispose of him once the dust has settled.] Kultanis returned his gaze to the sky, trying to calculate how much longer the storm would last, but was quite frankly drawing a blank. In all of his centuries of unlife, he''d never seen anything quite like this. Its sheer power and intensity was a bit awe inspiring, especially since there was no indication of it letting up anytime soon. Merely thinking about it was eliciting a minute trickle of fear in the back of his mind. Something that he hadn''t experienced for centuries. He snorted mentally, chiding himself for cowardice. No matter how accomplished this Dragonknight was, he couldn''t hold a candle to the most terrifying being Kultanis had ever faced. The being that was simultaneously his creator, and greatest foe. Turning towards his adjutant, a Death Warrior named Boletor, he issued a few quick commands. "We will be staying here until the storm calms." The knight saluted, before moving off to spread the word. "Should we not be advancing on them, my lord?" The human asked. "Surely even the Dragonknight would have expended his mana reserves summoning something like this, and the storm will cover our approach. Is this not the best time to take the offensive." Kultanis regarded him once more. "While I see the wisdom of your plan, I cannot agree. We have suffered a great loss today because we took action without considering the possibility of failure. I''ll not risk the rest of my army so lightly. There are steps I plan to take in the meantime, but we will wait until I deem it appropriate to advance. Is that clear, human?" The man bowed, "Very clear, my lord." "Good. Then, you are dismissed. Go and tend to your biological needs. There will not be time to do so later." The human aristocrat saluted in the manner of his people and stalked off towards a tent that had somehow been erected in the deluge. Evidently, the man''s subordinate had manged to accomplish the feat on her own, owing to the fact that none of the Lacotians would assist her. Discarding the pitiful Viscount from his mind, Kultanis focused his attention on what to do next. It was unfortunate that Vivienne had failed in her task, and had thus become excommunicate. He could really make use of her abilities now, but the laws of Lacot demanded that he kill her the next time he laid eyes on her. Which was likely the reason she''d gone into hiding. [Well, if I cannot make use of a Wraithbound, then I shall rely on the next best thing.] He turned to Boletor, who''d just returned from his errand, "Summon the Furies. I have a mission for them." ----------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, in the hidden basement of a certain warehouse, located on the poorer side of Almirn''s docks, a gathering was taking place. A dozen men and women, each of whom represented one of the city''s most powerful gangs, were seated around a circular table while a crowd composed of other gang members clustered around, carefully listening to their words. "The Shadow Lords pledge their service to the new ruler. May his reign be long." Brenden nodded his thanks to the man swathed in black silk from head to toe. The organization he represented had a reputation for being the most accomplished assassins in the city. It was good to have them on his side, since the alternative was a bit concerning. Another man, dressed in a simple brown robe with a hood drawn low to obscure his face, stepped forward and bowed. "The Brotherhood of the Ancient and Most Salubrious Art of Fishmongery do solemnly swear to abide by his majesty''s commands. May his fish be ever fresh." Resisting the urge to snicker, Brenden nodded once more. "And thus, our covenant has been formed, and the ruler chosen." Fang, acting in his role as the ceremony''s officiant, announced, "By ancient tradition, if there are any members present who dispute this choice, you may speak now." Silence descended on the room for a few moments, as everyone waited for someone to speak. "If there are no challenges, then we shall move on to the-" "I challenge the ruler!" A voice suddenly called from the back of the dank basement, as a trio of hooded figures stepped forward. Once they had reached the circle of gang leaders, the man in the lead threw back his hood, eliciting a few gasps from the assembled crowd. "Arganis! You dare to show your face here!" The leader of the Waverunners, a female fox beastman named Icthia, yelled. If not for the rule banning weapons from the meeting, Brenden was sure she would have drawn her trident and attempted to skewer the newcomer, so intense was her expression of hatred. "Hmph," The man called Arganis laughed dismissively, while running a hand through his wave, copper colored hair. "This meeting is open to all of Almirn''s gangs, isn''t it? Then why shouldn''t I participate? I am the leader of the Bloodkin, aren''t I?" "You and your murderous ilk were banished for your actions!" The Icthia growled. "You have no place at this gathering." Arganis shook his head, "Its true that we left the city, but it was not because of any paltry banishment. I don''t recognize the authority of this pathetic collection of ageing weaklings you call a Council. I merely took the opportunity to accomplish a few of my goals in the outside world." Brenden leaned over to Fang and whispered, "What''s this all about?" The bear beastman whispered back, "The Bloodkin were banished from the city for repeatedly robbing and killing the rich and powerful of Almirn." "Isn''t that something you''d normally approve of?" "Not at all. By targeting those with power, they were drawing all the wrong kinds of attention. If the Council hadn''t banished them, they would have soon brought the city''s officials down on us. As it was, we spent a few years lying low while the guard was given an unprecedented level of support from the kingdom, and entered a period of intense activity." "Alright, but what does it mean when he challenges me? Is it some kind of duel?" "Of sorts. Traditionally, its more of a test of skill, where both participants prove their worthiness to be the ruler of Almirn''s underworld." Brenden frowned in thought while tuning out the argument going on in front of him. "What does the test consist of?" "It varies from case to case, but the challenger is supposed to propose a task, which you can accept if you choose. If not, then the Council votes to either accept it or deny it. He has three chances to put forth a worthy test before his challenge is revoked." [Seriously, what the hell is up with these people and their arcane rules? In Wyrport we would have just knifed the bastard and been done with it.] "You have no right-" Icthia started again. "Oh, I have every right. Do you want to know what I was doing these last few years? I was cementing my position as a candidate for the King of Thieves!" Arganis announced, once again eliciting gasps from the crowd. He grinned broadly, evidently enjoying the attention he was getting. "In fact, I have even succeeded in sitting upon the Liar''s Chair without losing my life. Can any of you say the same? Am I not the most worthy to rule the city''s underworld?" The assembled gang leaders were now looking between him and Brenden, as if unsure of who to support. "That''s a bold claim you are making. In fact, it is a little unbelievable, considering we have the true heir to the King of Thieves sitting right here." Fang broke in, voice a low rumble of menace. "What proof do you have?" Arganis shot the bear beastman a dirty look. "The mere fact that I can make such a claim and not be struck down should be proof enough. But, if you truly believe that pretender is better suited to the role, then let me challenge him. If he''s really the chosen successor for the King, then he shouldn''t have any problem defeating me in a contest of skill." Fang grumbled for a few seconds, but couldn''t find any good way of refuting the man. Finally, he glanced over at Brenden. "Well, boss, what do you want to do?" Brenden sighed, finding all of this immensely tedious. [Aren''t I supposed to be some kind of underworld tyrant? I did essentially unite the gangs by virtue of my strength. Why can''t I just crush that upstart and call it finished?] He thought grimly, already knowing that he had to play along with the Council''s silly rules if he wanted them to obey him in the future. Still, he was starting to get annoyed by all these delays and complications. They were in the middle of a war for survival after all. Why can''t they be a little more worried about that? He stood up and locked gazes with Arganis. "Fine. Present your challenge." The upstart grinned again, with all the confidence of someone whose plan had worked perfectly. "Since we both claim to be successors to the King of Thieves, I thought it only right that we compete in terms of the skills that made the original one famous. As such, I challenge you to a contest of thievery. We will both attempt to steal a particular item and bring it here for the Council to witness. The first to do so is the winner." Brenden noticed several of the gang leaders nodding their heads, as if already agreeing to the proposal. "What is the target item, then?" He asked. "Since we needed something worthy of the King of Thieves, I thought it only fitting the target something beyond the reach of common rogues. Something that will require the best of even the most accomplished thief." Arganis replied triumphantly, as he paused for dramatic effect. "We will compete to steal the crown of the King of Almirn." "Just to make it clear, all we have to do is bring the crown here, right?" "That''s right. Seems easy enough, doesn''t it." "Accepted. The challenge begins now." Brenden replied blandly while making his way towards the exit, leaving the assembled gang members stunned with the sudden change in direction. Even Arganis was momentarily rendered speechless, and was only able to stare after him as he ascended the stairs leading into the warehouse. Once he was outside, Brenden broke into a run and headed towards the Old City, heedless of the intense rain that had sprung up out of nowhere. He knew just the person he needed to see. Chapter 242: Undercurrents A blast of Healing Magic was all it took to revive Sera. Evidently, the pressure caused by his spell was powerful enough to knock her unconscious. While Mike was relieved that she was alright, he had to listen to her complaints about his lack of mindfulness. Thankfully, the situation prevented her from giving him anything more than a cursory lecture. It wasn''t long before they had moved on to a more important topic. "Seriously, how in the hells did you do that?" She asked, once she''d spoken her piece. Her gaze was now fixed on the swirling wall of clouds that hung in a circle around the camp, creating a bizarre patch of calm sky where stars could be seen. "It was Audra that taught me the runes, strangely enough." He replied while eyeing the little dragon in his hands. She was currently fast asleep, and none of his gentle shaking proved capable of waking her. "At least, I think it was her." Sera gave him a concerned look. "We are still talking about the same dragon, right? Not two days ago, you had to stop her from trying to eat a candle, and now you''re saying she somehow had knowledge of a powerful arcane ritual capable of altering the weather?" "I know it doesn''t sound all that believable, but that''s what happened." She sighed, "I suppose we don''t really know enough about dragons. For all we know, this kind of thing could be completely normal. Alright, until we figure out what''s going on with her, I''m just going to chalk it up to the usual crazy stuff that follows you around." "Hey! I''m not....that bad." He protested, before trailing off into a mutter. "Right...Anyway, you ready to head back down? I''m sure the rest of the coalition leaders will be looking for you by now." "I suppose I have to, don''t I?" She gave him a mildly sympathetic smile, "Come on. The sooner you get it done with the better. Besides, we don''t know how long that storm is going to hold them up. We''ll need to start planning for the next step." He nodded while putting Audra back in her favorite pocket. They descended the rough-hewn staircase leading back into the the keep, then exited and started walking towards a crowd that had formed at the center of the encampment. It seemed that there was an argument going on. "Which is why we need to fall back now, while they are still reeling from this blow! Who knows how much longer we will have to make a clean escape." A bearded man dressed in an expensive looking suit of plate mail was shouting. A voice he recognized as belonging to Morris answered him. "As I have been telling you, Baron, we cannot retreat any further. This section of road is all that stands between the Lacotians and the rest of Almir. Should we abandon it for the safety of Almrin''s walls, then nothing would prevent them from simply marching into the heartland of our territory. I think we both know how that would turn out." The Baron blanched, but kept going, "You saw what the enemy was capable of! You know what sort of numbers they are bringing. Do you really think we will be anything more than a minor inconvenience to them? Whats to stop the undead bastards from simply surrounding us with a portion of their troops and marching on past us?" "They would be fools to do so." Emmanuel broke in, looking a little exhausted. "We have enough combat power concentrated here to seriously threaten their war aims. Unless they leave the majority of their army here, we could easy break through the siege lines and go on the offensive." "Go on the offensive? Are you crazy? How can you possible think it is a good idea to attack an army like that? These aren''t living troops we are talking about. No matter how many of them you destroy, the rest will just keep coming. There is no breaking an army like that." Another noble looking man added. He seemed to be on the side of the cowardly Baron. "Its true that the undead are a difficult enemy, but they have their weaknesses. Weaknesses that we will exploit." Morris countered. Mike could tell that his words were largely falling on deaf ears. It was clear that the dissenters had been shaken by the events of the day, and were set on saving their own skins in a manner that left their reputations intact. Continuing this argument would do little to change that. "He''s right. We have everything we need to deliver a devastating blow against the Lacotians and put an end to this war." He announced while pushing his way into the circle. The soldiers around him began to whisper, and he caught snatches of statements that were filled with awe, and a little fear. It seemed that his storm summoning had left an even greater impression than the rest of his actions up to this point. Not that he could really blame them. This was probably the most dramatic thing he''d done in quite some time. "Mi..Sir Dragonknight. Thank you for your timely intervention with the undead bird swarm. If not for your assistance, we would not have survived." Morris greeted him carefully. [I don''t think there is much point in trying to hide my identity anymore.] "My pleasure. I believe we only have a short period of time before the enemy makes another move. We should work on our own battle plans now, while we still can. What do you have so far?" Morris moved to speak, but the cowardly Baron interrupted him. "We haven''t decided on whether or not there will be a battle. It was a matter we were discussing before you arrived." He felt, rather than saw, Sera bristle at the man''s dismissive tone, and raised a hand to prevent her from saying anything. "The battle will occur regardless of your wishes. The only thing you can control at this juncture is how many civilians will die before you actually fight to defend your country. I, for one, want to minimize that number as much as possible, but I guess you want to do things differently? Perhaps the people of your domain are more willing to give up their lives, so that you might extend yours for a few weeks." The Baron turned red, "How dare you? Do you know who I am?" "No, I don''t, and I don''t see any reason to learn now." He turned towards Morris, "Do you honestly need this fool and his followers?" His friend nodded. "Ideally, we need every available soldier simply to increase the odds of our victory. However, if the Baron believes his troops are better used elsewhere, then I believe we can adjust to their absence." The cowardly noble had gone from red to purple by this point. His mouth flapped open and closed a few times, but he evidently couldn''t think of a proper response. Finally, his jaw snapped shut with an audible click. Spinning in place, he marched away in a huff, bringing with him a handful of like-minded nobles. Mike watched them go, before leaning over towards Morris. "I hope I didn''t cause you any problems." "Don''t worry. Baron Hargrave is a fool, but he cares about his image as a military man. He won''t abandon the army for fear of being labeled coward. That said, we''d better not plan on relying on any of his troops in the coming fight." Morris whispered back, before turning to address the assembled crowd. "I suggest we continue this conversation in the command tent. Its smaller than I''d like, but we can accommodate most of the senior leadership. As for the rest of you, please return to your duties. You will be informed of what we decide in due course." His suggestion was met with general approval, and the collective leaders began walking to the nondescript tent. Mike took a moment to whisper to his friend. "You know, I made a floor in the keep for just this kind of thing." "I''m aware, but think of it this way. If you were the enemy, where would you look for our leadership? A fully formed keep, or a dingy tent?" Mike laughed. "Alright, fair point." "Not to mention the fact that you didn''t put any windows in." Sera muttered from his right. He looked over at the plain brown structure, and realized that he''d completely missed that fact. "Ah, whoops. I knew I was forgetting something." --------------------------------------------------- Far to the northeast of the central continent sat a volcanic island whose constant state of activity had given it the name Stonebirth. It had been erupted for so long and with such intensity in the centuries since its appearance, that only the strongest and best equipped adventurers were able to scout its molten shores. Even then, they could rarely penetrate deep enough to make the investigation worthwhile. As such, there were few beings on Ea that knew of the island''s most powerful inhabitant, an ancient and reclusive Flame Dragon by the name of Murthinax. This mighty creature had the habit of spending his days soaking in the magma of Stonebirth''s caldera, enjoying the warmth in the same way an elderly human might when sitting outside on a sunny day. It was during one of his lengthy soaks that the messenger of the goddess Teun arrived, and spontaneously burst into flame. "Hm, I seem to be on fire." The plant creature commented curiously as its limbs began to blacken and disintegrate in the intensity of the heat coming off the molten rock that surrounded it. Murthinax opened one glowing, crimson eye, and issued something that would have been considered a sigh in another creature. As it was, this slight exhalation unleashed a small torrent of magma which threatened to engulf the unfortunate Gartun. Only a quick application of draconic magic spared it. With a few words in the ancient language of the dragons, he lowered the temperature around the plant creature to the point that it was no longer in danger of combusting, and then fixed his gaze on the blackened, but still living, messenger and rumbled his now standard greeting. "I don''t care what you want. Leave now before I decide to incinerate you." If the Gartun was aware of its peril, it didn''t demonstrate it. Instead, it made every attempt at delivery a perfunctory bow, only to fail when one its vine-like legs snapped off, causing it to tumble onto the ground in a heap. It began speaking anyway, as if the minor distraction of losing a limb was easily ignored. "I carry a message from the Mistress of the Earthen Realm. The Lady Teun commands you to go forth and investigate an incident." The dragon growled, "As I said, I don''t care. She may be a goddess, but she does not give me orders." "Ah, the lady said you might reply as such. In this case, I was supposed to relate that if you don''t follow her wishes she would, and I quote, ''sink that eyesore of island into the ocean.''" Murthinax considered the Gartun with mild annoyance. He knew the goddess was petty enough to reconfigure the landscape to get her way, even if it meant expending a portion of her accumulated power to do so. That was just the kind of irrational being she was. [It would be troublesome to have to find a new home again. After all, there aren''t many places in this world that are suitable for my charge.] Resolving himself to dealing with the annoyance, he decided to avoid making any decisions until he got the full story. "What is this incident she wants investigated?" "I am unfamiliar with the specifics, but supposedly a human mage managed to summon a supremely powerful storm in the vicinity of the central continent. My lady believes that this mage might very well be the person that the creator gods have been looking for." The dragon snorted, "Hmph, I should have known it was just a matter of her wanting me to do her dirty work. Very well, tell me where this human is, and what he looks like." "The event took place to the northeast of the city of Almirn. If you leave now, you can use the remnants of the storm to guide your path. As for the human''s appearance, I''m afraid we don''t have any information. The mage apparently has some means of hiding from divine sight, so we have only been able to locate signs of his or her passage after the fact." "How useless." Murthinax growled, already frustrated by the task. The Gartun tilted the mass of vines that served as its head, "Perhaps you can consult with your kinsman in the area. He may have some idea of where to find the mage in question. "My kinsman?" The dragon asked, feeling his heartbeat quickening for the first time in years. How long had it been since he''d seen one of his own kind? "Indeed. There have been several sightings of a Flame Dragon around Almir over the last few weeks." Murthinax rose to his feet, causing a minor tidal wave of magma, which parted around the Gartun thanks to the dragon''s spell. "Excellent!" He roared as his wings beat the air, lifting his massive bulk in the process. "Tell your goddess that I accept her mission, but I will expect an appropriate reward for my efforts." He vanished through the opening in the caldera before the Gartun had a chance to say anything else. "Perhaps I should have mentioned the Dragonknight that was seen in the Flame Dragon''s company. Oh well, I suppose he will figure it out." The plant creature murmured to itself as it began the complex process of returning to its goddess''s realm. Chapter 243: First Contact With one last heave, Julia finally managed to fully stow the mainsail. As soon as she succeeded in tying it down with her shaking hands, she collapsed onto her knees to catch her breath. "A fine job, girl. We''ll make a sailor of you yet." Skarn complemented from his seat a little ways away. To her chagrin, he was casually drinking from his wineskin while watching her work. A casual observer might think that he was simply leering at her while she exerted herself. However, Julia had grown accustomed to the man''s unusual tendencies, and knew that he was merely making conversation, infuriating though it may be. "You know, you could have helped, instead of sitting there and drinking." "What? You''d make a frail old man do the heavy lifting? That''s some gratitude you''re showing to your savior." He replied with mock indignation. It was a familiar exchange for both parties by this point, and only served to increase her irritation. "Frail my a**! I''ve seen you in a fight. There isn''t anything frail about you." Skarn laughed heartily. "Ah, but if I did everything for you, how would you learn? As I''ve said before, everyone on this ship has to carry their own weight-" He froze suddenly, head cocked at a slight angle as if listening to something that only he could hear. After a few seconds, he looked back at Julia. "We''re getting close. Best be quiet now." She glanced around at the almost impenetrable fog they''d been floating through for much of the last half-hour, and didn''t see anything different from the last time. "How do you-" "I have my ways." He replied curtly while standing and moving to his usual position at the rear of the ship, giving quiet orders along the way. Pretty soon, the Fireforged''s oarsmen were in place, and rowing in near silence. With no established task, Julia moved back to the rear of the ship as well. She made sure to kick her erstwhile angel companion awake, who was stretched out next to a barrel, snoring softly. Unfortunately, she forgot how sturdy Cariel was, and only succeeded in hurting herself. While Julia was grabbing her foot, wincing in pain, the angel sat up and glanced around blearily. "Ah? What''s going on-" "Shh! Keep your voice down. We''re in dangerous territory now." Skarn whispered from his position, eyes still rooted on the mist in front of them. Cariel leaned over and whispered, "What''s going on?" Julia, finally recovering from her injury gave her a dark look. "We''re almost to the rendezvous point, but there is a possibility of enemy patrols in the area, so we have to be quiet." "Right, right...um, who are we meeting with, again?" Burying her face in her hands, Julia resisted the urge to scream in frustration. She hissed, "The First Prince''s group. Don''t you remember?" The angel tapped her chin with one hand, evidently deep in though."I think that stiff guy mentioned something about a prince..." "That stiff guy is the noble in charge of all this. He''s the one who had connections to the person you''re looking for. The one you are supposed to meet. You know, the whole reason why we''re stuck on this bloody ship. Why is this so hard for you?!" "Haha, well, I''ve never been the best at remembering things." Cariel replied with an innocent smile. "According to the goddess, I have the memory of a gold tuna." "...Do you mean a goldfish?" "Yeah, that! Not really sure what that means, but it can''t be too bad since it has gold in the name, right?" Julia took several calming breaths, which gave her a chance to reexamine her poor life choices. It was a topic that she''d been revisiting quite often over the last few weeks, and she''d yet to find an answer to her burning question. What did she do to deserve this? [Definitely should have accepted that apprenticeship at the bakery. Bakers don''t have to deal with this kind of crap.] At that moment, Skarn tapped the boards of the ship three times, which evidently was some kind of signal for the rowers, who lifted their oars out of the water and quietly stowed them. After a few seconds of silence, Julia felt the gravelly crunch of the longship running aground. As soon as it did, the rest of the crewmen lept into action, hurling themselves overboard and starting to haul the ship further onto land. To either side of the Fireforged, she could hear the other members of their small fleet doing the same. "Come on, let''s go." Julia murmured as she grabbed her weapons and moved towards the prow, hoping to avoid dropping into the water. Thankfully, Cariel had the presence of mind to follow suite, and soon they were crouched on a barren stretch of beach. They waited until they heard Skarn''s soft voice in the swirling fog. "Warriors, with me." Julia and Cariel had the dubious honor of being in the vanguard force that had been assigned to meet with the First Prince''s group and guide them back to the ships, by virtue of being two of the stronger members of the Fireforged''s crew. Although this was more the case for the angel than for the beastman, it was decided that Julia needed to go along since Cariel needed a minder to keep her from doing anything stupid. It didn''t take them long to meet up with the few dozen representatives from the other ships, and after a couple short bursts of conversation they were on their moving again. Grabbing the guide rope which would help them stay together in the fog, Julia followed after them while making sure her ''charge'' kept up. A difficult task since, in addition to her many other flaws, Cariel had a terrible sense of direction. After a few minutes of traveling in near total silence, the signal for a halt was passed along the guide rope in the form of three quick tugs. They had evidently reached their destination. [If I recall, we should be moving up to form a defensive perimeter, although I''m not sure what the point would be. This fog is so thick I can barely see my hand in front of my face.] Nevertheless, she went along with the rest as they settled into a loose circle, with every person facing outwards. Knowing that there wasn''t much else to do, Julia tried to get as comfortable as possible. Roughly an hour later, she was squirming in place, trying to find a position that didn''t cause her butt to fall asleep. Unfortunately, the patch of dirt she was forced to sit on happened to be both inexplicably cold and strangely hard. [Ugh, when are they going to get here? I''m not sure if I can tolerate much more of this.] As she idly played with the hilt of one of her daggers, she realized that she could see more of the ground in front of her. It looked like the fog was starting to clear up. Pretty soon she could make out the figures of the other members of the advance party, who were also looking around in mild disquiet. [That''s not good. It took the mages most of the night to conjure this fog. They said it wasn''t supposed to dissipate unless there was a major storm nearby.] Julia took a moment to make herself more inconspicuous, settling lower into the tall grass that covered much of this area of the central continent, but she was already getting an itching sensation between her shoulder blades at the thought of being so exposed. To a thief like her, who had done the majority of her fighting in the streets of a major city, this kind of terrain was alien and deeply concerning. Thankfully, it was much longer before they heard the signal whistle, a high-pitched tone which indicated that the First Prince''s troops had finally arrived. Skarn quickly answered with his own version, that sounded a little lower and more guttural. According to the script they''d worked out through secret communications, this would be the point where a representative should have moved forward in order to discuss the gradual evacuation of the soldiers, however, something unexpected happened. A sharp verbal command was sudden issued from the region in front of Julia, and a veritable army of humanoid figures popped into view, moving quickly in their direction. Among them were several figures on horseback that surged out of the remaining fog with distinctive purpose. Feeling a jolt of alarm, Julia drew two of her daggers and prepared to throw them at the advancing force while mentally reviewing the short distance back to the boats. She''d just pulled back her arm, taking aim at one of the figures in the lead, when she noticed that it didn''t appear to be armed. She studied it as it got closer, eventually realizing that it was a woman wearing a ragged dress. On her back was a simple sack, and she was dragging a small child behind her. A look of terror was plastered on her face. Julia put away one of her daggers, stood up and began waving to the woman. "Over here! This way!" She wasn''t sure what was going on, but it was clear that these weren''t enemies. There was no way she could see the terrified women and children as threats, but Skarn was made of harder stuff. "Hold it! Identify yourselves!" He yelled from his position, his staff glowing with a threatening blue light. The civilians ground to a halt, too scared to continue. One of the horsemen moved to the front, revealing himself to be a grizzled soldier dressed in battered full plate. Even from her vantage, Julia could tell that the man was on his last legs. He was little more than a mass of injuries and dirt, and judging from the way he was tottering on top of his mount, he was close to passing out. Nevertheless, he managed to speak with a commanding voice. "I''m Sir Eric Thorton of the Order of the Rose, and I am escorting these non-combatants. I beg you, take them to evacuation ships and prepare to leave. There are enemies in pursuit, and our liege is leading the majority of the surviving knights in a delaying action so the civilians can escape." Skarn gave the man a hard stare, then looked around at the assembled vanguard. "Gareth, Rutgar, Hul, Julia and Cariel, you are the fastest runners we have. Follow this knight and bring back the Prince and as many of his followers as you can. The rest of you, take the civilians and fall back to the ships. Get them ready to leave." As the raiders scrambled to follow his orders, he glanced back at Sir Thorton, "Get back here as soon as you can. My crew will lead you back to the ships." The knight clenched his jaw, and nodded firmly, obviously too overcome to speak. He whirled his mount to face back the way he came. "Come on," Julia sighed to Cariel, who had fallen in beside her, "looks like we''ll be earning our keep this time round." The pair broke into a easy run, moving quickly through the fleeing mass of civilians. "Great!" The idiot angel replied, "I''ve been itching for a fight for awhile now...uh, by the way, what are we fighting?" It took most of Julia''s concentration not to fall on her face after that question. She knew she shouldn''t be surprised, but sometimes she had to wonder if this world was going to be alright with divine beings like this. [Maybe she really is part goldfish...] Refraining from answering, Julia focused on chasing after the knight, who had, by this point, broken out into a gallop. Looking around at the raiders that accompanied them, she was certain that they couldn''t maintain this pace for long. Luckily, it only took them a few minutes to catch up with the rearguard. The knights under the First Prince were making a fighting retreat using hit and run tactics. Under ordinary circumstances, such offensives would serve to thrust all but the most determined enemy back and hold them in place until their charges could escape. The undead, on the other hand, were a different matter. The pursuit force seemed to be comprised of mostly zombified infantry forces, little more than mindless walking corpses. The average knight could easily wade through them with impunity, their armor and enhanced endurance protecting them from all but the luckiest of blows. However, interspersed among the zombies were skeletal horsemen that moved with much greater vigor and skill. It was these that the rearguard were forced to deal with. As Julia ran forward, she saw one of the Almiran knights stagger from a lance blow and fall from his saddle. Before his comrades had a chance to move to his aid, he was swarmed by the milling zombies, and buried under a mound of thrashing limbs. Feeling a wave of revulsion at the unfortunate knight''s fate, she unconsciously slowed down. This allowed Cariel to catch up and overtake her. The angel unleashed an excited battle cry and threw herself into the mound. With a few battering strikes of her shield, she smashed the majority of the undead off of the knight, giving her a chance to pull him free. He looked as if he wanted to thank her for a second, but whatever he was going to say was lost as she continued the pulling motion, whipping the unfortunate man back behind the line of battle. Julia caught sight of his confused face before he landed in a heap a few meters away. Thankfully, knights were made of tougher stuff than most soldiers, so he staggered back to his feet after a few moments. Not bothering to look back at the poor soul she''d rescued, Cariel drew her sword and began hacking away at the zombies with gleeful abandon. By appearances, she was trying to take on the entire army by herself. [That idiot''s going to overextend herself. I just know it.] Julia thought to herself resignedly as she moved up to support the angel. It was her job after all. Chapter 244: Wrath of the Righteous? Prince Jonathan staggered as the skeletal knight''s mace smashed against his shield. Something in his arm gave under the blow, and suddenly he could no longer lift it. That would have concerned him, if there weren''t worse things to worry about. While he was trying to catch his balance, he had to break free from the grasping hands of the zombies that were surrounding him with ever greater numbers. He could hear his subordinates trying to fight their way to him, but it was increasingly clear they wouldn''t make it in time. He lashed out with his sword, putting an end to a pair of zombies that got too close. This bought him a moment of breathing room before he had to face the undead knight that was advancing on him with grim purpose. [Damn it. I screwed up. I shouldn''t have pushed this deep.] He thought resignedly as he experimentally tried to raise his shield arm, only to have a jagged spike of pain dissuade him from future attempts. By this point, the skeletal being had stepped over the prone form of Johnathan''s horse, an unfortunate casualty of his recklessness. It seemed like he would be atoning for the mistake by following the poor creature in death. [Ah, I can''t believe I messed up so badly. Especially now that we were on the verge of escaping.] He readied his sword, preparing to meet the enemy head on. That, at least, would be a cleaner end than he could expect from the zombies at his back. Thankfully, they hadn''t tried to mob him just yet. Now that he thought about it, weren''t they being rather quiet? There was a blur of motion passing by his right side. He vaguely caught the sight of a blonde haired woman with a manic grin on her face, before she was smashed into the skeletal knight with her shield. The sheer force of the impact caused the undead thing to disintegrate, bones scattering in all directions. "HAHA! This is great!" She roared, before wading into the nearby zombies, having never spared him a glance. Johnathan could only stare in shock as the woman rampaged through the enemy ranks with an abandon that bridled on the insane. He was still gaping when someone smacked him on the back. "Oi! Don''t just stand around! Get back there with the rest of them." Dazedly, he turned to look at the cat beastman who had just thumped him out of his revelry. "Well, go on then. I''m not getting paid to babysit you. Not really getting paid at all, truth be told." She continued with mild exasperation, before looking around and grimacing. "Oh my gods, where did that idiot get off to now?" She ran off after the berserker woman, cutting down a few zombies that got in her way with quick and efficient blows from her daggers. In a matter of seconds, she had vanished into the thick of battle, easily bypassing the enemies that he''d been struggling against moments ago. "Your Highness!" One of his knights called as he brought his mount to a halt nearby. "Thank the gods you''re alright." He reached a hand out to help Johnathan onto the back of his horse. "Quickly, your highness. We need to move while our allies are buying us time." "Allies..." The prince commented idly, eyes still focused on the ranks of zombies the two women had disappeared into. Finally, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and hopefully banish the strange feelings he was experiencing. Now was not the time for it. [If we have allies here, then it means Thornton has made contact with Count Graveston''s forces.] He was torn. The need for the rearguard had passed, but if he broke away from the enemy now, it would be tantamount to abandoning the two brave women. No matter how powerful they were, it wouldn''t take long for them to be overwhelmed by the never ending swarms of the undead. He could try to get them extracted, but every second they remained put his subordinate''s lives at risk. Once again he was faced with a choice. Should take the proper action for a commander, and save as many lives as he could? Or should he act upon his personal feelings and try to rescue them? After a few moments of soul searching, he came to a conclusion. He accepted the knight''s hand, and pulled himself onto the horse, wincing as his broken arm was jarred in the process. Once settled, he pulled free the signal whistle that he''d been using to give commands, and signaled for a general withdrawal. The knights responded quickly, long weeks of guerrilla fighting having trained them to react to sudden changes in orders. In a matter of moments, the remaining Almirans were disengaging with their enemies and streaming towards the ocean in an orderly wave. Johnathan spotted a few living humans following along with the general retreat, ones who were able to keep up on foot. Judging from their appearances, he figured they belonged to the rescue force. However, he didn''t see any sign of the two women who''d saved him. Holding onto the knight in front of him, he closed his eyes and prayed, [Whatever god may be listening, please help them. I know it is selfish of me to ask, but please spare them the cost of saving me.] ------------------------------------------------ In a sunlit room, a goddess sneezed, dropping the book of poetry she was reading and creating a momentary flash of unearthly illumination that would have blinded any mortals in vicinity. Luckily, she was alone. "What the...?" Aminatrea focused her divine senses and tracked the source of the disturbance. After recognizing its origin, she couldn''t help but massage her temples and sigh. "What is that fool doing? How does this have anything to do with tracking down the Hero? She''s going to get herself killed..." The goddess trailed off as she worked through the implications. For beings like angels, who were only inhabiting a form in the mortal realm, death would merely cause them to return to their realm of origin. [Ugh, I really don''t want to deal with her idiocy again. No choice, then. It looks like I''ll have to unseal a portion of her power.] Aminatrea grumbled mentally as she willed herself to the viewing room. [Let''s see. Stage one isn''t going to cut it, but stage two might upset the balance a bit. Hmm, that would make some extra work for Teun, though. Well, Cariel''s technically on a mission from the five of us, so it should be alright.] Raising one hand over the image of Ea laid out beneath her, she conjured a portion of her will and commanded the laws of the world to bend. In a voice that echoed throughout the room, and indeed the very foundation of the mortal realm, she announced. "Angel 1749, Cariel. I, Aminatrea, do hereby authorize you to utilize your Grace up to its second stage." Far below, on the image of Ea, a momentary glimmer of light appeared on the Central Continent. [Now it will take something a lot more dangerous than a few zombies to kill that idiot.] Sighing, Aminatrea willed herself back to her room to resume her leisure time. While she did so, she couldn''t quite dispel a nagging feeling that this might have been a mistake. [Well, its not like I fully unsealed her power. She can''t do that much damage with just the second stage, right?] She tried to convince herself while returning to her reading. ------------------------------------------------ "WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW? HAHAHAHAHAHA....hehem. I mean BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE SUN GODDESS! HAHAHA!" Cariel laughed maniacally as swung her gleaming golden sword in an arc, unleashing a wave of luminescence that seared its way across the plain, incinerating dozens of zombies in its wake. Julia dove behind a smoldering pile of corpses, narrowly avoiding the intense beam of light. Grumbling she got back to her feet and yelled at the rampaging angel. "Hey! Watch it!" "HAHA...uh, oops." She replied as shamefacedly as her glistening visage of divine power allowed her to, "Sorry about that, I kinda forgot you were still here." "How could...never mind, I know the answer to that question. Anyway, it looks like the others have headed back, so lets get out of here." "Aww, do we have to? Do you know how long its been since I''ve been able to really cut loose like this?" Cariel asked while casually shield bashing one of the skeletal knights, causing it to explode in a momentary burst of light. "If we take too long, the ships will leave without us." [The Lacotians seem to be falling back, anyway. They must not be interested in fighting an actual angel. Not that I can really blame them.] She thought while looking over the newly transformed Cariel. She was radiating a palpable aura of divine energy, which when combined with the golden suit of armor and gleaming sword, made it clear that she was not an earthly being. "Finnneeee..." The angel replied reluctantly while fluttering over to Julia on a pair of white feathered wings that had manifested along with the rest of her raiment of power. Once she''d settled onto the ground, her aura dissipated and she returned to her usual self. "You never let me have any fun." "What am I? Your mother? Now, while we are heading back to the ship, you are going to explain where all this angel of vengeance stuff came from, and why you didn''t break it our any of the other times we nearly died." ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Do you think it will work?" Mike asked his teacher, as they were walking away from the command tent. They''d just finished the strategy meeting, and had finalized their plans for confronting the Lacotians once they''d arrived. Thankfully, the now dissipating storm seemed to have delayed them somewhat, so dawn had passed without any further undead sightings. Emmanuel frowned, "I''m not sure, to be honest. There are a lot of variables, but I think this is our best option at the moment. We can''t win this fight by conventional means." "I know you explained it earlier, but are you really sure you don''t want me in the strike force? Even with Miranda''s fairy scouts, we still don''t know what the enemy has in reserve." The old mage sighed, suddenly looking a few decades older. "Truthfully? No, I''m not sure. There is a good chance that I''m sending some of our best and brightest into certain death, and dooming the entire continent in the process..." Mike gave his teacher a moment. Emmanuel was under a massive amount of pressure, and there was nothing he could say to really alleviate it. After a few seconds, the mage chuckled. "On the other hand, maybe we''ll get lucky, and the Lacotians will decide to give up and go home." "One can only hope." "Anyway, I''ve talked it over with the strategists. The enemy knows you are our trump card, and they will naturally respond in kind once you show up on the battlefield. Therefore, you can best help by drawing away the worst they have to offer, opening their defenses up for our strike force." Mike scratched the back of his head."I know, but what if the Archlich is there? Won''t you be over-matched?" "Are you saying you''d be able to fight against a Tier 4 mage if you were there?" Emmanuel asked with a serious expression on his face. [Probably not with Limit Break still on cooldown.] "No, but if anyone could occupy him long enough for the rest of us to escape, it would be me." "Listen, Mike. I haven''t known you that long, but I can already tell that you''ve been blessed by the System in some fundamental capacity. Anyone that could go from barely being able to cast a fireball spell, to summoning an actual hurricane in a matter of weeks is definitely out of the ordinary. However, no matter how accomplished you are, I can tell you from personal experience that Tier 4s are different. They operate under a different set of rules. Hells, they''re practically a different kind of life form. The only thing we normal mortals can do, is stay out of their way and hope the destruction passes quickly." Mike thought back to the two Tier 4s he''d encountered so far. Both had been overwhelmingly powerful, but neither had appeared unbeatable. After all, he''d actually killed Brutus, albeit with a great deal of help. Likewise, Andromeda, the Crimson Disaster, had ended up needing his assistance to deal with the situation in Wyrport, so it wasn''t like they were omnipotent. Nevertheless, he supposed that his teacher likely had a good reason for his feelings. [Worst case scenario, I suppose I can always drop whatever I''m doing and jump in.] Taking his silence as assent, Emmanuel continued. "Trust me, there''s no harm in knowing your limitations. Anyway, we''re already relying on you far more than we should." He grimaced. "It''s not easy for people my age to lean on an inexperienced youth, Dragonknight or not. Give the older folks a chance to carry their weight for a change, alright?" "Alright." Mike couldn''t say no to that kind of plea. Although he still intended to act based on the situation, he would at least attempt to honor his teacher''s sentiments. "Good, now it seems like we have a bit of free time while everyone else is getting ready. Knowing you, I''m sure you have a skill you''d like to work on, right? Is there anything you''d like me to teach you? I think we could squeeze in a quick lesson." "Actually, I was hoping that you could teach me a bit about Space Magic." Emmanuel sighed. "Well, I can''t exactly say I''m surprised." Chapter 245: Personal Space "We don''t have the time to do a full lesson, but I''ll try to cover the basics at the very least. However, that won''t help unless you unlock the skill. For that, you''ll need to understand the underlying principle of space as it pertains to magic. That will be the biggest hurdle. Even for seasoned professionals, its a difficult to grasp." Emmanuel was explaining in the dry tones of a veteran professor. Although he''d protested initially about using their precious free time to teach a class, he seemed to be getting into it now. "Since you''ve come this far already, I''m assuming you have some understanding of how mana is a virtually omnipresent force in this world, right? Something that exists at all times and all places at a relatively constant level?" Mike nodded. "Good, and have you also heard about the Mana Flow Theory?" This time he shook his head. Emmanuel frowned. "That should have been covered in your classes. I''ll have to review the course syllabus when I have a chance. Anyway the Mana Flow Theory postulates that, rather than a constant force, mana actually flows through the world in a cycle. Much like how water evaporates, is turned into rain clouds, before coming back to the surface in the form of precipitation, mana circulates through the realm while flowing through all that exists." [Seems a bit like electron movement when he describes it that way, albeit with a much more flexible transmission path. Could mana actually be some kind of particle or photon-like energy source? That would explain a few things I''ve been noticing.] "I know this theory might seem a bit concerning to a mage, who depends on mana for a variety of reasons, but I can assure you there is nothing to be worried about. Even if the theory is true, which hasn''t been fully determined yet, the amount of mana present in the system is so great that it would be practically impossible for it to exhausted in any one location." "Interesting," Mike replied, "but what does this have to do with Space Magic?" "I was getting to that. In order to unlock Space Magic, one must first gain an innate understanding of Space as a concept. Now, you might think of it as an absence, essentially any place where something isn''t. That would be a gross misunderstanding, and is, in truth, much closer to the element of Void which I won''t go into detail about here. On a conceptual level, Space is more like the framework that reality exists on. It supports the various forms of matter and energy that this world is composed of, and is usually a constant, unchangeable thing. However, certain forces can interact with it, mana being one of them." He paused for a moment, to make sure that Mike was still following. When his student didn''t appear to have any questions, he continued. "Normally, unlocking Space Magic would require extensive practical exercises where you slowly learn to first sense, and then to bend space with mana. However, thanks to your unusually large mana reserves, we can use Mana Flow Theory as a shortcut. After a great deal of research, I developed a sensing technique based on the theory. With it, you can gain a rudimentary understanding of the ''space'' in your surroundings, which " [So mana is always present? Then why do people have mana reserves at all? Shouldn''t I just be able to pull it from the air if I need it? That just doesn''t make any...Wait, so all I need to unlock Space Magic is a comprehensive understanding of my surroundings? Is it really that easy?] Mike quickly activated Aerosense while feeding mana into his Willpower for the additional information processing. He became acutely aware of the relation between himself and everything else in the area, but didn''t notice anything else. Was there some other requirement he needed to fulfill? By this point, Emmanuel was still in the middle of explaining the manner in which mana traveled through matter, based on the theory, and Mike had to hold up his hand to get the teacher''s attention. "You have a question?" "Yes. Assuming one has an understanding of the space around him, what would be the next step in using Space Magic?" Emmanuel frowned again. "You''re getting a little ahead of yourself, but I suppose I only promised a quick overview rather than a in-depth explanation of theory. Alright, typically the first thing a Space Mage learns how to do is displacement. That means altering the structure of space enough to cause an object to move. Its the simplest, most brute-force way of practicing Space Magic, but its relatively straightforward." "Alright, so what would I need to do?" Mike asked while focusing on a nearby rock. He tried to sense the underlying framework his teacher was talking about, but didn''t have any luck. "Typically, you just need to concentrating on willing the object in question to move, using your mana as the motive force. The key is to ensure that you are using pure mana, which can be rather challenging once outside of your body, and then to only apply gentle pressure until sufficient force is achieved. If you did it properly while keeping the relative spatial relationship with the object in mind, it will allow your mana to interact with the object''s Space." Mike summoned his mana and allowed it to flow from his hand in a snaking line. It was difficult to maintain its form, and he had to concentrate harder the farther it got from him. It almost seemed like some force was intentionally trying to dissipate his mana. [Perhaps there is some truth to that theory.] He gently pressed his mana against the rock while willing the object to move. At first, it felt impossible, like trying to push a boulder with a garden hose, but as he gradually increased the pressure, he began to feel something give way. Finally, after a few moments, he detected a sudden change, and before he knew it, the rock had shifted roughly a meter to his left. As soon as he confirmed it, Mike released his hold on his mana and sagged in exhaustion. Although the process hadn''t taken much in terms of actual energy, it had required so much of his concentration that he felt his brain was on the verge of overloading. Nevertheless, he had a sense of accomplishment. Looking at his [Status] he couldn''t help but smile at the new entry. ------------------------------------- - Basic Space Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Space Magic allows the user to manipulate the very fabric of reality to produce a number of effects. Characterized by its versatility, it is well known for its use in teleportation, extra-dimensional storage, and spatial distortions. Higher levels of skill increasing mana efficiency and accuracy of space manipulations. ------------------------------------- [Alright! The first step towards a whole new line of cool things I can do!] Mike looked up at his teacher, and felt his smile falter slightly. Emmanuel was staring down at the rock with an intense expression on his face. It almost looked like he was frightened by what he saw. After a few moments of silence, the old mage finally broke the silence. "Did...did you just unlock it?" "Um...yes?" Mike replied, feeling a little uneasy. The intense gaze shifted to him, "That''s...no. Who are you? Or rather, what are you?" [Uh-oh.] "What do you mean?" "Its been bothering me for a while now, but there is too much about you that doesn''t add up. At first, I just assumed you were what you appeared to be, an agent of Count Graveston disguised as a student, and that you were hiding your true abilities until an appropriate moment. However, in your time at the University, it became clear that you were essentially a novice in most areas. You simply lacked the knowledge that would have been expected of a powerful mage. Hells, you were even ignorant about basic concepts that should have been common knowledge. If that was an act, it was a damn good one." Emmanuel crossed his arms. "Then, of course came the dragon, where a small alteration to a summoning chant caused you to upend centuries of common sense about the craft. You effectively created a living, breathing creature of legend. Suddenly, even the idea of you being an agent seemed naive. Especially after all this Dragonknight business and the increasingly impossible things you''ve been doing up to this point. However, I was willing to overlook these inconsistencies. After all, you''d been working diligently to protect the city from all of its enemies. Who was I to look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth?" Mike noticed his Communication Magic had to work a bit harder to translate that last bit. The metaphor inherent in the idiom must have been difficult to bring across the language barrier. "But this," He pointed down at the rock, "is one thing I can''t ignore. Do you have any idea how long it took for me to unlock my Space Magic? Or how old I was at the time?" Mike shook his head. "Three years. That''s three years of constant effort, where I spent every day gradually improving my understanding of the way mana and space interacted until I could do something as simple as displace a rock. I finally managed to succeed a little before my fortieth birthday, and for that, I was hailed as a prodigy. After all, very few elemental mages can succeed in unlocking Space Magic, even after decades of practice. Even with the sensing method I was planning on teaching you, I had assumed it would take you months, if not years to grasp the concept, let alone unlock the skill. Yet, I just watched you do it in a matter of minutes. So, I ask again, what are you? A demon lord wearing human skin? The reincarnation of an ancient mage? Lysande''s bastard son?" For a few moments, Mike considered what to say. He discarded the idea of lying outright. He lacked the specialized knowledge necessary to craft a convincing excuse, especially when his mentor had put so much thought into the matter already. He wanted to avoid another repetition of the Ricardo incident. Simply refusing to answer was also an option, and one that held a certain appeal. Emmanuel needed him too much to risk alienating him at this stage. If he pushed the issue, all Mike had to do was threaten to leave, and he should back down. Yet, that didn''t seem right. He was genuinely fond of the old mage, and they''d been through a lot together. Besides, by all appearances, he was going to be taking over as Headmaster of the University after the war, assuming they won anyway. Making him an enemy could prove troublesome if he didn''t cut ties completely. It would be more prudent in the long run to bring him into the fold, so to speak. [Well, a lot of people have been figuring out my title lately. One more couldn''t hurt, right?] Finally, Mike sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, I''ll tell you, but you need to keep this a secret. At least for now. Things might change in the future." Emmanuel considered him for a moment, then nodded. "So long as your identity doesn''t jeopardize the war effort or the safety of Almir, I swear to you that I will keep it secret until such time as you give me leave to share it." Glancing around to make sure that no one was listening, Mike leaned over and whispered. "....I''m...the Hero." "What? That''s it?" The old mage asked incredulously. "Eh? Isn''t that enough?" "You see, I actually considered that as a possibility initially, since accounts of previous Heroes indicated that they did have a system correction that sped up their growth. I dismissed the possibility for two reasons. One, most Heroes developed quickly, but it still took them years to achieve the kind of advancement you''ve had these past few weeks. Two, you nearly died while fighting that flesh monster, but I saw no indication of any kind of Limit Break being activated." [Their are accounts of other Heroes?] "Ah, well, it''s kind of on cooldown. I had to use it against a dangerous enemy back in Wyrport, and I think I pushed it a bit too hard." Emmanuel gave him a cool look. "On cooldown? I don''t believe I''ve ever heard that term used in relation to a skill, and I don''t recall it showing up in any of the other accounts. But then again, most of them are fairly sparse, so I suppose it could have been left out." Hoping to distract his teacher a bit, Mike asked, "Those records you keep mentioning, where did you find them? I''ve been keeping an eye out for anything to do with previous Heroes, but so far it almost seems like they don''t exist. The best I''ve discovered are some obvious fiction stories that appear to have been written for children." "Of course you haven''t been finding anything. The churches of the Five Creator Gods hold sole custody of all information pertaining to the Hero, and they are quite thorough at rooting any leaks. While its impossible to completely eliminate all mention of past Heroes from history, they managed to keep it to the realm of oral tradition and folk tales. I only know differently thanks to my role as the head of the Magic Department, which gives me jurisdiction over the Divine Magic program at the University. I have access to information that would otherwise be only available to high ranking members of the churches." Mike frowned, "Why would they do that? Wouldn''t it benefit them to publicize accounts of the gods'' champion?" "That''s a long and complicated story, but I won''t let it distract me from the much more pressing situation of determining your full identity." Perhaps realizing how this might have sounded, Emmanuel''s expression softened a bit. "You''ve already trusted me with this much, can''t you let me in on the rest?" [Alright, what now?] Mike was frantically trying to come up with something to say, when the southwestern skyline lit up in a brilliant flash of light. It faded quickly, but a wash of disturbed mana passed over the encampment soon after. "Did you feel that?" He asked his teacher. "I did indeed. It looks like we need to postpone this conversation for now while I get Miranda to send some of her scouts to investigate. Hopefully, that wasn''t some kind of Lacotian super weapon." He replied while walking away, mind focused on other things. [Whew. I don''t know who''s responsible, but thanks for the distraction.] Chapter 246: Furies "After that, the refugees and knights were loaded onto ships and evacuated. By all appearances, it seems like they are heading to the city." Miranda explained wearily. She''d been expending a large amount of mana to gather intelligence on the approaching army, and the addition of another round of summoning to investigate the source of the light that had exploded on the southwestern skyline had left her on the verge of collapse. She was drinking a few mana potions now, but they only had so many to spare. Mike frowned in thought, trying to guess the Count''s motives. Apparently, he had determined that the First Prince and his ragged band of knights were valuable enough to risk the coalition army''s dissolution in his absence. He figured that it might have something to do with having all of the royal heirs in one location, momentarily unifying the disparate factions in the face of their common enemy, but he suspected there was a deeper motive as well. Something that could only be achieved through a unity of purpose. He glanced over at Morris, wondering what his thoughts were, but it was clear from his facial expression that he hadn''t quite gotten over his indignation that his father had left him so far out of the loop. It would likely take a few minutes to calm down. "So, was there any indication as to what caused the burst of light?" Emmanuel asked, in full Marshal mode. He was also reviewing the scouting reports which filled much of the table in front of him in a remarkable display of multi-tasking. "Only that it appears to have been the work of crew members from the rescue fleet. Whatever they did also forced a substantial Lacotian army to retreat. My guess is that the Count employed a few experts to ensure the rescue went smoothly." Miranda replied absently. "That would line up with my understanding of the man, but I suppose we can bring this issue to a close. It doesn''t really matter whether or not Count Graveston intends to rejoin us now that his task is most likely complete." The Marshal commented with a note of finality that stole the attention of everyone in the room, including Morris, who took a break from his inner turmoil to listen. "Judging from these reports," Emmanuel held up a sheaf of papers, "we have less than an hour to complete preparations for combat. Now, I know all of you have been working hard towards this very goal, but I want to ensure there is nothing else that you need to attend to. As such, I will be asking each of you for a status report, starting with our strike force leader." With that introduction in place, Instructor Johnathan stepped forward and regarded the assembly grimly. "I''ve been getting the members oriented with one another, and attempting to form rudimentary teams based on compatibility, but I''m not going to lie, its probably pointless." He paused for a few seconds to let that statement sink in. "I have been handed roughly a hundred people ranging from experienced adventurers and career military members to academics who have spent the majority of their lives working in dusty classrooms. There is such a diverse range of backgrounds and levels of competence that trying to form even the most basic level of teamwork is all but hopeless. Therefore, I''ve given them the standing order that they, when all else fails, simply do what they think is best at the moment." "Is that wise, given the general lack of experience you mentioned earlier?" Emmanuel asked with a raised eyebrow. "Not really, but I would need months to build the cooperation necessary for this kind of operation. The only saving grace of this situation is that we are so far away from being able to move in a cohesive fashion, that it would be near impossible for the enemy to predict our actions and respond accordingly. If we''re lucky, we can keep them on the back foot long enough to achieve our goal." "I guess that''s about the best I can expect, under the circumstances." The Marshal replied with a nod. "Issac, how are the rest of the soldiers coming along?" General Karthan, the de facto second in command step forward and began speaking calmly. "Poorly. The coalition army was hodgepodge of factions to begin with, and adding in the Tenundians have only complicated matters. There is no clear chain of command, few existing methods of communication that can be used across all level, no unified code of signals, and next to no experience in operating as a cohesive force. Worst of all, I have had to reprimand several commanders who believe that they do not answer to anyone save Count Graveston himself, and were unwilling to take orders from me. "We had a slightly different problem with the orcs." He took a moment to glance in the direction of the two chiefs who were sullenly sitting in the corner, "Because of their...great personal respect for the Dragonknight, they are complaining about the strategy we worked out for the coming conflict." "Oh?" Emmanuel asked. "Are they refusing to fight?" Jurtrik, he Bloodtongue chieftain growled at that. "We''ll fight. No worries there. We just think its a bit unfair for him to be taking on the enemy by himself and getting all the glory, while the rest of us have to sit behind these walls and wait for the undead to come." "Indeed." Huthar intoned solemnly. "There is no honor in hiding while others do our fighting." Talgratha, the third of the group, who nevertheless stood far away from the other two, remained silent. Much like Morris, she seemed to be struggling with some inner turmoil, one that had no apparent origin. Mike felt a bit uneasy as her gaze slid to him and a momentary flash of something predatory, but not quite hostile, passed across her eyes before she looked away. In the end she didn''t comment. "As I''ve told the both of you, there will be plenty of fighting here, regardless of the wall. We will need your warriors to hold the undead tide back. The Dragonknight, on the other hand, is responsible for drawing the enemy''s attention. That is not something he can do from here." Karthan explained with a sigh of exasperation. Judging from his tone, this was an old conversation that he was getting tired of hashing out. This drew a snort of derision out of Jurtrik, but he didn''t continue the argument. Neither did Huthar. "Is there anything else you''d like to report?" Emmanuel asked. "No, lord Marshal. I only want to reassure you that we''ll do our best, but our lack of coherence is going to affect our responsiveness. I have a few workarounds in place, but I won''t be able to gauge their effectiveness until an actual combat encounter. I recommend that you plan accordingly." "Alright, as I''ve already heard from the quartermasters regarding our supplies, I''ll ask you," The old mage turned towards Mike, and asked in a slightly cold voice, "are you prepared to do your part?" Trying to ignore the strange tension, he replied, "I''m ready. In fact, I should be heading out to perform the first round of harrying attacks." The Marshal nodded. "Then I will cut the rest of this meeting short. Finish whatever preparations you must, we have very little-" Suddenly all sound was drowned out by a high-pitched shriek that filled the air, and forced everyone in the tent to clasp their hands over their ears. The noise resounded in their very souls, dragging forth an existential dread that threatened to suffocate them with its intensity. More importantly, it hurt. The scratching, piercing sound seemed to be physically stabbing at them, and the sensation only intensified the longer it went on. As one of the few able to act under the influence of the scream, Mike staggered outside to hunt for the origin. He was dimly aware of a few others moving as well, but didn''t have the luxury of focusing enough to tell who. Once free of the tent, he found the soldiers of the army similarly incapacitated, with a single exception. Tal was standing alone in the center of the camp, staring into the sky as if she weren''t surrounded by hundreds of men and women writing in agony. He hobbled over to her, hands still clenched over his ears, not that it really seemed to help. ''What''s happening?'' He mouthed once he''d gotten her attention. She reached out with a slightly glowing hand, and placed it on his shoulder. Suddenly the noise of the scream faded to a dull ache in the depth of his spirit, and he could hear when she started to explain in the ancient tongue. "These are a type of wraith, similar to one we met before, but different. They are spirits of anger and rage, who have died with vengeance unfilled, and exist only to make the living suffer." He glanced up at the sky, but couldn''t see anything. "Like most of their kind, they are largely intangible unless trying to interact with the world. Ordinarily, one of them would use their scream to incapacitate their chosen prey, and then manifest to torture them to death, but the scream itself can kill if someone is exposed to it long enough. They aren''t particularly dangerous if you have a strong enough will, but this..." "What?" "There are hundreds...no, thousands of them, all acting in unison. This is unnatural. Someone has deliberately created these creatures, and harnessed them expressly for the purpose of making war on the living. It is an abomination, in the truest sense of the word." Tal''s words were as flat and emotionless, but Mike could clearly feel her anger burning through the haze of coldness that usually colored her statements. It was getting to the point that he didn''t even need to try to sense her mood. "So...what should we do?" He asked, vaguely wondering if simply throwing some kind of spell into the air might solve this problem. "Don''t know. Thinking." She fired back in her usual choppy phrases. He looked around at the soldiers who were still writhing on the ground in agony. A few of them had stopped moving altogether, and were feebly gasping for air. Clearly, there wasn''t much time left to act. [Ghostly enemies usually required a magic attack in games, so should I just try to hit them with fireball or something?] Determining that it was worth a try, he started gathering his mana and preparing his chant, when a hand gripped his other shoulder. "I wouldn''t do that, if I were you. Its a good thought, but it won''t accomplish much beside making you a target." Instructor Johnathan grunted with a pained look on his face that slowly morphed into relief. Apparently, he was benefiting from Tal''s effect. "You can''t really hurt them while they are incorporeal. You have to make them manifest first. Its what makes Furies so damn annoying." "That''s troubling. Have you dealt with them before?" "I''ve fought a few in the most recent war with Lacot, but they''re supposed to be rare. To create thousands of these things...I can only imagine what kind of atrocities were committed." Johnathan frowned for a second, then looked down at him. "You were the one who summoned that storm, right?" "Um, yes..." The teacher grumbled something to himself, too quiet to hear, before continuing. "That means you''re pretty advanced in Air Magic, right?" "Well, yes. Currently its my highest tier elemental magic skill." [Unless you count Healing Magic.] "Then we''ll need you to create an air wall over the encampment, and set it to oscillate until it blocks sound. I''ll teach you the chant, pay attention." Johnathan pulled out a dagger, and began drawing the characters in the dirt. It didn''t take him long to finish. "Now, the hard part will be adjust your mana output to cover the camp in its entirety, but if you can make that storm, this shouldn''t be too difficult. Let''s give it a good run through before you try it for real." [Hm, its pretty similar to that air shield spell I was playing around with back at the University. I bet if I altered the words a bit, I can get just the right kind of effect.] Not wanting to waste any time, he summoned his mana and began chanting. He noticed his instructor catching the changes he''d made to the words with a look of alarm, which faded a little as a gust of wind whipped past them. With it came blessed silence. Mike had to concentrate, since even with his enhanced control over Air Magic, it was difficult to maintain the spell''s shape while keeping it vibrating intensely enough to block out the scream. However, he could still take note of his surroundings, especially the stricken soldiers who were slowly recovering. Of course, that included the instructor''s grim face as he fixed Mike with an intense glare. "That was stupid, boy. Not only did you use a different chant than the one I told you to, but you did so without telling me. That is a much bigger problem. I don''t care if you have a better spell for the situation, but you need to communicate it. Surprising your comrades is a good way to get all of you killed. If you were one of my men, I''d have you pulling night duty for months for that kind of shit." Johnathan growled. "Sorry, but I was worried about time. It didn''t look like the soldiers could last much longer." "That''s true enough. Your actions probably saved several lives. Why do you think I''m letting you go with a lecture? Just don''t repeat this mistake." His teacher replied coldly. [Yep, he''s still terrifying.] Mike gulped, and then asked, "So, what''s next? How do we deal with the root of the problem?" The instructor turned towards Tal and shouted, "Girl! You''re a Pact Mage, right?" She nodded emotionlessly, but Mike could tell she was a little annoyed. "Good. You''ll be dealing with them, then. I''ll explain the method." Chapter 247: The Price of Victory "You got all that?" The mage asked. Tal wasn''t completely sure of his name, but Mike treated him with deference, so she decided to listen to him. "Method is dangerous. May not work." She pointed out. What he wanted her to do could very well leave her permanently damaged, or even kill her if she wasn''t careful. That wasn''t even considering the danger of the Furies themselves, who would be desperate to harm her if the method succeeded. "It will. I promise. I''ve seen it work many times in the past." The man replied with far more confidence than she felt. "I know it seems frightening, but if you don''t do this, we will be soon overwhelmed. Not everyone will die, of course, but those that remain will be easy pickings for the army that is approaching our walls as we speak. An army that will soon move to crush the rest of the country. Forgive me the hyperbole, but the fate of the continent is resting in your hands." Tal recalled a conversation she''d had with Mike on this very kind of issue, when he was wrestling with conflicting motivations. How, when things were getting tough, he always had this plan in the back of his head. A plan where, should he fail in defending the country, he would simply gather those people who were most important to him, and escape to another continent. He''d explained his thoughts with an embarrassed expression, as if he found the idea cowardly, but she could only see it as wise. After all, where was the sense in dying along with this country? She glanced over to where he was standing, arm stretched above him to maintain the shield. Clearly, he hadn''t given up hope yet. She''d known him long enough to recognize his expression as one of determination to fight against the enemy seeking to destroy them. Looking at him, she felt her own resolve harden. "What are you looking at?" The mage asked. "We don''t have much time. Mike''s got a lot of mana, but I can''t imagine him holding that shield up for more than a few minutes." Taking one last glance around the camp in the hopes of spotting Sera, she sighed and turned towards him. "Very well. Shall begin." "Excellent. Just give us the signal when you are ready, and I''ll have Mike take the shield down." Nodding, Tal focused her thoughts inwards. The method the mage had described was more or less known to her, thanks to training she''d received from an old master. However, the process was complicated and dangerous. Clearly, the previous generation of Pact Mages that developed this procedure to eliminate Furies were desperate to find any solution, regardless of the cost. Her spirit realm was calm, and she could feel the comforting presence of the entities she''d contracted with. In her mind, it took the form of a well tended garden lit by twinkling starlight. Each of her bonded partners had their own distinct area to shape and tend as they willed, which had created a complex and eclectic display that nevertheless soothed her soul. She stole a moment to savor the sensation of peace, knowing full well that it would never again be the same. Then, she began to tear it asunder. ---------------------------------------------------- "Alright, as soon as she gives the signal, you''ll need to drop the shield and we''ll hit them with everything we got. I''ve already spread the word among the other mages, so it should be taken care of, but be ready to add whatever you can to the barrage." Johnathan explained while taking a seat, knees cracking in protest. "Its a good thing you brought a solid Pact Mage with you. The only faculty member we have from that discipline is too weak to handle the Furies." "Its kinda difficult to maintain this thing, you know." Mike commented dryly. "How much longer is it going to be?" "That depends on your comrade over there. The method of dealing with Furies takes time, and she''ll need to be careful lest it backfire and cause her injury, so be patient. We both know you are far from your limits." His teacher commented grimly. Feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach, Mike glanced over at Tal and thought he detected a hint of pain in her otherwise emotionless expression. Although he didn''t intend to do so, his next question came out as an angry growl, "Injury? What exactly did you tell her to do?" Johnathan shot him a look out of the corner of his eye, face stony. "I explained to her what needs to be done." Mike had to fight to control his spell, as a wave of anger surged through him. "No, seriously, what did you tell her to do?" His words echoed with a cold fury that caused his teacher to stiffen slightly, before sighing. "I don''t want you to misunderstand. I take no pleasure in relying on a slip of a girl to save us, especially since it puts her at risk, but it is the only way we can stop this attack." The air shield wavered, and the cries of the Furies became audible once more, causing Johnathan to wince with the sudden burst of pain. Seeing that Mike was about to lose his temper, he quickly explained. "She''s making herself bait. By tearing down the defenses of their spiritual realm, Pact Mages can become an incredibly tantalizing target for creatures like wraiths. So much so, that their instinctual need to rend and destroy will overwhelm any kind of control the Lacotians are able to maintain over them. They will manifest to attack her, and in that instant they will be vulnerable." Mike opened his mouth to yell something, he hadn''t quite figured what yet, but a change in the omnipresent screams forestalled any attempt to do so. The piercing sound suddenly abated, and in its place emerged a low-pitched rumbling, which he soon deduced as hungry growling. In the air above the encampment, creatures began to fade into existence. Reminiscent of the wraith he''d seen back in the warehouse, they were vaguely humanoid beings wrapped in tattered cloaks with emaciated limbs extended in desperate grasping claws to rake the other side of his air shield. However, that was were the similarities ended. The eponymous hoods, which had given the other wraith such a sinister air, had been thrown back to reveal their true faces. Wizened visages, twisted by rage and hatred, strained against his shield. Sharp, rotten teeth framed their mouths, which were pulled open in a continuous shriek of fury. Wisps of transparent hair clung to otherwise unadorned scalps, wreathing their heads in the mockery of a divine halo. Staring up at these horrors, who were trying to claw their way through his shield, Mike almost didn''t see Tal give the signal. The elf was on her knees, gasping for breath, but she''d managed to raise one hand shakily into the air. For a moment, he was overcome with the need to simply go to her and do what he could to help, but Johnathan''s yell brought his attention back to the wider picture. "Drop the shield! Now!" Gritting his teeth, he released his hold on the air shield, causing the vibrating wall of air to quickly disperse. In less than a second, the Furies were surge towards the ground in a frenzied wave, every one of their hollow eye sockets fixed on Tal''s stricken form. At lest until the allied mages fought back. ---------------------------------------------- Subject to an attack they could neither defend against, nor avoid. The members of the coalition army had been forced to wait in impotence as the Dragonknight once again forestalled their deaths with his magical might. Then came the word, that the enemy would soon become vulnerable, and that every mage should be prepared to unleash their own counter attacks once the shield fell. Suddenly, the mood changed. The prospect of getting revenge, no matter how minor, energized the flagging, desperate soldiers. For the first time since the arrival of that horrible bird swarm, they felt like they had some say in their own destines. That they contribute to the destruction of the hated Lacotians and their abominable minions. So, when the Furies manifested and the shield fell, the allied mages unleashed the pent up helpless and rage that had been building over the weeks, as their lives and livelihoods were repeatedly threatened with destruction by a series of hostile invaders. In that brief moment, unified in purpose if not in effect, the hundreds of mages of the coalition army channeled that anger and directed it skywards in a wave of magical destruction. ------------------------------------------- Mike was forced to avert his eyes as the sky seemingly exploded in a dizzying of array of magical attacks. He stumbled, half blinded, over to Tal while trying his best to keep an eye out for any Fury which managed to survive the barrage. Thankfully, it seemed like the coalition mages had pulled out all the stops, so he was able to reach his companion without difficulty. By this point, Tal had collapsed onto her side, and was breathing shallowly. Even her normally emotionless expression did little to disguise the agony she was clearly experiencing. He fell down beside her, and tried to use his Healing Magic to help, but found himself unable to do much more than treat her basic symptoms. The underlying cause of her distress seemed to arise from somewhere he couldn''t effectively reach. "Are you alright?" He asked dumbly, distress making his voice shake slightly. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Tal looked up at him, and placed a hand on the side of his face. She whispered in a voice that was just barely audible over the sounds of the magical storm of energy taking place above them. "Don''t worry. Just need rest." Perhaps sensing that her part in this fight was now over, she relaxed and slipped into unconsciousness. Carefully, he gathered her up in his arms and carried her towards the keep, where they had set up the infirmary. He pointedly ignored Johnathan''s apologetic gaze as he walked past his teacher, and only dimly noted the cheers and cries of celebration that rose from the troops who were no longer subjected to the esoteric threat of the Furies. Once in the keep, he placed Tal in an open bed, and sent a mental message to Red. He instructed him to track down Sera and get her to come here. Something that would have normally earned him a sniff of mental indifference, but the dragon was strangely accommodating, promising to see to it quickly. Sitting in a nearby chair, he took a moment to evaluate the situation. His anger had cooled for the most part, but it lingered just below the surface of his mind, waiting to erupt at the right moment. Intellectually, he could understand Johnathan''s methods. If he looked at it objectively, his teacher had succeeded in dealing with the threat with the fewest possible casualties. Indeed, this could be considered a great victory over a foe that had the potential to destroy them all. Yet, he couldn''t help but feel a little betrayed. [It would have been one thing if Johnathan had used me to do this. I could forgive him for that, but to make Tal sacrifice herself like this...I don''t know.] This wasn''t the first time one of his ''allies'' had put him or his friends into a position of danger for their own benefit, and he could be fairly certain that, so long as he remained in this country, it wouldn''t be the last. Indeed, he''d often gone along with it. Only this time Tal had been the one to pay the price. [I had been thinking about doing some traveling once this war was over, assuming it came to a satisfactory end. Now, however, I think I''ll be leaving regardless of the circumstances. I''ve become too entangled in things here, and its causing problems for those closest to me.] Although Mike knew that he probably couldn''t run away from these sorts of situations forever, since his luck seemed bound and determined to have him intermingle with powerful people and important events, he figured he could at least take a break from all of this nonsense for a while. [Tal said her master was in the River Kingdoms. I don''t know much about the area, but it seems like a good place to start.] Sera burst into the room, breathless from the run. "I came as soon as I could. What''s the emergency?" Mike stood and walked over to her. "I need you to stay here and watch over Tal." He stopped when he reached her, and pulled Audra out of his pocket. "Now that I think about it, do me a favor and keep an eye on this one too. It will be dangerous for her to come along with me." He asked while handing the squirming and squawking dragon over. Sera struggled to hold onto the familiar, who was protesting the separation vehemently, but had the presence of mind to look back at him and ask, "Wait, where are you going?" As he passed through the door, he simply stated. "I think its time we put an end to this war." Chapter 248: Royal Ascension Arganis could only watch in despair as Brenden dropped a chest in front of the assembled council. Judging from the gasps it elicited, they were well aware of what was contained with in. The ornate carvings and the three heavy and overcomplicated locks were all the evidence they needed. Icthia, the leader of the Waverunners, leaned forward in her seat, arm hanging in midair as if she wanted to caress the box but wasn''t quite able to bring herself to close the gap. "Is that...Is that what I think it is?" She muttered, almost under her breath. To answer her question, Brenden flicked the lid open and revealed a magnificent set of treasures. First was an elaborate crown inlaid with all sorts of precious gemstones and enchanted to emit a continuous, soft, golden light. Next was a scepter, seemingly carved from a single piece of obsidian and etched with silver scrollwork, which glimmered faintly in the light of the room''s torches. Finally, there was a crystal orb bearing the insignia of Almir, and encircled with bands of platinum. A cold, purple flame seemed to be frozen within its depths. According to legend, these three items, the Crown Jewels of Almir, carried powerful enchantments that gave their rightful bearer the power to command the nation. What each of them did was not well known, but they were rumored to be Tier 4 magic items, at the very least. Any one of them would be worth hundreds of thousands of gold pieces to the right buyer, if not more. Of course, Arganis had only intended to make use of them for purpose of the challenge. Selling any of them would have painted a target on his back so large, that he would be lucky to survive a week once the word got out. Which was why he''d always planned on making sure that Royal Palace wouldn''t have even noticed that they had been stolen. [How in the hell did he manage it?] He fumed to himself, furious that his carefully laid scheme had been upended so easily. He''d originally intended to make use of connections in the Royal Palace. Connections that he''d been cultivating for years for this exact purpose. A few of the corrupt officials were placed highly enough to have access to the crown jewels, and could facilitate their removal with only moderate difficulty. He''d even gone so far as to prepare replicas which superficially resembled the items. They would not have withstood close scrutiny, but they should have been sufficient to buy him the time necessary for winning the contest. Afterwards, he could simply swap them back, leaving none the wiser. With decoys prepared, and a fortune in bribes spent, everything should have been laid out perfectly. It should have been an easy job. Yet, how could he have anticipated Brenden getting the jump on him in the most unexpected way? Somehow, the upstart got the royal family itself to move the jewels before Arganis had the chance to steal them. According to his contacts, the Royal Guard had received a tip that thieves were targeting the jewels, and they had taken charge of securing them. Part of this involved moving the chest containing them to an undisclosed location under the strictest security. Arganis was still scrambling to find out where they had been relocated to, when word of this meeting had been announced. Somehow, Brenden had snagged the prize from the most dangerous guards in the country in a ridiculously short span of time. It didn''t make sense. Even the greatest of thieves would be hard pressed to bypass a dedicated force of Tier 3 fighters. Especially since it wasn''t clear where they were moving the jewels to. Quite simply, it should have been impossible. Unless...unless this was all part of his plan. [It couldn''t be...could it?] There was a well known tactic in the underworld, where a thief would warn their potential targets of their intentions, causing the victims to respond in a predictable way. The goal was to have them act in a manner that could be taken advantage of at the right time. It was a methodology used in circumstances where standard practices would be insufficient, but it had the downside of being extremely risky. After all, there was no guarantee that the victim would follow your script. Not to mention the fact that such a strategy was rarely used against extremely high value targets, such as national treasures, due to the simple fact that they were usually too well protected for this method to do much more than increase the difficulty of stealing them. In fact, Arganis had actually considered the strategy while planning his theft of the crown jewels. However, he''d quickly dismissed it as counter productive, instead focusing on the much more reasonable route of long-term corruption of palace officials. [There were so many risk factors involved, so much uncertainty, it shouldn''t have been doable. Ye, somehow he managed it. Even with short amount of time since the start of the challenge, he was able to plan and implement a strategy that had the royal family of Almir dancing in the palm of his hands.] Arganis stared at the young beastman, feeling mixed emotions. This was the first time he''d been so completely upstaged, so sorely beaten in the area of his supposed expertise. The loss was so complete that he had a hard time even being upset about it. Indeed, a sense of admiration was quickly settling in his heart. [I guess he really is the King of Thieves.] If that was true, and he was quite certain of it now, then there was only one thing left to do. ----------------------------------------------- "This is incredible! How did you do it?" Icthia asked excitedly. The leader of the Waverunners had been hovering around the chest, but had not yet touched it. She almost seemed afraid to come in contact with it. [Well, I just used our connections with House Vamith to get an audience with Princess Andrea. From there it was simply a matter of convincing her that these jewels were critical to the war effort, and that I would make sure they were returned in short order.] Brenden thought to himself. He was still surprised that this had worked, but it had proven quite easy. Simply mentioning that the jewels would help Mike in his efforts to defend the country had the princess jumping into action. In a matter of minutes, one of the Royal Guards was grudgingly handing him the chest, along with a sack meant to disguise it, and he was sent on his way with nothing more than a few admonitions about keeping the jewels safe. Idly, he wondered if it might have been a bad idea to show them off in a room full of professional criminals, but didn''t really see any other way to go about it. [Well, if they end up stolen or damaged, I can just let Mike take the fall. Considering how the princess feels about him, I''m sure he''ll be forgiven easily enough.] Dismissing the thought, Brenden gave Icthia a cryptic smile. "I have my ways." "Stingy!" Came the response, but anything else was cut off as a brown robed figure stood and motioned for silence. "In light of these accomplishments, I believe it is time for us to make our decision. By my authority as the Abbot of the Brotherhood of the Ancient and Most Salubrious Art of Fishmongery, I move to recognize Brenden as the Shadow Ruler of Almirn. Additionally, I suggest we proclaim him as the official successor of the King of Thieves." The man announced in the bored tone of someone reading their grocery list. "Seconded." Icthia commented with a raised hand. "All in favor?" Every gang leader raised their hands. "All opposed?" No one moved. The brown robed man bowed to the table. "Then, by the ancient bylaws of this organization I humbly announce the ascension of King Brenden. Long and hidden may his reign be." This statement was met with raucous cheering from everyone in attendance, which continued until the man motioned for silence once more. "Now, let us engage in the ceremonial feasting and knife fighting." [Okay, this has gone on long enough.] Brenden stood, and then jumped up onto the table. "There will be time for parties later. For now, we something more important to deal with." He waited until silence had descended, and all eyes were turned towards him. "As you should all be aware, a massive army of the undead is threatening to destroy this country. A coalition force, drawn from all corners of the central continent, is currently opposing them, but they are badly outnumbered." This elicited concerned muttering from the assembled thieves. Evidently, they had been somewhat aware of the circumstances, but not quite the extent of the issue. Pitching his voice deeper, in what he hoped was a regal manner, Brenden continued, "I will not speak of duty or obligation, as we are criminals and such things mean little to us. Instead, I hope to draw your attention to the simple fact of survival. Those of you who have lived on the streets, and fought tooth and nail for something as simple as a crust of bread, will be aware of just how valuable life truly is. Yet, that life is now being threatened by a powerful enemy. One that will not stop until they have killed every living being in their path." He paused for dramatic effect, and was gratified to see that every person in the room was hanging on his words. Raising his right hand as if to reach out towards the crowd, he spoke again, "Once this meeting is concluded, I intend to march in support of the coalition army, along with anyone that would follow me. With our combined might, we will crush the undead menace and safeguard the future of this country. More importantly, though, we will ensure the survival of the millions of men, women, and children that call this continent home!" Sensing that the mood of the crowd had become more solemn, he felt it was time to try his luck. "Now, who will stand with me?" For a long moment, only silence reigned, as the criminals in attendance looked at each other uncertainly. [Crap, I think I miscalculated...] It was to be expected, after all. This particular lifestyle didn''t attract the kind of people who would voluntarily face an overwhelming enemy without a strong enough incentive. He was opening his mouth to add further encouragement, when a familiar pair of white rabbit ears broke through the crowd. Elaine hopped up onto the table with an arm raised. "Count me in! I''ll follow you anywhere, Your Highness!" Brenden resisted the urge to smack the girl. The battlefield was no place for someone that had trouble with basic Arbitration matches. He was just about to tell her so, when another hand went up. This one belonging to another unlikely volunteer. "I stand with you, King of Thieves." Arganis announced seriously, all hints of arrogance gone from his tone. In their place was a look of such profound respect that it actually unsettled Brenden a little. "I also pledge myself to your service. From this day onwards, I will do my utmost to follow your commands and bring glory to your house." Before Brenden even had a chance to respond to this strange change of heart, other members of the council began stepping forward and announcing something similar. Pretty soon, everyone in the room was swearing to serve the new King of Thieves. Once they were finished, silence reigned for a short moment before, as if by some unspoken signal, the various gang leaders began giving commands to their followers. From the sounds of it, all of them were preparing to gather their fighters and follow him out of the city. [Hm, I can''t tell if this is a good development or not.] He thought to himself while observing the chaos. [At least I got them moving, I guess.] It was only after a few moments that he realized Elaine had taken the opportunity to escape while he was distracted. Resolving to give the girl a solid talking to when he found her again, Brenden stalked out of the room with the crown jewels slung under one arm. Much to his chagrin, his path to the door was quickly lined with supplicating criminals. Chapter 249: Enjoining Threads Once the last ship was in place, Count Graveston ordered the fleet to depart. They had a lengthy haul to a beachhead where the small army they carried could be offloaded, but it looked like they would make it in time. Thanks to the experienced seamanship of the raiders that formed the backbone of the fleet, they''d been able to quickly dump their refugee cargo, and depart for the front lines with little delay. The Count took a seat in his cabin, and turned to his aide, Leo, a veteran soldier from common origins who had served at his side for decades. "Report." "Yes, sir. It seems that things are progressing more or less as you anticipated. Although communications have become unstable due to their proximity to the Lacotians, our contacts in the coalition army have confirmed that the Dragonknight and his companions were able to defend against two separate attacks, and he is now preparing to assault their formation in earnest. As to the city, things are largely quiet, save for a mass exodus of the criminal underworld." "Are they finally abandoning ship?" The Count asked disinterestedly. "Actually, sir, it seems that someone claiming to be the successor of the King of Thieves has united them, and is in the process of leading them to join with the coalition army." "Hmm...interesting. This could work to our advantage. Prepare a dossier with all the information we have on this new King of Thieves." "Of course, sir, however, I do have one last piece of information to report." "Oh?" Leo nodded, "I believe you are aware that the Prime Minister has been missing for much of the last few weeks." The Count shrugged, "He''d been sidelined politically, and by all appearances had chosen to retreat away from the public eye. I believe there were a few reports of him acting suspiciously, but we didn''t really have the resources to waste on him." "Indeed. We actually lost track of him for quite a while. However, he was spotted leaving the city in the company of two others yesterday, a man and a woman." This caught the Count''s attention. [For him to be making a move...could he have an inkling of the true threat here. To what purpose, though? Individually, he lacks the ability to influence events...Unless...] "Do we know who he was traveling with?" Leo shook his head. "Our information is coming from one of the gate guards on our payroll, and he only barely recognized the Prime Minister after the fact. However, he did have some information that might be of use." He pulled out a sheet of paper and began perusing it. "According to the guard''s report, he''d found the trio unusual from the start. Not only were they leaving the city during wartime, but they had hardly brought any luggage with them. Following standard procedure, he asked them a series of screening questions which were answered by the man accompanying the Prime Minister. The answers were satisfactory and he was forced to let them go, but the guard thought the man''s appearance a bit odd. He was deathly pale, and almost seemed to be on his deathbed, but moved with the strength and purpose of someone in the peak of health." [A message for me, is it? Looks like that old monster decided to take action, after all.] After a few moments of consideration, the Count gave his orders. "Ignore them for now, but have someone investigate the current status of the King." Leo blinked, but saluted. He knew better than to question his lord. "It will be done." The Count nodded absently, and resumed reading, only speaking up again when the aide was about to leave. "Oh, and Leo? Once our agents have discovered that the King is also missing, make sure they keep the news under wraps." The veteran adjutant froze at the door, a flicker of fear appearing on his face before his usual professional indifference prevailed. Finally, he saluted again. "As you wish, sir." Once Leo had departed, the Count glanced out the window with a slight smile. He watched the passing scenery absently while mentally revising his plans in light of this new information. It was looking to be an interesting battle. -------------------------------------------- "Are really you sure this is wise, my lord?" Tanya asked again, unable to completely conceal the tremor in her voice. Viscount Wendel, the now infamous traitor, didn''t spare her a glance as he continued putting the finishing touches on the ritual circle. "My dear, we no longer have the freedom to rely on wise methods. All that is left for us is bold, daring, and some would say reckless actions. It is, unfortunately, our only way out of this mess." They were currently sequestered within one of the few transport wagons the Lacotians had bothered to bring with them. Being an army compose entirely of tireless troops who had no need for shelter or food, their supply requirements were minimal. However, even the undead had some use for war material, so a few wagons had made their way into the army''s ranks, pulled by zombified horses. Tanya gave him the look she used when she was still full of doubts, but had resolved to see it through with him anyway. He''d been seeing a lot of it recently. "If you say so, my lord. Is there anything I can do to help?" "Unfortunately, no. The process of forming this kind of ritual circle would be difficult under normal circumstances. Now that I have to compensate for the Lacotians'' shielding effect, it requires every component to be perfect." He muttered while carefully pouring a crimson liquid into his most recently carved rune, filling the etched space with a dark, red substance that gave off a slight glow. It was an impressive piece of work, if he said so himself. Worthy of an expert Summoning Mage. However, he knew that it was merely a stop-gap measure, and if things didn''t go according to plan, then it would accomplish nothing. Their situation had been precarious from the start, having little to offer the massive, armored creature that served as the leader of this army, but Wendel had succeeded in persuading the Skull Lord of his usefulness. He''d provided detailed information regarding the Almiran defenses, as well as everything he knew about the important players that would need to be contended with. He was also the one responsible for proposing the unconventional strategy of a swarm of exploding undead birds as a means of decimating the coalition army. When that particular plan failed due to actions of the severely underestimated Dragonknight, Wendel''s value in the eyes of the Lacotians had fallen dramatically. Now that the second wave of attackers, composed of some form of wraith that the Skull Lord put a great deal of stock in, had been annihilated by that same Dragonknight, he feared that they would be viewed as spies of some kind. Based on his analysis of the powerful undead, it wouldn''t be long before a squad of Death Knights pulled them out of their makeshift prison and put them to the sword. Ordinarily, it would be a simple matter to escape the army using his orb, but the shield around the center of the Lacotian army would give the necromancers running it enough of a warning to disrupt the teleportation effect. When moving large distances, even the smallest interruption could be disastrous, so he was biding his time while devising alternative escape methods. "Its unfortunate." He announced once he was done with his task, and observing the elaborate chain of symbols now inlaid in the crate in front of him. "What is, my lord?" Wendel gave her a quick glance, feeling a degree of pressure from her trust-filled eyes. "I was saying that its unfortunate that we have come to this. In what I can only describe as a masterpiece of subterfuge, the Dragonknight, or rather his master the Serpent, has systematically ruined all of my plans. Even my last ditch effort to ingratiate myself with the Lacotian hierarchy has proven fruitless in the face of their interference. Now, I am forced to abandon everything I''ve accomplished here and flee for my life...Quite frankly, its enough to make a lesser man lose hope." He thought back to the decisions which had led him to this point. How his disillusionment with the current political structure in Almir and a driving sense of personal ambition had led him to seek an external power to back. How, when the Tenundians turned out to be useless for his purposes, he''d negotiated with a shadowy organization and provided the Dutchy with the tools necessary to win. How, when even that failed, he was forced to turn to the worst enemy of all, out of desperation. Yet he couldn''t let these kinds of setbacks get him down. If anything, the struggles he was facing now pushed him to try even harder. [Alright. My return to prominence begins today. Once we escape, I will succeed and keep on succeeding until nothing remains between me and the power I deserve.] Wendel glanced back at Tanya, feeling more energized than he had in weeks. He was just about to relate his renewed determination, and hopefully quash any doubts she might have about his ability, when he was interrupted by a titanic explosion which threw their wagon onto its side. It took a few moments for him to recover enough to sit up, feeling the aches of new bruises being formed after colliding with the contents of the storage compartment. Looking around and confirming that his sturdy companion was none the worse for wear, he noticed that enough damage had been done to the covering of the wagon that he could see outside. As far as Wendel could tell, disaster had struck the Lacotian army. A massive cloud of smoke had formed to the south, and clods of rent earth were still raining down around them. [What in the hells...] He found himself thinking, before he caught sight of a brilliant spot of light in the sky, glowing an angry reddish-white as it began to get larger. He realized with some chagrin that he was witnessing the approach of a second meteor, not doubt summoned to finish the job. ------------------------------------------------ Mike watched as the impact struck the eastern portion of the Lacotian force, annihilating a portion of the plains in a wave of light and destruction. Once again, he''d noticed a reduction in the anticipated force of meteor strike. Somehow the undead were mitigating the force of his spell while simultaneously redirecting it, limiting the damage to the fringe elements of their army, which was composed of their weakest and most expendable troops. They''d been keeping their formations loose and spread out, no doubt hoping to minimize the exact kind of destruction he was now raining down on them, but his two spells had likely destroyed tens of thousands of the undead. Unfortunately, there were still plenty more where that came from. [Its not quite as obvious as the spatial redirection the Tenundian Mage Commander used, but they evidently have some means of altering the course of the meteor.] Mike thought as he observed the after effects. He''d aimed both spells towards the center of the enemy army, but on both occasions, they''d been pushed off course by some force. He briefly took stock of his mana reserves, and determined that it would be at least eight minutes before he could try again. Thankfully, his newfound command of Elemental Magic had made the spell easier to use. If he could figure out how to work around the strange redirection effect, perhaps he could still end this without having the strike force risk themselves. Unfortunately, he didn''t have long until they made their move. He had, at best, one more shot. Any longer than that, and he would have to worry about friendly fire. [In the meantime, I guess I should work on cutting down the enemy''s numbers.] He thought while pulling out several scrolls of his now standardized Fireball spell. He stuffed the majority of them into his shirt, to keep the powerful wind currents from blowing them away. Ensuring that he had one out and ready to use, he sent a mental command to Red, urging him to begin the strafing runs. With a thought projected shrug, the dragon folded his wings and fell into a sharp nose dive. Mike forced his eyes to stay open, despite the intense wind currents that threatened to push him off his mount''s back. Once they''d gotten close enough to see individual figures, he activated his scroll and began chanting. A knot of skeletal undead surrounding an overturned supply wagon looked like an ideal target, so he directed the spell there. As soon as the fireball was in the air and before it had even reached its destination, he dropped the expended scroll, letting it disintegrate in the wind, before pulling out another, eyes already roving for his next target. Chapter 250: Counters [This is slightly troublesome.] Kultanis thought to himself as he watched the dragon make another pass, unleashing a stream of fire which incinerated another batch of animate corpses. Combined with the earlier meteors, the Dragonknight had already destroyed a significant portion of his army, somewhere in the region of 8-9% of his available forces. Thankfully, the Entropic Field around the command center had limited the destruction to the expendable troops. Still, the situation was one that needed an immediate remedy. The Skull Lord briefly considered going forth to challenge him personally, but dismissed the idea. Clearly, the Dragonknight''s harrying actions were designed to provoke a response, and draw the best of his forces away from the command center. More than likely, the mortals were planning on direct assault with the best of their fighters once the necromancers were left unguarded. Although the entirety of their scheme was laughably obvious, Kultanis couldn''t really blame the ones who came up with it. After all, they didn''t have have any other options at this point. [At least the pressure of our previous two attacks has prevented them from taking the most dangerous course of action.] Previously he''d been concerned that the Almirans would resort to hit and run tactics in order to wear down his forces. With both the Dragonknight and one of the world''s most accomplished Space Mage''s on their side, they could rapidly attack and retreat with relative ease. While that wouldn''t have won them a victory in the end, it would force Kultanis to alter key elements of his plan, and potentially delay his ultimate goal for another few decades. Fortunately, it appeared that the enemy had completely fallen into his trap. They not only hid within their makeshift castle, but took a defensive stance and surrendered the initiative. As it stood, he merely had to keep the Dragonknight busy until the strike force arrived, and then it should be a simple matter to destroy the core of their forces. Once that was accomplished, the remainder of the coalition army would be easy pickings. He turned to an adjutant, "Gather a contingent of Death Riders and a company of Skeleton Archers and engage the enemy. Do not concern yourself with killing either the rider or his mount. I want you to keep him occupied to the best of your ability. In a few minutes I''ll also send a squad of Plaguewings to assist." The adjutant saluted, and moved to gather his forces. With the exception of the relatively mundane archers, the troops Kultanis had listed were powerful undead which required extensive rituals to create. They''d been smuggled in as part of the initial invasion, and formed the heart of his army. [If I hadn''t wasted all that time and effort in the creation of those zombie birds, we could have made more. Oh well, I should treat this as just further proof that mortals cannot be trusted.] Immediate tasks dealt with, he calmly watched the fight between the Dragonknight and his troops while waiting for his next foe to arrive. After a few minutes, a region just outside of the Entropic Field warped and was rent asunder, depositing close to a hundred living humanoids who immediately began cutting their way towards the center of the Lacotian army. [They have a few strong ones amongst them, even a few of the rumored Royal Guard. Excellent. We will be able to create strong minions from their corpses.] Kultanis strode forth calmly, his cadre of Death Knights moving to match. He signaled the rest of his counter-ambush force to begin closing in on the isolated group of mortals, trapping them in a tightening noose. Or at least, that should have been the case. Instead, the strike force had simply scattered, melting into small pockets of fighters that promptly proceeded to bypass his army''s defenses with apparent ease. So shocking was this development, that he found himself mildly concerned that the enemy''s leader had somehow outplayed him. It took the Skull Lord close to a minute to determine what was actually going on, and by then it was largely too late to respond. "They really threw a bunch of untrained fools at us without anything resembling a cohesive plan?" He muttered while observing one of the small groups fleeing from the surrounding undead in obvious panic, only to be caught and quickly destroyed. It was a move that he hadn''t considered. In almost any other circumstance, it should have resulted in the strike force''s piecemeal destruction, but Kultanis had placed so many of his key troops in areas where they could unite to crush an enemy unit, they''d been slow to respond to the complete lack of unity. As it was, they now had several dangerous experts loose in the most important part of his formation. Low though it was, they did have a chance of inflicting serious harm to his command structure, depending on where they ended up. If they should succeed in killing any of his necromancers, then a large part of his plan would fall to ruin. "I can''t tell if the Almiran Marshal is a genius or merely a lucky fool. Nonetheless, we cannot let them succeed in their efforts. Hunt them down and destroy them!" He ordered, spurring a legion of undead monstrosities into action. ------------------------------------------------- On another part of the battlefield, the Death Knight Yukrina was organizing her remaining troops for an assault on the Almiran fort. While she''d been tasked with merely keeping the defenders penned up within their walls, she had every intention of crushing them. After all, the sooner the irritating mortals were killed, the sooner they could finish the glorious task of eliminating the scourge of life from this continent. Admittedly, it was going to be a difficult task. She''d only been given a handful of Skeleton Warriors to lead the horde of zombies that represented the eastern section of the Lacotian army, and a large portion of those had been caught up in the meteor strike which had signaled the start of the battle. Quite frankly, she was probably going to have to do the majority of the work herself, if she wanted to succeed. Not that a little hard work bothered her. Over the course of the last few centuries, she''d climbed her way up from the rank and file to her current position as the Right Wing Commander under the Skull Lord. She''d done so by repeatedly taking the lead in critical moments, and her instincts were telling her that this was just such an occasion. "Get the assault ladders in position, and keep the defenders distracted." She ordered the Skeleton Warrior that was serving as her second in command. "I''ll take half of the rest of the Warriors and a few thousand zombies and circle around to their southern gate. It should fall quickly to my axe." She hefted the heavy Necril weapon, taking a muted sense of pleasure at the way the light reflected off its bone-white blade. Despite not being enchanted, the material alone made it more than capable of cutting through something like a castle gate. Her subordinates moved complied with her orders, and in less than ten minutes, Yukrina was leading a charge on the Almiran bastion. She ignored the occasional volley of arrows from the walls, knowing that they were relatively useless against her troops. It seemed like this section of the defense lacked the heavy siege equipment and mages that had been stalling the main assault. [Ha! I knew this was a weak point.] With a glee that defied the usual emotionless nature of most of her kin, she lept over the shallow moat and buried the head of her axe in the slab of hardened earth which functioned as the gate. Much like she expected, her weapon bit deeply, almost breaking through on the first blow. Punching herself a handhold, she pulled her arm back and delivered another strike. Again and again she attacked the gate, carving a large section of it away. Pretty soon, she was awarded for her efforts by a satisfying ''thunk'' as the axe broke through in a shower of dust. She felt her phantom lips pull back in a grin as she moved to capitalize on the break. [A few more good hits and...] Her thoughts trailed off as she realized that she was hearing the sounds of battle coming from behind her. Glancing back, she saw an army of living humanoids had assaulted the rear of her troops and were quickly cutting their way towards the fort. Leading their vanguard was a beastman wielding a large greatsword. [Did the scouts miss them?] Yukrina idly wondered before hopping back down to the ground. She needed to head this off quickly or risk losing her assault force. Narrowing her focus on the beastman in the lead, she broke into a loping run. He was an obvious leader, and may very well be in charge of the enemy force. Taking him down would be a good way of breaking their morale. ----------------------------------------------- Brenden''s sword passed through the skeleton''s spine with such ease that he almost overbalanced as a result. He''d grown so accustomed to the fleshy toughness of the zombies that he was a little surprised when he struck down the armored skeleton that seemed to be leading this particular group. [I''m glad I made them move stealthily these last few kilometers. This surprise attack was well worth it. Thankfully, the majority of them had skills that assisted in the process.] When he left the city, he was followed by a group of almost three thousand criminals. While they were of questionable use as a standard military unit, their unique skill sets made them ideal, at least in Brenden''s opinion, skirmishers and flankers. So he made sure they moved in a loose, flowing formation that took advantage of their natural agility. Over the course of the march, a few of the older thieves, who had a bit of military experience, had taken the time to bring a little order to the chaotic force. During one of their meetings, it had been decided that the army would be given a name, to unify them under a common banner. After much deliberation, they settled on the King''s Guard, a name that Brenden vehemently resisted, but eventually proved too popular to deny. He was forced to give in. When the three thousand strong King''s Guard arrived on the battlefield, they found the coalition army besieged by a massive undead host. Selecting the weakest sections of the encircling troops, they threw themselves onto the enemy in a surprisingly effective pincer move that led them to their current position. [If I can get in to the defenders...] Brenden was thinking when a shout of alarm caught his attention. Looking up, he had just enough time to roll backwards in an awkward evasion attempt as a bone-white axe slammed into the ground where he''d been standing a second ago. The weapon itself was a sight to behold, being nearly a meter and a half in length, but the wielder was even more eye-catching. Standing roughly 180cm tall and clad entirely in dark plate mail, the creature in front of him could have looked like some kind of armored warrior, if not for her exposed head, which gave lie to the assumption. Glowing and transparent blue flesh covered her otherwise mundane looking skull. Her ghastly face was wreathed by fluttering tufts of ghostly hair. She looked like a horrid fusion of ghost and skeleton, and judging from the way she hefted her axe, far more powerful than the foes he''d been fighting up to this point. Glancing down at him with the two luminescent orbs of unnatural light that seemed to serve as her eyes, she gave him a disturbing smile. "Not bad for a mortal, I suppose, but you''re going to need to do better if you want to survive more than a few blows. Let''s see if you can entertain me a bit before I kill you and the rest of this fodder." She mocked in a strangely echoing voice. It was then that two of the King''s Guard, who''d snuck around behind her, launched their attack. Barely even taking the time to acknowledge them, the undead knight spun in place, bringing her axe around at chest level. The first of the criminals managed to stop himself in time, but the second wasn''t so lucky. The axe cleanly bisected the man, easily cutting through the sword he''d raised in defense. As the two halves of the unfortunate thief fell to the ground, the knight stepped forward to finish the other, but was forced to block with the haft of her weapon as Brenden attacked with a diagonal slash. He pushed forward for a few moments, testing her strength, only to find it roughly similar to his own. Clearly, this wan''t going to be an easy fight. "Everyone get back! I''m taking this one on alone." He commanded while breaking contact and jumping back a few steps. "Very brave of you," The knight commented with amusement, "but wasteful. All of you pathetic mortals should just attack at once. At least then it won''t take so long to finish you all." Letting rage awaken in his heart, Brenden adjusted his grip on his sword. "Not wasteful at all. I just don''t want them getting in the way." He swept forward in a blur, sword swinging horizontally towards the knights midsection. He thought he detected an expression of surprise as she brought her axe up to block again, only to be nearly knocked over by the force of his blow. Chapter 251: Chaos Intensifies Mike ducked underneath the outstretched talons of the strange flying creature, a vaguely humanoid thing with membranous wings, and unleashed a gout of Fire Magic which sent it spinning towards the ground in a burning heap. Before he had a chance to catch his breath, he was forced to block as two more of the things attacked him. Perhaps noticing that his rider was in trouble, Red dropped into another dive, briefly distancing them from the cloud of enemies. Capitalizing on the sudden space, Mike launched another fireball back at them which immolated several. This did nothing to prevent the others from coming after them with single-minded dedication. Each of these monsters, which Appraise told him were called Plaguewings, was a misshapen, patchwork beast. Much like the famous creation of a fictional mad scientist from Earth, they seemed to have been made by stitching together the mismatched body parts of other creatures. This gave them a nightmarish, distorted appearance that would have been slightly comical if they weren''t currently trying to tear his face off. To make it worse, they were apparently infected with all manner of horrible magical diseases, judging by the suppurating sores and ruptured boils that covered their bodies. These illness were infectious enough that he was forced to apply bursts of Healing Magic periodically in order to stave off their terrible symptoms. [At least we''ve put some distance between us and the archers.] He thought to himself while commanding Red to circle back and place himself in a higher position relative to the attacking monsters. The annoying group of skeletal bowmen and their knight escorts were forgotten as Mike concentrated on one of the combo tactics he''d developed. Once they were in position, Red breathed an intense cone of flame, incinerating a few of the leading enemies. Before the fire had a chance to burn itself out, Mike seized control of it with his will, intensified it, and pushed it towards the rest of the Plaguewings. A roaring, incendiary stream surged forth and began to immolate them individually, while Red followed in its wake, occasionally crushing the few monsters that managed to escaped the conflagration. By the time Mike had to start investing large amounts of mana to keep the fire alive, they''d managed to destroy the vast majority of the winged beasts, so he let the spell drop. "Whew. That should buy us a little breath-" He started to say, before a small barrage of arrows accurately targeted him from the ground. Bringing up a momentarily mana shield to block the attack, he grumbled. "Oh for the love of...Let''s go take care of them. Obviously they won''t leave us alone." They fell towards the ground once more, eyes focused on the knot of skeletal archers which were apparently still chasing them. ------------------------------------------- Emmanuel was preparing to hit the last cluster of undead in front of them with blast of magic, when he caught sight of a group of enemy reinforcements. There were ten of them, and judging by their ethereal blue skin and daunting array of weaponry, they must be Death Knights. Thankfully, they were dismounted, meaning that fleeing was an option should the fight prove too difficult "If they''re breaking out their elites, we must be getting closer." He muttered to himself while hurling his Dimensional Slash at his original targets, cleanly bisecting the zombies and buying some time before the seemingly unending horde filled the opened space. He announced to the other members of his spontaneously generated team, "We''ve got some tough ones incoming. Get ready." The four of them had ended up moving together after the initial insertion. As per Johnathan''s original plan, everyone essentially acted under their own initiative, which had resulted in dozens of small groups forming on the spur of the moment. This had the unintended side effect of allowing them to evade the encirclement of undead that had shown up immediately after they teleported in, but it was far from the ideal situation. Fortunately, Emmanuel at least had a few reliable allies to depend on. Sir Graff de Ven, a knight from the Order of the Shield who''d retired to Almirn from his home country of Belith, reacted first and placed himself in front of the others. Emmanuel had scouted the man personally when putting together his batch of reinforcements, having worked with him on a few occasions during his adventuring days. Grey haired and scarred, the old veteran had proven himself a dependable fighter. He''d been acting as their vanguard throughout the last few fights. Despite protestations to the contrary, his abilities indicated that he was at least a low Tier 3. Supporting the knight on the front line was Emmanuel''s long-time coworker, Master Liam, an experienced martial artist who had taken on the role of the hammer to Sir Graff''s anvil. The pair had quickly established a rapport and began working seamlessly in the manner of old veterans called back in to fight. The final member of the group was something of a stranger. Emmanuel thought her name was Aedrin, but honestly he couldn''t remember. Too much had been going on in the last few days, and it was difficult to recall all the new faces he''d been introduced to. She''d originally been a member of the coalition army, and had joined the strike force on the Graveston heir''s recommendation. Although her personality left something to be desired, a common problem for Sun Elves like her, she''d proven to be an exceptionally gifted fighter, single-handily taking up the rearguard position and holding it without any problems. Judging from her graceful combat style and ridiculous speed, she was probably one of the famed Eternal Blades. This left Emmanuel with the dual role of party leader and primary ranged combatant, which had proven a bit taxing on him after transporting the entire fighting force. Nevertheless, he''d been prepared for this, and had brought a few spell storage items and mana potions for this express purpose. The first of the Death Knights, an impetuous warrior who''d moved ahead of the rest, slammed into Sir Graff with his massive warhammer leading the charge. The old knight stood his ground and redirected the blow with his shield before stabbing forward with his short sword, aiming for the undead warrior''s vulnerable armpit, where the armor was thinner. The attack was blocked by a hasty maneuvering of the hammer''s haft, but that did nothing to prevent the follow up. Liam slipped inside the Death Knight''s guard and delivered a lightning fast series of punches that could barely be seen, but gave off a sound resembling the clashing of metal on metal. Emmanuel didn''t quite catch what happened next, but in less than a second, the enemy was collapsed on the ground, blue flesh slowly dissipating as the animating force left its body. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the undead responded logically by slowing their advance and spreading out to attack the pair from multiple angles. This would have usually led to a long battle of attrition as the many wore down and eventually overwhelmed the few, but they weren''t alone. Emmanuel finished his chant, teleporting Aedrin directly into the enemy formation. The space between two of the Death Knights warped momentarily before the elf appear, sword already in mid swing. After decapitating one of the undead warriors in a single strike and seriously wounding the other, she swept passed their counter attack and assumed a position in support of the other two. In the intervening time Emmanuel, now the focus of two of the remaining Death Knights, released both of the spells stored in one of his silver rings. A small wave of conjured water struck both of the warriors, momentarily forcing them back and soaking them. Almost immediately afterwords, the second spell took effect, dropping the temperature in the area instantly. Both knights froze in place as their armored forms hardened in seconds. This wouldn''t be fatal for them, being largely immune to the cold, but it would keep them immobilized for several minutes before the ice thawed enough for them to free themselves. Taking a quick sweep of his surroundings, Emmanuel was beginning to feel a bit hopeful about their situation. Despite the ease with which they were dealing with them, these Death Knights probably represented the best of the Lacotian troops. There should only be a few commander level entities more powerful. [At this rate...] "An interesting formation you have there, and fairly effective too. Considering the...eclectic nature of your arrival, I''m rather impressed that you manged to get this far." A deep and strangely hollow voice rang out from Emmanuel''s left. Turning, he felt his hope die in his chest. A huge figure strode across the battlefield with calm and even steps, his ornate plate armor, made from a dull grey metal, barely reflected the sunlight that filtered through the now omnipresent dust clouds. A quick glance was all that was needed to confirm that this being, whatever his origin, was on a completely different level than the Death Knights. It stood nearly 2.5 meters tall, a veritable giant compared to the rest of the combatants on the field. Although he didn''t appear to be carrying a weapon, Emmanuel was certain that the such a being could easily kill him with his bare hands, or gauntlets as the case may be. Two pale white lights, glimmering from the visor of the closed-face helm, focused on Emmanuel with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine. Just judging from its presence alone, this warrior must be at least at the peak of Tier 3. He could only hope that it was not higher. Sensing that the undead was interested in talking, at least for the time being, he tried to engage the creature while working on a mental chant. It wasn''t a skill he''d fully mastered yet, so he needed some time to make use of it. "I don''t think we''ve been introduced. Perhaps you could remedy that?" The undead creature waved casually, signalling the Death Knights to fall back. "I''m surprised you haven''t heard of me, considering the spy that I''ve been entertaining recently, but I suppose I haven''t been giving him many opportunities to report back." He moved to stand in front of the four of them, moving with an easy grace, despite what must be several dozen kilos of armor. "I am the Skull Lord Kultanis, and I have the honor of being the leader of this little expedition." Emmanuel''s thoughts froze for a second, and he almost lost the spell he was working on. Thankfully, long years of practicing magic had given him an iron will, and he was able to regain control of it before it rebounded on him. Nevertheless, he was shaken to the core. Skull Lord was a title that belonged to one of the most powerful individuals in Lacot, second only to the Archlich himself. There was only one at any given time, and they were responsible for directing the Necrocracy''s military. Several infamous undead champions throughout history were known to have carried that title, and in every case they were powerful and deadly beings capable of fighting whole armies by themselves. Beings that, even to this day, can inspire fear in the nations which have suffered under their onslaught. Either noticing his reticence, or not particularly caring what they had to say, Kultanis continued. "Do not bother to introduce yourself. I am well aware of who you are, Emmanuel Garthun." Panicking, Emmanuel released his spell, distorting the fabric of reality around the Skull Lord in a random and chaotic pattern. Ordinarily, such an attack would tear his target asunder, but the distortion simply stopped roughly a meter in front of undead creature. "You are quite famous amongst our kind, after all." Kultanis commented dry, as the air settled around him harmlessly. Whatever countermeasure he''d used had completely negated the spatial tearing, and left the old mage feeling dumbfounded. [Some kind of Space Magic Resistance? Is that even possible?] "I''m not sure how I should feel about being famous among the undead." Emmanuel replied in kind, mind now fully turned towards escape. It would be difficult to teleport long distances within the effect of the Lacotian shield, but he knew a few tricks that could at least get them out of this situation. The Skull Lord raised a hand, palm facing towards the, and chuckled, "Although I''m sure a few of us have some knowledge of you, that is not what I meant. No, I was speaking of our shared perspective as mages, of course." Emmanuel barely had time to consider that shocking revelation, when a wave of life-sapping darkness surged over them. Chapter 252: Battlefield Encounter Brenden slammed his sword against the Death Knight''s axe and grunted as his hands were numbed by the impact. They engaged in yet another contest of strength for a few moments, each struggling to force the other back, until the muscles in his arms started to complain. They''d been fighting for nearly five minutes and Brenden was starting to get fatigued, which was a problem. His opponent''s undead stamina meant that the longer this fight went on, the more likely it would be for him to lose. [I don''t want to break out Atavism this early, but there isn''t much more I can do...hmm...I guess I can try using that new ability. Wish I''d gotten a chance to test it out more before now.] Relaxing his arms, he let the knight''s axe slide along the length of his sword while stepping forward. The undead warrior had evidently expected something like this to occur, because she was already in the process of leaning back herself, gaze steady and ready for whatever he had in mind. However, she was not prepared for him to simply drop his weapon and fasten both of his hands around hers. Brenden caught another flash of surprise in her eyes as he swept past her while activating the skill he''d somehow picked up after being accepted as the King of Thieves. Instantly, the woman''s grip weakened, and he was able to pull the axe from her with apparent ease. The Steal skill, an ability usually limited to those with rogue type classes, gave a system correction for the purposes of directly stealing things from other people. Brenden had seen it put to use quite often during his time on the streets, and he knew that real masters of it could pick a persons pockets without even getting close to them. For someone at his level of skill, providing momentary assistance while grabbing an enemy''s weapon was the best he could hope for. Before the Death Knight had a chance to recover, he spun in place, whirling his newly acquired axe with all the force he could muster. It wasn''t a weapon he was particularly familiar with, but it didn''t take much to simply swing the thing at an unarmed opponent. Unfortunately, the Death Knight evidently had a great deal of fighting experience, and was able to calmly select the best option in her defense. There was a shock of impact as the axe bit home, not in the knight''s chest as he intended, but into the upper portion of her left arm, nearly severing it in the process. At the same time, she reached towards him, hand glowing with an icy blue fire. Something about its appearance gave him chills, and he instinctively knew that it would cause a great deal of harm. With how deeply embedded the axe head was, he also knew it would be hard to pull it free before she could touch him. Not to mention that he was currently off balance, with the majority of his weight thrown forward into the attack. So, he real only had one option. Letting go of the axe, he fell under the Death Knight''s outstretched hand and rolled a few times to give himself some distance. Scrabbling back to his feet, he quickly moved to rearm himself with his discarded weapon. Although it hadn''t gone as well as he''d hoped, he was glad to have reduced the knight''s ability to fight. By this point, the undead warrior had removed her axe, losing the rest of her arm as she did so. A few strips of wispy blue flesh and a jagged shard of bone were the only thing now extending from beneath her armor''s left pauldron. Not that the amputation seemed to be bothering her. She whipped her axe through the air a few times, as if to test the weight of it when fighting with one arm. Despite it being nearly as tall as her, the Death Knight was able to swing it without any issue. Slinging it over one shoulder in a cocky stance, she gave him a grin. "Not bad at all. That was the first time anyone managed to disarm me in the heat of battle." She tilted her head to one side and frowned for a moment, then laughed. "First time anyone''s literally disarmed me too." She waved the stump of her left arm to prove her point. Taking advantage of the banter to catch his breath, Brenden chuckled himself. "I''ve been told I have something of a disarming personality. Thankfully, it seems to be useful on the battlefield too." This earned him another full bodied laugh. "That was terrible!" She exclaimed after a satisfied sigh, something that should have been difficult considering her anatomy or lack thereof. "But I approve. Its going to be a shame to have to kill you." "Considering our circumstances, you should probably be worried about surviving the next few minutes. Unless of course you have someone to lend you a...hand?" The Death Knight snorted, which was confusing in it''s own right, "Now you are going too far. Besides, I don''t need someone to lend me a hand." As the words left her mouth, her stump began to glow, and very soon a ghostly blue arm began to grow from it. Grasping her weapon with both her normal and her new spectral hand, she took a fighting stance. [Of course it wouldn''t be that easy.] Or so he thought, but he found himself utterly flabbergasted as a golden blur slammed into the Death Knight and sent her spinning through the air to collide with the castle''s wall in a boneshaking impact. "What..." He started to mutter, but his voice was quickly drowned about by the exuberant exclamations of the new arrival. "Alright! Bull''s-eye! Or is it jackpot? Huzzah, maybe? Hmm...Hey Julia, what am I supposed to say here?" The short haired, blonde woman asked, apparently unconcerned with the army of criminals that staring at her like she was some kind of bizarre animal. "How in the hells should I know?!" Came the angry reply from a woman that was apparently working her way through the crowd. "In the first place, why did you even go this direction? Everyone else is already heading towards the enemy headquarters." "I sensed a strong undead over here, and it was closer than the others, so I wanted to get it first. Besides, it gave me a great chance to make a dramatic entrance. Don''t you think?" The woman asked in a excited voice, earning a sigh from her apparent companion. By this point the woman, who turned out to be a cat beastman dressed in leather armor, had finally broken through the encirclement as was stalking over towards them with a thunderous expression on her face. "That''s hardly an excuse..." She trailed off as she noticed Brenden, and in that moment he realized he recognized her. "Ah you-" She started. "The crybaby from the cave!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "What are you doing here? I thought you died or got arrested or something." A series of expressions ran over the cat beastman''s face before finally settling on one of profound exhaustion mingled with depression. "If only..." "She''s my guide!" The other woman explained cheerily, "We''ve been traveling together on a secret mission." She frowned as she realized the implications of her statement, and leaned forward to whisper. "Don''t tell anyone." Brenden glanced back the literal army of people who happened to be watching this exchange and had likely heard every word, then turned back to the cat beastman. "You have my sympathies." A roar prevented any further exchanges, as the cratered castle wall exploded into a hail of stone shards. A battered looking Death Knight landed nearby, a little unsteadily, and snarled a battle cry. "We can catch up later," Brenden yelled while striding forth to meet the enraged warrior. "Let''s beat this thing first." "Awesome! She looks pretty strong. This is going to be fun!" The blonde woman was right behind him, sword and shield leaking small amounts of golden light in her excitement. A careworn Julia brought up the rear, looking reluctant, but following the other two into battle nonetheless. ------------------------------------ After the last of the skeletal archers collapsed, Mike found himself alone on the battlefield. He''d dismounted to deal with them more easily, and had been quickly surrounded by the undead knights that had been following at a distance. Almost as if they''d been tasked with responding to this exact scenario. Nevertheless, he was able to use a few area of effect spells to reduce their number to a manageable level, before finishing off the rest. Now, he was biding his time and recovering his mana while keeping an eye on the horde of zombies that were shambling nearby. For some reason, they didn''t seem interested in attacking him, and were content with slowly shuffling past. He figured that they were probably similar to robots, in the sense they could only function within a per-determined program. If no one gave them another order, they should just keep following the last thing they were told to do until they fell apart. He summoned a little bit of fresh water and sucked it down, a process that was more complicated than its sounds, and then sent a mental message to Red, telling the dragon to swing by and pick him up. His mount had been continuing their original task of conducting strafing runs on the enemy army. Judging from the lack of response he''d been getting, though, it seemed like their purpose here was at a end. [If I hurry I should still be able to make it to the strike force...] A small flicker of hostility interrupted his thoughts, and he quickly to spun to face the apparent threat. The sensation had been disturbingly reminiscent of the assassin which had killed the previous Marshal, so he was fully prepared to fight for his life. Three people were approaching him, passing through the horde of zombies without any apparent difficulty. Two of them were older men, both looking to be in their fifties at least, although one seemed to be rather sick. Yet, it was the third member that stole his attention. Even cloaked and hooded, Mike recognized the assassin. A quick Appraise confirmed his suspicion. She didn''t appear to be hostile at the moment, but he knew first hand how quickly and lethally she could move. Keeping an eye on her, he turned his attention back to the other two, and tried to determine their identities, focusing on the healthier looking one first. --------------------------- Faril Couthbotan Age: 62 Race: Human Class: Politician Title: Royal Adviser --------------------------- Mike blinked, momentarily confused. He''d never met the Prime Minister before, but he recognized the name from the letter he''d received after he rescued Andrea. To see him in the company of that assassin was confusing to the extreme. Hoping to get a better idea of what was going on, he used Appraise on the last of the three. ----------------------- Unknown Age: ?? Race: ?? Class: ?? Title: ?? ---------------------- [What the hell?] They halted about three meters away, and the unknown person began speaking in a dry, raspy voice. "Greetings, Sir Dragonknight. Although we haven''t met before, I''ve heard a great deal about you." The man paused, blue tinged lips grimacing in something that resembled a smile. "Judging from your facial expression, I can see you are confused about why your supposed allies are consorting with the murderer who very nearly killed you. That is understandable, but I can promise you, everyone here is interested in bringing an end to this war and the aggressor that initiated it." Something about the way the man moved bothered Mike. Although he seemed to be reasonably mobile, there was something unnatural about the motions, almost as if his body wasn''t quite responding as he desired. "Who are you?" He asked while mentally signalling Red to hold himself nearby. If necessary, he wanted the dragon to be able to swoop in and catch them by surprise. The strange man smiled again, displaying a mouthful of white teeth ringed by pale, bloodless gums. "That depends. This body belongs to the former King of Almir, a reasonably competent man who had the misfortune of running afoul of a certain overly ambitious noble. But, I suppose you are more interested in the one that''s currently speaking to you, right?" Mike swallowed, not really sure of what to think about this information. He noticed that the Prime Minster''s face twisted momentarily in a display of grief. While such a thing could have been faked, the emotion looked so raw that it would have required a gifted actor to pull off. Turning back to the apparently talking corpse, he nodded, prompting the dead man to continue. "Well, to make a long story short, I''m am but a small piece of a powerful mage who took advantage of the King''s slow decline into death to seize control of his body." "That doesn''t explain who or what you actually are." For the first time since he''d arrived the corpse frowned. "Ah, I suppose that''s fair. After so long speaking in half truths, its hard to break the habit. I am what is known as a Soul Clone, a spiritual entity formed by breaking off a piece of someone''s soul. Ordinarily, my kind are intangible and invisible, but we can possess sufficiently weakened bodies of the recently deceased. As to my originator, well...he goes by many names, but you most likely know him as the Archlich." Mike pondered that statement for a few moments, finding it utterly unbelievable. He promptly said as much. "You expect me to believe that the most powerful figure in the Lacotian hierarchy wants to stop this invasion, and the only method he thought to use was sending some sort of ghost clone to posses a dead body? Are you crazy?" "A little, yes. Its hard not to be after a millennia of existence, but then again that''s not quite right either." The corpse returned with another disturbing grin. "To answer your question fully would require much more time than we have at the moment. I''d be willing to go into detail later, once the danger has passed. Let me summarize it all by saying that the political situation in Lacot is complicated, and despite being the ruler in name, the Archlich is bound by a number of restrictions. So, even though he wanted to prevent the Skull Lord from starting this invasion, he was rather helpless to do so." [Another statement that''s hard to buy. I can''t imagine a Tier 4 mage would be so completely powerless in this situation. Much more likely, he wasn''t able to act overtly without harming his image or something to that effect. If he instead sends an expendable agent to act in his stead, then he could have plausible deniability.] "You haven''t explained why the Archlich wants to stop this war in the first place. Isn''t this exactly the kind of thing he''s known for?" Mike asked harshly, not bothering to hide the suspicion in his voice. "While I only have access to the memories imparted by my creator, I can surmise that he thought the project too dangerous to our interests. It would likely lead to the kind of attention we''ve been trying to avoid. He learned from his encounter with your predecessors and the Archmage. Lacot is powerful, but not equal to the combined might of the Inland Sea Region. All of our military expeditions up to this point have been limited for this exact reason. Of course, Kultanis didn''t care about that." When Mike cocked an eyebrow at that name, the Prime Minister helpfully supplied, "The Skull Lord, who is leading the invasion. Think of him as the Lacotian equivalent of a Grand Marshal." "Indeed," the corpse continued. "He''s talented, but a ruthlessly ambitious, even by our standards. He intends on making use of this confrontation to enhance his personal power." "Like in the sense of enhancing his influence or seizing control of resources?" The corpse shook his head, "No, quite literally. He''s been stuck at the peak of Tier 3 for nearly a century now, and has been unable to break through. It usually requires a great deal of talent, hard work, and luck, but there exist a few shortcuts one can take." The thought of a Tier 4 undead, one who had no compunction about murdering the populace of an entire country, was slightly concerning. If he let this continue, it could only end badly. "So, how do you intend to stop him?" He asked, still not trusting any of the three in front of him. "Truth be told, its a little late to actually prevent him from accomplishing his task, since he''s already completed the minimum requirements for breaking through by force. I can only assume he''s trying to improve his chances by massacring the rest of the living beings on this continent. However, Kultanis could activate the ritual at any point, and there would be little we could do to stop it. While we can certainly hope he fails, I suspect his efforts will succeed." The corpse glanced back at the assassin, who had been hanging back for the duration of the conversation, a blank look on her face. "That being said, there will be a brief moment of vulnerability when he breaks through which will be ideal for striking him down. Our killer over here can handle that part. We simply need someone to push him to the point of completing his ritual early. That''s where you come in. No one else on this battlefield has the strength necessary to drive him into a corner." He paused to lend his next question some weight. "So what do you say? Shall we put an end to this fight?" Chapter 253: Seeing the Signs Audra had been squirming and trying to escape every so often over the last half hour, but she''d slowly started to give up, and was now resting quietly in Sera''s lap. Although a passing observer probably couldn''t tell, it was clear to her that the little dragon was feeling depressed. "I know." Sera murmured in what she hoped was a soothing voice. "I know. It''s hard being left behind." She was gently stroking the scales of Audra''s neck, something that she''d longed to do for quite some time now. However, considering the circumstances, it was hard to really enjoy the sensation. She glanced up at Tal, and took some solace in the fact that she seemed to be resting a bit more easily. Mike hadn''t explained what happened before he left, but she figured that the elf''s current condition had something to do with the most recent attack. Her instincts told her that the pair of them had somehow come up a solution on their own. A sudden surge of guilt washed over her, and she had to blink back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. During the attack, she''d been cowering near the walls, too overwhelmed by the screams to do much more than writhe on the ground. By the time she could even muster the willpower to stand, the fight had been over and the enemy destroyed. [I thought I had gotten better, but it feels like for every step I take, they pull ahead three. Mike, Tal, and even Brenden are leaving me behind...] The distant sounds of battle peaked, and she could almost make out the words of the officers on the walls exhorting their troops. While the orders were firm and controlled, she thought she detected a few hints of panic in the general cacophony. Perhaps the fort would fall while Mike was still out, and all of the defenders would be slaughtered by swarms of zombies. [That would show him. I''d like to see his face when he found out that we were killed while he was off doing his own thing again.] She thought, but immediately felt guilty about it. Mike had a lot on his plate at the moment, and it wasn''t fair to exactly blame him for leaving her behind. After all, what could she do even if she went with him. She sighed and looked down at the dragon in her lap. "Its hard, isn''t it? I don''t really know what I should do about these feelings, but I can''t exactly ignore them, either. Maybe I should-" Her words were cut off as a sudden spike of pain entered her head, momentarily pushing all of her concerns and worries aside. A brief series of images flashed past her conscious mind and a few seconds later she was left gasping for breath. Looking around quickly, she realized that it was probably already too late to react. "Come on." She complained quietly. "What good is the ability to foretell the future if you can''t give me more warning than this." The infirmary was largely deserted, since the presence of a powerful healer like Mike had obviated the need for it since the keep was put up. As such, the only other person in the room was an elderly nurse and a few soldiers who''d been brought in recently. [If they catch me here, then they''ll kill all the witnesses, including Tal. And if I try to call for help, it will only increase the casualties. No, choice I''ve got to find somewhere deserted to make my stand.] Briefly consulting her knowledge of the keep, she realized that her best bet was the third floor, which was largely used for storage. She picked Audra up and laid her down by Tal''s side. Meeting her inquisitive look, Sera tried to explain, hoping that the dragon understood. "I need you to stay here and watch over Tal. Can you do that?" Although Audra merely cocked her head and issued a little cheep, Sera didn''t have time for anything else, and quickly ran to the door, only taking a moment to address the nurse. "The keep is going to have invaders soon, and they kill anyone that gets in their way. Close this door, keep it locked, and don''t open it until you hear from someone you know well." "Huh?" The woman asked, looking more confused than worried. "What do you..." "Just do it! And if anyone asks, tell them that the Cabal was here." Sera yelled before running out and heading upstairs. She knew that her hunters likely had a means of tracking her over short distances, and that escape was probably impossible at this point. At least she could avoided places with a lot of people, and minimize the resulting collateral damage. Pushing past a few soldiers, she ran into one of the storage rooms. Piles of crates, boxes, barrels and various other items littered the area, having been thrown in here haphazardly over the last few days. After a quick scan, she found a suitable location to make her last stand, and walked over. Drawing an arrow from her quiver, she pulled back on her bow, aimed at the door, and waited. Seconds passed, and then minutes, until her arm was beginning to tremble with the effort of keeping the string drawn. Pretty soon, she was beginning to wonder if maybe she''d misinterpreted the vision. She was debating about going back downstairs when the first masked man rushed through the doorway. Quickly activating her prescience granting skill, she loosed, aiming for a spot slightly to the left of the intruder''s path. As soon as she did, the man juked to his left in an attempt to avoid her first shot. Instead here merely succeeded in putting his head in front of the speeding arrow. Keeping her skill active, Sera drew and loose another arrow in a smooth motion, nailing the next enemy, who had tried to rush to the right of the doorway, and pinning him to the wall. By this point, a handful of them had managed to push through and were now running towards her. Given their speed, she judged she had time for one last shot. Rather than targeting any of her apparent attackers, she instead aimed at the empty doorway and loosed again. The arrow was still in the air as the first of the surviving masked figures dove on top of her, driving her to the ground. Right before the arrow passed out into the corridor, another shrouded figure, very different from the rest, rounded the corner while walking in calm and measured steps. It was already speaking as it did so. "We meet at last, lit-" The rest of the words were cut off as the arrow punched through the thick, grey cloth that covered the creature''s head, causing it to stagger backwards. Sera felt a brief surge of satisfaction that slowly turned to cold fear as the figure straightened once more and casually pulled the arrow out. It had penetrated a least a dozen centimeters into the area where a normal humans eye should be, but didn''t seem to inconvenience the thing in the slightest. The creature dropped the arrow and set about rearranging the cloth that obscured its face. As it did so, Sera caught a glimpse of dozens of worm-like creatures covered in sticky mucus, wriggling and squirming beneath the wrappings, before the cover was back in place. "Amusing. It seems like you''ve picked up a few tricks since the last time our agents caught sight of you." It rasped while slowly advancing into the room. It stalked over to the place where its masked followers were holding Sera down. Leaning over, it brought its face close to hers. Close enough that she could smell the strange, sickly-sweet scent of its breath and the gut-churning sound of worms writhing amongst themselves. "We''ve been hunting you for fifteen years, little Oracle. Your mother didn''t survive long enough to accomplish our goals, so hopefully you are made of sterner stuff." It stood back up again with a hollow laugh, "Then again, now that we have you, it should be easy to make more." ------------------------------------ With a sigh that was almost reminiscent of satisfaction, the Death Knight finally collapsed. Although she''d proven dangerous when he fought her alone, with the assistance of the blonde haired woman called Cariel, Brenden was able to bring her down in short order. While the undead warrior had proven fully capable of defending herself from both attackers, something about the golden aura which surrounded Cariel had seemed to weaken her every time they exchanged blows. The skill wasn''t something he''d ever seen before, but he guessed it could be categorized as some kind of Divine Magic. Eventually, the Death Knight had no longer been able to keep up, and was dealt a lethal blow from Brenden''s sword. "Alight! That was great as a warm up fight." The blonde haired warrior exclaimed, then cocked her head to one side and stared off into the distance. "What? What''s the matter?" Julia asked while coming up to stand beside her. "Hm...It feels like one of the undead is getting stronger...or just getting serious? Maybe? Anyway, I think I need to go over there now." "Huh?" The cat beastman asked while glancing at Brenden. "After all that, you just want to leave? Weren''t we here as part of your mission? What was the point of coming to this part of the battlefield?" "Wasn''t it to fight strong enemies?" Cariel replied with a matter of fact tone that suggested Julia was crazy for thinking otherwise. She twitched and looked back at the battlefield again, this time staring at a strange black cloud that had formed while they were talking. "Whoops. Looks like I need to go now." With that, she simply started running, not bothering to check to see if her companion was following. Julia, for her part stared after her for a few moments, raised her hands as if she was imagining throttling something, and then sighed. "Hah...that idiot." She glanced over at Brenden and pointed at him. "If I survive this, I want to meet with your friend. He''s got a few things to answer for." Not waiting for an answer she took off after Cariel while yelling over her shoulder, "You better not try to get away." [Well, whatever. I guess I''ll just deal with it once the battle''s over.] He thought to himself before looking over at his followers. They''d already finished off the remaining undead in the area, and were now clear to move on. Fang, who''d naturally fallen into the position of his second in command, walked over. "What''s the plan, Boss? We still trying to meet up with the folks in the fort? Seems like their a little occupied at the moment." Although their side was quiet, Brenden could still hear the sounds of combat raging to the north and west. Judging from the conspicuous lack of a large flying reptile, he figured that Mike was operating in another sector. "We need an accurate picture of what''s going on, and we can''t do that without understanding the battle plan." He replied while walking towards the fort. [Why am I getting a bad feeling?] ---------------------------------------------- Mike stared at the corpse for a few moments as he contemplated all the possible implications and hidden motives such an offer might entail. It was appealing on the surface. Even when considering who the other side was, its not as if he was disinclined to fulfill the corpse''s request. In all likelihood, he would have ended up fighting Kultanis anyway, and if he was as dangerous as they made out, Mike would need all the help he could get. However, it almost seemed too convenient. Here he was, about to launch his own attack on the enemy headquarters, and all of a sudden a mysterious stranger appears to offer him assistance. A stranger, by the way, who claims to be the creation of the legendary Archlich. In exchange for simply following through with his original intent, they brought out one of the most lethal fighters Mike had ever tangled with and suggested that she be used to deliver the final blow. It was just too smooth, too coincidental. Even his luck didn''t operate like this. [Could he have planned things up to this point? If so, what''s his goal? Either way, I don''t think I can trust them.] He thought before signalling Red to approach. It was time for him to get back into the thick of it. "I decline." He answered simply, provoking a look of shock from both the corpse and the Prime Minister. Even the assassin seemed a bit surprised, albeit briefly. "That''s troubling." The shard of the Archlich murmured. "Won''t you reconsider? As it stands now, you will be hard pressed to even deal with Kultanis before he completes the ritual. If you try to fight him after he succeeds, it will only lead your destruction." The Prime Minister jumped in, "He''s right. This is too big of a challenge for you. Only by working with them does Almir have a chance of survival. Quite simply, we need them." Listening to their shock, Mike felt convinced that the he''d made the right decision. Any further protests were drowned out as Red slammed into the ground next to him, raising a cloud of dust which momentarily blinded them. Without wasting any more time, he started climbing onto the dragon''s back. Once seated, he looked back down at the trio, and yelled down to them. "I don''t know what you are planning, but I cannot trust you. Fear not, though. I will take down this Skull Lord of yours and put an end to his ambitions, but I will do it on my own." Chapter 254: Climactic Confrontation "Liam! Dodge!" Sir Graff yelled. His words were barely audible over the roar of the angry spirits that were even now trying to devour the four of them. Though Emmanuel had been able to keep them at bay with bursts of magical energy, there was little he could do as the armored giant descended on his co-worker. Thankfully, the martial artist was quick to respond, and was already sliding out of the way as the fist passed through the dark, mist-like substance that was surrounding them. Although he avoided the blow, the resulting force behind the punch cratered the ground and showered the four living fighters with shards of dirt and rock. Just as quickly as he arrived, the undead pulled back into the cloud with a dry chuckle, resuming the ongoing stalemate. [This isn''t good...] Truthfully, this was probably the worst possible scenario. Emmanuel had hoped on avoiding a direct confrontation with the mastermind behind the invasion, specifically because he feared that it was powerful and deadly combatant that would require a concentration of assets to bring down. It had been his intention to eliminate the necromancers responsible for maintaining the zombie horde, drastically culling the enemy''s numbers, and then focus the combined might of the coalition army on the undead that remained. To do so, he''d originally planned to avoid the stronger members of the Lacotian command, but it hadn''t worked out. [If we could just move past the shield...] While there were a few methods he could use to transport the group out of danger, it would require time and concentration, something that was in short supply ever since the Skull Lord unleashed a swarm of Hungry Ghosts. The semi-corporeal and unintelligent beings, created when an excessive amount of negative emotions accumulate in a particular area, were capable of slowly draining the life-force of living creatures. Individually they weren''t particularly dangerous, but in large numbers they could reduce a person to a dried-up husk in seconds. Emmanuel had been forced to divert his attention to keeping them at bay, but still had enough presence of mind to put together a possible counter. "Keep me covered!" He yelled. "I''m going to try something." Light Magic wasn''t his forte, and he''d never advanced past the basics, but even he could make use of a rudimentary spell that was well suited to deal with ghostly entities. One of the few anti-undead methods he''d made sure to learn when the real threat had become apparent. Thanks in large part to his great understanding of Elemental Magic, it had only taken a few days of practice to get the words down. Chanting under his breath, he started gathering his mana in one clenched fist, "Ki''th al foentina, dorestanti banto man feliz..." He heard Sir Graff respond to yet another attack from Kultanis. The knight had slipped behind Emmanuel and was protecting his back when the undead creature broke through the cloud once more. Staggering as he took the blow on his shield, the retired knight yelled a war cry and took a swing at the half-seen form of his attacker. Unfortunately, he missed altogether, and was left off-balance and vulnerable to Kultanis''s follow-up. The armored uppercut should have slammed into Sir Graff''s torso with all the power of a cannonball, but a quick thinking Aedrin managed to pull the knight back at just the right moment. By the time he muttered a quick ''you have my thanks'' the Skull Lord had pulled back once more. It was clear that he was angling for another attack, but Emmanuel wouldn''t give him the chance. Finishing his chant, he opened his hand, releasing the energy stored within. A sphere of light rose around them, pausing momentarily when it had achieved a roughly 2 meter diameter, before expanding rapidly in every direction. The Hungry Ghosts that came in contact with evaporated like so much mist. In less than a second, the area was cleared, revealing the figure of Kultanis a few meters away. Emmanuel''s Cleansing Light spell, designed specifically for use against the undead, was modeled after a variety of Divine Magic called Aura of Consecration. The original was capable of destroying or weakening certain kinds of creatures, depending on the religious alignment of the user, in a set area. Unfortunately, it was impossible for Elemental Magic to completely mimic this conceptual understanding of moral alignment, and instead could only cover down on creatures that relied on necromantic energies to sustain themselves. This of course made the effect much weaker. With Emmanuel''s level of skill, the spell was barely good enough to eliminate the swirling ghosts, so it was no surprise that an undead being as powerful as Kultanis was left unfazed. In fact the Skull Lord was even chuckling a little bit once the cloud had fully dispersed. He hadn''t expected it to be any different, but the sheer confidence displayed by the undead creature was disconcerting. Everything about the way he''d been fighting up to this point indicated that he didn''t view the four of them as any kind of threat. [We need a distraction, something to buy us enough time to retreat.] A flicker of motion in the corner of his eye drew his gaze upwards towards an approaching shape, barely visible in the smoke wreathed sky. A rather familiar shape. [That will work just fine.] -------------------------------------------------- As the cloud of light washed over Kultanis, he felt a momentary itching sensation, and then it was gone along with the ghosts he''d brought forth to harass his enemies. While he wasn''t surprised that the old mage had such tricks up his sleeve, it was nevertheless entertaining to see the legendary figure rely on such rudimentary methods. Indeed, the whole scenario was strangely funny to him, and he couldn''t help laughing in a way that he''d not done since becoming undead. [Ah, it has been a long, long time since I''ve felt such amusement, or indeed felt much of anything at all.] He paused and thought about it more deeply, [This is quite abnormal, actually. Does it have something to do with the ritual? I''ll have to investigate soon. I cannot risk anything going wrong during the execution phase.] Focusing his attention on the quartet of enemies that he''d been fighting up to this point, he was surprised to see that they hadn''t used his momentary period of distraction to escape. They were slowly edging backwards under the orders of the mage, but had not made any serious progress. Considering that the most reasonable option would have been to leave one or two of the front line fighters behind to buy time while the mage organized a partial retreat, this seemed rather foolish to the undead general. [I will never understand the irrationality of these mortal beings.] He thought with some chagrin while mentally sorting potential attack methods. He''d been trying to conserve his mana as much as possible since he''d need it to complete the ritual in a hurry, but its seemed like he would have to work a little bit harder to bring an end to his four foes. Gathering his mana, Kultanis was preparing to unleash a powerful life-sapping spell designed to render living creatures weak and powerless when he noticed that the ground around him was growing darker. Almost as if he''d been suddenly wrapped in shadow. Looking up, he almost caught sight of the massive boulder falling towards him before it struck. ----------------------------------------------- Mike gave a quick fist pump as the strange-looking undead warrior was crushed under the boulder. It was definitely worth it to have Red carry it all the way over here. He slowed his descent with Air Magic and landed next to the four members of the strike force who had been facing off against the armored creature. While he''d seen Emmanuel from afar, he was surprised to recognize Sera''s instructor, Master Liam, as well. The other two were a heavily armored knight and an elven warrior dressed in a similar manner to the ones he''d met during the party he''d attended a while back. Frowning slightly at the sight of the elf, who brought back a few bad memories, he walked over to his teacher. "Are you alright? What''s going on?" Emmanuel had a look of intense concentration on his face, and it was clear from the mild mana disturbances that he was trying to pull off some kind of complex spell. Nevertheless he spared a few moments to talk, "We don''t have much time. I''m going to take these three and head towards our primary target. While I expect you won''t be able to finish him off by yourself, do what you can to slow him down." Mike cocked an eyebrow, not exactly understanding what was going on. "Who are you talking about?" No sooner had the words left his mouth than the boulder exploded in a barrage of stone shards. The heavily armored undead creature came striding out of the resulting dust cloud, looking no worse for wear. To make matters worse, he seemed to be laughing. "What fun. Its been a long time since someone''s gotten the drop on me like that." He spoke up in a hollow voice while casually brushing dust off his shoulders. "Retreat if you have to, but keep him occupied." Emmanuel murmured after finishing his spell. The air around him and his team members warped momentarily, and suddenly they were gone, leaving Mike to face the powerful undead on his own. [What the...Did he really just do that?] "Hm. That was slightly unexpected. Based on his previous behaviors, I did not think him capable of abandoning a comrade, but I suppose I underestimated him. Nevertheless, our confrontation was more or less inevitable, considering the course of this battle." The armored figure commented dryly. Mike turned his attention back to his enemy and used Appraise. --------------------------- Kultanis Age: 267 Race: High Lich Class: Champion of Goeth Title: Skull Lord ---------------------------- [While he doesn''t seem quite as bad as Brutus, why am I getting the feeling that he''s not far off?] A palpable aura of power was radiating from the Skull Lord, one that even Mike found slightly disconcerting. For the first time since the start of the war, he felt like he was facing an opponent that was close to him in terms of power. "Do you have nothing to say, Dragonknight? No self-righteous drivel about defeating me for all the evils I''ve perpetrated? No foolish offers of clemency if I only surrender myself to the authorities? Although I''d be interested to see what would classify as an appropriate authority nowadays. Regardless, I admit I''m a bit disappointed. It seems like the ''virtue'' of your order has fallen quite a bit since that old bag of bones nearly destroyed it." [Why do my enemies always feel the need to monologue right before we fight? Is it just a villain thing?] Mike thought to himself with a sigh, finding the other side''s efforts to antagonize him a bit childish. "I have to wonder if this is the best provocation I can expect from someone that''s existed for a few centuries. I figured that someone who had the gall to pull this sort of crap would be a little bit more creative." He replied with a half-hearted wave at the battlefield. "Then again, you are probably suffering from an anatomical lack of the parts most commonly associated with audaciousness." Oddly enough, Mike''s words seemed to have impact, and even led to the Skull Lord staggering slightly. He was confused for a few seconds before he remembered one of the secondary effects of his Communication Magic. [I kind of forgot about it, but it seems somewhat effective. Maybe I should start throwing more insults during combat.] "What an unusual ability." Kultanis commented mildly. "Ordinarily, I would be interested in seeing more of it, but I''m afraid I don''t have the patience or inclination at the moment. So, rather than continue this verbal duel with a notable disadvantage, I will be resorting to violence." With that, he threw one gauntleted hand forward and released five ghostly green tendrils which shot towards Mike. Something about them gave him the creeps, so he jumped backwards, using a bit of mana to briefly activate his flight and give himself some distance in the process. However, the tendrils changed course and followed after him, faster than he would have expected. Cursing mentally, he quickly threw up a mana shield. The green projections stabbed deeply into his shield, nearly shattering it. His momentary relief vanished, however, when he noticed that, even though they had been stopped it, the tendrils were still pushing forward, burrowing deeper into his barrier. Thankfully, that all came to an end as a cone of intense fire engulfed Kultanis, causing his spell to fade from existence as his concentration was broken. Mike landed once more, and mentally thanked Red for the follow up. He readied himself as the cloud of smoke dissipated, revealing the Skull Lord. Unsurprisingly, he looked completely unharmed. Chapter 255: The I in Team [He must have some resistance skills, judging from the way he was able to shrug off dragon''s breath and that boulder. Perhaps a piercing attack would work better?] Mike thought as he began strafing around the Skull Lord, looking for a vulnerability. He sent a mental message to Red, telling him to keep his distance for now. Kultanis was calmly watching him, apparently waiting for him to make the first move. Not wanting to miss out on this opportunity, Mike quickly chanted his modified version of the Stone Javelin spell, and sent a trio of the humming projectiles at the undead creature. The Skull Lord responded by quickly creating a shield composed of interlocking skeletal figures. The macabre barrier resisted the initial strike, but quickly crumbled as all three of the javelins exploded from the force of the impact. [Interesting. If he didn''t want to take that blow head on, then maybe he''s vulnerable to physical attacks that specialize in piercing defenses.] As soon as the bone dust from Kultanis''s destroyed shield dispersed, the lich sprung into action, creating a coruscating wave of grey and black energy that streamed towards Mike. He wasn''t sure what the intent of this spell was, but judging from the way it seemed to absorb the light in its path, he decided he didn''t want any part of it. Jumping into the air, he quickly flexed his will, causing four spears of darkness to stab up from the shadows around his opponent''s feet. Rather than impale the undead, like he''d hoped, they merely skittered off his armor, barely scratching the armor. He didn''t bother to invest the mana necessary to keep them in place, so they quickly faded from existence after failing to achieve their intended purpose. [Hm, so Dark Magic is insufficient, but my Stone Javelins are worth defending against? Or is it some kind of play to limit my options?] Mike thought quickly while avoiding the dark energy that surged past him, already planning his next move. If his normal spells were unable to punch through that armor, then he would need to resort to more complex methods. As he was falling back towards ground, Kultanis raised his hand once more and created a grey cloud of choking smoke which quickly expanding to cover their surroundings. Concerned about the effects it would have on the living, Mike quickly created an Air Shield around himself and then altered the chant to have the swirling air currents push outwards in every direction. This quickly cleared the area of smoke, but he realized that Kultanis had vanished in the intervening time. In desperation, he invested mana into his Willpower and activated his Aerosense. Although momentarily disoriented by the sudden wash of sensory input, he understood enough of his surroundings to detect the massive figure standing behind him, poised to strike. As the gauntleted fist came down, wreathed in a spectral fire, Mike fell forward into a roll. He barely avoided the blow, but still got caught up in the resulting shock wave. As the ground split open under the intense impact, he was tossed head-over-heels nearly 3 meters before colliding with a small group of zombies, which were promptly destroyed. He spent a few seconds recovering, since the concussive force had done a number on his organs, but had to move quickly once more as the earth around him sprouted dozens of skeletal hands which tried to grab at him. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to escape the area of effect with a blast of Air Magic, but by the time he was regained his balance, he was already under attack once more. A barrage of bone-like shards was flying at him from the front, and he had just enough time to throw up a quick earthen wall before they impacted. Sensing that he needed to stay on the move or risk becoming a target, Mike swiftly dodged to his right and readied his mana for his next counter attack. It was good that he did, since his wall was quickly shattered by the Skull Lord''s massive armored form. He narrowly avoided one reaching arm before the lich was past him, back exposed. Not wanting to miss out on the rare opportunity, Mike focused a large amount of mana into one hand, converting it into a tightly concentrated ball of fire. He closed the distance between them and placed that hand on Kultanis''s back. With a thought he unleashed the flame, punching a hole through the lich''s chest. Any feelings of success were quickly crushed by a sudden explosion of grey colored energy which simultaneously forced him back and sapped his strength and stamina. Retreating to a safe distance, he quickly circulated a wave of Healing Magic and prepared for the follow-up, which didn''t come. The Skull Lord, although facing towards his opponent, was idly inspecting the hole in his armor. Thanks the angle of the attack, the exit wound was on his upper chest, practically at the level of his shoulders. After a few seconds, the undead wreathed his fist in a grey energy and pressed it against himself. With a sinking sensation, Mike watched the hole close in an almost organic fashion. [Is his armor part of him, or could it actually be some kind of undead creature, too? It looks metallic, but I suppose that doesn''t really mean anything.] "I have to admit, I did not think there were any Tier 3 Elemental Mages that were capable of bypassing my resistances." Kultanis commented dryly, apparently in the mood to talk once more. "You must have a truly monstrous amount of mana. Are you naturally so talented, or did your order develop some new techniques?" [So he''s got a resistance skill, or several from the sounds of it. That would explain a few things. I wonder if I can get him to explain it.] Feeling a little better after his magic had recovered his stamina, Mike gave the undead a cocky grin, "You can''t expect me to give away my secrets that easily. After all, its not like my mana is helping that much. Everything I''ve thrown at you so far has been unsuccessful. It''s practically a cheat." As soon as he said it, Mike realized the irony of his statement, but did his best to keep a straight face. The Skull Lord gave Mike a speculative look, or at least appeared to do so. It was difficult to tell through the full-faced helm. "I suppose I could hardly call this a sporting contest if I did not, at least, give some kind kf handicap. I cannot make it too easy for you, but there''s little to lose providing you a hint, so let me say this. As an Elemental Mage, you will be hard pressed to do anything at all to me unless you try particularly hard." Mike frowned in thought, trying to read through the underlying subtext. [Is he trying to say that Elemental Magic barely effects him? I suppose that''s not far off, based on what I''ve seen, but its not exactly useless either.] Kultanis watched him for a few moments, as if trying to gauge the impact of his words, before bringing the brief stand off to an end. "That should be long enough for you to catch your breath. It has been a very long time since I was trapped in a living body, but I can recall at least that much." More of the dark grey energy began to spill out from the cracks in his armor, forming a menacing cloud that began to wreathe his entire form. "Let us bring an end to this, Dragonknight. I have much left to do today, and I cannot afford to spend all of it playing with you." So saying, he blurred forward, moving much faster than before. As he approached, the energy on his arms seemed to harden, taking the form of massive, sickle-shaped blades. Mike barely had time to respond before the lich was on him. Bringing his spear around, he blocked one overhand swing, and was shocked when the strength behind the blow forced him down onto one knee. He had just begun channeling mana into his limbs in an effort to enhance his strength, when an armored boot slammed into his right side. Mike''s vision blurred and pain wracked his body as he was sent careening across the battlefield, skipping off the ground a few times before slamming into a scorched wagon, breaking it in two. He spent the next few seconds trying to figure out how to breath again, before sending a wave of Healing Magic through himself in order to speed up the recovery process. An ordinary human would have been instantly killed by that kind of impact, but his enhanced endurance coupled with his regeneration meant that he was merely incapacitated for a short while. Unfortunately, his opponent seemed to have no inclination to give him enough time. As Mike was shakily pulling himself out of the broken wreckage of the wagon, he caught sight of a dark shape approaching rapidly, and reflexively brought his spear up to block. In doing so, he was able to avoid being bisected by the sickle-shaped blade. Despite the successful maneuver, the strength behind the attack once again launched him into the air, this time in a slightly more controlled manner. With a few quick application of Air Magic, he was able to right himself and land on his feet, skidding to a halt after a few meters. All the while Mike''s eyes were focused on the armored giant, who was approaching all too rapidly. [It looks like some kind of enhancement magic the specifically improves his speed and strength.] He thought to himself as he finished channeling mana into his limbs. A nimbus of fire wreathed his arms, as a small whirlwind surrounded him. This time when Kultanis attacked with one of his arm blades, Mike moved forward to meet him. Blocking the first blow with the Fang of the Primal, he let the blade slide off towards the ground before surging forward to deliver a counter attack. He aimed for the gap between Kultanis''s helm and his breastplate, fully intending to drive his weapon into the crack, but the centuries old undead was too canny He leaned back at the last second so that the spear merely slid across his visor. Dodging beneath the Skull Lord''s counterattack, Mike began exchanging blows with him at a furious pace. So far, they were evenly matched, but he was having trouble landing a definitive strike thanks to the undead''s preternatural skill and durable armor. More as a means of exploring his options than as a serious attempt to inflict damage, he threw a point blank wind blade modified with oscillation. Unsurprisingly, it merely impacted on Kultanis''s armor before breaking apart, having left no discernible damage. [Definitely going to have to change things up here soon.] He thought while considering his options. Unfortunately, the majority of his most effective combat techniques either relied on Elemental Magic or sword skills. He still had a few options, not the least of which was his enhanced stone javelin spell, but it was swiftly becoming apparent that this was a bad match up for him. Nimbly avoiding the Skull Lord''s counter attack, he realized that he needed another combatant in the mix to take the pressure off of him and give him a chance to line up a finishing blow. He initially thought of Red, but quickly dismissed the idea. Although powerful in his own way, the dragon would be hard pressed to avoid some of the undead''s more potent abilities, and probably wouldn''t last that long in a direct confrontation. [Maybe I should summon something?] As he was seriously debating that option, his thoughts were interrupted by a woman shouting something incomprehensible from behind him. "DRAMATIC ENNNNTRRRYYY NUMBER 2!" Before he had a chance to even glance backwards, the speaker arrive in a burst of light, swinging a golden, luminescent sword at Kultanis, who blocked with both of his arm blades. Amazingly, the newcomer''s weapon cut straight through the grey energy and bit deeply into his arms, throwing him back nearly a meter under the force of the blow. The owner of the sword stepped up beside Mike, a golden, winged shield held in front of her. Despite her obvious success, the blonde woman was wearing a frown. She muttered, "Hm...that should have cut him in half. How did he block that?" Not really sure if he was supposed to respond or not, Mike couldn''t help but add, "Well, you did kind of draw attention to yourself by yelling. Is it really that surprising that he could defend against your attack with some forewarning?" She glanced at him with a look of sudden realization. "Ah! You''re right! This should have been a Sneak Attack rather than a Dramatic Entry." Frowning in thought, she stared at him a little more intensely. "You seem familiar...Do I know you?" "I can safely say that we have never met before, since I''m pretty sure I would remember. But, that''s not important right now. Why don''t we focus on the task at hand?" "Hm? What''s that?" The woman asked innocently. Mike stared at her for a few seconds, feeling a sudden reluctance to rely on this person. Finally, he pointed at Kultanis, who by this point had healed the injuries to his arms and was giving the pair of them a speculative look. "The undead mage that you attacked just a second ago, remember?" "Oh, right. That one. Nearly forgot." With a sense of trepidation, Mike got into a combat stance. [Well, let''s see where this takes us.] Chapter 256: Not Even My Final Form "Do you think you can keep him occupied while I aim for a finishing blow?" Mike asked the woman while taking a moment to use Appraise on her. ----------------------------- Cariel Age: Unknown Race: Human (Angel) Class: Solar Paladin Title: Fist of the Legion ---------------------------- [Wait angel? There are actual angels in this world? Ones that apparently interbreed with humans, no less?...I''m not sure why I''m surprised. They''re practically a staple in fantasy literature. Not to mention the fact that there are demons here as well. That said, I wonder if her age being unknown has something to do with her bloodline, or is the product of something else entirely.] Mike thought while waiting for the slightly air-headed woman to formulate a reply. [Hmm, I really need to work on unlocking the next Tier of Appraise.] Finally, Cariel nodded. "Of course I can. I''m something of an expert at that. Believe it or not, my boss once told me that I''m the most distracting person she''d ever met. That''s saying a lot because..." She trailed off for a moment, and began to look a little flustered. "...because...Ah! Because she''s really important and she deals with a lot of people...yeah." "...Okay...Then can you start distracting him?" "Right! Sure thing!" She replied energetically while raising her sword vertically in front of herself and closing her eyes. The mundane looking weapon began to glow with a golden light, leaving a trail of luminescence as she brought it up into a ready position. "Whew, good thing he bought it. Julia would give me a hard time otherwise." She whispered to herself, far too loudly, before issuing a battle cry and charging. Her movements were quick and efficient, and in less than a second she was fully engaged with the Skull Lord, who seemed to be having a hard time keeping up with her. Even for an amateur like Mike, it was clear that, despite her obvious flaws, this Cariel was a experienced and talented warrior, easily among the best of the Tier 3 fighters he''d come across. Which begged the question, where did she come from? [At least she seems more trustworthy than that moving corpse. Judging from her previous attempt, I don''t think she''s capable of really lying.] Leaving asides his concerns for the moment, Mike concentrated on creating a trio of his Stone Javelins, sinking as much mana as he could into them. Holding them at the ready, he followed after the two. By this point the Skull Lord was nearly covered in scratches and scrapes from Cariel''s golden sword. His arm blades, which he was apparently able to reform at will, were repeatedly shattered on contact with the blade, and only through an excessive amount of dodging had he managed to escape a lethal injury. Obviously aware that the situation had turned on him, the lich decided to make a sacrificial trade. Allowing Cariel to stab her sword into one of his shoulders, he swiftly moved to trap the weapon and crush the paladin against himself in a bone-breaking bear hug. For a moment, Mike as concerned that he''d succeeded, only to feel a surge of triumph as Cariel threw her shield forward, causing it to flash with a blinding radiance which seemed to sear the surface of the Skull Lord''s armor. Reeling backwards, he collapsed onto one knee. Not wanting to miss the chance, Mike released his spell, firing all three projectiles sequentially. Kultanis, who should have been off-balance and blind, still managed to react, redirecting the first javelin and blocking the second at the cost of one of his hands. The last, however, buried itself in his chestplate and exploded, tearing most of the lich''s torso apart in the process. Staggered and heavily injured, the Skull Lord should have been easy pickings for Cariel, who was already looking to capitalize on the opening, but he had other plans. Just as she was about to bring her glowing sword down on his helmet, Kultanis exploded in a wave of dark, grey energy, throwing the paladin back in the process. Soon, a veritable storm of necromantic energy began to rage about the lich, and Mike could feel it quickly sapping his life-force. He quickly channeled mana into his torso, converting it into Earth Magic in order to enhance his Endurance, and brought up a mana shield to protect him from the worst of it. Cariel was in a similar situation, having created a small globe of golden light to protect herself. "To think a pair of mortals has pushed me this far!" The Skull Lord roared over the noise of the wind. His chestplate was swiftly closing once more, covering his shattered but recovering rib cage. "It seems I no longer have the liberty to take this fight leisurely. Very well, let me teach you the meaning of fear, Dragonknight!" Rising into the air at the center of his necromantic wind storm, Kultanis began chanting in a dark and guttural language, voice echoing with ancient power. "Fractured souls and hollow spirits. Life renewed I take from you. Return that which was given! Yield that which was bestowed! Render unto me all that you possess, and I shall consume your hatred!" --------------------------------------------------- "Get out of my way!" Brenden roared as he cleaved his way through another knot of the animated corpse. While they weren''t particularly dangerous, their sheer numbers was slowing him down far more than he would like. He could no longer hear the sounds of the rest of the army that had been following him, which probably meant he''d pushed too far forward again. Under normal circumstances, he would have fallen back and regrouped, knowing that he was in danger of being cut off and overwhelmed. However, he couldn''t do that now. Panting for breath after the swing, he nearly stumbled as a wave of fatigue passed through his limbs. Grunting, he forced himself back up and started moving towards the center of the battlefield again. He''d been fatigued after fighting the Death Knight, so this constant struggle, the wave after wave of tireless undead, was pushing him to the brink of exhaustion. But he didn''t have time to rest. "Damn it! I don''t have time for this." He yelled as another batch of zombies began to surround him, with more on the way. The first thing he''d done after arriving at the coalition army''s fort was to try and locate his friends while Fang got a rundown on the current military situation. Mike was predictably away, in the thick of the fighting, but he''d been pointed in the direction of the Infirmary to find the others. Tal had been laid low after defeating a bunch of ghosts or something, as far as he could tell based on the hurried description he''d gotten from the soldier leading the way, and Sera was watching over her. However, as soon as he entered the keep, he could tell that something was wrong. An Almiran work party was moving the corpses of several soldiers to the Infirmary. While this wasn''t surprising to see in the midst of a battle, Brenden could tell by on the amount of blood scattered on the floor and walls, that these men and women had been killed here. With a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, he rushed into the clinic and was relieved to find Tal along with a strangely subdued Audra in one corner. Both alive and well. He did not, however, see any sign of Sera. After asking around, he eventually arrived at the bedside of an aged nurse. She''d been run through by some kind of massive spike-like weapon, and was on her last legs. The healers had largely given up on her, and were merely making her as comfortable as possible. As such, she wasn''t even aware of his presence, and either didn''t have the strength or inclination to answer his questions. He''d about given up when he realized that she was mumbling something over and over, too weak to make her voice audible. Curious, and in need of a lead, he leaned over until he could feel her breath on his ear, manging to catch a single word. "Cabal..." It was clear what had happened, so he''d immediately ordered his followers to pan out and look for the kidnappers, but suspected that they wouldn''t find anything. Based on the stories he''d heard from Sera in the past, they weren''t the type to leave a trail. Mind working feverishly, he eventually remembered that Mike had made some sort of location device a while back. One that could hopefully track where she''d gone to, if he could just get a message to him. A fairly simple task with one large complicating factor. There was an army of the undead standing in his way. To make his way through it, he''d need an army of his own. One much more substantial than the band of criminals that he''d brought from Almirn. Surprisingly, it had only taken a few quick words to organize a sortie. The coalition leaders had apparently been planning on something that effect for awhile, and used Brenden''s appearance to do so. Pretty soon, he found himself in the vanguard of a thousands-strong force that proceeded to cut its way through the horde of the undead. Unfortunately, progress was slow, as the animated corpse clogged their path. So, with increasing desperation, Brenden began to push past the rest of the army and very quickly became isolated in the midst of the enemy, leading him to his current predicament. As he watched the most recent batch of zombies shamble in his direction, he began to have second thoughts. Could he have done things differently? Wasn''t there some other means of passing along the message? Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword off the ground and readied himself for another attack. Whether or not this was the right decision didn''t matter. He''d made his choice. All that was left was to see it through. Suddenly, a wave of pressure passed over the battlefield accompanied by the screams of damned souls crying out in agony. A cyclone of grey energy erupted from the center of the enemy army as dark words in a language he didn''t understand rumbled across the sky. Brenden sagged back to the ground once more, as the weight of the life-sapping power affected him, even this far away. When the omnipresent voice finally reached a crescendo, the energy changed. All at once, every single zombie and animated corpse collapsed like puppets with their strings cut. Wisps of grey smoke emerged from their mouths, hovering over their bodies for a few moments before streaming off in the direction of the cyclone. As they did so, Brenden thought he saw a few of them take on the appearance of anguished faces, screaming in silent pain. "What the..." He muttered under his breath as he looked over the field of corpses before him. It practically seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon. As overwhelming as the army had seemed before, this sight was...disquieting in an entirely different sense. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he stood up again and focused his gaze on the necromantic storm. The energy was subsiding, or rather concentrating in one spot. The way Brenden saw it, that spot was likely the center of this whole battle, and it was the mostly likely place for a certain Hero to end up at. Shouldering his sword, he started moving towards it, a task made all more difficult by all the corpses which littered his path. --------------------------------------------------- When Count Graveston saw the grey cyclone, he knew that events were finally starting to reach the tipping point. Now it would be a contest of whether or not the living champions of the central continent could face down the newly ascended Skull Lord. While he''d planned for both possible outcomes, he hoped that the young Dragonknight would prevail. It would make things significant easier on him. Descending the loading ramp of his ship, the Count was already a few steps towards his destination when one of the guards around the dock finally built up the courage to call out to him. "Um, sir? Where are you going?" "I have some business to take care of." He replied simply, not bothering to turn around or even slow his pace. "Uhh, well, do you need an escort?" "That will not be necessary." The Count adjust his grip on the simple wooden box he was carrying under one arm, and strode out towards the battlefield, leaving his subordinates behind. [Hmm, not even one of them thought to follow me at a distance or inform one of the more senior members of my command. It seems I will need to rework our House''s training standards again.] He thought idly while strolling though the tall grass that was endemic to this area. Once he was out of sight of the boats, he rested the box on the ground and removed his shirt and jacket, leaving his chest bare. The Count''s wiry arms and torso were nearly covered in intricate tattoos of arcane runes. While the majority of these tattoos served to protect him from magical detection and warded him from undue mental influence, it was one particular set of runes that he intended to use now. Kneeling, he reached down to the wooden box he''d brought along. As he opened it, a tiny runic circle inscribed over his heart began to glow and pulse in time with his heartbeat. Inside were four vials of blood arranged in a cross shaped pattern inside another arcane circle. They too began to glow. Drawing out his dagger, the Count indulged himself in a rare sigh before beginning the ritual. Chapter 257: Might Makes Right The pressure on Mike''s mana shield continued to increase in intensity as the dark winds howled from every corner of the battlefield before converging on Kultanis''s form. With his mana reserves rapidly depleting, he wasn''t sure how much longer he could keep this up. Squeezing his eyes shut, he devoted every ounce of willpower into maintaining the barrier. Thankfully, the storm soon began to abate, and within a few moments, the air started to clear. Tentatively raising his head, Mike glanced around at the battlefield. The spot where Kultanis had been floating was now encased in an orb of grey energy, roughly 5 meters in diameter. At the moment, it seemed to be stable, although he was vaguely reminded of a cocoon for reasons he couldn''t quite verbalize. The plain they''d been fighting on had been virtually wiped clean of life for at least half a kilometer in every direction. The zombies, which had been holding a somewhat respectful distance, had all collapsed in place. Mike thought he saw a few members of the strike force amongst them, bodies desiccated and withered, as if they had aged decades before dying. Even the grass itself had been killed in the storm of necromantic energy and, with the exception of a small circle around his feet, was uniformly brown and brittle, crumbling to dust at the merest touch of the wind. Among the dead, however, a few things still moved. A small army of Skeletal Warriors, Death Knights, fleshy abominations, and a variety of other undead monstrosities picked their way through the corpse field. As far as he could tell, they were gathering and moving towards the south for some purpose. Whatever the reason, however, he didn''t have the time or the ability to deal with them right now. Cariel was a few meters away, although the globe of golden energy that had been surrounding her was cracked and apparently on the verge of shattering. It seemed that she had been able to weather the blast. At the moment she was pressed up against the side of her shield, and looked to be feebly beating on it with one hand. It took him a few moments to realize that she''d somehow trapped herself. Standing up, he jogged over and kicked at a spot that looked a bit more fragile than the rest. With a sound like shattering glass, the orb exploded into motes of light, leaving a gasping Cariel on the ground. "HA...HA...thanks." She managed to squeeze out. "Forgot I needed to breathe." "...Is that something you''d normally...no, never mind." He replied while rubbing his forehead. "This is probably a long shot, but do you have any idea about what''s going on over there?" The orb had started to slowly descend towards the ground, and he could see what looked like distorted and agonized faces sliding across its surface. "Hm...not really, but I don''t think its a good idea to mess with it at the moment." Cariel commented after staring at it for a few seconds. "Really? Why?" "Doesn''t it look like a bubble about to burst?" She replied with a mildly confused look on her face. "Wouldn''t it explode if we touched it?" [...That actually makes a fair bit of sense. Of course, the question is, would that be better than letting him finish whatever he''s doing in there?] Mike had a strange mental image of the lich emerging from the gray sphere with a pair of colorful butterfly wings, but quickly dismissed it. He scanned his surroundings once more. [If this is the period of vulnerability the corpse mentioned, then the assassin should be attacking soon. Judging from the way it was acting, I doubt it would halt it''s plans merely because I wasn''t working with it.] After a few moments, he caught sight of a two people standing on a hill nearly a kilometer away. It was difficult to tell at this distance, but he could only assume that it was the corpse and the Prime Minister observing from relative safety. [That means that the assassin should be somewhere...] A sudden pressure exploded over him while he was still in the middle of hunting for the elusive woman. The air seemed to grow thicker and it became difficult to breath. With a sound not unlike the screech of torn metal, the grey sphere ripped apart and revealed its contents. Kultanis''s armor had disappeared or been burned away in the eruption of his ascension. As a result, he''d essentially emerged from the necrotic cocoon naked, giving Mike his first look at the undead''s actual appearance. The Skull Lord, for all intents and purposes, was a human skeleton. His bones were a shade of reflective dark grey, making them seem almost metallic or artificial. Each of his arms terminated in grasping bony hands equipped with wickedly sharp claws. Floating in his eye sockets were two orbs of pale, white light which coldly regarded the world from above a mouth of filed silver teeth. More importantly, however, was the change in atmosphere surrounding the lich. Before, he''d been a terrifying figure, easily one of the strongest Mike had ever faced. Now though, Kultanis was giving off the same kind of vibes he once associated with Brutus and the Crimson Disaster when they got serious. As the Skull Lord focused his inhuman gaze on Mike, the icy grip of fear beginning to claw its way up his spine. Staring into those floating globes of light, all strength fled his limbs, and it was all he could do to hold himself upright. He was still fighting to regain control of his body when a well timed distraction arrived. The assassin appeared behind Kultanis, little more than a blur of barely perceived motion, and before he could even respond, she scythed her blade at his neck, aiming at a point between two vertebrae. For a moment, Mike thought the fight was over. If he were attacked in that manner, he doubted any of his skills could save him from being decapitated. However, the Skull Lord was apparently different. With a clang, the assassin''s dagger stopped a few centimeters away from the Kultanis''s neck as if it struck some kind of invisible barrier. There was a brief glimpse of a confused female face in air over his shoulder before he whirled and stabbed at her with one clawed hand. Mike heard, rather than saw, the blow strike home, sinking into the assassin''s torso with a gruesome squelch. Kultanis stood there for a moment, seemingly savoring the sensation, before flicking his arm to one side, sending the nearly invisible woman flying several meters. "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO, YOU RELIC?!" The skeleton roared. "DID YOU THINK I WAS UNAWARE OF YOUR SCHEMES?! YOUR JEALOUSY?!" He lifted both arms into the air, one darkened with crimson blood. "I WILL FINISH CLEANSING THIS CONTINENT OF LIFE, AND THEN I SHALL COME FOR YOU!" While he was distracted with this tirade, Mike managed to recover. Trying to be surreptitious, he attempted to signal Cariel to attack. Unfortunately, this proved to be as difficult as he feared. The paladin merely watched his gestures with a vacant expression, head moving to follow his hand. Eventually, she frowned in confusion. "What are you doing?" Mike facepalmed and took a few precious seconds to calm down before pointing at Kultanis, who was still yelling at the sky, "I''m trying to tell you to attack him while he''s distracted." "Oh, then why didn''t you say so." She replied cheerfully while shouldering her shield once more. Mike heard a cracking noise coming from somewhere nearby, and quickly realized it was the sound of his teeth grinding together as he clenched his jaw. Intentionally relaxing the clenched muscles, he followed after Cariel, already worried about his chances for success. ---------------------------------------------------- Faril lowered the spyglass and glanced over at his companion. "She failed, and I think she might be dead. Its a bit hard to tell from this distance, but it looks like Kultanis had some sort of protective shield." Any further observations were interrupted by the undead in question going on a tirade. Judging from the words used, Faril assumed that he was directing his anger at the Archlich. "Interesting." The corpse commented dryly. "What? That Vivienne failed?" He asked in response, feeling a surge of anger at the entity''s apparent disregard for the situation. "Why in the hells are you so calm?!" "Not at all." The corpse smiled. "Vivienne''s failure was unfortunate, but not exactly unexpected. I doubted that she''d be able to get the job done without the Dragonknight''s full support. No, I much more interested in Kultanis''s current state. More specifically, his emotional state." Faril placed his eye to the spyglass and looked at the Skull Lord again. Even from this distance, simply laying eyes on that evil creature gave him chills, especially when those pale orbs turned his way. Hurried, he put the glass down again. "What about it?" "Well, its rather interesting that he has one at all. You see, contrary to popular opinion, sentient undead do have emotions, they just tend to be very muted. This becomes even more true the longer a particular undead creature exists. A lich of Kultanis''s age should have some degree of jubilation at his success, but nowhere near this amount. Its almost as if...my, my. How creative." The corpse trailed off with a speculative look on his face. "Almost as if what?" Faril asked, unable to contain his curiosity. "Someone is influencing Kultanis''s mental state, forcing him to become more emotional. Normally such a thing would be near impossible, especially now that he''s achieved Tier 4, but there is one ritual which might be able to accomplish it. One would simply have to have the right kind of reagents for it." "Really? What''s the point? I get that it would make him more likely to make mistakes, but it hardly changes the fact that he''s become so powerful it doesn''t really matter." "If this is the ritual I think it is, then the effect is only starting to show. It will grow stronger as time wears on, and should eventually drive him mad." "How is that any better?!" Faril exclaimed. Horrified by the thought of an insane Tier 4 creature loose in Almir. "Madmen are often viewed as being unpredictable." The corpse replied with a chuckle. "In truth, they simply act according to a different set of rules. If you know them, then controlling a madman''s behavior becomes a simple matter of introducing the right stimulus." It paused for a few seconds as a flash of light signaled the renewed battle between the Skull Lord and the Dragonknight. "Did I ever explain Kultanis''s origin to you?" "No." "Well, let me begin by saying that this," It gestured down to the body of the former king, "was not the first member of the Almiran royal family to rise in undeath." ------------------------- ------------------------- The Author''s Note function is more restrictive than I thought, so I will be adding the biography entries to the end of these chapters. Additionally, I''ve gone ahead and put together a "Biographies" chapter in the Auxiliary section, which will include additional context information and be updated as I go along. There were several good suggestions of where to start with these, but after some introspection, I decided to focus first on the most influential and least seen individuals, the Five Creator Gods of Ea. We''ll begin with the one we''ve had the most experience with so far, Aminatrea. As a point of reference, it would difficult to cover all aspects of deity level entities in these short entries, so I''ve narrowed it down to three categories that should include the majority of the relevant information: Titles and Appearance, Personality and Interactions with the Mortal World, and Spheres of Influence. ----------- Aminatrea ----------- Also known as the Goddess of the Sun, Mother of Light, Mistress of the Skies, Sovereign of Fire, and a host of other regional names and titles, Aminatrea is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea and is viewed as their leader by mortal worshipers. The truth is a little more complicated. While she lacks any actual authority over her fellows, she sees herself as the first among equals, and often tries to overtly direct their actions. Like all of the greater gods, she has no definite form, but often appears as a graceful young woman seemingly made entirely of light, whose radiance is painful to look upon. Her voice is said to sound like notes plucked from the finest harp, and her presence is said to be simultaneously comforting and enchanting. She is frequently associated with birds, and her sacred animal is said to be a Phoenix. Personality ------------ Thanks to millennia of cultivating an image of herself as a responsible and dedicated goddess that strives to help the unfortunate, defend the weak, and punish the unjust, she is viewed by the people of Ea as the epitome of holy virtue. Truthfully, she is an irresponsible meddler, who uses her position as one of the Creators to pursue her own interpretation of justice. This includes a zero tolerance policy on beings she classifies as evil or unnatural, such as the undead, demons, and certain kinds of monsters. As such, her angelic legions are often deployed to various realms to combat the growth of these forces, while her mortal followers attempt to do the same on Ea. She is also the only one of the Five Creator Gods who goes out of her way to punish serious transgressions against her churches or priests, earning her faith a fearsome reputation. The methods vary from minor (such as the destruction of important goods) to lethal (incineration in a beam of intense light) depending on the nature of the transgression. As a result, her clergy tend to exercise a great deal influence on mortal authorities, as most leaders are hesitant to make enemies of someone with a creator deity backing them up. Among other gods, she tends to be bossy and overbearing. This makes her somewhat popular with the more militaristic of the Ascended, who are accustomed to more rigid hierarchies than the nebulous collection of independent factions that actually rules the Heavenly Realms. However, she often suffers setbacks when confronting the other creators due to her inability to garner assistance from others. As such, hers is usually considered the weakest faction outside of Yilon''s. Spheres of influence ---------------------- Aminatrea governs the Aspects of Sun, Sky, Light, Fire, and to a lesser extent Nobility and Justice. As such, she is commonly worshiped in all corners of Ea to some extent or another, with the notable exception of Lacot for obvious reasons. Her most devoted followers include judges, magistrates, rulers, bureaucrats, and other government functionaries, although she is frequently called upon by soldiers and knights who ask for her blessing in battle. Most of the sentient races of Ea pay her some degree of homage, due in large part to her association with the Sun, and its not uncommon to encounter her shrines and temples in most major communities. She is the patron goddess of the Sun Elves, and a member of the Triune of Mirithia. Her elven followers tend to worship her mostly in her Aspect as the Goddess of Fire. As a result, Fire Elemental mages enjoy a high standing in Sun Elf society. Aminatrea is less commonly worshiped among certain populations, especially those who tend to be nocturnal or live underground. Due to her uncompromising hatred of the undead, Lacotians, and those in a similar state of unlife, tend to treat her as an enemy. Chapter 258: Breaking Through Mike curled into a ball and allowed himself to roll across the uneven ground for several meters before planting his feet and skidding to a stop. As soon as he was stable, he ran back towards the fight, wanting to limit the time Cariel was fighting Kultanis by herself. [Damn, Light Magic is also no good.] He thought to himself while considering what other methods he could try to use against the lich. So far, he''d proven virtually impervious to most physical and magical attacks. The barrier which stopped the assassin was equally effective on protecting the undead from pretty much everything Mike tried to throw at him. In truth, his Elemental Magic was even less effective than before, with Kultanis barely bothering to pay attention to it any more. Fortunately, Cariel was able to bypass the barrier to some extent. While it didn''t have quite the same impact as before, her glowing blade was still able to inflict some damage. [Based on her class, I assume her abilities are derived from Divine Magic, which might be why they are effective against the undead despite the tier difference. There has to be something I can do to bridge the gap with Elemental Magic.] He thought while getting back into the fight. For the time being, he contented himself with providing distractions for Cariel, giving her a chance to strike critical blows against Kultanis. Thankfully, the lich was strangely imbalanced, frequently giving in to the urge to use brute force despite its relative ineffectiveness. Had the Tier 4 mage fought seriously using his magic, it likely wouldn''t have been much of a contest at all. Kultanis''s mounting frustration became apparent when another of his mana laden blows was harmlessly deflected by the paladin''s glowing shield. "MAGGOTS! I WILL DESTROY YOU!" The lich roared while sending another wave of necromantic energy sweeping over the area, forcing Mike to throw up a mana shield to defend himself. It didn''t seem like a spell in the traditional sense, more a flexing of Kultanis''s newly acquired Tier 4 power. However, that didn''t make it any less lethal. After barely a second of contact, Mike''s barrier shattered, subjecting him to the cold, stabbing pain of the life-stealing attack. It felt like his hold body was submerged in ice water, his panicked nerves sending the confusing mix of numbing and burning sensations simultaneously. Thankfully, the maddening experience got easier after he acquired some kind of skill, the familiar click in the back of his mind serving to reduce the suffering. After what felt like eons, the pain finally passed, and he found himself face down on the ground. Coughing, he straightened and looked around, worried that Cariel might have been caught up as well. The paladin had better defenses against this kind of thing, but even then, there was probably a limit to how much she could take. As if answering his fears, the first thing he saw was Kultanis about to deliver a finishing blow. He had Cariel pinned to the ground with one skeletal hand crushing her shield down against her, trapping her arms in the process. His other hand was raised in the air, vibrating with a terrific amount of the grey energy. Mike tried to force himself to act, but his body was still recovering, and wasn''t listening to him yet. Even his mana was sluggish to respond, and he had trouble directing it to take form. Time seemed to slow down as the lich''s fist descended towards Cariel''s unprotected head, the now familiar sensation giving him a chance to watch the paladin''s expression as her death approached. Rather than the fear or even resignation he''d expected, she surprised him by wearing an energetic grin. He was still trying to figure out what this might mean when she exploded in a wash of golden light. He was forced to squeeze his eyes shut at the sudden brilliance, and by the time the spots had cleared from his vision, the state of the battle had changed dramatically. Kultanis had been thrown several meters back, his bony form charred and smoking. Cariel was now standing, or rather floating about a meter off of the ground, bathed in golden radiance. Two wings of light rose from her back, and a crown of flames rested on her head. Her battered sword and shield were left behind, and she now carried glistening armaments seemingly formed from luminescent crystals. She hung there for a moment, looking like a miniature sun over the dark and desiccated battlefield, before raising her crystalline sword, roaring a hearty battle cry, and charging. Kultanis, still recovering from his latest injury, was barely able to defend himself, a hastily made barrier of interlocking bone rising to impede the paladin''s progress. With a flashing blow, Cariel cleaved through the wall, incinerating most of it in a sudden burst of heat and light. Having barely slowed down at all, she pushed straight through the burning wreckage, and delivered a devastating slash at the Skull Lord''s torso. The blade cut through the lich''s rib cage and bit deeply into his spine. Only his great size saved him from being cut in half, as Cariel''s sword didn''t quite have the reach to pass all the way through his body. An instant after the strike, the air around the injury burst into flame, engulfing Kultanis in a wash of superheated air. For the first time since the start of the battle, the ancient undead screamed in pain, reeling back as the paladin stepped forward to deliver a finishing blow. Mike clenched his fist, enjoying the vicarious victory against the seemingly untouchable enemy. He wasn''t exactly sure where Cariel''s abilities were coming from or how she''d gotten so strong, but that didn''t matter at the moment. Right then, he felt truly hopeful that this fight could end easily. However, it was not to be. The paladin''s backswing, carrying all the devastating force of her initial attack stopped short of decapitating the Skull Lord. For a few seconds, Mike didn''t really understand what was happening, but then he saw the spiky bits of bone that were punching through Cariel''s torso. Somehow, Kultanis had caused the broken fragments of his rib cage to warp and grow, forming into a row of spear like projections which had skewered the woman. Ordinarily, that shouldn''t have been enough to harm the paladin that seriously, but the dark grey energy coating the tips of the makeshift spears had allowed them to bypass any passive defense she might have had. As if to add insult to injury, the lich reached down with one hand and simply ripped her free, doing more damage in the process. Hurling her away, he gave a dry chuckle. "You have my thanks, holy one. I had quite forgotten myself there. My new power must have gone to my head, as I''ve rarely acted with such a shameful lack of restraint. Fortunately, your blow woke me from irrational state." While he was speaking, his shattered ribs began to repair themselves, quickly returning to their original state. As soon as he was whole again, the lich muttered a quick chant and summoned a set of elaborate black robes to cover himself with. "Much better. I cannot believe it took me this long to realize how uncivilized I was acting..." While the narcissistic lich was still monologuing, Mike had managed to make it over to Cariel and was desperately applying Healing Magic. The paladin had been seriously injured by the surprise attack, and only her innate toughness had kept it from being instantly lethal. As it was, he still had to race to repair several punctured organs, including her heart, before the damage became too severe. [Good thing Healing Magic is my best skill.] He thought to himself once she was no longer in a critical condition. [It''s a shame I can''t use it offensively, though. Tier 4 magic would be really handy right about now...wait...] The Skull Lord broke interrupted his thoughts with an exclamation of disbelief. "How? That attack bore a heavy curse. You should not have been able to save her...no, I''ve heard about your skills as a healer. I should not be surprised that that you are as equally talented in that art as you are in others." Mike thought he detected a hint of fear in the lich''s voice, which just gave credence to the idea forming in his mind. Perhaps his skill with Healing Magic could be put to use here. After all, he''d done something similar to another type of undead not too long ago Standing, he focused his attention on the Skull Lord, noting a sudden wariness in the way the lich carried himself. Without turning his head, Mike whispered to Cariel, who was still in the process of forcing herself into a sitting position. "Can you move?" "Give me a second. I think he managed to damage my Grace somehow." She replied in a surprisingly calm voice, giving no indication of her recent brush with death. As if to add emphasis to her words, the glowing wings on her back momentarily flickered. "Hurry up, then. I don''t know how much-" Mike had to stop suddenly as he noticed Kultanis finish a surreptitious spell. Dodging to his right, he felt a line of fire scrape along his left cheek. A spike of bony material had silently emerged from the ground behind him, punching through the space his head had occupied less than a second before. The lich growled a curse, and began casting again. To make matters worse, he also chose that moment to reveal his ability to fly, lifting off the ground and floating backwards with an ease that would have made Mike jealous a few weeks ago. [While I know I don''t have any room to complain, it still feels a bit unfair.] He thought as he flew after the undead. Thanks to his title, he was able to quickly catch up, but not before Kultanis had a chance to finish his next spell. This time, he was able to catch the last few words as the dark incantation reached its climax. "...the embrace of death. [Heart Breaker]" A sudden lethargy swept over Mike, coupled with an intense pain in the center of his chest. He realized with rising panic that his heart had stopped, and his regeneration didn''t seem to be doing anything to get it working again. Unable to maintain his concentration, he fell from the sky, slamming into the ground and rolling several times. He tried to reach for his mana, to do something, but found that he could barely think, his vision narrowing dangerously. Kultanis landed a little ways away, chortling with evident satisfaction. "I was worried for nothing it seems." He said mockingly. "You see, I was concerned that you might have actually been trained as a Dragonknight, despite all evidence to the contrary. True members of the order have countermeasures for death effects like these. It seems that I am fortunate you are an imposter." Mike had neither the ability nor inclination to respond, his mind solely focused on channeling his mana inwards. His efforts were barely keeping him from passing out, but he was having trouble getting his heart to beat again. The Skull Lord walked over until he was standing directly above him. "Hm, still alive? You really are talented in Healing Magic, aren''t you? However, it is a hopeless endeavor. The spell I used is among the most advanced of the necromantic death curses. It would take at least a Tier 4 healer to overcome such a thing." [...Eh?] With a thought Mike changed his efforts from trying to restart his heart to simply erasing the curse upon it. As he did so, he felt the familiar sensation of his skill leveling up, flooding his mind with even more an even more advanced understanding of Healing Magic. He was about to stand and attack the lich with his new insight, when experience a brief moment of vertigo. In that instant, he saw a mental image of a vast wall that stretched from horizon to horizon and seemed to extend into the heavens themselves. Rather than bricks or stone, it appeared to be made of swirling, misty vapor that nevertheless was hard to the touch. Simply placing his hand on the surface of the barrier told him that it would be impossible to force his way past. Yet, directly in front of him, almost imperceptible, was a small crack. The more he looked at it, the more he felt that it could be broken further, with just a little bit of effort. He realized that all he''d accomplished in this world had brought him to the base of this wall, and that his path continued beyond it. Whether this obstacle was real, or merely a figment of his imagination, Mike could tell that is was something he needed to overcome. On some instinctual level he knew that, so long as he didn''t press forward from here, he would stagnate. However, he also knew that once he took this step, there was no going back. He would be forever changed by it. Reaching out his hand, he gently placed it over the crack while he considered the implications. It didn''t take him long to come to a decision. [To hell with it. Lets get this show on the road.] Mike shoved with all his strength, and felt the barrier give. ------------------ Below is the next installment of Biographies. ------------------ Mone and Mona ------------------ Also known as the God and Goddess of the Moon, Twin Masters of the Night, Weavers of Mystery, Reflections of Stilled Water, and a host of regional names and titles, Mone and Mona together hold a position of one of the Creator Gods of Ea. Like all of the greater gods, they don''t have a defined form, but most often appear as identical androgynous youths with pale skin and dark hair. For reasons unknown to even their peers, they never seem show up in the same place at the same time, but will trade places with each other at seemingly random intervals. This had led to a few of the braver among the Ascended to theorize that they actually share a body, although they never say such things too loudly. Mone is frequently associated with fish, especially aquatic predators, while Mona has affinity for reptiles and amphibians. Their sacred animals are said to be Sharks and Sea Serpents respectively. Personality ------------ Much like the changing face of the celestial body they represent, Mone and Mona have very different personalities. Mone is harsh, direct, and cares little for the welfare of others. His only apparent goal seems to be deriving as much entertainment as possible from the suffering of the mortals under his charge. It is rare indeed for someone to ask for his intercession on their behalf, and such petitioners often regret drawing the attention of this malign god. His most frequent worshipers include sailors, pirates, and criminals who act under the cover of night, and they only do so in order to avoid his ire. On rare occasions, merchants will also offer a prayer to the Dark Side of the Moon when seeking the downfall of a business rival, but such efforts are risky. Mone is just as likely to harm the petitioner as he is to help them. Mona, on the other hand, is calm, rational, and often inclined to act in the best interests of her mortal followers. Of all the creator gods, she is also the one most likely to respond to the heartfelt prayers of her worshipers, and is often credited with aiding those afflicted by her brother''s pranks. Artists, performers, and musicians are her most ardent followers, and it is not uncommon for them to whisper a silent prayer to her before going up on stage or unveiling a new piece. Merchants and craftsmen will also petition her for inspiration and the protection of their trade, while hunters, watchmen, and adventurers ask her for protection when performing their duties at night. However, like all things to do with these mysterious deities, not everything is as it appears. Among other gods, they have a tendency to be viewed as untrustworthy schemers and deal makers, who have been known to play both sides of a conflict against each other. Despite that, they command a great deal of influence among the Ascended thanks to an impenetrable network of agreements and contracts. While the full scope of their faction remains a mystery, the Twins are often considered to the most politically powerful of the Creator Gods due to their ability to apply unexpected leverage at critical junctures. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- The Twins together represent the Aspects of Moon, Darkness, Deception, Water, and Night. Mone is also in charge of Criminals, Trickery, and Cruelty, while Mona governs the Ocean, Music, and Love. Unofficially, they are also the gods most commonly associated with Wealth and Commerce, and are therefore frequently worshiped in cities that rely heavily on trade. Much like their fellow goddess Aminatrea, temples to the Twins are found throughout the Inland Sea Region, and most sentient races pay some degree of homage to them. That said, their religious centers are concentrated in urban areas, especially in coastal regions, and its difficult to find many of their followers in the countryside. The Twins are the patron gods of the Moon Elves and are one facet of the Triune of Mirithia. As such, they have garnered a fair amount of influence among Arcane Mages and adherents of Arcane Magic, something that remains a point of contention between them and Lysande. More so than any of their peers, Mone and Mona are likely to be worshiped by secretive cults, with practices that vary from the benign to the murderous. Everything from ritual poem composition to the sacrifice of infants is rumored to take place at their hidden gatherings. Dwarves tend to be distrustful of the Twins, viewing them as malicious entities that foster chaos and disorder. Mone especially has a reputation for interfering with honest, dwarven craftsmen and laborers for no reason save his own satisfaction, causing their works to break down unexpectedly. Beastmen, on the other hand, treat them with the greatest of respect, second only to Teun in their prayers and rituals. This stems mostly from their Aspect of the Moon, which figures heavily into most traditional beastman religious practices. Aquatic or reptilian races, and sentient monsters from the ocean likewise pay homage to the Twins, although this faith is often overshadowed by members of the Ascended more closely aligned with those individual species. Chapter 259: A Whole Nother Tier Brenden stumbled again, his legs numb from fatigue. It was frustrating, but the zombies were proving to be just as much of an obstacle now as when they were moving. He was still heading towards the area where the dark cloud had been. Judging from the occasional explosions which erupted in that vicinity, he could surmise that the fight was still going on. Every now and then he caught sight of Red circling high overhead, evidently waiting for something. Brenden tried signalling him, but to no avail. Unfortunately, the dragon''s attention seemed to be focused elsewhere, and he gave no indication of noticing the beastman, regardless of how loudly he yelled. [Seriously? What good is a overgrown aerial predator if he can''t spot something my size on the ground?] He complained in his mind while scrabbling over another particularly tall pile of corpses. Little did Brenden realize that he was just one of thousands of tiny humanoid figures scrabbling around the battlefield. For a dragon of Red''s extreme youth and inexperience, it would actually be more surprising if he did pay attention to these insect-like creatures while his summoner was in the midst of a life and death battle. "Alright, just another few hundred meters..." The beastman mumbled to himself after cresting the most recent mound of bodies. The omnipresent stench, already fairly unpleasant, was beginning to get worse. It was almost as the animating force that had brought them back from the dead had also prevented them from rotting. Now that it was removed, the corpses were making up for lost time. [Zombies are truly inconvenient in a number of ways.] A part of Brenden marveled at his own state of mind. Not too long ago, this kind of experience would have seemed like something out of his worst nightmares. Now, it really just felt irritating. He could still intellectually understand the horror of clambering over the pale and rotting corpses of massacred civilians, with a disproportionate number of women and children among them, but for some reason that fact didn''t do much more than make him angry at the people responsible. As he pondered that, he recalled a tidbit of information his master had let slip while he was learning methods for improving secondary attributes. Something along the lines of "Skills and titles that grant an increase to Willpower are rare, and have an unusual effect on a person''s mind. While they won''t dramatically change an individual''s personality, they do have tendency to realign their worldview, thus making it more difficult for things to shake them on an emotional level." [I suppose that fits. Even with all my desperation to help Sera, I''m still capable of thinking fairly rationally.] Any further introspection was interrupted when he noticed a group of horsemen cutting across the field to his left. They were moving somewhat slowly, thanks to the unusual terrain, but it was clear that their destination was the same as his. Seeing as they were alive, and figuring that they were probably on his side because of it, he decided to angle his way towards them and see if they could give him a ride. Worst case scenario, he could always resort to violence. When he was fairly close and about to call out to them, a brilliant burst of golden light exploded to the west. It captured his attention for a few moments, as he tried to guess what its origin might be. [Its not quite what I would expect from Mike, but doesn''t seem like something from the undead either. Someone from the strike force maybe?] Figuring that he would need to see for himself, Brenden called out to the equally distracted horsemen, "Hello, there! What unit are you from?" He''d hoped for a simple response. Something along the lines of ''we''re part of such and such division on a scouting mission.'' However, he''d clearly misread the situation. The majority of the horsemen, which he could now tell were knights of some sort, immediately sprung into action, spurring their mounts to quickly surround Brenden. An older man, wearing an insignia of a shield, drew his sword and demanded, "Identify yourself!" "Hold on, now! I''m not an enemy." He replied, a little annoyed by the hostile welcome. Couldn''t they see that he wasn''t undead? "The prove it by stating your rank and affiliation." Came the cold reply. "I''m..." Then he hesitated. Brenden couldn''t exactly say that he was the ruler of the Almirn''s criminal underworld. Not if he wanted to avoid some very awkward questions. "You''re what?" The knight demanded, voice harsh with suspicion. [Guess I''ll have to swallow my pride here, and hope for the best.] "I''m a follower of the Dragonknight Erasmus, bearing an important message for him." He stated with as much confidence as he could muster. Unsurprisingly, the knight was not impressed. "You expect me to believe that?" "Hold." One of the other horsemen broke in, this one significantly younger. "I recall that, before revealing himself, the Dragonknight was said to have three companions, a beastman warrior was supposedly one of them. Are you claiming that you are him?" The speaker was a young man, no older than twenty, who held himself with the regal bearing of a noble. However, his battered armor and constantly roving gaze showed that he was also a veteran fighter. Although most of his features were obscured underneath his helmet, his masculine jaw, peppered with a few days worth of stubble, remained visible. Brenden immediately noted the deference the remaining knights paid this young man, which gave some indication of his identity. Despite the obvious age difference, he was clearly the one in charge, and therefore the one he''d have to convince. "I am." He answered, meeting the man''s gaze and holding it. He stared at Brenden for a few moments, as if weighing the whole thing in his mind, before finally nodding. "I believe you." "Your Highness!" The older knight protested. "Had he intended to do us harm, he would not have called out to us in the first place, but that is inconsequential at the moment. We do not have the luxury of conducting a full trial of his identity, so I would rather trust that this capable warrior would not attempt to deceive us." The prince, whose own identity was now evident, turned back to Brenden. "I apologize for your treatment by my followers, but they were only acting with my safety in mind. Evidence suggests that there are a few traitors amongst the coalition forces, and we were specifically warned about individuals operating independently or in small groups. In any event, I assume you are heading towards the confrontation between your master and the abominable lich who threatens our lands." "Yes, actually. I was hoping you might be able to give me a lift." The prince chuckled at that. "Then it seems we share a destination, for I have business there as well. Come, let us-" His words were cut off as the world shook. There was simply no other way to describe it. The ground, air, and even their bodies shuddered as a wave of unimaginable power swept over the battlefield. For a moment, the planet itself seemed to sing, a humming voice of exultation that filled those who listened to it with awe. Brenden felt compressed, as if the atmosphere itself was trying to crush him, and he would have collapsed onto the ground if he''d been able to. As suddenly as they appeared, the vibrations ceased, leaving him and the others gasping for breath. "What in the hells..." He heard one of the knights mutter, shortly before his horse collapsed underneath him, along with all the others. Thankfully, the riders were all fairly tough, so there were no apparent injuries. The horses were clearly still alive, judging from the way their chests still rose and fell, but the phenomenon had evidently knocked them all unconscious. "Looks like we''re going on foot." The prince muttered apologetically. Brenden sighed mentally. He didn''t know for sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Mike was to blame for this too. ------------------------------------------------ The barrier shattered under his hand, and he fell forward into a sudden wash of light and heat. Warmth seeped into his very essence and seemed to permeate his being. Many things which had confounded him up to this point began to make sense. He could practically feel his understanding of the world expanding. Suddenly, he was floating in a white void that stretched as far as his eyes could see. Although it was to know for sure, he got the distinct impression that he was alone. After trying to crane his neck to look around, he realized that couldn''t move, which should have been concerning. For some reason though, it didn''t really bother him. [This old trick again. I have to admit, I''m a little disappointed. Hopefully, they won''t make me wait as long as they did when I was reincarnating.] The thought of spending any amount of time immobilized in this eerie zone should have been deeply disturbing, but he just couldn''t muster up the emotion to care. It was almost as if his emotions had been largely cut off. Silence reigned in the void, and he couldn''t even detect the sound of his own heartbeat. For an indeterminable length of time he simply floated, waiting for something to happen. As he did so, he realized he was starting to detect a faint noise. At first he thought it must have been his imagination, but it slowly grew louder. It was a scratching noise, a bit like the sound made by someone writing with a particularly sharp pen. Mike focused on it, trying to determine where it was coming from, but it appeared to be rising from the void itself. All of a sudden the noise stopped, and he instantly felt the weight of a powerful being''s attention. It was suffocating, and it made him feel like he was going to shrivel and disappear. Thankfully, it didn''t last long. The void quaked under the strain of a voice not meant for mortal ears, the force of which sent Mike hurtling back from whence he came. As his consciousness began to fade, his Communication Magic, working on overdrive, filtered the meaning of the being''s utterance. "Return. It is not yet time." --------------- [Well...that''s disconcerting.] Mike opened his eyes and found himself staring at a smoke filled sky. Sitting up, he looked around and immediately raised a hand to block. The skeletal fist, clad in grey energy, slammed against his palm, causing it to sting a little, but nothing else. Even the necromantic energy failed to harm him, as it seemed to stop just short of his skin. "How are you still alive?!" The emotionally unhinged lich roared after his strike was blocked. "What did you do?!" Rather than responding, Mike studied his own hand, noting that he could sense a sort of barrier lying on top of it. One that seemed stretch across his entire body. It was reminiscent of the shield that Kultanis had gained following his acension. [Is this just a normal part of being Tier 4?] Mike considered while idly blocking another of the Skull Lord''s blows with his other hand. [Seems kind of unfair.] Kultanis jumped back a few meters before taking to the skies once more. He began to chant, his raspy voice forming dark syllables laden with power. Judging from the flow of mana, whatever the lich was planning would be of catastrophic proportions. So, Mike took the most reasonable course of action, and launched himself after the undead. During the split second it took to catch up, he mimicked the Skull Lord''s favorite method of attack, focusing his mana into his right fist. It began to glow with a soft, white light. Before Kultanis could finish his chant, Mike''s punch smashed into his jaw. Broken teeth and shattered bone fragments flew through the air as a portion of the lich''s skull simply disintegrated under the force of the blow. Not letting his enemy recover, Mike clasped his hands together, and brought them down on the undead''s skull in an overhead swing. Unable to block, he Skull Lord was sent careening downwards and slammed into the ground, which cratered under the force of the impact. The several meter depression was further expanded as Mike deliver his follow up blow, a mana infused stomp which actually shattered the earth and caused a rain of debris for dozens of meters in every direction. Landing on the lip of the newly formed crater, Mike surveyed his handiwork. [It feels like my mana control has improved dramatically. My attributes have been obviously enhanced, so I wonder if this might be the effect of one of the hidden ones I''ve yet to unlock.] He glanced down at the rest of his body, marveling at the sheer power that seemed to be coursing through him. Nothing looked any different, but he could tell that he''d changed on some fundamental level. "That was awesome!" Cariel''s voice interrupted his thoughts. The paladin had evidently recovered to the point that she could bounce excitedly. "I wonder if I can do something like that." She promptly began to stare at her fist, a look of extreme concentration and strain on her face. A few moments rolled by as the blood started travelling to her head, leaving her beet red. [If she keeps this up, she''s going to pass out.] He thought absently before turning back to the crater. For some reason he could tell that Kultanis had begun to stir once more. As such, he wasn''t surprised when the skeletal figure exploded out of the earth, wisps of the tattered black robe still clinging to him. With a roar, the Skull Lord surrounded himself with a cyclone of necromantic energy, the ghostly orbs of light that served as his eyes narrowing in rage. Mike calmly watched all this while preparing his response, only to be interrupted by an exclamation from Cariel. "I did it!" The paladin yelled excitedly, fist coated in a wash of golden light. She looked at it proudly for a few seconds before launching herself at the lich saying. "Now I gotta try it." Sighing, Mike followed after. ----------------------------- Biographies part 3. --------- Lysande --------- Also known as the God of the Stars, Lord of Magic, Master of the Unseen Library, Ruler of the Five Winds and a host of regional names and titles, Lysande is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea. Like all of the greater gods, he has no definite form, but usually appears as a grey haired, scholarly man in the prime of his life. He is known to carry a book with him wherever he travels. While typically associated with insects of all types, he is not known to have a sacred animal. Instead, his sacred texts tend to elevate spirits and other energy based lifeforms. Personality: ------------ Of all of the Creator Gods, Lysande is credited with being the most rational and contemplative. Detractors might call him dry or unfeeling, but he is simply unconcerned with the mundane. While usually calm, in the presence of the new and unknown he becomes a passionate researcher, and will often go to extremes to track down the information he wants. He does not often speak in the presence of others, but when he does, his words carry great weight. With the exception of Yilon, Lysande is the Creator God who is least involved in mortal affairs. He rarely answers prayers, and his clergy cannot expect much of anything from him. This has given him the reputation of being an absent and uncaring deity. As a result, he is rather unpopular with the common people. This is not to say that he''s completely unconcerned with the people of Ea. On the contrary, he often intercedes in a minor capacity to give subtle inspiration to deep thinkers like philosophers, inventors, and scientists. Many magical and technological discoveries have come about due to his subtle influence. His clergy and temples are almost universal concentrated in areas of learning and knowledge, with scholars and mages being his most ardent followers. He holds a special place in the hearts of those who work with books and there are few authors or researchers who don''t offer him a prayer before starting a new task. Among the other gods, he is largely a recluse, rarely leaving his home realm. The Ascended tend to see him as being aloof and unapproachable, but those who manage to encounter him while he''s in a rare talkative mood will be regaled with rare tidbits of knowledge. Whether or not such information is useful is typically inconsequential to Lysande. Contrary to what might be expected, he actually has a fairly strong following among the Ascended, albeit a fractious and disunited one. His laissez-faire attitude to most things outside of his interests makes him quite popular for members of the Ascended who chafe under rules and restrictions. He also tends to get along with those gods outside of the major factions. As a result, he can be surprisingly influential under the right circumstances. When interacting with his fellow Creator Gods, Lysande prefers to maintain a professional cordiality, with one notable exception. He has a very unstable romantic relationship with Teun. They seem to go through cycles of passionate love affairs, domestic bliss, arguments, break-ups and eventually reconciliations. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- Lysande governs the Aspects of the Stars, Magic, Knowledge, Wind, Invention, and to a lesser extent Civilization and Cities. As he is essentially the god of Technology, he carries a fair amount of influence with nearly every facet of life for humanoid beings. In some regions of the world, he''s also associated with the, as of yet, unclaimed Aspect of Death. While he officially denies any involvement, it often falls to him to maintain this portion of Ea''s Destiny since his sense of responsibility will not let such a vital part of the fabric of reality go unmanaged. Until a reliable God of Death appears amongst the Ascended, he will likely continue this thankless duty. Much like the Twins, his following in primarily urban, but even more restricted. His temples are rarely found outside of places of learning or inventions, and are virtually unheard of in most rural communities. Of all regions, he is perhaps most heavily worshiped in Cadun, The City of Spells, where the Mage''s Guild is based. That said, it is not uncommon to encounter a traveling priest of Lysande in the midst of conducting field research. All members of his clergy are required to acquire and catalogue knowledge as part of their advancement in the church, and first-hand experience is viewed as being the most valuable. As such, there are a number of small and isolated societies whose only experience with organized religion might be a travel-worn priest of the God of Knowledge barging into their lives with a battery of seemingly nonsensical questions. Lysande is the patron god of the Star Elves, and one of the Triune of Mirithia. Most Star Elf communities are little more than isolated and self-contained monasteries where the mysteries of the universe are explored, thanks in large part to the race''s talent for nearly all forms of magic. He is also rather influential among Moon Elves due to his role as the God of Magic, which remains a point of contention between him and the Twins. Dwarves and beastmen rarely worship the god, with only a small segment of their race''s intellectual elite paying him homage. He is often associated with elves and humans far more than other races, something that makes him a little unpalatable to those outside of those particular groups. That said, it is not unheard of for dwarven craftsmen to offer up a prayer to the Lord of Invention when experimenting with new techniques. Outside of major humanoid communities, Lysande has little following. Only rarely do sentient monsters even know of his existence. The noted exception being the sphinxes of the Shimmering Desert, who are best known for their penchant for intellectual puzzles and riddles. Chapter 260: Bridging the Gap While watching Cariel try to duke it out with the lich, Mike waited for a good moment to break in and help. On occasion, he would throw a spell or two to disrupt the Skull Lord''s own magic, but otherwise continued his observations. The paladin''s haphazard method was having some effect, but he honestly felt that her sword would have been more useful. It certainly seemed to do more damage. Anyway, her glowing fist was obviously threatening enough for Kultanis to do his best to avoid it. [Whatever method he''s been using to heal himself doesn''t seem to have a limit, or at least we haven''t found one yet. Killing him instantly or simply damaging him faster than he can heal might be our only options.] He thought while observing the swiftly regenerating injuries Cariel managed to inflict on him. Experimentally, Mike tried throwing a few Elemental spells at the lich, finding himself suddenly able to make better use of his Dual Casting skill. Although he was still only able to use one chant at a time, he could now direct the flow of mana in two very different directions simultaneously. Hitting Kultanis with a lightning bolt seemed to do little, and even the Stone Javelin that accompanied it couldn''t bypass his defense, but the force of the blow did cause the undead to stagger for a few moments. Cariel took the opportunity to land a solid hit on his jaw, cracking his teeth again. [Hm, so energy based attacks are still fairly useless, but physical ones can do something. I wonder...] Using Earth Magic, he created a simple sphere of metal, about 20 cm in diameter. He decided to try something he''d been experimenting with ever since he unlocked lightning magic, but had never succeed in using it. Charging the air in front of him with electricity, he concentrated on manipulating the resulting magnetic fields to pull the sphere into the air. It was tremendously difficult to do by feel, and only his rudimentary understanding of the phenomenon derived from half-remembered physics classes made it possible at all. The sphere hummed and crackled, caught in the chaotic effects which were trying to pull it into several different directions, and quickly began to glow with the resulting heat. Focusing all of his newfound willpower on the task at hand, he lengthened the magnetic fields into an invisible tunnel nearly ten meters long, creating a titanic amount of unseen tension. Arcs of electricity began wreathing the length of his makeshift railgun, and it was all he could do to keep the forces at work from going out of control. Finally, when he near his limit, he called out. "Cariel! Get back!" Thankfully, her usual airheadedness didn''t seem to extend to combat, and she quickly reacted by throwing herself back several meters. Kultanis, perhaps sensing the danger he was in, swiftly created another of his bone shields in an attempt to block. [Wrong choice.] Mike thought as he focused on his target. Firing the metal projectile was surprisingly easy. He simply had to release his hold on the field that was keeping it immobilized. From there, it was just a matter of physics. Faster than even his newly enhanced eyes could see, the sphere disappeared, creating an intense wave of air pressure and a thunderous crack as it instantly bypassed the speed of sound. It moved so quickly, that he didn''t even get a chance to see the impact itself, only the aftermath. Kultanis''s shield had disintegrated under he force of the blow, while the lich himself had been shattered into bone fragments. These had been blown into the air, showering the battlefield with grisly shrapnel. Mike allowed the lightning fields to disperse into the atmosphere before sagging slightly. Maintaining those effects for so long had taken more mana than he''d anticipated. Although he still had quite a bit left, thanks to his significantly improved reserves, he didn''t think it would be wise to attempt that attack method a second time. He glanced down at his arms and watched his electrical burns begin to heal. [Definitely needs some refinement. Perhaps I could concoct some sort of device to channel the force better?] "What was that?!" Cariel exclaimed, having run up to him while he was lost in thought. The golden wings on her back had disappeared and she was covered in small wounds from her earlier fight, but remained exuberant nonetheless. "A technique I''m still working on." He replied mildly while flexing his hands to make sure that he had full range of motion again. They were a bit stiff, but still far better than the charred mess they''d been a few seconds ago. She crouched down to inspect the trench which had been gouged in the ground by the projectiles shockwave. "That wasn''t finished yet? Awesome...Hey, do you think you got him?" Mike frowned, he didn''t detect any hostility from nearby, but that wasn''t really a good indication. "I''m not sure. I don''t think he managed to dodge at the last second, but it''s possible that enough of him survived to regenerate. I''ll check to make sure." He started to lift off into the air, surprised again at how little effort it seemed to take now, and was about to fly off when he heard a distant shout from somewhere to the southwest. Glancing in that direction, he caught sight of a group of humanoids working their way towards him across the corpse strewn field. It didn''t take him long to determine the identity of the one in the lead, since the greatsword slung across his back was a bit distinctive. [Hm, what could Brenden want? Or rather, why is he here?] The group was still a few hundred meters away, but the urgent waving seemed to indicate that he had something important to share. Unfortunately, other matters took precedence. A sudden burst of hostility made him fall swiftly until he was nearly on the ground, and summon a mana shield around himself. He turned just in time to see a battered and still reforming Kultanis complete a spell. Vein-like manifestations of dark energy sprung up around him and swiftly dug through his shield to make contact with his skin. A wave of sickening weakness swept through him as something invisible tried to reach out and claw at his essence. The sensation was bizarre and unpleasant, as he could actually feel the malevolent energies working towards the center of his being. After a few moments, they finally contacted...something deep within him, and then recoiled. With a snap the spell shattered, and he was left none the worse for wear. By this point Kultanis had sunk back to the ground, looking close to his demise. Even the orbs of light floating in his eyes sockets had dimmed, suggesting that his reserves of power had finally reached their end. Mike landed a few meters away from the lich and got ready to bring an end to the fight. "How...What are you?" The undead asked weakly. "Even a Tier 4 should not have been able to shrug off an attack on the soul so easily." Mike didn''t answer. Instead, he charged his right hand with Healing Magic and stepped closer. "Ha...This is the end of our duel, then. A pity. I still had a few strategies I still wanted to employ. I suppose I shall save them for next time." That brought Mike up short. "Next time?" Kultanis began to laugh maniacally, "HAHAHA, Fool! I am lich! Did you think that destroying this body would be enough to end me! As soon as I reform, I will begin planning my revenge! Fear not, you will not be my first targe. No, I shall hunt down your every friend, ally, and acquaintance and make them die slow, painful deaths. You will know true despair before I bring you miserable life to an end!" Mike waited for a few seconds before responding calmly. "Are you done?" "Are you in denial?" The Skull Lord asked with a laugh. "Did you not listen to a word I said?" "Oh I did. Based on what I know about liches, you probably have your soul stored in something like a phylactery, which is most likely hidden somewhere safe. Since you seem to be largely acting under your own initiative, I would be surprised if you left something so valuable back in Lacot. My guess is that you''ve hid it a bit closer, perhaps with some trusted minions back in Tennundi?" The undead was silent. Mike continued while stepping closer again. "I also suspect that it will take you some time to finish reforming, so I should have an opportunity to find it before you''re back up to fighting strength. That said, doing so is actually my back-up plan. I have another idea I''m interested in trying." Before he had a chance to react, Mike grabbed the lich''s head with his mana infused hand. He''d come to a realization after breaking through to Tier 4. Healing Magic, at its fundamental basics, worked by repairing the body. When he first acquired the skill, he''d thought that it was just a matter of speeding up natural healing processes, but his later improvements suggested that there was more to it. The ability to completely regrow limbs, cure disease in an instant, and even purify curses spoke of some other force that Healing Magic used as its base. When he cured Selene of her Vargulf condition, he''d begun to suspect that this extra force might be the Life element he''d learned about in class. It had harmed her initially, but he''d still been able to heal her in the end. So, when he was fighting Kultanis, and the lich seemed strangely wary of his Healing Magic, the whole thing had begun to bother him. Based on his understanding of how Necromancy worked, he could guess that something like the Life Element would be its antithesis, which would explain the Skull Lord''s reaction. But then, why did Selene not die under his ministrations. She did become a familiar, but that didn''t really explain the process. When his understanding of magic improved as part of his breakthrough, he came to realize that the Rank 1 effect of his Advanced Healing Magic might be the reason for this conflict. The desctiption in his [Status] specifically stated that he had the ability to cure magical transformations and even afflictions of the soul. As such, it might even be able to heal someone that couldn''t benefit from usual healing. This is what he was trying to do now. As the lich roared in pain, Mike reached down into the depths of the undead creature''s being and located the spiritual injury. It felt like a raw and gaping hole had been torn Kultanis''s soul, as if a piece of it had been ripped out, leaving the rest to fester. Directing his mana towards it, he began the healing process. As he did so, he sensed a connection with some other distant point, likely where the lich''s phylactery had been stored. It didn''t take long to finish repairing the wound, simultaneously severing the faint connection. Standing back up, he surveyed his work. For the most part, Kultanis look the same. However, there was one indication left behind by the experience. A hand print was burned into his skull, still smoking from the power that had been channeled into it. After a few moments the orbs of light reappeared and focused on Mike. One skeletal hand reached to brush the hand print. "What...what did you do?" "I healed your soul." "That...That couldn''t...That shouldn''t be possible. How..." He trailed off as the bones of his hand started to disintegrate slowly. Mike sighed. He was feeling pretty mentally fatigued by this point and wanted nothing more than for all of this to be over. "This is the end, Kultanis. It seems that your current state won''t support your body." The lich chuckled. "Of course. If my soul is healed, then it must mean that you''ve severed its connection to my phylactery. Without that, my body will lose cohesion." He glanced down at his legs, noting that they were starting to fall apart as well. "How unfortunate that I ran into an opponent like you." Sitting down on a small mound nearby, Mike watched as the disintegration spread. "Not long now, from the looks of it. If you have any last words, I''ll at least listen to them." "HA! How generous of you. There is one thing I wanted to ask. You have no obligation to answer, I suppose, but perhaps you will humor the dying." Kultanis paused for a moment. "Are you a Reincarnator?" Mike stared down at him for a moment, then looked away. "Something like that." "I thought so. You lacked the aura of a Godblooded, and there are few other creatures out there capable of acquiring power as quickly as you have." "Godblooded?" The lich didn''t seem to hear. His voice became quieter as the disintegration reached his chest. "A word of advice, Reincarnator. Do not think that you are safe now that I am defeated. This world stands on the edge of a knife. Forces are at work that will bring an end to all that we know." Mike waited, not wanting to interrupt. The orbs of light in the undead''s eye sockets finally faded as his last whisper echoed forth. "One day death will come for you as it does for me now. When you finally...pass...I...will...be...waiting..." With that, the lich finished disintegrating, leaving only a rune-carved bit of bone and pile of grey dust. Before he had a chance to do anything else, Brenden called out to him again. "Mike! There''s trouble!" The beastman was running towards him, with several armored humans following. As he got closer, Mike could tell that his friend was in bad shape, so he jogged over to meet him. "What''s going on?" He asked while touching Brenden on the shoulder and channeling a little Healing Magic into him to cure his fatigue. "The Cabal took Sera a little while ago. I tried to track them, but they covered their tracks too well. I thought you might have something you can do." Mike frowned and sent a quick mental message to Selene. After receiving her reply, he opened his extradimensional sack and began rooting around in it. Eventually, he pulled out a small, transparent orb coated in arcane runes and bearing a smudge of dried blood. "What''s that? Some kind of tracking device?" "Better." He replied while throwing the sphere at the ground. It shattered, releasing a puff of white smoke. As it cleared, it revealed Sera''s prone form. He reached down and channeled a little Healing Magic into her, checking her condition. "Hmm, she seems to be fine, just unconscious. While I could wake her, it might be better to let her rest for the moment." "Wha...did...did you just summon her?" Brenden asked, clearly shocked. "Indeed. It seemed like a good way to prevent kidnappings, don''t you think?" [It''s unfortunate these things are just one-time use items. If I could make them work repeatedly, it would give me a lot more options.] "Are you supposed to be able to...ah, forget it. I don''t know why I even bothered worrying." Brenden replied, a familiar look of chagrin on his face. Mike leaned over and gathered the unconscious Oracle into his arms. "By the way, who are your new friends?" He asked, having already used on Appraise on them. The group of knights had been waiting at a polite distance. With his implied invitation, one of the younger ones stepped forward. "I am Prince Johnathan of Almir, Sir Dragonknight, and I wish to congratulate you on your mighty victory. Truly, we owe you a great debt of gratitude." Mike shrugged, "I''ve been promised some fairly hefty compensation for this, so there is no need to thank me." Wanting to limit the amount of time he had to spend interacting with the royal heir, he sent a mental message to Red, asking the dragon to land. "Nevertheless, you have my personal gratitude for bringing an end to the great shame of my family." The prince replied with a slight bow. "Hm, I don''t follow." "It''s a long story, and I can tell you are in a rush to care for your companion, so I will spare you for now." He explained, pausing as Red landed nearby causing a mild windstorm. "When next we meet, I will make sure to give you the full story." [A considerate prince? How unusual.] "Very well, I''ll hold you to it, your highness." Mike said with a chuckle as he hoped onto the dragon''s back. "Coming Brenden?" For a moment, the beastman hesitated, but then shook his head. "I''ve got some followers of my own to take care of. I''ll catch up with you later." "Alright. I''ll see you soon." He yelled back as Red took to the air. It wasn''t until they were already on their way that he realized he''d completely forgotten about Cariel. He surveyed the area, but couldn''t see any sign of the paladin. [Ah, well, I''m sure she''ll be alright. She''s a tough one after all.] He thought while pushing her out of his mind. There were other things he needed to focus on now. Chapter 261: Tied Together Brenden watched the dragon take off with mixed feelings. [I suppose I should be happy that things turned out alright, but I feel like the gap has widened again...] Dismissing the slight melancholy, he turned to face the prince. "Well, I''m pretty much done here, Your Highness. If you still have business to take care of, I can give you a hand as thanks for accompanying me this far." Johnathan smiled, "That won''t be necessary, but I appreciate the offer nonetheless." He bent down and scooped up a small bone fragment from a pile of ashes, before placing it in a small leather pouch. "This is what I came for, and so I shall be taking my leave as well. We will head back to rejoin the rest of my forces. You are welcome to come with us, since there is no telling what undead monstrosities still roam the battlefield. It would certainly be safer to travel in a group." "I''m going to have to pass. On the way here, I ended up leaving my subordinates behind. They are probably frantically-" He was interrupted by a distant yell, "MY KING!" A large group could be seen heading this way. One of the knights, a cat beastman, turned to look in the direction of the sound. "Is he calling Your Highness? But you haven''t ascended to the throne yet." "Something may have happened to the king in our absence." Johnathan replied gravely. "We should speak with them and find out." Brenden, who recognized the voice as belonging to Fang, began to panic. The last thing he wanted was for the prince and his group to run into his criminal followers at this juncture. At best, it would lead to some awkward questions. At worst...well, he didn''t want to think about it. "AH! Don''t worry. That was a friend of mine. He has a habit of calling me that. As a joke, you see. I''ve told him to stop on a number of occasions, but he never listens." One of the knights frowned. "That''s a problem. You should tell your friend that such a thing is close to treasonous. While I doubt any magistrate would truly prosecute him for it, he would be better off avoiding any undue attention from that kind of behavior." "Come now, Ian." The Prince broke in. "It''s just a harmless nickname. There is no reason to take it seriously. I mean, it''s not like he''s trying to rebel against the crown and form his own government." "MY KING! I BRING WORD FROM THE COUNCIL!" Fang yelled again. Brenden had to use every ounce of his willpower to not let his emotions show as they descended into awkward silence. "Haha...Well, it sounds like he has an important message from the rest of our friends. I better go meet up with him to make sure that its nothing too serious." "Ah...yes...that makes sense." The Prince replied with a strained smile. "May you have safe travels until our paths cross again." "You as well, Your Highness." Brenden replied with a half bow before taking off running. Thanks to his replenished stamina, it didn''t take long for him to meet up with Fang''s group. The bear beastman had evidently taken charge of the best of their fighters as they followed after him. This meant that nearly a hundred of the most dangerous criminal enforcers of the city of Almirn were streaming across the battlefield for one purpose and one purpose only. As soon as he got close, Brenden was welcomed by a loud cheer that sounded half joyous and half relieved. "King of Thieves!" "He''s alright!" "I''m so glad!" "Long live the King of Thieves!" "My King!" Fang added with a bellow. "I prayed for your safety, and now I see you have returned to us!" "Quiet! All of you!" Brenden yelled in response, immediately silencing his surroundings. Feeling slightly guilty at the looks of hurt confusion he saw in several of their faces, he coughed. "We aren''t exactly in friendly territory, so we don''t want to draw too much attention to ourselves. Now come on, lets rejoin the others." Fang nodded. "As you say, My King. But what of the battle, should we not lend our aid?" "While there are a few pockets of the enemy left, the Lacotian general has fallen, and the rest should soon follow suit. We no longer have a reason to be out here." He replied while trying to direct the crowd back the way they came. "You mean to say that the battle is over, and that we won?" The old bear beastman asked, a bit breathlessly. Brenden sighed. "That''s more or less the case. Of course there are still-" The rest of his words were cut off as they spontaneously burst into cheers and started to chant. "King of Thieves! King of Thieves!" "QUIET! What did I just say?!" --------------------------------------------------------------- Count Graveston sat down in his chair and waited for the door to his cabin to finally close as the last of his aides left. Once it did, he allowed the fatigue he was feeling to finally show. Sagging against the chair''s back, he rested his head against its polished surface as a wave of dizziness passed through him. Although his efforts had been successful, performing that kind of ritual had taken a lot out of him. If not for the potency of the focus device he was using, he doubted if he''d been able to maintain it for as long as he had. [Ha...It seems I''ve been slacking in my training. A few decades ago, I could have worked the Ebon Heart Ritual for days without rest. Now, even a couple of hours is enough to leave me feeling faint. How pathetic.] Resolving himself to increase the amount of time he spent training every day, he forced himself to begin sorting through the various reports on his desk. Even with Mike''s victory over the Skull Lord, there were still a multitude of things that needed to be taken care of, and it would be a long and difficult road to begin repairing the devastation caused by two successive invasions. [Not to mention the situation with the Tennundian homeland. Annexation is the most likely course of action, but it will present its own headaches. The last thing we need is to create another potential enemy on our frontier. I''ll have the council advise the future king to break the land up into small chunks. Hopefully that will avoid a repetition of history.] There was a knock at the door, followed by Leo''s voice. "My lord. The Marshal is here and requests a meeting." [A little faster than I expected.] "Let him in." His aide opened the door and guided the distinguished guest in, before taking his place slightly behind and to the left of the Count''s chair. Emmanuel sat on the other side of the desk, a rueful smile appearing on his face once he realized that the simple stool was not only uncomfortable, but a little shorter than the Count''s own seat. "Thank you for seeing me." The mage started, obviously unbothered by the cheap provocation. "I apologize for seeking you out so soon after the battle, but I felt that it was prudent to do so now." "Not at all. My own contributions pale in comparison to your own, Lord Marshal." The Count replied simply, the shadow of a gracious smile on his lips. "I am amazed that you even had the time or energy to visit me after leading a strike force into the heart of the enemy. Surely you must have overcome terrible odds to not only survive, but defeat the Lacotian leadership." This earned him a frown from Emmanuel. "While my group might have succeeded in eliminating the surviving necromancers, and did assist in mopping up the remaining pockets of undead, the credit for bringing the enemy to an end lies with my student. Which is something you should be well aware of." The Count''s smile grew slightly before disappearing. "That''s a matter for some debate. As the Marshal, aren''t you responsible for both the successes and failures of your subordinates? Surely there is no harm in accepting your well-deserved accolades." "I''m not here to bandy words with you, Count, so let me cut to the chase. What''s your game?" Count Graveston took a moment to stare into the mage''s determined eyes, before glancing away in disinterest. "I''m afraid I don''t follow. Is there something in particular that you are asking about?" "Hmph. Fine. Then let me make it clear. I''m talking about Mike. The central figure to this whole drama. While some people seem to have forgotten how he ended up here, I did not. It was your recommendation that brought him into the University, and it was your plan that got him involved in this conflict." "Of all the things to ask me about...Very well, what is your question?" "Who is he, really? I''ve done my research, and, according to accounts from the Order of the Wheel, he was on the low side of Tier 1 just a few months ago. Judging from the light show that concluded this particular battle, its probably safe to assume that he''s broken through to Tier 4." The Marshal paused for a few seconds, as if to try and read the Count''s face after delivering that bit of news. Regardless of what he saw, he soon continued. "I''m sure you are aware, but that kind of advancement is abnormal, even if one considers his...his background. So I have to ask, who is he? Where did you find him? What did you plan by bringing him to the fore in this manner?" For the first time in what felt like weeks, the Count laughed. "While I would love to claim responsibility for this master stroke, in truth, his advancement caught me by surprise as well." Emmanuel leaned back, looking unconvinced. "It''s the truth. I suspected that he had a great deal of potential when he resolved the demon situation in Wyrport. Even with the Hero title, which you seem so adverse to mentioning, such a feat was quite impressive. I had thought to bring him into my employ, or at the very least make him indebted to me, but I ultimately decided not to. Instead, I merely pointed him in this direction. I had a hunch that he would be helpful in dealing with the current crisis, although I never expected that he would solve it so thoroughly." The mage frowned for a moment. "I see." "Unfortunately, I cannot share much more. What am I without my secrets, after all? I will, however, point out one thing that you''ve probably already come across, but may not recognize the significance. My estranged son encountered Mike while on patrol with the Order of the Wheel. He was being chased naked through the woods by a large carnivore, and claimed to be suffering from amnesia." "Are you implying..." The Count raised his finger before continuing. "Coincidentally, the same day Mike was found, a massive surge of magical energy struck the central continent, destroying many of the more sensitive magic devices employed by the mage''s guild." Emmanuel blinked, a look of sudden realization on his face. "That''s...is that possible?...I see. Thank you for letting me know." The mage stood slowly, obviously lost in contemplation. "I''ll take my leave now. You''ve given me much to think about." Once the door had closed behind the Marshal, the Count spoke, "Leo, has Morris arrived yet?" "I believe he has, my lord. He should be waiting on deck." "Send him in, I have something I need to discuss with him." Leo bowed and left, soon returning with the younger Graveston in tow. "Father, what''s this all about? I have a legion of things I need to take care of still." Morris complained bitterly as soon as he walked in. The Count waited for his aide to depart once more, before turning towards his son. "The army can wait. You have generals and officers for this exact purpose. If you haven''t learned how to delegate yet, then they''ll just have to muddle through without you." Morris gritted his teeth, and looked like he was about to explode. After a few seconds, he sighed and strode over to the small window overlooking the river. "Fine. What do you want?" [Hmm, he''s getting better at controlling his temper.] "I have a task for you that will take you out of country. Tie up any loose ends you might still have here, and be prepared to leave on short notice." "Eh?! You can''t be serious! This is too sudden." The Count frowned. "I am giving you as much time as you should need. If you cannot take care of your business quickly, then it will have to wait until your return. Now, I suggest you get started." Morris''s mouth worked a few times in silence, before he simple grunted and stormed out. [That takes care of one issue. Now for the rest.] The Count thought, allowing a brief moment of despondency to take hold of him. However, it quickly passed, and he was soon back to work. Chapter 262: Comeuppance Sera awoke with a start, coming fully out of bed in an instant. She was already clawing at the air when she realized that she was back in the infirmary. "Huh...how?" "Mike rescued." Came the unemotional reply from Tal. The elven woman was sitting in a nearby chair and calmly scratching under Audra''s chin. The little dragon was comfortably curled up in her lap, doing her best impression of a sleeping cat. "What? How did he find me? The Cabal shouldn''t have left any traces..." She listened patiently as Tal haltingly explained what happened, as well as the purpose of the strange glass orb that Mike had smeared her blood back during the siege. Once she had a grasp on the full story, she had only one thing to say. "That asshole! How dare he treat me like some kind of summoned monster! When I get my hands on him..." She trailed off as her words began to fail her, so intense was her anger. "Was effective." Tal argued, seemingly unfazed by her friend''s outburst. "I know it was effective! That just makes it worse!" She collapsed back into bed, switching to melancholic tears in an instant. "Ugh...I thought I was done for this time. I mean, a part of me knew he was going to come looking for me, but I was worried that he wouldn''t..." Tal patted her arm companionably. Sera sighed. "I know I should be grateful that I was saved at all, and I am, but...couldn''t he have done it differently? It makes me feel...dirty. Like, am I so cheap that he can just summon me like...like some kind of animal?" The elf nodded sagely. "Mike foolish. But wise...sometimes." "You got that first part right. Not too sure on the second." She buried her face in her hands. "Ugh, I don''t know what to say to him...hey, now that I think about it, where is he?" "Cabal hunting." "Eh? Is it because of me...no, that''s not important. Doesn''t he know that''s dangerous?! They have a wealth of powerful agents in their employ, and the one that''s leading this particular group is really bad. I''ve heard rumors about him, and if half of them are true, Mike could be in serious trouble." Tal just gave her an even look. "No problem. Not anymore." ----------------------------- "RAAAA!" The strange being known as Grim kicked the table over, sending the rotting rood on its surface spilling throughout the peasant''s kitchen. Albrecht dimly noted pieces of maggot riddled chicken falling into the still open mouth of the house''s original owner, something that would have amused him under different circumstances. The old farmer''s corpse had been left where it had fallen a few days ago, and was beginning to add its own character to the omnipresent stench of the hovel they were using as a hideout. Albrecht knew better than to get involved while his master was on a rampage. As one of the highest ranking members of the Cabal, Grim not only had the authority to do as it pleased, but also the power to ensure that no one could complain. Add to that a tendency towards emotional instability, and the creature had all the hallmarks of being the kind of boss that killed his subordinates in fits of rage. As such, he thought it wiser to remain in his position near the door and wait patiently for the disturbing colony of worm-like monsters to calm its collective emotions. He''d been doing so for nearly a half hour, and honestly he was more impressed that there was much of house left. While his master began punching holes in the wall, Albrecht took a moment to adjust the white mask which covered most of his face. The transformed skin of his left cheek was sticking to its ceramic surface, causing minor irritation every time he moved his head. [I wonder if they will let me wear a cloth mask. Although, I suppose I''d have to worry about the pus soaking through. Maybe leather would work better?] "HOW? HOW DID SHE DO IT?!" Grim roared again, smashing one of the kitchen''s two remaining chairs against the floor and shattering it into pieces. The senior Cabal member was referring to the Oracle they''d recently captured, who had somehow disappeared before their very eyes. She''d been lying on the ground, unconscious while Grim was gloating over the ease of the acquisition. Then, in a brief flash of light, she''d vanished completely. [Clearly some kind of magic, imbecile. I''m not a mage, but even I can tell that much.] He thought to himself before coughing slightly. "Perhaps her allies used some form of spell to rescue her, master?" Grim rounded on him, and yelled, "I took precautions against that exact sort of possibility, idiot! She was kept in a warded chest during the entire trip here, and this house, pathetic hovel that it may be, is still protected by the best shielding spells we have access to. It should have been impossible for them to locate her, let alone pull her out with some form of teleportation." "Could we have been followed, master?" He offered, hoping to direct the uncomfortable gaze elsewhere. "Ridiculous! Unless the Lacotians decided to renege on our agreement or they managed to employ one of the undead to track us, our life wards would have detected them." It seemed to be finally calming down now, putting its rather disturbed intellect to the task of deducing the method she used to escape. "No, the only way she could have been accurately evacuated in that way, was to have some sort of passive connection with the caster. One that didn''t require knowledge of her location...it couldn''t be that simple..." Albrecht sighed mentally. Obviously, his master had discovered a hole in its plans, and now had to work through the implications. "I can''t believe they would resort to something like Calling Magic on a living human, but...it would fit." The robed figure stood still as whatever served as its brain worked full speed to work through the problem. "It would require a rather inventive method of binding, perhaps some sort of magic item to serve as an intermediary, but if they got past that obstacle, it would have been simple to recover the Oracle without even needing to know where she was." [Congratulations, you figured it out.] Albrecht returned sarcastically in his mind, before speaking in much more polite terms. "Then, what shall we do about it, master?" "It is unfortunate, but I believe we can safely assume that our enemies are now aware of our presence in the area, and will likely be on guard against any future efforts to capture our target. This will make it difficult, but not impossible. Fortunately, they should still have no idea that we are using this farmhouse as a base of operations-" "Oh, I wouldn''t be too sure of that." A new voice broke in from the doorway behind Albrecht. One that he didn''t recognize as belonging to the other Cabal members in their makeshift compound. A trill of fear passing up his spine, he whirled in place, sword already out of its sheath. Thanks to his gifts from the Cabal, the blow was incredibly fast. Honestly, it was one of the best strikes he''d ever executed. Most Tier 2 fighters would have been unable to even perceive the attack, let alone block it. Even Tier 3 warriors would need to be ready for it to have any chance of surviving. Unfortunately for Albrecht, his opponent surpassed both categories. Before he''d even laid eyes on the doorway, he felt a sudden lightness in his sword arm. Not having the time or wherewithal to think about such things, he followed through on his strike, delivering a rising diagonal slash which should have cut into the intruder, based on where his voice was coming from. However, things turned out differently than he''d imagined. Rather than a sword, his arm projected a line of red liquid which splashed against the young human in the doorway. It took Albrecht a few moments to realize that the liquid was blood that was pouring out of the stump of his severed sword arm. An impossibly clean cut, just above the elbow had removed the limb before he''d even finished his swing. It was then that the pain struck, and all Albrecht could do was collapse backwards with a strangled grunt. Unconsciously, he scrabbled away from the door, some half-remembered instinct telling him that he needed to distance himself quickly. His training took over, and he was able to fight through the haze of agony long enough to bear witness to the rest of the encounter. "Ugh...Alright, that was a mistake. Next time I won''t try to be cool and just kill them quickly." The youth exclaimed in a disgusted voice as he briefly used Lifestyle magic to clean his clothes. "There, much better." Turning a golden-eyed gaze towards Grim, he began speaking in a confident, almost jaunty, manner. "I take it you are the leader of this particular bunch...whew, that''s quite the title you have there. Honestly, based on that alone, you''re more of a monster than the Skull Lord. And that''s saying something, considering that he killed a nation''s worth of civilians in the pursuit of power." For those not used to the worm creature''s mannerisms, it might appear that Grim was still standing calmly in the center of the small kitchen, but Albrecht knew better. The small tremors of motion that could be seen under the grey robes covering its ''body'' indicated that it was highly agitated. "You! You were the one that stole my prize! Return it to me! Now! Or I shall make you suffer like none have ever suffered before!" The creature howled, shattering the illusion of calm as it clenched its ''hands'' in boiling rage. The young man looked shocked and then amused. He glanced over at Albrecht and asked, "Is this thing dumb? Would I have come here by myself if I wasn''t confident in my ability to handle him?" Albrecht was unable to respond, even though a part of him wanted to agree with the intruder. The air began to vibrate as Grim summoned forth its power, howling in fury. "INSOLENT FOOL! I WILL-" "That''s enough of that." The man broke in with a simple waving gesture. A sudden blast of air flattened the worm-creature to the ground, crushing it against the hard-packed dirt floor. "I''ve heard that too many times over the last few days." He sighed before continuing, "I had planned on questioning you about a few things, like the location of the Cabal headquarters, your aims, where you have the most influence and things like that, but that seems foolish now. Judging from your race and title, I doubt you''d be willing to share." He gestured towards Albrecht, "And the rest of these minions don''t know anything of value. Unfortunately, it seems that this is a waste of my time." "What...are...you..." Grim managed to squeeze out, despite the crushing force that was pressing it into the ground. "Done with that question too." The youth replied as he turned and left, exiting the house in short order. After a few seconds, there came a simple command, delivered in a firm voice. "Burn it." As the windows shattered and a wave of intense, devouring flame rushed toward him, Albrecht had just enough time to regret his path in life before he knew no more. Chapter 263: A Burning Descent As the farm house collapsed in on itself, wreathed in the intense inferno of dragon fire, Mike sighed and glanced over at Selene. "Welp, that was a bit of a bust." "Are you sure there wasn''t something worth saving in there?" She asked, a little annoyed. "Even if the boss wasn''t going to talk, there could have been documents, or ledgers, or something." "Already asked the other members we captured. You know, the ones I threatened to let Red eat. According to them, this was only meant to be a temporary safe house while they tried to kidnap Sera. Their main base of operations in the region is located in the city, near the docks. I''ll be heading there next, but I have a sneaking suspicion I won''t find much. The Cabal seems to be good at covering its tracks." "Whatever. Then I assume this particular mission is at an end?" The vampire asked with arms folded, irritation still present in her body posture. [I guess she''s angry about me basically wasting her time?] "That''s right. As soon as we''re done torching this place, I''ll take you back to Almirn and let you resume your usual duties. I still have some business to take care of over the next couple of weeks, so I may have to call on you to handle a few things from time to time, but you should be in the clear in the short term. Anyway, you did a good job here. Because of your efforts, we got the chance to remove this particular blight from the capital." Sounding slightly mollified, Selene shot back. "I know you are just trying to get on my good side, but I appreciate the sentiment anyway. Speaking of which, when are we getting out of here? I''m craving some real blood. Living off the small animals I managed to catch around here has been very depressing." Mike chuckled. "Soon, I just want to make sure that the fire is controlled before I..." He trailed off as he detected the appearance of a massive source of hostility. The range of his detection had increased since his breakthrough, and it was now a bit more accurate, so he could instantly tell that a powerful creature was descending from above very, very quickly. Grabbing Selene, he sent a mental warning to Red while taking to the air with a blast of magic. A veritable mountain seemed to slam into the ground where he''d been standing mere seconds ago, creating a shockwave of dirt that extinguished the farmhouse''s fire and threatened to knock Mike out of the sky. Righting himself and then taking a moment to calm his disoriented vampire familiar, who had only just started to shriek cry out in alarm, Mike surveyed the new arrival, using Appraise as soon as the bulky creature became visible. ---------------------- Murthinax Age: 4352 Race: Greater Flame Dragon Class: Lord of Fire Title: Sovereign of Stonebirth ---------------------- [...This is a bit troubling.] Murthinax looked very similar to Red, only on a much larger scale. In fact he was so big that he might have trouble fitting inside a football stadium, if he were to appear on Earth. Red''s bus-sized body was so completely dwarfed by the new arrival, that he looked like a small pet by comparison. "Enslaving my kindred carries a heavy price, human!" The dragon roared, causing the air to vibrate with the unseen force of his voice. "Even the Dragonknights never dared to bind a Flame Dragon, but I am merciful, release my kin from bondage and I shall spare your life." It took a moment for Mike to realize that he was talking about Red. "Um...I think you are mistaken about something, your...uh...lordship." This didn''t seem to amuse the powerful creature, "Do not think to offer excuses, whelp. Your ancestors were still clawing in the dirt...what?" For the first time since his arrival Murthinax turned his burning gaze away from Mike, focusing on Red, who was now sitting in front of him, making an impassioned plea. They were too far away for his words to be heard, but the meaning came across shortly. "You are a summoned creature? I thought that technique was lost...I see." Looking back at Mike, the dragon called out again. "Come here, human. It seems that we have much to discuss." By now, the hostility he''d been detecting since Murthinax''s arrival had faded, so he figured it was probably safe to descend. Landing next to Red, he let Selene continue to hide behind him, a look of abject terror on her face, which was understandable considering her proximity to the colossal beast. The Greater Flame Dragon stared at him for a few moments, taking in great gusts of air as if sampling his scent. Finally, he spoke again in a voice that was far too loud to be listened to comfortably. "You are quite young for a Tier 4 mage, but I suppose that make''s sense considering your other titles. However, that doesn''t matter right now. Is it true you brought this one," he gestured at Red, "into existence using your magic?" Mike took a moment to let his ears stop ringing. "Its true. Although it was really more of a fluke, to be honest." "And could you recreate this ''fluke'' if you needed to?" He thought about it for a moment. With his newfound understanding of Summoning Magic, he was fairly certain he could figure out the chant he''d used to summon Red in the first place, and perhaps even improve on it in a few ways. "I believe so, but it would require some experimentation." The massive dragon looked at him for a few seconds before rearing up and laughing. It was a concussive, volcanic affair that forced Mike to create a mana shield around himself and Selene as fire rained down on them. "HAHA! Finally! Human, do you have any idea what this means?!" "...No?" "It means that I need not be the last of my kind!" Mike staggered for a moment as the ground shook with the dragon''s excitement. "I wasn''t aware that Flame Dragons were in danger of going extinct." Murthinax''s demeanor changed in an instant, becoming far more subdued. "It is a long story. One that I have no intention of sharing at this time. Just know that I have not encountered another living member of my species for several centuries. Regardless, that has changed now. Tell me human, how difficult would it be to create more like dragons like my cousin here?" "Hmm, that''s hard to say since I''ve yet to perfect the method, but I can probably manage to summon a few a year, once I get that ironed out." "HA! Excellent!" The dragon exclaimed happily. "Do they need to be bound to you like this one is?" "At first, I think? But I''m pretty sure I can release them after they''ve finished manifesting." He replied uncertainly. What he''d said felt right, but he hadn''t really put any thought into it before now. "However, that doesn''t mean I''m going to do so just because you asked." The air seemed to thicken as Murthinax regarded him again, and rumbled in a deep, almost subsonic, voice, "Oh?" Not letting the sliver of unease he felt enter his voice, Mike replied calmly. "Summoning a small army of dragons is a time and energy consuming process, and I''ve yet to hear what I would be getting out of this deal. Surely you didn''t think I would work for free." The tension increased as the massive creature stared at him for a moment longer, before it finally relented. "That is...fair. Very well, what is it that you desire?" Mike hesitated. He honestly didn''t know what a creature like the Greater Flame Dragon could give him. [Well, he''s a dragon, so he''s probably got some treasure stashed somewhere, but that feels like a bit of a waste. Some kind of magical boon maybe? Wasn''t there that story about a dragon heart a while back? Not sure what I''d do with one, but...Argh! Whatever, I''ll just throw it back into his court.] "Thank you for the offer, but I feel that a wise and honorable dragon like yourself would know best what he could give someone like me." The dragon chuckled, sending forth another stream of lava which needed to be avoided carefully. "How cunning. Very well, I shall play along." He muttered before straightening to his full height and speaking again in a deep resounding voice. "Michael Rasmussen, for the aid you have given and will give to me, I shall grant you three boons. By the ancient laws of dragonkind, these shall be gifts of knowledge, power, and wealth in a measure equal to your task. Is this acceptable to you?" [That''s kind of vague. Oh well, its not like this bargain is actually costing me anything besides some mana and a little bit of time. I''ll just go along with it for the time being.] "It is." "Very well, then the contract is formed." Murthinax intoned solemnly, causing a visible shudder to pass through the air around them as a powerful wave of mana surged from his body. [Contract?] "...Wait, what are you-" "Now, human, I will begin repaying my debt by imparting knowledge upon your companion here. I shall take him back to Stonebirth with me, teach him what it means to be a dragon, and train him in the ancient arts of our kind. With the evident strength of his spirit, I do not believe it will take long for him to rise from his status as a Lesser Flame Dragon." The colossal creature interrupted. "Now hold on a minute-" Mike started to argue. However, Red stopped him. "I want to go." The dragon said, speaking to him in discernible words for the first time. His voice was deep and rumbling, although to a much lesser extent than the other one, but still carried a naive tone which belied his youth. "I need to become stronger so that you won''t leave me behind." Mike shook his head, finding the idea silly. "Come on now, I wouldn''t do that." Red tilted his head in a strangely cat-like fashion. "Why not? You''ve already done it with the little one." It took Mike a moment to realize that he was talking about Audra, and felt a pang of guilt. [I suppose I can''t blame him for thinking that way.] After a few moments of consideration, he nodded. "Alright, you can go, but I expect you to come back eventually. I can hardly pretend to be a Dragonknight without my dragon mount, now can I?" Red bent down until his head was level with Mike, then nuzzled against him. Although fairly unpleasant, due to the dragon''s rough scales and hide, the sentiment wasn''t lost on him. Murthinax rumbled, "If your goodbyes are done, child, then let us leave. The flight to Stonebirth can be taxing for one of your size." He began to flap his building-sized wings, lifting into the air in a manner that defied all of Mike''s knowledge of aerodynamics. Roaring over the sound of the wind his passage was creating, the Greater Flame Dragon added, "I will seek you out in time, human. To both deliver more of your reward and to check your progress. For now though, fare thee well." The dragons took off into the evening sky, quickly dwindling to specks that vanished completely in due time. After a few moments of silence, Selene coughed and loosened her grip on his shirt. "Ahem, well that was strange. Does this sort of thing happen to you often?" "Not..." Mike started to deny it, but realized he really couldn''t. "Haa...actually, this is something of a common problem for me." "Right...remind me to keep my distance when we get back to the city. Speaking of which, how are you planning on getting there now?" Mike frowned, "I don''t suppose you can turn into a bat or anything, right?" Selene just stared at him, not bothering to answer. "Figured as much. Alright, come here, I''ll carry you. Thankfully, its not that far away." -------------------------------------------- Biographies Part 4 -------------------------------------------- ------- Teun ------- Also known as the Mistress of the Earthen Realm, Ruler of All That Grows, Giver of Life, Mother of Instinct, and a host of regional names and titles, Teun is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea. Like all of the greater gods, she has no definite form, but usually appears as a statuesque women with skin the color of rich earth and tangled, vine-like growth in place of hair. As the goddess most frequently associated with physical passion and lust, she is known to have an enchanting and seductive air. Few among the Ascended can resist her charms, and even her fellow Creators are known to fall prey to her persuasion when she''s seeking a favor. Teun is commonly associated with plants and mammals, and her sacred creature is the Treant. Personality ------------- Vivacious and mercurial, Teun is a goddess of passion who embraces emotion and embodies the principle of living in the moment. She is the most direct of the Creators, often boldly stating her opinion with no thought to how it might derail the conversation, something that irritates Aminatrea greatly. Detractors often call her reckless and impulsive, prone to sudden mood swings. To her adherents, however, she is bold and adventurous, unwilling to waste time on overly complex plans when action is required. This is not to say she doesn''t exercise some degree of forethought, merely that long-term consequences rarely factor into her decision making process. Teun, thanks to her role as the goddess of life is easily the most popular deity amongst mortals. Rural communities are nearly universal in their devotion to her. This is especially true in the case of farmers, miners, and those who work with the soil. As such, her church is by far the largest and most diverse, spanning nearly every race and region. She is quite popular among her fellow gods, but rarely has the wherewithal to maintain a strong faction. As such, she tends to ally with one of the other Creator Gods when making major decisions, lending what support she can muster to their causes. Teun is in an unstable romantic relationship with Lysande, which is often leads to intense drama between the two celestial entities. However, this has not stopped her from taking on a number of lovers among the Ascended, and even the occasional mortal. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- Teun governs the Aspects of Earth, Life, Plants, Animals, Passion, and Instinct. She is often associated with Fertility, and to a lesser degree, Marriage. As such, most wedding ceremonies in the Inland Sea Region are partially dedicated to her. Because of her involvement with nature and natural processes, virtually every person who makes their livelihood off the land pays her some degree of homage. From the hunter offering a silent prayer before his fires his arrow, to the farmer planting seeds blessed by a Teundan priest. From the miners requesting safe passage through her domain, to the expectant mother pleading for a safe delivery. When combined with her role as the supposed source of carnal pleasure, she is understandably the most popular goddess in the pantheon. A fact that continues to irritate Aminatrea to no end. With few exceptions, the various races of Ea routinely worship her, with her most fervent supporters being the many tribes of beastmen. Most of their rituals and traditions stem from the worship of one of her Aspects. Teun is also the patron of the dwarves, who focus primarily on her role as the goddess of Earth, and by extension, all the lies within the ground. Not all of her followers are benign, however, and several primitive monster tribes worship her as the Mistress of the Hunt and Goddess of Hunger. They pay homage through ritual sacrifices and feasts, which is all too often composed of their sentient victims. Similarly, vampires, ghouls, and those types of undead that must feed to survive are also frequent worshipers of hers. However, she is often superseded in their hearts by certain members of the Ascended that more closely align with their worldview. Chapter 264: Personal Business Julia stared at the angel who''d been her constant traveling companion. They''d shared good times and bad over the course of their journey, and she''d come to think of the woman as a friend, albeit one that requires constant supervision. So it was with these thoughts in mind that Julia did her best to control the sudden urge to throttle her. "What do you mean you forgot?! That was the whole point of coming here!" Cariel laughed, looking a bit sheepish. "Well, it was such a good fight that it didn''t even occur to me until I was already heading back." Julia had spent nearly two hours hunting for the angel on the battlefield, only to find her in the keep after she''d given up and gone back. She''d somehow fallen in with a group of orcs, and was taking them on in a series of celebratory wrestling matches. Needless to say, this did not improve her mood in the slightest. Hands curled into grasping claws, the cat beastman had to look away, lest her anger get the best of her. She asked another question in the hopes of salvaging something from the situation. "Did you at least meet the person you were looking for?" "Hmm..." Cariel frowned in deep thought, obviously consulting her memories thoroughly. For every second that she delayed, Julia could feel her blood pressure rising. Finally, the angel''s face broke open into a grin. "Ah! Now that I think about it, there was one guy who seemed like he might be the Hero. He was fighting this big skeleton dude, who was actually pretty tough. Even I had some trouble with him." "Aren''t you supposed to be able to sense the Hero''s presence?!...Haa, never mind. You probably forgot that you could do that, too. Anyway, what did he look like? Did you see where he went afterwords?" Cariel frowned again, "He was human...I think? I didn''t really see him leave though. Once the big skeleton was down and the fight seemed to be over, I saw a group of undead knights that looked like they were trying to get away, so I chased them." [What are you, a dog?!] Ignoring the mild irony of the thought, Julia rubbed her temples, feeling the now familiar headache coming on. "Alright, so here is what we are going to do. Chances are, he''s going to be part of the victory celebrations back in Almirn, probably even going to be the guest of honor at whatever feast the royals are throwing. If we can get in there, it should be simple matter of tracking him down." "Okay, I understand." The angel nodded absently, clearly not understanding at all. Julia sighed. "I suppose I''ll just take care of that part too. Don''t worry about it." "Thanks, Julia! Your the best! I''m going to go back to wrestling now. I''ve only got another twenty matches or so before they''ll let me take on their chieftain." Cariel replied enthusiastically before running back to the circle of orcs. Although Julia might have been imagining things, she thought the line of muscular warriors cringed at the angel''s return. Walking away, she began planning everything she would need to do to get into the event. [The easiest way would be to get an invitation, but that might be a bit difficult. Failing that, I could steal some servant uniforms or something. Hmm, I''ll save that for a last resort, since I don''t think Cariel could act long enough to make it through the front door...] It was late at night, not that you could tell from the raucous celebrations that were still going strong. Chances were that most of the people she needed to speak with were already well into their cups. [Nothing for it. I guess I''ll wait until tomorrow to get started.] Lost in thought, she didn''t even notice as her target landed nearby and quietly entered the keep. ----------------------------------- Morning found Mike sitting on the keep''s parapets, deep in thought. He''d avoided sleeping again, having spent most of the night dealing with the repercussions of Sera''s kidnapping. Not to mention the lecture he''d gotten from her about treating her like a summoned monster. Although the Oracle was obviously upset, he could tell that her heart wasn''t in it. She even lapsed into awkward silence once he told her about his Cabal hunting activities. The remainder of his night had been dedicated to exploring the limits of his new abilities. He''d discovered that becoming Tier 4 had given him another boost to his already ridiculous attributes and improved his command of his other skills. While certainly welcome, this meant he needed to take time to adapt to his new power, lest he end up losing control at an inopportune moment. [Well, I suppose its about time I got this over with.] He thought as he prepared to go down and face the members of the coalition army. Thanks to the raucous party last night, which had only petered out once the sun came up, he''d been able to put off reporting to the army leaders. He dreaded having to answer all their questions, and listen to their praise and gratitude, but he supposed that he would have to get used to it. After all, there would be a lot of that sort of thing in the coming days. Standing, he was just about to drop off the side of the keep when he heard an exclamation from the stairs. "Manling! Wait! I wish to speak with you." The orc chieftain he''d once defeated in a duel was standing there, a look of confused anger on her face. Mike hopped down and walked over to her. "What is it, Talgratha?" The half-orc hesitated, as if uncertain of what she wanted to say. Finally, she growled under her breath and pointed one finger at him accusingly. "I can''t beat you in a fight!" He blinked, a little confused himself. "...I''m sorry?" "Don''t apologize!" She turned and paced a few steps angrily, before rounding on him again. "Its become obvious to me that I don''t stand a chance against you in a fair duel. Although that was true even before you broke through, I just can''t accept it! I swore to make you into my slave, and a true chieftain doesn''t go back on her word. Since I can''t take you by force, then I will make you follow me by the only means left to me!" "...I see?" He replied, feeling that this whole conversation was a bit surreal. [I really don''t understand this woman. She seems angry at me, but I''m not actually detecting any hostility. Is she embarrassed or something? Maybe this is normal in orc culture? I suppose if you look past the whole fighting and slavery thing, this could be construe as a kind of romantic conversation... But that couldn''t be right, could it?] Still lost in thought, he didn''t have a chance to react as Talgratha suddenly swept him into a sudden embrace. Although his initial impression was dominated by the sensation of rock hard muscles along her arms and stomach, he found himself pillowed against her surprisingly soft chest. His mind went blank as a pair of soft lips pressed against his, although the points of two tusks made it slightly uncomfortable. After a few seconds she let go and stepped back, face flushed. "Listen well, manling! I declare that, since I cannot claim your body through physical combat, I shall one day claim your heart as a woman! Prepare yourself!" She announced dramatically before turning on her heels and quickly descending the stairs. Although her posture was still stiff and upright, Mike couldn''t shake the impression that she was beating a hasty retreat before he had a chance to reply. [Well...that certainly happened.] He thought while brushing his lips with one finger. The sensation of the kiss was still lingering, and he was trying to decide how he felt about it. After a few moments, he grinned. [Maybe I''ve finally hit my popular phase?] ------------------------------ Talgratha stomped through the fort in a haze of...some kind of emotion that she refused to acknowledge. Or at least she tried to. Intoxicated party goers were still sprawled all over, and she had to pick her path carefully lest she step on someone. Even in her current state, she knew better than to spoil the post victory mood by starting an unnecessary fight. [Why in the hells did I do that?!] She roared in her mind. Initially, she''d only planned on declaring her intention to eventually surpass him and make him submit, but being there, and seeing that confident aura of power, she''d realized how hopeless that plan was. She couldn''t back down though, her pride wouldn''t allow it. So, in a haze of conflicting emotions, she decided on the one avenue still left for her, and gave a much more difficult declaration. Just thinking about it made her want to punch something. "Yo, chief! You doing alright? You''re blushing like a woman in love." Her second in command, Grobosh arrived just in time. The burly orc was obviously still drunk. In fact, he even had a half-empty tankard clenched in one meaty fist. His mouth was still twisted into his usual idiotic grin when Talgratha''s fist slammed into his jaw. He collapsed into a satisfyingly boneless heap, and she was able to continue on her way feeling slightly better about the whole situation. At least until she recalled the manling''s oddly tantalizing scent. "GAHH!" She yelled loudly to herself, waking up several drunken soldiers in the process. However, she was too busy battling inner demons to notice. ---------------------------------- Biographies Part 5 ---------------------------------- --------- Yilon --------- Also known as the God of the Void, Master of Entropy, Manifestation of Oblivion, The Veil of Hidden Truths, and a handful of local and regional titles, Yilon is one of the Five Creator Gods of Ea. It appears as a sphere of impenetrable darkness which seems to absorb the light and heat from its surrounds. Although it likely has the capacity for taking on other forms, it has never done so. Yilon is not associated with any kind of living thing, nor does it have a sacred creature. Personality ------------ Its questionable if this mysterious being even feels emotions in the traditional sense. When necessary, it speaks in a blunt monotone, rarely taking any side in a conflict between the Creators. Indeed, it rarely seems to have any opinion at all, and instead appears to be content with merely maintaining the status quo. Yilon never involves itself in mortal affairs. As such, it has little in the way of followers on Ea. A few desperate or insane individuals will offer up prayers to the Manifestation of Oblivion, wishing for an end to all things, but even these requests go unfulfilled. Although it has no real clergy, Yilon is still included in major temples dedicated to the Creators, ensuring that its existence is not forgotten by mortals. Among the Ascended, it is viewed as a strange and somewhat terrifying entity. Thanks to its tendency to slowly absorb the divinity of the lesser gods in its vicinity, Yilon has no faction to speak of. However, on the rare occasions that it offers an actual suggestion, its fellow Creators usually go along with it. Whether this is because they recognize the being''s wisdom, or merely fear the repercussions of ignoring it, remains unclear. Spheres of Influence ---------------------- Yilon governs the Aspects of Void, Entropy, Space, Time, the Unknown, and the Apocalypse. Its role as the master of the unseen underbelly of Ea''s cosmic structure means that it is also the only being that truly understands the workings of the System. At times, it has been referred to by the other Creators as the Administrator. Outside of a few obscure theological treatises, little is known about Yilon on Ea. Most major cities have at least some small shrine dedicated to the entity, usually funded by the other churches, but most sentient beings prefer to pretend that it doesn''t exist. Not many can comfortably acknowledge the eventual end of all things, a concept it embodies as the Herald of the Apocalypse. Despite its usual tendency towards non-involvement, Yilon is somehow the patron god of the void elves, a mysterious race of beings said to inhabit a shadowy realm known as Nocturnis. They, along with many of realm''s inhabitants, tend to worship the God of the Void to the exclusion of all others, something that remains rather troubling for the other Creators. Outside of Nocturnis, Yilon has little presence. Some apocalyptic cults pray to it, and a few Demon Lords are said to be in its employ, but neither group seems to have any real backing from the Master of Entropy. Of course, no one is truly sure just how much influence it has on the System itself, and whether or not it makes use of it. Chapter 265: Epilogue: A Token Measure "That concludes our report on the disturbance on the Central Continent. We predict that the nation of Almir will spend the next few years recovering and reorganizing after they annex the former Tenundian territories. Assuming there are no other unforeseen developments, they will likely enter an age of progress and development over the next few decades, dramatically increasing their national power. It is the suggestion of this committee that we use this opportunity to build long term influence with the country by offering our services for rebuilding and logistics operations." Amalia Cardanis explained in the dry voice of a veteran politician, pausing briefly to check her notes. "As to the person known as the Dragonknight Erasmus, who stood at the center of these events, we have concluded that he is a well-intentioned imposter who borrowed the legacy of the famed order for his own purposes. Investigations into this individual and his background are still ongoing, and we will be compiling another report on the matter in the near future. Regardless, we have added him to the list of priority observation targets, so any further questions regarding his activities can be directed to the Divinations department." The Archmage only half listened as the Chairman of the Committee for International Affairs finished her report on the recent Lacotian invasion. Nothing that she mentioned was new to him, and their analysis was basic enough that he questioned the value of even having this committee if they couldn''t bring in more useful insights. [As I recall, they have a pretty substantial budget. Perhaps it''s time to look into allocating funds elsewhere.] He glanced around the rest of the Mage''s Guild High Council and took note of the expressions he saw there. For the most part, experienced mages were skilled at concealing their emotions, but he''d attended thousands of these sorts of meetings over his long life and had developed a knack for reading them. What he saw there was a little disappointing. [Hmm. It seems that most of the council believes this event to be concluded. I assume they are merely satisfied with not having to participate in another grand coalition against Lacot now that the threat has passed. Have any of them even begun to work through the implications?] The Archmage suppressed a sigh. It was depressing, especially considering that many of the mages sitting in this hall were once students of his, and therefore should have at least some experience in reading subtext. Perhaps he needed to reevaluate the way he taught his disciples. [Its a good thing I''ve already started my own investigations.] The Chancellor of the High Council, a decrepit human male named Horace Vulenti, spoke next. His thin, wavering voice barely audible over the discussions of the audience sitting in the gallery. "Very well, we will move onto the next topic of discussion. Does he Committee for Magical Beasts, Monsters, and Mana Anomalies have anything to report?" Sedras Craighand, the dwarven Chairman stood up from his seat and address the council. "Indeed, Chancellor. We have recently begun looking into the strange events taking place in the Vale of Silence in southern Dovistan. As some of you might be aware, the forest is home to some of the largest and most dangerous monsters in the Inland Sea Region, and the people of Dovistan are frequently subjected to attacks from beasts who have wander outside of its borders." There some muttering from the galley at that, as the younger mages broke into more frenzied whispering. This was understandable, since the guild''s leaders had long avoided mentioning anything related to the topic. The Archmage believed the stated reason was to avoid worrying young mages receiving postings in Dovistan, but that was hardly the full truth. Sedras continued, ignoring the disturbance his words were causing. "Ordinarily, only a handful of these wandering monsters appear over the course of the year, which makes the resulting devastation manageable. Recently, however, the number of attacks have skyrocketed. In the last month alone, there have been 12 separate appearances, including one from a Behemoth class monster that took the combined effort of nearly a hundred high ranking adventurers to take down." The Archmage blinked. This was news to him. Between rebuilding his Observation Lens and keeping an eye on the central continent, he''d completely missed this development. [This is troubling. Could something have happened to the empire in the south?] Not wanting to wait for someone else to figure out what to say, he broke in. "What steps have you taken to uncover the source of this change?" Silence filled the hall as his words resounded. The chairman swallowed audibly. It was practically unheard of for the Archmage to speak during one of these meetings. Being asked a direct question like this was probably more than he was prepared to deal with. "Ah..ahem. Yes...well, we have posted an emergency request through the Adventurer''s Guild to investigate the problem. They''ve mobilized several of their experts, including the Crimson Disaster. I believe..." Sedras sorted through the compiled reports in front of him. "Yes, they departed from Vivous nearly a week ago, and so far have been keeping in daily contact with the guild headquarters in Medun. They''ve already encountered several powerful monsters on their route, but nothing that they haven''t been able to handle." The Archmage pondered that for a few moments. It was a reasonable course of action, straight out of the Mage''s Guild procedural handbook. Rather than risking valuable mages on a dangerous investigation, it was far better to leave it to the adventurers, who were not only cheaper, but had more experience in these sorts of mission. That said, he wasn''t sure if it would be enough. [That second energy disturbance took place in the Vale of Silence. Based on what I''ve seen from events on the Central Continent, this rash of monster attacks cannot be a coincidence. If the worst has happened...] He surveyed the council. It appeared that they were waiting for him to speak again. Standing, he raised himself to his full height, and began to do the one thing he''d been trying to avoid ever since he first established this council. He started giving orders. "Place all guild branches in Dovistan on alert. Tell them to be ready to evacuate should the country collapse. Pull two companies of battlemages from the defenses along the Brittle Peaks and redirect them to Medun. I''ll provide the transportation myself if our infrastructure cannot manage it quickly. The guildmaster of the branch in Talgel is a reasonably accomplished Space Mage, correct? Have her relocate to Medun as well and get in contact with the Adventurer''s Guild there. If their investigation team requires extraction, have her assist to the best of her ability." Silence reigned in the hall as every single mage in attendance watched him. Feeling a momentary surge of annoyance, he spoke again. "That is all. Now get to work." After a few moments, the council burst into a flurry of activity. -------------------------------------------- "So, how goes the conquest?" The emperor asked between bites of gull fruit while reclining in his sedan chair. The current bearers were doing their best to maintain a steady gate as the imperial procession continued their meandering way through the port city of Hulgathan. It would not do to make the emperor uncomfortable and suffer the fate of their predecessors. Lithkala repressed the momentary shudder of revulsion and fear that threatened to overwhelm her as the man''s gaze slid over to her. She''d gotten quite good at it over the last few months. "Your armies are scattering your enemies before them, Divine One. Only the Strider Lords of the Southern Grasslands and the dwarves of Kathar Donan still resist you, but it will not be long before they fall as well. Soon, you shall be the sole ruler of everything south of the Golden Mountains and west of Blistering Wastes." "Oh? So the generals are still having trouble with the dwarves? It been almost a month since they started that siege. What''s taking them so long?" "Divine One, it is difficult for your soldiers to fight underground. In order for them to stand in the dwarven tunnels, they need to be substantially enlarged." "How pathetic...but I guess that makes sense. Whoever thought sending giants to attack a dwarven citadel was a good idea is clearly an idiot." He replied with a snicker. "Remind me to have them executed for incompetence." Lithkala knew better than to remind him that it had been his decision, so she merely bowed her acquiescence. The emperor would soon forget about the issue anyway. "As boring as it might be, I suppose I could lend a hand. I''ve already had my fill of dwarf skills, but there might be a few skilled ones worth harvesting. Hmm..." The emperor frowned, sending a surge of panic through Lithkala, and she nearly stumbled over the cobblestones paving the street as a result. Finally, he tossed the gull fruit core over his shoulder, not caring that fell amongst the sullen crowd of Hulgathan citizens lining the streets, and asked. "What were the Blistering Wastes again? Some kind of desert?" Feeling relieved that is was only a question and not a recrimination, she answered with a bowed head. "Divine One, the Blistering Wastes lie to the far east of your empire. It is a land of intense heat and sand that stretches all the way from the Golden Mountains to the Sea of Return. While many of your predecessors have ordered expeditions to chart its expanse, few have returned. Those that did carried stories of phantom cities of white stone that appeared on the horizon as if by magic, but, try as they might, the explorers could never seem to approach them." "What? You''re telling me that, even with access to something as ridiculous as magic, generations of your people have been unable to make it across a desert? That''s hilarious. Out of curiosity, did they say anything about the inhabitants of these phantom cities?" Clearly, he was interested in the possibility of a new race of victims he could extract power from. Lithkala was well aware that he''d already stolen as much as he could from the countries which had fallen to his armies. "Not to my knowledge, Divine One." She replied quietly, wondering if she had the will to take advantage of this opening. "However, I have heard rumors that speak of a race of strange creatures, half humanoid and half beast, who are protected by spirits of wind and sand. They have been glimpsed along the edge of the wastes from time to time, and it is believed that they might be the builders." "Half Beast? What, like part snake or cat? Or do they have a jackel heads or something?" The emperor asked curiously. "I am not sure, Divine One, but I can look into it once we return to the capital." He nodded. "Yeah. Do that." "As you wish, Divine One." They lapsed into silence for a few moments, before the emperor sagged in his seat. "Ugh, this is so boring. Why are we doing this again?" "You wished to pass before the people of Hulgathan, Divine One. I believe you desired to ''bathe in their resentment,'' as you called it." "Not sure why I even bothered conquering this dump in the first place." "Although I may be incorrect, Divine One, I believe it was to serve as a staging base for your eventual invasion of the North." Lithkala offered humbly. These lapses in memory had started getting more severe, and she was beginning to suspect that the emperor''s mind was deteriorating as a result of his unusual power source. That, or perhaps he was simply falling deeper into insanity. "Ah, that''s right...I feel like there was more to that. Did it involve...dogs, or something?" "Divine One, I believe you are speaking of the beasts you modified and released on the northern border. Although I cannot speak of how successful that effort was, the rangers of the Vale of Silence have been reporting increased monster activity. They fear that the Lord of the Vale has been awakened and may be on the move." "Yeah, now I remember." The emperor replied casually before laughing. "So that''s all it took to prod him into action? I thought I might have to burn the forest down, but this is great. Don''t forget to let me know when he finally comes out into the open." "I will Divine One, but it is equally possible that the Lord of the Vale will rampage to the north-" The rest of her statement was cut off by a pair of muffled explosions. Two of the sandstone buildings lining the street collapsed onto the procession, crushing several of the Imperial Guards and trapping the remaining members between mounds of rubble, and shrouding all of them in a cloud of dust and broken masonry. Coughing, Lithkala tried to stand back up in the aftermath, only to find that one of her legs had been pinned under debris. It didn''t feel injured, but she would have to spend much of the next few minutes digging it free. As such, she had an excellent view of the doomed assassination attempt as it unfolded. "Death to the tyrant!" "Kill the usurper!" Shouts rose from the crowd of Hulgathans as they charged the few remaining members of the guard detachment, quickly overwhelming them. The emperor''s bearers, sensing that they were about to become victims of the resulting carnage, had abandoned their charge in chaos, leaving the sedan chair tilted over on one side, occupant still within. For many rulers, this would have spelled the end. Even the most accomplished warriors of the Empire had trouble dealing with the stone-like hides of Hulgathans, and few could withstand their incredible strength. It was only because of the overwhelming numbers of the Imperial Army that they''d succeeded in conquering the obstinate people. However, this was not a typical ruler, by any stretch of the imagination. The sedan chair exploded in a burst of force, hurling shards of painted wood in every direction. The monster, who''d single-handily slaughtered the best warriors and mages the Empire had to offer, then simply raised one hand and swept it in front of him. An barely perceivable wave passed through the Hulgathans, and, as one, they collapsed in squalling heaps, legs severed just above the knee. "Now this is more like it!" The madman cackled. "Its been awhile since anyone''s had the guts to try and assassinate me. I have to admit, I didn''t even see this one coming. Now, how should I handle you? What method would be most effective in teaching you the foolishness of opposing me?" He paused theatrically with one hand on his chin, neither noticing or caring that his audience was unable to pay full attention. Finally his face lit in an evil grin. "Ah! I know. Now''s a great chance to try out a new summoning spell I''ve been working on. You see, I''ve been wondering how long someone can survive when a portion of their blood has been transmuted into acid. So far, I haven''t gotten the ratio right, but with this many test subjects I might have a real breakthrough!" It took nearly an hour for the last of the Hulgathans to die, and by that point Lithkala had grown numb to their screams. ----------------------------------------- "Have you heard the news, Master?!" Palthia asked hurriedly, her robes in disorder as she ran up the steps to the Aerie. Balthus chuckled at his young charge''s enthusiasm. "I assume you are speaking of the news the peddler brought in this morning about the events on the central continent." He didn''t bother to look up from the saddle he was mending. Kathalnia had been a bit too energetic in her maneuvers this morning, and had snapped two of the balancing straps. Thankfully, there were plenty of replacements stored nearby, but he would probably have to switch to stronger materials if she got any bigger. "Do you think its really true? Could someone have figured out how to do the bonding ritual without a keystone?" Palthia asked in a rush as she slid to a halt next to her old mentor. He shrugged. "Its possible, but I am more inclined to believe that the mysterious individual is one of the longer-lived survivors of the Great War. One of the ones that went their own way when the Order nearly collapsed. Why he felt the need to step into that conflict, I cannot guess, but I''m sure he had his reasons. Regardless, I''m sure the Chapter Master will be sending a representative to investigate in the near future." The young star elf deflated, obviously disappointed by his interpretation. Seeing her like this was a bit painful for him, especially since he could sympathize with her plight. Ever since the last keystone was used nearly a decade ago, no other initiates could complete their bonding and become full members of the Order. If there was an alternate method... "Cheer up, little one. Perhaps the Chapter Master will see fit to assign me to the investigation. If so, I will be sure to bring you along." Plathia gave him a big smile. "That''d be awesome!" Balthus chuckled again. His charge had long wanted to see more of the world, but the Order''s current circumstances made that difficult. "I''m going to go get packed!" The rambunctious elf announced before sprinting back towards the stairs. "Eh? But nothings been decided...and she''s gone." The grizzled veteran sighed. [I guess I''ll go volunteer for the mission.] An echoing roar sounded from another part of the Aerie, quickly answered by others of a similar nature. "Its lunchtime, I know! Give me a minute!" He yelled back before heading towards the cold storage. [Lets see, there should be about five dragons here today, including that glutton Nurbinen, so I think about twelve side of beef should suffice.] He thought to himself as he went looking for the feeding cart. The other caretakers were always leaving it in weird places. ----------------------------------------- Below is a [Status] update for Mike at the conclusion of this volume. Please feel free to skip ahead to the next chapter. ----------------------------------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 4 (Low) ------------- Title: Aspirant Ascendant (NEW) Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Adversary (UPDATED) Wyrmkin Fortuitous Alchemist Known to the Lurker Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline Dragonknight Elementalist Battlemage Iron Soul Slyphkath Renowned (NEW) -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Advanced Healing Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Appraise (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Advanced Water Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Advanced Fire Magic (Rank 1) Advanced Air Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Earth Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Light Magic (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 4) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 2) Basic Space Magic (Rank 1) (NEW) Basic Alchemy (Rank 5) Master Scrivening (Rank -) Basic Artifice (Rank 3) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 3) Advanced Evasion (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 4) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Advanced Elemental Magic (Rank 1) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 4) Intermediate Riding (Rank 1) Basic Haggling (Rank 5) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Intermediate Unarmed Fighting (Rank 1) Intermediate Chanting (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Dual Casting (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Aerosense (Rank 3) Dancing (Rank 1) Basic Stealth (Rank 3) Basic Dismantling (Rank 3) Basic Blacksmith (Rank 4) Mana Transference (Rank 5) Mana Shield (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Mana Attack (Rank 1) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 4) Intermediate Physiological Resistance (Rank 5) Advanced Poison Resistance (Rank 1) Intermediate Heat Resistance (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Intermediate Mental Resistance (Rank 3) Basic Electricity Resistance (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Basic Death Resistance (Rank 1) (NEW) Basic Curse Resistance (Rank 1) (NEW) Large Mana Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Large Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 3) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 4) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 3) Moderate Willpower Enhancement (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Minor Speed Enhancement (Rank 1) (NEW) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 4) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser Aspirant Ascendant (NEW) -------------- Titles ------- - Aspirant Ascendant - This title is granted to those individuals who have succeeded in breaking through to Tier 4, taking the first step towards Ascension. In addition to granting the Aspirant Ascendant inherent skill, this title embodies its bearer''s transition into a quasi-divine entity, albeit to a very minor extent. Since the existence of Tier 4 creatures represents a large investment in System resources, this title cannot be supplanted by others of lesser significance. - Adversary - A powerful organization has determined you to be a true enemy, and will stop at nothing to see you destroyed. Fortunately for you, the concentration of their collective ire has manifested in a new well of strength. Minor increase to the effectiveness of all offensive skills and abilities when used on members or allies of the adversarial organization. - Renowned - By virtue of your actions, you have won the attention and acclaim of entire nations. Your name is known throughout the world and will be etched in the pages of history. Your fame earns you new allies and admirers, but it is a double-edged sword. Minor increase to Charisma when interacting with creatures that look favorably towards your actions. Minor decrease to Charisma when interacting with creatures that disapprove of your deeds. ---------------- Primary Skills ---------------- - Communication Magic (Tier 3, Rank 4) - A branch of magic derived from the Words of Creation, Communication Magic embodies the ability of living beings to exchange information with one another. Practitioners are granted an increased ability to communicate with other beings. Masters of this form of magic can use language to influence the world itself. Rank 4 Effects: Greenspeech, Golden Tongue - Greenspeech - Understanding that even the lowly blade of grass is a living being, masters of Communication Magic have perfected the ability to even communicate with plants, albeit to a limited degree. Allows the user to engage in limited communication with plants and fungal lifeforms. - Golden Tongue - At Rank 4, Masters of Communication Magic begin to approach an understanding of the Words of Creation, the primordial language said to have been used to create Ea itself. Using their command of language to their utmost ability, Communication Mages can even alter the fabric of reality, albeit to a very limited extent. Can be used to mimic the effects of any Tier 1 Magic skill. Due to the imperfections inherent in the user''s diction, such effects requires a much larger mana investment to achieve. - Advanced Healing Magic (Tier 4, Rank 3) - An advanced form of True Healing Magic. By channeling pure mana into the bodies of the injured, practitioners of Intermediate Healing Magic can stimulate and supplement natural healing processes, allowing recipients to recover from virtually all forms of injury. Higher skill ranks allow for the healing of more severe injuries and lowers the overall mana cost of healing. Rank 3 Effects: Soul Mage - Soul Mage - Practitioners of Advanced Healing Magic eventually come to understand that the soul is the root of all life, and that injuries of the body and mind are reflected within it. By manipulating the very essence of a being, users can remove those injuries and deviations which have long become ingrained in the patient. Even death itself can be turned back, provided that the healing come before the patient''s soul departs their body. - Advanced Water Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Water magic allows the user to create and manipulate water. It is characterized by flexibility in both offense and defense, but lacks the overt power of other types of magic. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Water Mastery - Water Mastery - Advanced Water Mages master the inherent flexibility of their chosen element, granting them unprecedented control over water. Allows users to perform feats of incredible delicacy and precision using created water, even when it is located within other creatures or objects. Allows for manipulation of alternate states of matter, including both water vapor and ice. Includes all lower skills. - Advanced Air Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) ¨C One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Air Magic allows the user to create and manipulate wind and air. It is characterized by its speed and constancy of motion, providing strong offensive power, mild defensive strength, and some utility. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Air Mastery - Air Mastery - Advanced Air Mages master the inherent mobility of their chosen element, granting them unprecedented control over air. Allows users to control all forms of gaseous materials, and perform feats of delicacy and speed with them that would otherwise be impossible. Includes all lower skills. - Intermediate Earth Magic (Tier 2, Rank 5) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Earth magic allows the user to create and manipulate earth and stone. It is characterized by its permanence and durability, providing the most effective defensive techniques of the four basic elements. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 5 Effects: Permanence - Permanence - By channeling to the solidarity of their chosen element, Earth Mages can grant a portion of that endurance to the more transient components of the world. Allows the user to limit the effects of time and aging on objects. Can be used to increase the lifespan of perishable materials, including organic substances. - Basic Space Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Space Magic allows the user to manipulate the very fabric of reality to produce a number of effects. Characterized by its versatility, it is well known for its use in teleportation, extra-dimensional storage, and spatial distortions. Higher levels of skill increasing mana efficiency and accuracy of space manipulations. ------------------ Secondary Skills ------------------ - Advanced Evasion (Tier 3, Rank 1) - The art of not getting hit. Large increase to Agility when seeking to evade blows and potential hazards. Agility gain determined by skill rank. Also provides a limited form of prescience, allowing skilled users to respond to even when it would otherwise be impossible. --------------- Passive Skills --------------- - Intermediate Heat Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 1)- Frequent exposure to heat and fire has increased your body''s ability to handle high temperatures. Provides moderate resistance to the negative effects of high temperatures. - Basic Death Resistance (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Miraculously surviving an effect that should have caused instant death, the user has become more resistant to them. Minor resistance to magically created death effects and curses. - Basic Curse Resistance (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Frequent exposure to the effects of curse magic have rendered the user more resistant to them. Minor resistance to curses. - Moderate Willpower Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Through extensive training of the mind, the user has tempered his/her own will. Provides moderate enhancement to Willpower. - Minor Speed Enhancement (Tier 3, Rank 1) - Through extensive training of the body and reflexes, the user has succeeded in enhancing his/her physical form. Like all higher attribute enhancements, this bypasses the normal limitations imposed on mortal creatures by the System. Provides minor enhancement to Speed. ---------------- Inherent Skills ---------------- - Aspirant Ascendant (Tier 4) - By breaking through to Tier 4 and surviving the process, the user has successfully tempered mind, body, and spirit into a pale imitation of a god-like entity. Although only the first step on the path of Ascension, this transformation nevertheless grants the user a fraction of the might and wisdom of the divine. Moderate increase to all attributes. Moderate increase to the user''s understanding of all skills. Moderate increase to the efficiency of all mana using skills. Minor increase to the effectiveness of all skills. Chapter 267: Politics Again? "Alright, just try to keep your mouth shut and follow my lead." Julia whispered as they passed through the banquet hall. Cariel nodded absently, her gaze wandering and a look of fascination on her face. Obviously, she wasn''t really paying attention. "Listen!" The cat beastman hissed, earning her a sharp glance from one of the guards stationed nearby. A quick, apologetic laugh was sufficient to cause his suspicious glare to shift elsewhere. "Ahem. We need to be careful. If they find out we aren''t really entertainers, we''ll be treated as spies." [Although, I suppose that''s actually the truth now¡­] She thought glumly as she led her air-headed companion through the crowd of nobles. The pair were dressed in vibrant, flowing garments that were designed to add a flair to their every movement. She regretted having to resort to this measure, since the outfits were counterproductive to their goal of avoiding attention, but she''d been left with little choice. Her original plan of pretending to be servants had fallen through when it became obvious that security measures around the event had been heightened dramatically. Strangely enough, she couldn''t find anyone from the criminal underworld who was willing to help. Eventually, she''d determined that their leader had ordered them to assist in securing the party, and virtually all of the city''s gangs were working to prevent possible intrusions. If it hadn''t been for a fortuitous encounter with an old acquaintance, she might have been forced to rely on simply staking out the entrance. Thankfully, in a rare stroke of good luck, she ran into Emerald, a cat beastman bard used to work in some of the seedier taverns in Wyrport. Apparently, she''d recently fallen in with a troupe of traveling performers, and was now one of their leading singers. Since the truth wasn''t an option, she was able to secure Emerald''s help thanks to a swiftly concocted story about unrequited love. The bard had always been a sucker for those kinds of tales. As soon as she heard about the unfortunate Cariel, who had her heart stolen on the field of battle and dreamed of nothing so much as meeting the unnamed man to express her feelings, she''d immediately agreed to help. Unfortunately, there were limits on what even a key performer could do, and the best she''d managed was to get Julia and Cariel positions as back-up dancers. They were even expected to participate in a few of the larger shows scheduled to take place tonight, albeit in minor roles where their lack of experience shouldn''t be glaringly obvious. They still had the better part of an hour to go before they needed to report to the director, so that gave them a good opportunity to search for their target. Of course, since neither one of them actually knew the Hero''s name, asking around for him wasn''t an option. So, they relied on the tried and true tactic of simply wandering around until they ran into him. By this point they''d moved into the ballroom, where the troupe''s musicians were playing a jaunty and upbeat song for the dancing party-goers. Julia scanned the crowd, and although she didn''t find their target, she did see a familiar face. The dog beastman warrior who''d fought alongside Cariel against a powerful Death Knight, was out on the floor, dancing with a pretty, silver haired girl who looked a bit younger than him. They seemed to be enjoying themselves despite his obvious lack of dancing experience. Thankfully, his innate agility was making up for it to some extent. [He''s definitely a commoner. Probably a meritorious promotion. He would have to be pretty amazing to make it this far. Maybe he had a major contribution during the war? His partner, on the other hand, is much more refined. The daughter of a lesser noble, perhaps?] As both a familiar face, and someone who was presumably involved in the hierarchy of the Almiran military, he might very well be able to help them in their search. At the very least, he should be able to point them in the direction of someone who could help. With that in mind, she moved to get his attention, only to realize at the last second that she''d taken her eyes off Cariel for a little too long. Unsurprisingly, the angel had vanished in the short span of time Julia had been distracted. As she frantically glanced around the room, trying to spot her infuriating comrade, she couldn''t help but feel depressed. [Ugh¡­Why do I have to deal with this?] For a moment she toyed with the idea of simply leaving. It was not as if Julia had much to expect in return for her efforts. Even the hefty supply of gold she''d received in payment had been largely consumed as traveling expenses. [Besides, Cariel will be alright by herself. She could easily fight her way out of any difficult situations.] All Julia had to do, was break her word to rhe angel, a living manfestation of divine will, and possibly earn the ire of the most vengeful of Ea''s five creator gods¡­ Sighing, she resumed her search by heading towards the dining hall. She suspected that she''d have better luck wherever they were serving food. ---------------------------------------------- Mike opened the door, that should have taken him back into the dining hall, only to find himself in a small office-like chamber. A simple desk was set up along one wall, stacked high with a variety of papers. Bookshelves lined the walls, packed with all kinds of documents, tomes, and scrolls. Beyond that, however, it was sparsely furnished, with only a few plain wooden chairs and a fireplace to break up the scene. Even the stone floor was left bare of any adornment. As soon as he entered, a familiar person turned from where he was casually regarding the fire, a glass of amber liquid in one hand, and gave Mike a neutral look. "So good of you to join me." Count Graveston spoke, his voice echoing a little in the small room. "I apologize for the abominable lack of d¨¦cor, but I like to keep my offices in the capital utilitarian. It helps me focus. Would you care for some refreshments?" He indicated a small platter on his desk, where a few liquor bottles were lined up next to a serving plate of pastries. Mike had to ask, "How did I get here?" The Count gave him a slight smile. "The palace was designed and built by one of the greatest mages to have ever graced the central continent. He spent close to a decade adding a myriad of enchantments into everything from its crenellations to its very foundations. The purpose of many of these spells remains a mystery, and few alive today have the confidence or skill required to even begin to unravel their secrets. However, I believe you learned by now that there are very few things in this world that are truly hidden." [That doesn''t really answer my question, but I suppose I''ll chalk it up to his usual cloak and dagger antics.] "Alright, then can you at least tell me why you''ve brought me here? I presume you have something you wish to discuss?" The Count gave him a simple nod before striding over and sitting at his desk. He took another sip of his drink before replying. "I''ve been informed that you were approached with an invitation a few minutes ago." Mike blinked, suddenly feeling a little less confident. "How- " "Please try to think a little." The older man cut him off, "If I am capable of redesigning the interior of the palace to bring you here, merely to save myself the trouble of having you sent for, do you think monitoring your activities is beyond me?" He didn''t really have a response to that. It seemed fairly obvious in retrospect. The Count gave him a stern, almost appraising look for a few seconds before glancing down at the documents in front of him, idly sorting through them. "I no longer have the authority or power to command you thanks to your recent¡­elevation, and I suspect that such tactics would have little effect anyway, given your personality. As such, I am going to give you a recommendation." He pointed to the pocket Mike was keeping the letter. "Accept that invitation, but do so with the utmost caution. Its sender is also a Tier 4 mage, who has been ruling most of the Riverlands from the shadows for centuries. She is known to extend such invitations to powerful and influential people visiting her area of influence, although her exact purpose in doing so is something of a mystery. There will be banquets and entertainment, and you will be expected to remain in attendance for the better part of a week. At the end of which, she will either give you her blessing, or demand you leave the Riverlands entirely." "So, it''s some kind of test?" The Count nodded. "That is the prevailing theory, although I suspect the truth is a bit more complicated. Nevertheless, refusing the invitation or failing in her test will bring you a great deal of trouble. There are a thousand ways that the people of the Riverlands can make you feel unwelcome without ever giving you justification to take action. Attempting to accomplish your goals without their acquiescence will prove difficult, even for one with your power." "I see," Mike muttered. He had no reason to doubt the Count''s words, instead trying to figure out what the man could gain from the warning. Perhaps he was simply concerned that, as thing were, Mike would end up in some form of confrontation with the other Tier 4 mage. It was hard to picture the Serpent of Almir being too worried about the well-being of another country, but he supposed that there were probably other factors at work. Finally, he asked, "What can you tell me about her?" The Count slid a thing packet of papers towards him. "Everything you need to know about her is in there, although I will save you some time by summarizing. Despite her long life, she has remained out of the public eye, working mainly through puppets and pawns. The common folk of the Riverlands treat her like some kind of mythical figure, and most discredit her existence. To the ruling elite, she is known simply as The Sable Enchantress, a genius in the use of Illusions and Mental Magic. She is rarely seen outside of her sprawling estate in the forest northwest of Falstad, but her agents nevertheless control the majority of what occurs among the various city-states that compose the Riverlands Alliance. If not for the presence of Anuln the Untamed, the Tier 4 swordsman who makes his home Karnam, she would have sole dominion over the entire region." "So, based on what you''ve told me, she has the upper hand in the undeclared power struggle, and it would be in my best interests to establish friendly relations with her. Is that correct?" Mike asked. "The situation is complicated. Due to both parties'' unique skill sets, they have more or less come to an impasse. The Enchantress cannot intrude upon Anuln''s small domain, and the swordsman is unable to hold any of his gains for long. However, that might change should another Tier 4 join the fight. Perhaps, one that is known to be rather young and inexperienced, but with a track record of defeating powerful opponents?" "You think she plans to use me as leverage against Anuln?" The Count sipped his drink again, before responding. "Its possible, but given her predilection for subtlety, it seems out of character. Truthfully, I am unsure of what her true aim is, hence my warning. Your best option is to attend her banquet, promise nothing in regards to her power struggle, and continue on with your business once you''ve received her blessing. The Oracle you drag around with you should be equipped to help you in that regard, but to be on the safe side, I have taken the liberty of securing a knowledgeable and trustworthy aide to accompany you in your travels." "I appreciate the offer," Mike returned as calmly as he could, trying to not let his irritation show on his face. "but I will have to decline. I need to be able to trust my companions. A stranger- " The door opened suddenly, an irritated looking Morris standing there. As soon as he spotted his father, his gaze hardened. "By the gods! Will you stop doing that?! I''ve been trying to find my way out of the back corridors for the last hour!" Ignoring his son, the Count gave Mike a small smile, "Ah, but you are already well acquainted with him, are you not?" ------------------------------------------- Below is a brief description of the Kingdom of Almir. Readers are welcome to skip to the next chapter. To keep these from becoming too long, I will be discussing three major components: history, society, and political system. ------------------------------------------- The Kingdom of Almir ----------------------------- History ---------- Founded in the twilight years of the second Pyrathien Empire by the former imperial governor, Tiberius Almir, the Kingdom of Almir has been the dominant political force on the central continent since its inception. In the early days, they quickly rose to prominence as a trading nation, taking advantage of its geographical location at the center of the Inland Sea Region to become a major stopping point for mercantile shipping once Pyrathien trade restrictions had fallen. Thanks to friendly relations with the Nirethian elves to the northeast, and the dwarven nation of Galaglacia to the northwest, they enjoyed a long history of relative peace and prosperity, the natural boundaries of both the Forest of Shadows and the Barrier Mountains serving discourage border wars. For that reason, the greatest dangers faced by the Kingdom for most of its existence came from within. Succession struggles, rebellions, and armed conflicts between powerful nobles repeatedly brought the country to the brink of ruin, and spurred several dynastic changes. Nevertheless, the nation was able to survive more or less intact until a major calamity struck. The Day of Ashes, as it later came to be called, marked the end of Almiran dominance. In a titanic flash of light, the dwarven nation of Galaglacia was destroyed, vanishing in a wave of heat and death that rendered their former territories uninhabitable. The resulting ash cloud shrouded the central continent for months, leading to widespread famine and disease. Because of the devastation caused by the calamity, the King of Almir was unable to do anything to prevent the western third of his country from breaking away and forming the independent Duchy of Tenundi. This created a longstanding conflict between the two nations, that has lasted until just recently. Society ----------- The Kingdom of Almir is a feudalistic society with a noble class ruling over a much more numerous class of commoners. However, unlike in other regions of the world, frequent civil wars and rebellions have led to the destruction of a large number of noble houses, which in turn has given rise to the tradition of promoting meritorious commoners into the nobility. As such, there is less stigma between the ranks, and abuses of power are less frequent compared to other societies. The commoners of Almir, for the most part, live in fortified villages dotting the sprawling plains the central continent. Farming and herding are the most frequent occupations, but thanks to the continent''s famously fertile soil, agricultural yields are usually quite large, allowing for the existence of a thriving class of merchants and craftsmen. A fair amount of the population is also employed in nautical pursuits, with trading and fishing being prevalent. Humans make up the vast majority of the population, due in large part to Pyrathien immigration regulations limiting the number of non-humans that could settle there. Nevertheless, a significant number of non-humans have come to live in Almir over the years, and they remain a common sight in most major cities. Thanks to their relatively small number, and the disproportionately large amount of support they lent the allied war effort during the Great War against Lacot, non-humans enjoy little in the way of overt persecution in Almir. That said, the prospects for advancement are minimal, and only on extremely rare occasions are they promoted into the nobility. This benign treatment of immigrants has in turn led to a large number of refugees flooding into Almir''s port cities. Unfortunately, without guild credentials or sufficient capital to open a pioneering villages, there is little recourse for these desperate individuals save turning to crime. Which is the reason why non-humans are common among the gangs and guilds that manage the Kingdom''s criminal underworld. Political System --------------------- As a monarchical and feudal society, Almir''s governmental authority ultimately rests with the crown, and is in turn disseminated in myriad of different ways among a multitude of noble landlords and government officials. In theory, this ensures that there is a stable flow of power extending from the king or queen to the lowliest knight or tax collector. In practice, however, this has led to royal power being strongest around the capital itself, and declining the farther you travel from it. Although technically all sworn to the service of the reigning monarch, the nobles of Almir are managed through a complicated web of patronage, territory, and familial relationships that only loosely corresponds to political reality. As a result, most regions of the country are typically dominated by a major noble house which maintains enough power and influence to force their lower ranked neighbors into compliance. This system is widely believed to be the cause of the numerous civil wars the country has fought, as it has a tendency to give rise to powerful regional lords. Cities in Almir are typically run by a combination of a noble overseer and commoner officials, who have a degree of autonomy not seen in other parts of the country. Guilds are the other major pillar of Almiran society, and are known to regulate and control their individual trades with ruthless efficiency. Currently, the Kingdom of Almir is undergoing a succession struggle, with factions forming around the three possible heirs to the throne. Following the invasion of Skull Lord Kultanis, however, the First Prince Johnathan has emerged as the most likely candidate for the throne thanks to his active involvement in the Skull Lord''s eventual defeat. Chapter 268: Dragons and Things "He''s always doing this kind of thing. Jerking me around on a whim. Never giving me an explanation but still expecting my obedience." Morris grumbled as the two of them walked towards the dining hall. Characteristically, Count Graveston hadn''t bothered to reconnect the doorway to his office before they''d been dismissed, meaning they now had a much longer trek back to the party. [Judging from what little I can glean about his personality, I''m sure he has his reasons for this.] Mike thought while politely listening to his friend vent. "And! And, whenever I ask him why, he just acts disappointed! Like I''m supposed to have figured it out already, or something!" The younger Graveston continued in a louder voice. "Could he be trying to test you, or maybe teach you?" Mike offered. "You know, like he wants you to pick up the ability to read people and deduce their motivations purely by what actions they take." Morris shrugged dismissively, "I don''t know...maybe. That''s something he would do. However, that doesn''t make it any less infuriating for me." Giving a sympathetic smile, Mike allowed the topic to drop, knowing that his good-natured friend would be back to normal in a few minutes. In the meantime, he made sure to pass a few bits of dried meat to Audra. She was poking out of her specially designed pocket on the left side of his formal coat. He''d had the tailor modify it specifically for this purpose, even though it ruined the otherwise sleek lines of the outfit. Ordinarily, she would have already had dinner by now, but his diversion with the Count meant that her meal had been delayed by roughly a half hour. Judging from the way that she''s been chirping angrily at him, this constituted a sin against all dragonkind and demanded immediate redress. The dried meat was evidently enough to assuage the worst of her hunger, but she looked far from satisfied. "Bear with it for now." He murmured to her, "As soon as we get to the dining hall, I''ll find you something more substantial." Clearly understanding his intent, if not the full meaning of his words, the little dragon quieted down, and was content to merely peer around curiously from the safety of her pocket. "Seems like you picked up quite the handful there." Morris commented from the side. "What did you say she was?" Mike hesitated for a second, wondering if it was wise to share that kind of information, but immediately felt guilty for the thought. There were few people in this world that he trusted as much as the man walking beside him, and none that he trusted more. "According to the last time I used Appraise on her, she''s a Tempest Wyrm." Morris stopped in the hallway, face stoney. He glanced around quickly, before pulling out a rune-carved wooden stake and stabbing it into the floor, somehow embedding it there. The air around them took on a strangely mist-like consistency. "Hm? What''s wrong?" Mike asked, noting that his voice echoed strangely. He took a moment to Appraise the bit of wood. -------------------- Privacy Stake Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 1) A magic item crafted from the wood of the Dampening Trees of the Whispering Forest. When stabbed into the ground it creates a temporary zone of discretion that prevents sound from escaping. Will also foil most Tier 2 or lower forms of magical divination for the duration. Functions for up to three minutes at a time, but must recharge for at least 24 hours between uses. --------------------- "...You said Wyrm, right?" His friend asked in a monotone. "Umm...yes?" Morris clutched his head with both hands for a few seconds before simply sighing. "Haaa...I know I shouldn''t be too surprised considering who you are and what you''ve done so far, but sometimes it''s just too much. Do you have any idea what this means?" "Not really." Mike replied with a shrug. He figured that Audra was a special case, especially after the whole mind melding thing she did, but this kind of reaction seemed a bit excessive. "Wyrms, at least in the context of dragons, are one of the many kinds of the ancient creatures that once ruled this world during the First Age. Which is, by the way, the period of time where unrestrained mana led to the rise of beings so powerful and massive that they could sink islands and crush mountains with ease. They grew so dangerous that the Gods of Creation themselves fashioned the System for the express purpose of putting an end to their rampages." Mike looked down at the little dragon sitting in his pocket and had a hard time picturing her as the kaiju-like monster Morris was describing. "That''s all well and good, but now that they are functioning under the restrictions of the System, this shouldn''t be an issue, right?" His friend sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Supposedly, the vast majority of the creatures that lived during the First Age couldn''t function once the System was in place, and died out in short order. However, there are a few notable exceptions. Some of them were able to adapt to the new environment, and even came to take advantage of it. Wyrms, specifically, were one of the more successful species." "Ok, but then why aren''t they all over the place, then? I doubt even the High Elves could do much to creatures like that." "Second Age historians have some theories about that, based on evidence gathered from High Elven ruins. While some believe that the Wyrms largely abandoned this realm for another, or that they retreated to the most inaccessible parts of the world, the leading theory is that they intentionally weakened their racial abilities in order to more readily adapt to the new mana flow. This, in turn, supposedly led to the creation of the wide variety of draconic beings that now reside in Ea. Some suggest that they even managed to take on humanoid forms and blend in with the developing High Elven society, and may even still be doing so, but that remains hard to prove. Perhaps the gods know for sure, but they remain silent on the subject." "While that''s all fascinating, it doesn''t really explain why you''re acting so concerned." Mike commented dryly, hoping that the bard would get to the point. [Ah, this feels nostalgic. When was the last time I received one of Professor Morris''s lectures.] "Look, think of it this way. How powerful would you say a mature dragon is? You should have enough experience to form an opinion about that now." Mike thought back to the Flame Dragon he''d spoken with a few days ago, and had to admit that he was an impressive being. Even with his Tier 4 abilities, he did not want to tangle with the creature if he could help it. Finally, he nodded his acquiescence to the point his friend was trying to make. "Strong enough that I would think twice about fighting one.." "Exactly! True dragons are some of the most powerful mortal beings in this world. Even the lesser ones ridden by the Dragonknights of old were sufficient to make them one of the most powerful organizations the Inland Sea Region has ever seen. Let me put it this way, if a lesser dragon could be considered a Tier 3, then a true dragon is at least Tier 4, right? Then what tier do you think the significantly more powerful ancestor of both would be?" Finally understanding the implications, Mike looked down at Audra once more, watching her yawn sleepily and retreat into the confines of his pocket, not a care in the world. "You''re saying¡­" "That dragon has the potential to become a god-like being. One of the creatures of legend that even the Creator Gods themselves couldn''t control." "Huh...cool?" "Not cool! Don''t you understand?! If the secret of her origin is leaked, you will become an even bigger target than you are already. I can''t even imagine what sort of forces might mobilize to try and take her from you for her potential alone. That''s not even considering her value as a source of materials for researchers and crafters." Morris replied, slightly hysterical. "Hmm, you have a point, and I can see why you might be concerned. Alright, I''ll try to be careful about who sees her from this point onwards." "You think that''s going to be enough?!" Mike patted his friend''s shoulder reassuringly. "I have no intention of locking her away somewhere just because of the possibility that she will be in danger at some point in the future. Whatever her potential, she''s just a child who''s still learning about the world. I don''t want to deprive her of the opportunity to learn and grow. I''ll be more careful now, since there is no harm in being prepared, but I''ve learned that trying to avoid risk entirely is a fool''s errand. Besides, all I need to do is become strong enough that no one will try to mess with me. And that''s something I''ve already been working on." "Alright," Morris sighed. "While I don''t have that kind of confidence myself, hearing the Hero of Almir saying it is strangely compelling." "Now don''t you go calling me that, too. At this rate I''m going to end up with another cheesy title." His friend laughed at that, before reaching down and scooping up the Privacy Stake. The air around them regained its usual consistency. Slipping it back into one of his pockets, he murmured. "Keep quiet on that subject for the time being. We can talk about it more later, once we''re in a more secure location." Mike nodded a little, and then grinned. "Alright, now how about we go find this party. I''ve just gotten an idea I want to try out." "Oh? What kind of idea?" "Let''s just say that this should make my life a little easier for the next few hours." ------------------------------------- "They just spotted him in the Gardens! Hurry! If we move quickly, we can catch him before he escapes!" The woman yelled while picking up her skirts and hightailing it out of the room as fast as her dress shoes would allow. She was quickly followed by a large portion of the other women in attendance, and quite a few of the men, leaving the rest of the party-goers staring after them in confusion. After a few minutes, Mike moved out from the shadows where he''d been hiding and grinned at Morris. "See, I told you it would work." With some crafty use of Light Magic, he''d been able to make a copy of himself that was conveniently ''spotted'' in the gardens in order to lure away his pursuers. "I know, I was the one that told you it would." His friend shot back with a rueful smile. "Also, it was my idea to have the illusion run into the hedge maze, potentially occupying them for the rest of the night. If we followed your plan, they would have figured out the trick in a matter of minutes." "Bah, details. All I know is that I''m a genius." "Well, genius, it looks like it didn''t work on everyone, so I''ll be letting you handle this." Morris said while waving and walking towards the refreshment table. [What does he-] "Sir Dragonknight, we''ve been looking for you all night. Do you happen to have a moment to talk?" A soft voice came from behind him. The speaker was part of a small knot of poeple that had just emerged from the door leading to the ballroom. He was already acquainted with three of them, and could guess the fourth''s identity from context, so he had no reason to refuse the polite request. [Damn. I should have been paying better attention.] Putting on a polite smile, he replied courteously."Why of course, Princess Andrea, I would be happy to speak with you and your family." Chapter 269: Titular Character "What are your thoughts, Sir Dragonknight?" Andrea asked from across the table. Her siblings sitting to either side of her were paying close attention to the discussion, but seemed content to let her serve as their spokeswoman. After he''d agreed to speak with the royals, he''d been directed to this private tea room. Surprisingly, it was decorated modestly, with the walls left bare and most of the furniture serving strictly utilitarian functions. As far as he could figure, this seemed to be an intentional choice to allow for discrete or unofficial negotiations to take place in relative secrecy. At the moment, he was flanked by a pair of Royal Guards in full battle dress. While he didn''t recognize the one to his left, to his right was the female knight Leona, who''d mistakenly tried to kill him after he''d rescued the princess from Viscount Wendel. Three more of the gold-clad warriors were spread about the room, including a rather frail looking man in robes that must have been some kind of mage. In the past he might have been intimidated by such an array of marital might concentrated in one place. However, he could tell from their facial expressions and body language that these experienced soldiers, who represented the peak of military might in Almir, were actually wary of him. One of the younger ones even looked a bit afraid. [Seems I''ve definitely overstayed my welcome here.] "Please Your Highness, we are old acquaintances at this point, feel free to just call me Mike." She nodded. "Very well, although I think it is only fair that you do the same and refer to me as Andrea." Mike hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Can''t argue with that. Alright Andrea, as to your generous offer, I believe I must decline." She frowned, "Is it a matter of the amount of territory? While we can certainly allocate more in the future, it would mean having to rearrange a few feudal boundaries. Given the delicate situation surrounding the annexation of Tenundi, I don''t believe we can afford to irritate regional lords at this moment." The Second Prince, Nathaniel, chose that moment to break in, a dark look on his face. "They would demand to know why a newcomer, regardless of his achievements, would be given a large amount of developed land when vast tracts of new acquisitions are available." He sneered. "They would conveniently ignore the fact that it would take years for most of those lands to begin producing any real wealth. Of course, we could always just find a corrupt noble or two and use our wartime powers to strip them of their titles and land." Johnathan chuckled a bit awkwardly, "Of course we won''t be doing anything like that, but I am in agreement with my sister. I''m afraid the rank of Margrave is the best we can do at the moment. Creating another ducal house so soon after the war with Tenundi would send the wrong message. We will have more flexibility in the future, if you are willing to be patient. That said, I''m sure we can add a bit more territory, if that is the issue." "Not at all, Your Highness. I have no problem with the terms themselves, but I cannot in good conscience take on the responsibility of running a territory when I fully intend to leave this country in the near future." Mike replied firmly. A pang of genuine remorse passed across Andrea''s face, and she asked in a quiet voice that was nevertheless heavy with emotion, "Is there nothing that might change your mind?" Deciding that it was best to put an end to this definitively, he shook his head. "I''m sorry, but no." She lowered her gaze but didn''t reply, leaving the room in a gloomy silence that was only broken when her twin Matthew spoke up. "The way I see it, you aren''t inherently against a noble title, merely the obligation that comes along with it, right?" "That''s more or less correct. While I helped out in this war, I don''t intend to become a servant of this country, nor do I want to be tied down with territory or official responsibilities." He smiled at that, despite the blatant criticism underlying Mike''s statement. "I can certainly understand that, but look at it from our perspective. You are a newly risen Tier 4 mage who seems favorably predisposed to our country. Given the potential heights of your power and influence, it would be in our best interests to ensure that you remain so, and prevent other countries from luring you away." "You don''t have to worry about that. I have no intention of allying myself to another country at this point." Mike replied dismissively. Matthew leaned forward, a speculative look on his face. "Perhaps, but objective observers might disagree. As of right now, you already have a close relationship with the daughter of one of Dovistan''s most powerful noble families. It is not hard to believe that this might lead you to falling into their sphere of influence. That''s not even taking into consideration the possibility that you might create your own country. After all, the Tenundian Marshal Kiertesan is against the annexation, and would likely welcome a powerful ally capable of preventing it. He''d likely be willing to even allow you to take the throne yourself, should you manage to keep the country independent. If you factor in the orc tribes and Barren Islanders that would flock to your banner, you could easily make yourself a force to be reckoned with. One we would have little choice but to acknowledge given your achievements." [Huh, I guess that makes sense. In that light, I can see why someone who didn''t know me might view me as a threat. Honestly though, I''m more surprised that anyone is actually worried about Lily having the wherewithal to influence me in that manner. Anyone who''s talked to her for more than a few minutes would know that''s an irrational fear.] Mike thought to himself as he examined the situation. [Wait...who were the Barren Islanders again? Have I ever had any dealings with them?] He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I can assure you, that I have no intention of doing anything of the sort." The Third Prince smiled again. "I believe you, but I feel it is in our best interests to at least make a token gesture to both reassure the people of Almir and signal to the rest of the world that you are, at least in name, a friend and ally of our country. Which is why I suggest that the kingdom bestow Mike with the title of Sebastos." This mainly earned a bunch of confused looks from the rest of the room, with one notable exception. "Ha! That''s perfect!" Nathaniel exclaimed gleefully, "That would really stick it to those bastards on the council." He glanced over at his younger brother. "No wonder you got the better of me over these last few months. When did you get so devious?" Johnathan frowned. "I''m not sure I follow¡­" "Ugh. I fear for the future of this country with such a dullard at its head. The title Sebastos dates back to the Pyrathien Empire, and was originally given to direct relatives of the Imperial Family to differentiate them from other lesser nobles." "That doesn''t sound like a solution-" The First Prince started, only to have Matthew cut him off. "During the Empire''s decline, it took on a different meaning. When the provinces started rebelling and forming their own countries, it was used by the Emperor to honor the new rulers, while still maintaining his preminece over them. Since the recognition of the Pyrathean Empire was valuable to those unstable governments during those chaotic times, most quickly accepted the title. There was even a period of time where several countries actually referred to their royal families as Sebastoi, although it has fallen out of use since then." "But aren''t we trying to avoid having Mike become a ruler? Won''t this send the wrong message?" Nathaniel butted in again. "That''s the beauty of it! By falling back to the Pyrathien traditions, we can signal to the rest of the Inland Sea Region that we''re not only still powerful, but will soon achieve a level of national strength that will rival the Empire of old. Considering how weak we''ve looked these last few months, this is exactly the kind of thing we need. At the same time, we can elevate this guy to a position slightly below the king as a means of recognizing his contributions, demonstrate an almost family-like relationship with him, and ensure that other powers will think twice before trying to seduce him to their causes. Since it''s purely an honorary title that doesn''t come with any inherent rights or responsibilities, there is nothing to prevent him from galavanting about as he pleases.?? Johnathan looked thoughtful for a few moments before glancing at Mike. "That does seem to be an elegant solution. Would that be acceptable to you?" [Doesn''t sound too bad...Still, I feel like I should consult with Sera before making any decisions. There may be some factors I''m unaware of.] Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Matthew added. "You don''t have to decide right now. The awards ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow. Just let us know before then, so we can make it official." Mike nodded gratefully, "I''ll do that." "Please rest assured that an empty title is not all that we intend to give you for your accomplishments." Johnathan added in a hurry. "We''ve quite literally opened the treasury to provide adequate compensation for all of the contributors to this war. Your name is, of course, on the top of the list." Just as Mike was about to reply, Andrea stood up. She''d been grimly silent for the last few minutes, and her face was now a stony mask. "It seems that our negotiations for today are at an end, then. Forgive me for the discourtesy, Sir Dragonknight, but I''m afraid I have some business to attend to. If you would excuse me." With that she stalked out of the room, quickly trailed by a slightly flustered looking Leona. Matthew sighed and stood up himself. "I better go after her. Anyway, take care Mike. I''ll see you tomorrow." Following the Third Prince''s departure, the remaining people in the room filed out until it was just him, Nathaniel, and the frail looking Royal Guardsman that seemed to be assigned to him. As Mike moved to leave himself, the Second Prince coughed to get his attention. Despite that, he fidgeted for a few moments, looking increasingly irritated. Finally, he growled something deep in the back of his throat and started speaking. "Although it wasn''t the best rescue, you did technically save me from the Tenundians. I suppose I should¡­" He trailed off, and after a few seconds of awkward silence, Mike was beginning to wonder if he was supposed to say something. Finally, Nathaniel spoke again. "Grrr. Alright! You have my thanks! There, I said it!" Grumbling, he swept out of the room himself, followed by his Royal Guardsman, who gave Mike a polite bow before leaving as well. [Well, he certainly has a difficult personality. Reminds me a bit of Sera when I first met her.] Heading back to the dining room, he hoped that this time he could at least score some food before the next interruption. He''d kept catching whiffs of the heavenly aroma over the last half hour, and he was seriously starting to get hungry. [Now, if I can just make it to the table without-] "Ah! There you are! I''ve been looking for you." A cheerful woman''s voice rang out before he''d even managed to make it to the door. [Oh for f**** sake!] "What do you¡­" He trailed off as he caught sight of the speaker. Cariel was wearing a scandalously revealing outfit that was vaguely reminiscent of a belly dancer''s garb, albeit with trailing bits of multicolored cloth sewn into her sleeves, that fluttered behind her as she jogged over. Despite these additions, the ensemble did little to hide her figure. [I knew Charisma was important for paladins, but¡­] She marched up to him, took on a domineering pose, and pointed one finger at him. For a few seconds she stood there, mouth hanging slightly open as if she was about to speak. Finally, she frowned and muttered, "I forgot what I was supposed to say." Mike sighed. "Yeah, I figured that was the case. Well, come on. Let''s get something to eat while you think about it." He said while leading the way into the dining room. ----------------------------- Country/Region Descriptions part two: The Grand Duchy of Tenundi ------------------------------------- History --------- The Grand Duchy was formed in the wake of the Day of Ashes from the territories belonging to Duke Tenund of Almir. In the months leading up to the calamity, the Duke had been involved in a rapidly escalating political conflict with the crown in regards to mining rights in the western Barrier Mountains. Following the creation of the Ashmourne and the devastation that resulted from it, he seized the chance to break free from royal control and found his own nation. By the time the Almirans were in a position to suppress the rebellious Duke, he''d already managed to both reinforce the new border and gain international recognition. In the centuries that followed, Almir and Tenundi remained in a state of intermittent warfare that saw border raids conducted by both sides. During the Great War against Lacot did they set aside their differences long enough to help end the undead threat, but they were soon back at each other''s throats. Until recently, there was no real change to each nations'' territories as raids and counter raids eventually led to the creation of a virtually uninhabited region north and northeast of Almirn. However, a succession struggle following the untimely illness of the King of Almir gave the current Duke of Tenundi an opening to launch an all-out invasion with virtually all of the Duchy''s military resources. This proved unwise in retrospect, as it allowed the Skull Lord Kultanis to swiftly conquer the Tenundian homeland, massacre its populace, and then raise them as undead to serve as cannon fodder for his army bent on cleansing the continent of the living. With its territory in ruins, and the vast majority of its people slain by the Lacotian general, the Grand Duchy has largely ceased to exist. Society ----------- Prior to it''s destruction, Tenundian society closely resembled their Almiran neighbors, with a few key differences. While it was still a part of Almir, it was the region most closely tied with the Galaglacian dwarves to the north. So much so, that a significant number of them were in Tenundi on the Day of Ashes. These survivors chose to settle along the southern border of the soon to be renamed Barrier Mountains, forming a community of miners and craftsmen that became the basis of the Duchy''s production economy. Thanks to the dwarves'' technical knowledge and the rich mineral resources in its northern regions, Tenundi swiftly became a major producer of manufactured products. The resulting increase in trade made Lewender into one of the most developed seaports in the world, rivaling even Bergel for the sheer volume of goods that passed through its docks. Unfortunately, Duke Tendund''s descendants lacked the political and economic insight to utilize this advantage to its fullest extent, leaving Tenundi a relatively weak country despite its wealth. Travelers who managed to cross the border from Almir, or perhaps arrived by ship from a neutral nation, would notice that most Tenundian cities closely resembled their eastern neighbors with only one notable difference. Because of the lack of an established magic university, mages were relatively uncommon in the Duchy, and the few that did make their home within its borders were usually foreigners of questionable loyalty. As a result, many of the modern magical conveniences that inhabitants of the Inland Sea Region have come to take for granted, were absent from Tenundi. Instead, they relied on scientific or alchemical solutions devices to meet their needs. Commoners enjoyed relative prosperity prior to the country''s destruction, and had a slightly higher quality of life than many of their peers in other parts of the Inland Sea Region. However, Tenundi''s autocratic and stable government meant that there were few opportunities for advancement, and only on rare occasions did the common folk rise above the conditions of their birth. Additionally, the rights of nobles over their tenants, and commoners in general, were far more comprehensive compared to the Almirans, leading to the kind of abuses that were frequently associated with more despotic regimes. Political System --------------------- The Grand Duchy''s government superficially resembled that of Almir''s in the sense that the ruler held ultimate authority, and passed that along to the numerous noble landlords that governed individual regions. However, due its origin as the territorial holdings of a single, powerful Duke, Tenundi''s feudal structure was far more stable than that of their neighbor''s. As a result, most of their nobles could trace their lineage back to the original vassals of Duke Tenund and it was extremely uncommon for new noble houses to arise. This eventually led to the creation of a sharp distinction between noble and commoner classes, with the nobles monopolizing most of the country''s resources. Despite several peasant uprisings over the course of its history, the common folk of Tenundi never succeeded in winning much in the way of concessions from their overlords. Unlike in Almiran cities, commoners rarely held positions of power in Tenundi, as most government jobs are filled with the younger sons and daughters of the nobility, who would not inherit territory, and would otherwise not have a means of supporting themselves. Guilds were present, but strictly regulated by the noble rulers of individual cities, limiting their influence outside of their particular industries. Following its conquest and destruction by the Skull Lord Kultanis, Tenundi has largely ceased to exist as a country. Annexation by Almir is the most likely outcome of their current uncertain status, but it has yet to be officially announced. Chapter 270: Particular Deliberations "This is good!" Cariel exclaimed, her words slightly muffled by the full sized turkey leg she was tearing into. At least Mike thought it was a turkey leg. He was a little scared to use Appraise. To make matters worse, she''d also apparently forgotten about the strangely flat fork and knife laying beside her plate, and was using her hands instead. [Well, Lifestyle Magic makes it easy to clean up after yourself, so this should be alright. I''ll just ignore the stares she''s getting.] In the meantime he was savoring a bite of roasted duck. The dish superficially resembled something he''d been fond of before he came to this world, at least until he took a bite. Unlike the cuisine back on Earth, the Almiran style duck was apparently soaked in some kind of fruit-based sauce, which permeated the meat, giving it a sweet and slightly sour taste that he initially didn''t like. The more he ate of it, however, the more it started to grow on him. [It doesn''t quite taste like a citrus fruit, so maybe plum or perhaps a kind of berry?] "Hoho, what do we have here? Mixing it up with dancing girls now?" Brenden teased as he slid into the seat next to Mike. "You should be careful. I don''t think Tal and Sera would appreciate you flirting with other women...You know, any more than usually do." Mike shot him a dark look. "Tell me honestly. When looking at that, do you really think they have any reason to worry?" He pointed at the paladin, who was now in the process of draining an entire bottle of wine she''d acquired somewhere. Noticing the attention, Cariel stopped, unleashed a powerful belch, and then gave them a blank look. "What? Do you want some?" Brenden''s face fell at the disappointing sight. "I see what you...Wait a minute. You''re that warrior who fought with me against that Death Knight." Cariel tilted her head to one side. "Did I? I''ve fought a lot of things with a lot of people, recently." "That was like two days ago! How have you forgotten already?!" She just shrugged. "Maybe Julia would know?" Mike patted his friend''s shoulder sympathetically. "Don''t let it get to you. I think that''s just the way she is." Brenden sighed, "Whatever. How much longer are you planning on staying here, anyway? I think there are still a few events planned, but nothing too critical." "Honestly, the only thing I wanted to do here was enjoy the food. Once I''m done, I fully plan on sneaking out." Mike replied while passing a duck leg to Audra, who promptly began to devour it, bone and all. [Hmm, she''s starting to eat more again, even though I''ve been keeping her supplied with mana. I''ll have to get Red to ask Murthinax if that is normal. Although, he may not know anything about Wyrms.] "In that case, some friends of mine are throwing a very different kind of party down by the docks, if you are interested." "Eh, I don''t know. Heading home and getting some sleep for a change sounds pretty good right now." Brenden threw one arm around his shoulders. "Come on. The night''s still young, and this will be a good time, I promise. Besides, I may or may not have told Tal and Sera that you''d be taking them there." "...Why?" "Well, you''ll be leaving the country pretty soon. Who knows how many more chances you''ll have to celebrate before you''re on the road again. I think you and I can both agree that they deserve to have a little fun before you go." Mike sighed. "Alright, alright, you win. No need to guilt me anymore. Where are they? We should probably take them home and give them a chance to change. I''m guessing the kind of celebrations your friends have in mind don''t exactly require formal wear." "Ha. I think they should still be in the ballroom." Turning to Cariel, who had finished her ''turkey'' leg and was now working her way through an entire pot of soup, Mike asked, "Did you ever remember what you needed to say to me?" The paladin squinted, as if a thought suddenly occurred to her, but then her face returned to its usual grin. "Ah, I forgot that''s what I was supposed to be doing." He chuckled. "Well, if you ever remember, you can locate me through the University, at least in the short term. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night." "Bye, bye. May you walk in the blessings of the light." She replied distractedly as she returned to guzzling down the soup. [I don''t think I''ve heard that one before. Something to do with her religion, I suppose?] He thought while following after Brenden, only to quickly forget about the strange paladin as another wave of fans nearly overwhelmed him from an unexpected angle. Extricating himself from the situation, and tracking down the other two took a great deal of effort on his part, but within the hour, they were on their way to Brenden''s friends'' party ---------------------------------------------- Mike woke up the next day feeling refreshed and relaxed for the first time in a very long while. Of course, to be fair, he hadn''t actually slept in weeks. So that really wasn''t saying much. Still he was feeling great, and decided that he would work the occasional night of rest into his schedule every so often, simply for the psychological benefits it seemed to provide. The party they''d gone to last night had turned out to be a drunken and debauched extravaganza, just like he expected. A combination of freely flowing alcohol (courtesy of the King of Thieves) and the jubilant air of triumph had made the party-goers cheerful and a little bit too wild. In fact the celebrations themselves were actually still going on when the sun started creeping over the horizon The morning light had found a stone-cold sober Mike (courtesy of his ridiculous poison resistance) leading his intoxicated friends back to the dorms. While he could have used a bit of Healing Magic to fix their conditions, he decided to let them have their fun. [Still feels a little weird to see teenagers drinking so openly, but I suppose it''s just part of the culture here. Besides, it seems like the people here are a little more robust than back on Earth, so maybe it doesn''t affect them as badly.] As far as he could tell, the humans of Ea were more resistant to illness and even lived longer than their Earthling counterparts. It was not uncommon for him to spot people in their 90s and 100s, despite an almost complete lack of institutionalized healthcare. Some of it probably stemmed from the sanitation benefits of Lifestyle Magic, but he guessed that mana played a large role in extending human lifespans. Taking a moment to wax philosophical on the inherent differences between the two worlds he''d been to so far, Mike stretched and sat up, only to realize far too late that he wasn''t alone in bed. As his hand came down on something soft and squishy, he heard a faint exhalation of breath that was distinctly feminine. His mind blanked for a moment, before ramping into high gear. [Alright brain, think. You went to bed alone immediately after making sure Tal and Sera were safely in their rooms. The door was closed, but not locked. Audra was in her usual pillow nest at the foot of the bed, and Brenden stayed with his other friends, having no intention of coming back here. As this section of the dorms is closed to all but a handful of individuals, I can therefore safely conclude that the identity of this mystery person is¡­] He glanced down and met Lily''s bleary eyed gaze. She was still in the process of waking up, so he did his best to quickly and smoothly slide out of the bed without disturbing her. Once he was a safe distance away, he casually cleared his throat and asked. "Um, Lily? What are you doing here?" She yawned and stretched, quickly demonstrating that she was only wearing a thin blouse and a pair of loose linen trousers that reminded him of the sleepwear available on Earth. While this was better than he was expecting, it was still a far cry from being completely comfortable for him. Giving him a heavy lidded look, she mumbled her response. "Came to talk, but you were asleep, so I joined you." Mike started to reply, but stopped once he realized that she wouldn''t really understand why this kind of behavior could be a problem. After running through a few possible scenarios, he sighed and decided to forget about it. "What did you want to talk about?" She yawned again, before staring at him with mild confusion. "You''re leaving soon, right? I want to go, too." "I''m not sure if that''s a good idea¡­" "Why?" [Of course she has to ask the hard questions.] "Well, don''t you still have classes to go to? You don''t want to get behind in your studies, do you?" "I only care about Alchemy, and I can practice with you while we travel. I think you already know more than the teacher, anyway." [I suppose that''s fair.] He thought before coming up with another counter argument. "Okay, but what about your family? Surely they wouldn''t approve of you traveling with a bunch of people they''ve never met before, right?" She frowned as if giving the matter a great deal of thought. Finally, she said, "Maybe William would know." Guessing that this situation wouldn''t get resolved until he discussed the matter with him anyway, Mike followed Lily out into the common room. The butler was easy enough to track down, since he was sitting fretfully by the window, a cup of tea clasped in his shaky hands. Mike explained the situation, trying to get a read on the man''s sudden nervousness. His fears were confirmed when William shot back with a most unexpected answer. "This is perfect!" He shouted exultantly. "Uh...Are you sure you understand what I''m talking about? I''ll be leaving the country, and I don''t intend to return any time soon. If Lily goes with me, I can''t exactly promise that she''ll be safe. In fact, I''m somewhat notorious for being a danger magnet." "You misunderstand, sir. While this is by no means an ideal situation for milady, and will likely harm her chances of a favorable marriage in the future, there is something far more dire in the works that requires an immediate solution." While Mike doubted that Lily''s marriage prospects could be harmed any further than they surely were already, he decided to press on. "What''s the trouble?" "Well, sir, have you heard of the crisis currently facing Dovistan?" He felt like he''d heard something about it in the not too distant past, but he couldn''t recall any details. "I''m afraid I haven''t." William ran a hand through his grey hair, looking old and tired as he did so. "Well, as I am sure you are aware, Dovistan is famous for its military might. I do oblige myself by saying that in terms of training, bravery, and skill, our army has no equal anywhere in the Inland Sea Region." [News to me, but whatever.] "The reason for this has always been a product of our unique location next to the Vale of Silence, a horrid breeding ground for some of the most terrifying monsters to have ever walked this land. By necessity, much of our society is based around beating back these beasts whenever they invade our territory. While it always takes a terrible toll on our people, we have successfully held onto our section of the Southern Continent for hundreds of years. However, recently it has gotten much worse. The attacks are coming much more frequently and causing a great deal more devastation." "I see, and you feel that it would be in Lily''s best interest to avoid going home because of the danger." William grimaced slightly. "While I would like to agree with your interpretation, sir, I believe that milady would probably have little to fear from all but the most terrible of the monsters. Indeed, I think that her return would actually contribute quite a bit to the country''s overall military power, much as I hate to admit it." Thinking back to the way that she handled herself in the midst of combat, Mike could certainly understand the butler''s argument. "Ok, but I''m not really seeing your point, then." "That is because I haven''t told you the full story yet, sir." William replied quietly, "You see, Lily''s father has recently gotten in trouble with the king. I don''t know many details, as I''ve only just received a letter about it from a contact in Medun, but it seems that he''s been accused of treason. Under ordinary circumstances, this would likely resolve itself in due time, but with the country facing a serious crisis, I believe the king is looking to make an example of him, and perhaps shift some of the blame for the country''s ongoing woes. The entire family has been placed on lockdown as a result, and I fear that we will soon play host to royal representatives demanding to have milady sent back home to join them. While I doubt that they would have the gall to do anything to a ducal household without sufficient proof, I admit I am concerned." He paused for a moment, eyes taking a slightly distant cast, "Dovistan is a...harsh place. With so much of our lives dedicated to survival, there is little room for compassion, and crimes are punished severely. Should they find milady''s father guilty, it would not be unheard of to put his entire family to death." Mike pondered that for a moment, weighing his options, before asking, "Is he guilty?" William hesitated, and in doing so revealed what he likely thought was the truth. "I cannot say for certain, sir, but I suspect that he may be. My lord is not as...wise as his father, and I fear that he may have put his faith in the wrong sort of advisors." "I think I understand the situation." He replied as he glanced over at Lily, sensing that she had been far too quiet over the last few minutes. It was lucky that he did, since she was working on chemically altering the contents of her own teacup with a vial of a vibrant green liquid. The tea began to bubble ominously as soon as the fluids mixed, leaving him with little doubt as to how this would play out. A momentary effort of will suppressed the small explosion that occurred immediately afterward, leaving only a dull gray sludge in the bottom of her cup, that looked to be relatively stable. [Where did she even get that stuff?] He found himself wondering, before looking back towards William now that the danger had passed. "So, Lily is basically a fugitive, and it won''t be long before someone comes from her homeland to arrest her. As such, it would be in her best interest to simply vanish for a few months until the heat dies down. Is that about right?" The butler nodded. "While I am not sure what the temperature has to do with anything, I believe that cuts to the heart of the matter." "How long does she have?" "It''s hard to say, sir, since the sea lanes have been disrupted due to the war. If I had to guess, I''d say we have a matter of weeks at most. However, due to the nature of the communication I received from my contact, it''s possible that the message got delayed, and we may only have a few days." Mike sighed and leaned back in his chair while looking over at Lily again. She was now poking at the grey sludge in her cup with a spoon, forming it into a ball. Despite her unusual personality, she could be depended upon in a fight, and was arguably the most individually powerful of those who carried the companion title. In the event that he needed to operate separately from the rest of the group, he could rest easy knowing that she was there to guard them. Still, it was something he would need to discuss with the others before he made his decision. "What about you, William? What are you planning on doing?" The butler bowed politely, "I''m afraid that even the employees of my lord''s household are under suspicion, and if I remain here, I will most likely be detained by the Dovistani representatives. Should you see fit to bring milady with you, I would like to humbly request that allow this clumsy servant to follow along as well. While I may not be of any use to someone as capable as yourself, I can at the very least serve as a decoy should the worst arise." "I get that, but I can''t exactly anticipate the kind of danger I''ll be facing in the future, and you don''t have Lily''s durability to fall back on. Are you sure about this?" William smiled gently. "I have been with milady for her entire life. Although it''s truly arrogant of me to say so, I''ve always looked on her as something of a daughter. If I were to abandon her at this critical juncture, even if it is the wisest choice, I don''t think I could live with myself afterward." "Alright, I understand. Before I make a decision, though, let me talk to my other party members and get their take on the matter." "Of course, sir." Luckily Sera and Tal were already in the process of getting up, and their discomfort stemming from the excesses of last night were easily dispatched with a bit of Healing Magic. He explained the situation to them, fully expecting to hear a chorus of complaints from the Oracle. After all, Sera had been hostile towards Lily from the beginning, and that hadn''t changed much since. However, his preconceived notions were thrown on their head for the second time this morning. "I say we take them both along." She stated simply, once he''d finished summarizing. "...May I ask why?" "Even though she''s a socially inept bag of uncontrolled and idiotic urges, we could use another frontliner now that Brenden is staying here. She might not be good for much else, but I admit that she can take and dish out a lot of punishment." The Oracle replied grudgingly. "I concur." Tal added in the ancient language she''d started using to communicate with him. "So long as we mitigate the worst of her excesses, Lily will be a great asset. Besides, now that we''ve grown to know her, it would be heartless to simply abandon her to her fate." "Right, what she said." Sera added. "And before you ask, William will come in handy for a couple of reasons. First, as an experienced butler from a ducal house, he should be well versed in the etiquette of the countries we intend to visit, or at least, he should know more than I do. Second, we could use someone who is familiar with managing supplies, logistics, and household finances." "We do?" "We do." She nodded. " I know you''ve been more or less handling it at the moment, but you''ve got bigger things to worry about. Bringing in a reliable and experienced servant will help lighten your burden." "Alright, alright, you''ve sold me on it." Mike finally agreed while standing up. "I''ll add them to our travel arrangements, not that we really have any at the moment. Now, I don''t know about the rest of you, but I''m craving breakfast....or maybe lunch, depending on what time it is." Sera followed, a smug grin on her face. "Actually, I already took the liberty of chartering a ship to take us to the Riverlands. For free I might add." [I was kinda planning on summoning some flying monsters to carry us there, or at the very least, make some kind of conveyance with magic, but I guess this works, too. It might be nice to have a leisurely trip for a change.] "Free?" Tal asked suspiciously as they all moved towards the dorm dining area. "You remember that boat we rescued from the Tenundians? Well, it apparently belonged to a trading company that sided with the Second Prince during the civil war. Now that the whol thing has been settled in the First Prince''s favor, they were keen on showing themselves as loyal citizens of Almir. What better way than to transport the Hero of Almir on his journey?" "You do know I was hoping to keep this trip a secret, right?" Mike asked. Sera scoffed. "Well, the secret has been out for days. Everyone in the city is talking about you leaving, although the reasons and destinations vary." He sighed. "Figures." Walking up to the serving counter, he was about to ask for one of the sandwiches the maids had prepared for lunch, when a voice interrupted him. "Um, are you sure that you should be having lunch here?" Wallace, the bespectacled Science Department student who shared the building with them, asked. Thanks to all the drama that had happened since the last time Mike had actually stayed at the dorm, it felt like it had been months since he''d even laid eyes on the man. Feeling that a little friendly ribbing was a good means of breaking the ice, Mike smiled and asked, "Come on, the sandwiches here are to die for. Where else would I be going?" Wallace adjusted his glasses. "Well, the sandwiches are good, but I figured you would be a bit more concerned about the awards ceremony that you''re supposed to be a part of. Isn''t it starting soon?" [...crap¡­] As if to mock his sudden realization, the clock tower chose that moment to go off, signalling that it was indeed five bells. "Change of plans. We''re getting lunch to go!" He announced while hurriedly running back to his room to change. Based on his estimation, if they left within the next few minutes, they would only be casually late. Chapter 271: Stealing the Show "Do you think something may have happened to him?" Prince Johnathan asked once they''d been waiting close to a half hour for the Dragonknight''s arrival. So far, the acting Prime Minister, who''d taken over after the previous one had vanished mysteriously, was delaying things with a lengthy speech. However, the crowd was already growing restless. If something didn''t change soon, it could lead to a riot. The four members of the royal family were sitting in evenly spaced thrones on the raised dais. As none of them had been crowned yet, it was improper for any of them to take precedence of the others. They were placed at the very rear of the performance section of the Stadia Almira, the massive open-air building that dominated the south eastern portion of the New City. It was mainly used for major shows, sporting events, martial arts tournaments, religious festivals and ceremonies, and the occasional high profile duel. It also doubled as the city''s venue of choice when performing public ceremonies. In front of them, and a little lower down the dais, the Ministers and other major government officials were seated in rows. A podium enchanted with voice enhancement was placed slightly in front of them, and it was from here that the acting Prime Minister was giving his speech. Beyond him on the stadium''s floor were additional rows of seats set aside for those individuals whose contributions were deemed sufficient to be personally rewarded by the crown. Finally, in the rising tiers of spectator seats was the audience. While it was unclear exactly how many people were in attendance today, the stadium supposedly had a capacity of nearly 90 thousand. From the looks of it, they were close to filling it. Mattew shrugged idly. "Hard to say for certain, but I would be surprised. It''s more likely that he ended up enjoying the festivities a bit too much last night, and failed to get up in time." "He''s not that unreliable." Andrea broke in with a grumble, "I''m sure he has his reasons for being late. That is, if he''s even still coming¡­" Nathaniel chuckled, "It might be better if he didn''t show up. Just think of all the money we''d be saving if we didn''t have to reward him." "Nathan!" Johnathan scolded. "What? You know I''m right. Between the reconstruction and supporting the sudden influx of the Tenundian refugees, we hardly have enough gold in the treasury as it is. Preparing a proper reward for the Dragonknight will practically bankrupt us. Especially since he doesn''t want any territory, which is the one thing we have in abundance." He shot back. The First Prince frowned disapprovingly. "It''s not honorable to be this concerned about money. As soon as we get everything back in order, the money will start flowing in again, no need to be worried. Until then, I''m sure we can scare up the funds somewhere." Nathaniel gave his brother a disbelieving look. "This is exactly why I didn''t want you to be king! What has honor to do with being financially secure? If we don''t take steps to prevent the systematic hemorrhaging of money out of our treasury, we''ll be broke within weeks. Once we are no longer able to pay our soldiers, how long do you think it will be before they rebel? Or even worse, desert to the service of some major lord who thinks they can do a better job ruling this country?" "Brothers, please." Matthew interrupted. "This is supposed to be a celebration. Not to mention the fact that we are in the public eye at the moment. We can figure out our financial situation later, behind closed doors. For the record, though, I feel that there is some merit to what Nathan is saying." Johnathan sighed, and then smiled. "Perhaps I''ve been taking our treasury for granted. Once we''ve finished here, would you all do me the favor of joining me to discuss our finances with the Minister of the Treasury? I''m sure that between the four of us, we can come up with some solution." "Hmph. Yeah, I suppose I''ll have to." Nathaniel grumbled. "You won''t even know the right questions to ask." He was about to say something else when a roar erupted from the crowd, quickly drowning everything else out. Descending from the sky were three humanoid figures. It didn''t take much guessing to determine their identities, so few were surprised when the Dragonknight and his two companions landed in the middle of the awardees. By this point, the cheering had grown to a deafening roar. Looking sheepish and a little embarrassed, Mike waved at the crowd, bringing their energy to a fever pitch. Judging by his resulting grimace, this was contrary to his intentions, and only by making a lowering motion with his hand was he able to gradually bring the audience back under control. After a few moments, the stadium quieted down to the point of near silence. Tens of thousands of eyes were gathered on the Dragonknight as he opened his mouth and began to speak. "Sorry about being late, I kinda overslept¡­" ---------------------------- [Well, that could have gone better.] Mike thought once he was finally in his seat, Tal and Sera to his right. It had taken a little bit more time than he''d anticipated, but the ceremony was now finally underway. The bearded man who''d been standing at the podium when they landed had been replaced by Prince Johnathan. The popular royal heir, judging from the way the crowd cheered once he was introduced, made a short speech thanking the people for their support during these trying times, and swearing to continue to defend the country from all hostile invaders. He then segued into recognizing the achievements of certain individuals, and the role they played in halting and eventually defeating both invasions. [He''s pretty good at this. Definitely knows how to play the crowd. While it takes a lot to be a good ruler, he at least has the public appearance part locked down.] Mike thought idly as he let the words wash over him. Between the heat of the afternoon sun, and the comfortable chair he was sitting in, it was getting hard not to feel a bit drowsy. Quite naturally, his mind began to drift as he started planning all the things he would need to get accomplished in the next few days. Honestly, he felt like he didn''t even have enough time to properly say goodbye to everyone he''d met, let alone with all the loose ends that had cropped up during his time in Almirn. Hell, he still had a few library books he needed to take back. [Hopefully they are still in my bag somewhere. While they would probably forgive me for it at this point, I dread the idea of pissing off those librarians. Especially since I have every intention of visiting the highest levels of the restricted section now that they have no reason to bar my entry.] He was so deeply lost in thought that when he heard his name being called, it took a second for him to remember that he was supposed to go up on stage to receive his rewards. After a brief hesitation, he swiftly stood and marched over to stand next the Prince as calmly and naturally as he could manage. "Once again, may I present the Hero of Almir, Michael Rasmussen, also known as the Dragonknight Erasmus." Johnathan started jubilantly, waiting until the cheering had quieted down a bit to resume. "Listing this man''s many accomplishments would take longer than we have time for today, and I am sure that most of you are already quite familiar with them. So, I will summarize by saying that without him, this country would have ended in a wave of bloodshed and death. The Kingdom of Almir owes him a great debt, one that we may never be able to fully repay, but we will attempt to honor his efforts to the best of our abilities." After once again waiting for the crowd to quiet down, he continued. "As Sir Erasmus has done more for this country than anyone in recent memory, we felt it only reasonable that his rewards were equally unprecedented. As such, we have chosen to bestow upon him the rank of Sebastos, the highest noble title we have the authority to grant." The crowd descended into confused muttering. Most probably had no idea what the title actually meant, and were unsure if it constituted a good reward. For his part, the Prince glanced over apologetically, and whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "Sorry, but since you didn''t tell us anything, we went ahead with our initial plans. Hope you don''t mind." Mike shrugged, unable to really say anything. It had been his fault for forgetting about his promise in the first place. Besides, he wasn''t exactly opposed to the title itself, since it didn''t carry any overt responsibility. Judging from the look of abject shock on Sera''s face though, he was likely in for an earful in the near future. "Additionally, he is to be awarded the sum of five million golden wrens and any three items of his choice from the Royal Treasury." The Prince concluded almost nonchalantly, earning a brief moment of stunned silence from the crowd, before they erupted into cheering once more. [Hm? Five million? That''s a lot, right? Is it really alright to be giving out that much?] The amount concerned Mike a little, since it might make him and his friends a target. That said, he did enjoy watching Sera''s response to the number, and had to suppress a chuckle as an almost dizzying array of expressions passed across her face, before finally settling into the blank and staring appearance of someone who''d achieved a long time goal and didn''t know what else to do with their lives. After another round of thanks, he was invited to return to his seat and allow the next awardee to take his place. The remaining rewards were generous, although never anywhere close to Mike''s in terms of value. Several of the participants were raised to noble ranks and given territory in the annexed regions of Tenundi. Even Emmanuel was granted the rank of Viscount and given control of the territory that once belonged to Viscount Wendel. [Hmm, that reminds me. I really should try to track him down at some point. That orb of his would be definitely worth acquiring.] Near the end of the ceremony, Tal was also called up. Johnathan even managed to pronounce most of her full name correctly. For her efforts in staving off the assault of the Furies, she was to be given fifty thousand gold and some kind of elven artifact called the Eye of Ashae. After close to three hours, the ceremony thankfully came to a close with another round of applause and a general dismissal. The awardees themselves were invited to join the royal procession heading back to the palace and actually receive their rewards. Dozens of carriages had been set aside for that exact purpose, so Mike, Tal, and Sera had one to themselves. As soon as the door closed, the Oracle began speaking. "Alright, this changes things. We need to discuss ramifications." "Are you talking about the title or the reward money?" Mike asked while glancing out the window at the crowd lining the streets. They were getting quite raucous, and he suspected that another night full of celebrations were in the offing. "The money does make our situation a bit unusual, since five million gold is more than the annual budget of most noble territories¡­" She trailed off as a slightly idiotic grin spread across her face. After a few moments, she shook her head. "However, the title is the real issue here." "Well, it''s not like it carries any actual responsibilities, right? Shouldn''t it be fine to simply ignore it?" She gave him a dark look. "I take it that they explained it to you at some point? Did they tell you where it originated from?" "More or less. Apparently, it was used by the old Pyrathien Emperors to acknowledge rebellious rulers during their decline rather than try and fight them." "Haa¡­," Sera sighed while rubbing her temples. "That''s not exactly wrong, since they did make use of it that way, but there''s a problem with giving it to you. It was originally created for the Imperial Family as a means of distinguishing relatives outside of the usual line of succession. Calling yourself a Sebastos is essentially saying that you are part of the Imperial Family, even though it''s mostly symbolic." "Have authority?" Tal asked, obviously pointing out that Prince Johnathan may not actually have the ability to grant an old imperial title. "As I recall correctly the current royal line of Almir is actually distantly related to the Pyrathien Emperors through marriage. It''s not the strongest link, but they can certainly make the argument that they have the authority to name a Sebastos and there really wouldn''t be anyone who could challenge them on it." "Oh, how so?" Mike asked. "The only recognized descendants of the last Emperor used to make up a significant portion of the upper class of Bergel, the City of Coins. However, they were almost completely wiped out in the merchant revolution that took place about eighty years ago. As it stands now, there are only a small handful of people who can verifiably claim to be part of the Imperial Family. None of them, however, is a Tier 4, which itself presents another problem." "I''m assuming you are going to elaborate." Sera paused and fixed her gaze on him. "You have to remember that the Sebastos title was around for a long time, and more than a few bearers managed to inherit or seize the position of emperor for themselves." "Does that matter?The empire doesn''t even exist anymore." "True, but how do you think the world is going to look at it when they learn that the youngest Tier 4 in recorded history now has a claim to the ancient throne of Pyrathia? Especially one who is believed to have ties with the Dragonknights, the closest thing this region has had to a unifying force since the fall of the Empire. Will they dismiss it as an honorary title? Or, will they see it as the first step towards the rise of the Third Pyrathien Empire?" "...Hmmm...that could be troubling." Chapter 272: Treasured Descent "Refuse?" Tal asked. Sera sighed again. "While the prince could probably rescind the title, I don''t think it will matter much at this point. The precedent has already been established, so it''s best to simply work on mitigation. Which is why Mike is going to do his best to lay low for the foreseeable future." "That shouldn''t be too hard." He replied amiably. The Oracle gave a dirty look. "I''m serious. You will need to try harder than you usually do. The alarmists in other countries will be watching you closely to see what your intentions are. If you avoid doing anything overtly dangerous to their interests, they might be more willing to write this whole thing off as an overly ambitious gesture from an inexperienced prince." "You act like I''m incapable of keeping a low profile." He shot back. Both of the women fixed him with blank looks for a few moments. "Alright, alright. I''ll do better this time." [Maybe there is some kind of disguise skill I can pick up. Alternatively, I could try to make some kind of disguise item with Artifice. Not sure how I would go about that, though. Fake glasses would be the classic method, but lens crafting technology in this world hasn''t exactly reached that point yet. Could I make it some kind of headwear? Like a hat? Some kind of hat of disguise?] He broke off his internal debate as Sera continued. "I''ll take that at face value for the moment, but we will have to be careful going forward. You especially need to avoid appearing like you are gathering power and influence. That means you can''t topple any governments, form any extranational military forces, or seize any territory during our travels." "Do you really think we have to worry about that?" She gave him another blank look. "Hey! I''ve done some crazy stuff, I''ll admit that, but I''ve never founded my own country or harmed any existing governments, and I have no intention to." "Let''s try to keep it that way." She shot back blandly. "Now we do need to discuss the more pressing matter." "What''s that?" "The First Prince has granted you a choice of three items from the Royal Treasury. You should know that this is a traditional reward given to the individual with the greatest military accomplishments over the course of a war. It''s considered a high honor, but it does come with some unspoken rules that you will be expected to follow." [Of course it does.] Mike thought to himself, already feeling a little tired out by the whole situation. Sera continued in full lecture mode. "While you can technically pick anything, recipients typically save the first choice for an item of monetary value that they will then either use for the development of their holdings or donate it to the church of the god of your choice. This is meant to demonstrate the awardee''s dedication or piety. Since you don''t have any territory, and I don''t think you are particularly religious, I''m going to recommend that you instead give it back to be used for the reconstruction efforts. It may be considered a bit unusual, but doing that should help alleviate concerns that you are building your own power base." "Is there any way in particular I should do so?" He asked, figuring that if a money-obsessed person like her was willing to give away a portion of his reward, then she must have a pretty good reason. "You should have a steward or a minister accompanying you on the trip to keep you informed of the protocol, so I would just recommend picking something that looks valuable and informing them that you would like it to be given to those most affected by the invasions." "Sounds simple enough." "Now, your next two selections are supposed to be for personal use, but they vary on their intended purposes. The second item is traditionally a tool that will assist you in your duty, demonstrating your commitment to the tasks that have been assigned to you. Depending on the individual in question, this is typically either a weapon or some kind of magical device. Since you are only loosely associated with the country, I think you can get away with just grabbing something that looks useful for your skill set." Mike nodded to show that he was still listening, even though his gaze was focused on the crowds outside. As far as he could tell, the populace was already in the process of starting the night''s festivities, despite the fact that it was only mid-afternoon. "The last item is traditionally a free choice among any of the items stored in the treasury. That said, I recommend that you avoid anything too valuable or historically significant. As someone not tied to the country, it would be frowned upon to take something on the level of a national treasure, especially since they''ve already allocated you enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of your life." "So to summarize, I should grab a weapon, a minor useful item, and something valuable to give away. Is that about it?" She nodded, "More or less, but since I fully intend on going with you, I''ll make sure your choices are acceptable." "Will that be alright? I figured something called the Royal Treasury would have some pretty strict security." "It might," Sera conceded, "but considering the stories I''ve heard about the place, I doubt they''d be worried. Besides, I have the distinct feeling that if I leave you alone, you''ll come back with something ridiculous." He briefly considered arguing against that insinuation, but quickly realized that it would be a losing battle. Unfortunately, his track record would work against. "We''re here." Tal announced suddenly, saving him from having to reply. Glancing out the window, Mike saw that she was right. The line of carriages had just passed through the palace gates and were in the process of lining up to disembark their passengers. Within a few minutes all of the awardees were out in the courtyard, before being split into two distinct groups. Most of them were taken towards the administrative offices of the palace, where they would be receiving their monetary rewards, proofs of nobility, and paperwork for the acquisition of territories. Mike, Tal, and Sera, however, were led through a series of dark corridors and staircases heading underground. After several minutes of travel, they eventually arrived in front of a massive door. While it looked like it was made of wood, it''s surface glistened slightly in the light of the magic torches, indicating that it probably wasn''t quite what it appeared to be. Three metal bars stretched across it from floor to ceiling, held in place by ornate looking locking mechanisms. The door was flanked by two Royal Guardsmen, who were apparently assigned to guard the vault. Besides these imposing guardians, there were two other men who were dressed in the elaborate robes of government functionaries. As soon as Mike''s group approached, the older of the two stepped forward to introduce himself. "Greetings, Sir Dragonknight, I am Torthan Kandis, the Minister of the Treasury. My secretary and I will be escorting you through the vault while you make your selections and presenting Miss Talitha with her reward, which is stored below." "Good to meet you." Mike replied with a smile. He looked over at the heavy door. "Out of curiosity, will we be getting our other rewards here?" [I don''t think I have the storage space in my extradimensional sack to carry out five million gold coins. Maybe they have some sort of cart system in place.] Torthan blinked, and then chuckled. "No, this is only one part of the Treasury. Specifically, it is the Royal Vault, where we keep the kingdom''s treasures. More mundane currency is handled upstairs, however, in your case we intended to provide your monetary reward in the form of a line of credit through the Adventurer''s Guild. Assuming that''s acceptable for you, sir." Mike hesitated for a second, not really sure how to respond. It was probably a decent option, but he didn''t really know enough about the economics of this world to be sure. He was starting to realize that he was continually out of his depth in these kinds of situations. Sera leaned in and whispered in his ear, "This actually works out well, since this way we don''t have to worry about transporting or converting that massive amount of money during our travels." "That will be fine." Mike finally replied with a nod. "Very well, then please follow me and we shall take you to the vault." The minister moved over to stand in front of the massive door, squared his shoulders, and announced in a loud and commanding voice. "I come in the company of heroes! As the appointed representative of the King of Almir, I demand that these doors be opened to allow us entry, that my charges can avail themselves of their richly deserved rewards!" As soon as the last echo of Torthan''s words faded, the three metal bars across the vault door began to slide into the floor slowly. While the mechanism worked, the minister''s secretary stepped forward and began to explain. "The Royal Vault is protected by enchantments that have been in place since the palace was built. It is necessary for even duly appointed representatives of the Crown to state their intended business. Failure to provide sufficient justification can lead to that individual''s entry rights being permanently revoked." "I imagine that would be troublesome for Ministers of the Treasury." Mike murmured while watching the mechanisms of the door operate. The secretary smiled, an oddly jubilant note to his voice. "Oh, indeed! Loss of entry rights often spells the end of a minister''s career, which is why they take special care when choosing the wording of their requests." Feeling slightly creeped out by the other man''s strange enthusiasm, Mike was relieved when the vault door finally creaked open, revealing another stone corridor lit by magical light fixtures. A more relaxed looking Torthan turned back towards them, "Now, if you would come this way." He led them through the tunnel and indicated a set of painted yellow lines while giving them a brief overview. "Please stay inside these lines for the duration of our time in the vault. There are a number of security features that will prove quite lethal should you fail to do so. According to our historical documents, the original structure of the vault was the first portion of the palace to be completed. Some sources even indicate that it might have incorporated old High Elven ruins into its structure, although those claims have never been verified. That said, much of the vault remains something of a mystery, so I must insist that you follow the marked path and do not touch anything unless you are given explicit permission." With an audible swallow, Sera moved into the very center of the pathway, making sure to keep both of her arms close to her chest. The tunnel they were walking through began to decline and twist to the left until it felt like they were descending a sort of spiral shaped ramp. They continued for close to ten minutes before finally arriving at a landing of sorts. The tunnel went on for a few more meters before splitting into several different passages. There, a humanoid figure dressed in a simple grey robe waited to meet them. It was vaguely masculine in shape, but most of its features were obscured by a combination of its thick clothes and a raised hood. Not wanting to be surprised by a sudden reveal, Mike used Appraise. --------------------------- No. 59 Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 4) One of Caretakers, a variety of magically animated puppet created by Ghalia Khardonis to guard and maintain the Vault. Thanks to the quality of their construction, these puppets can operate indefinitely and they maintain a shared control network that allows them to operate as a sort of hive mind. ---------------------------- [So basically maintenance robots? Huh.] "Sir Dragonknight, what would you like to see first?" Torthan asked. "What are my options?" "Practically anything you can imagine is stored here, but they are all sorted by item type. There are dozens of specialized storage rooms, but our most popular choices are weapons, armor, utility magic items, magic materials, alchemical items, gemstones, art objects, and artifacts. If any of these peak your interest, then simply tell the Caretaker and it will take us there." [Hm, what should I pick?] Chapter 273: A Heroic Inheritance "When you say Artifacts, what exactly do you mean?" Mike asked, curious about the description. Back on Earth, the term could mean a number of things, varying from broken pottery shards to sarcophagi made of solid gold. Torthan nodded, "It is something of a blanket term used for items that have been recovered from ruins dating back to the 2nd or early 3rd ages. Before you get your hopes up however, you should know that the vast majority of our Artifact collection is composed of salvaged bits and pieces. While they hold a fair amount of academic value, I doubt they''d be of interest to you." [Still might be worth looking into, but I suppose I should start with the basics.] "Can you take me to where the gemstones are located? I think I''d like to begin with an item of monetary value." The minister smiled softly. "Very well. Caretaker, please take us to the Gem Storage." The puppet bowed politely and began leading the way down one of the tunnels. It moved with a strange grace that might have been appealing if it didn''t seem quite so unnatural. Although it had probably been made to resemble a humanoid creature, its creator evidently wasn''t able to completely mimic the motions of an organic being. The group continued in this manner for another few minutes, demonstrating just how vast the vault was. As they walked, Mike could tell that the building design and even materials used in the walls changed periodically, giving the whole complex a slightly haphazard feeling. Occasionally, he could even see bits of stonework that were reminiscent of concrete. [Despite not being verified, it''s pretty obvious that this place was built on some kind of ruins. Considering that the Spire is not too far away, it''s not really a stretch to believe that they may even be High Elven.] After a few minutes of walking, the tunnel split into two passages, and the Caretaker led them to the right without any hesitation. This one quickly ended in a solid stone door with some kind of symbol carved into. Evidently, it wasn''t any kind of written language, since his Communication Magic didn''t translate it. The puppet stepped in front of the door and held still. After a few moments, a seam appeared in the stone slab, and the two sides gradually slid apart without a sound. The chamber beyond filled with a sudden burst of light as the magical illumination devices within it activated. The room was large and lined with stone shelves vertibably covered with a wide variety of crystalline objects. While the majority of them were more mundane gemstones like emeralds, rubys, diamonds and the like, several sections seemed devoted to more exotic items. There were glowing gems, gems that seemed to absorb light, gems that looked like they were slowly expanding and contracting like some kind of living thing, and even gems that had to be kept inside of a mesh cage lest they float away. Despite all that, it was the center of the room that stole his attention though. There, a mix of large basins filled with red, orange, and yellow mana cores of varying sizes occupied most of the space. Between them were a few pedestals that bore a handful of green ones. The centerpiece of the display, however, was an indigo core nearly a meter in diameter, resting on an elaborate dais. Mike could tell at a glance that it held more latent power than all the other cores he had in the room combined. Just seeing it made him want to try crafting something out of it. [What could I do with something like that? Or rather, what couldn''t I make out of that?] "I see the Heart of Fironis has caught your attention." Torthan commented with some obvious amusement. "That''s to be expected, of course, since it''s the most valuable item in this room by far. Supposedly, it was pulled from the corpse of the Titan Fironis in the chaos following the close of the Second Age. Whether or not there is any truth to those rumors, it nevertheless remains one of the largest and most powerful mana cores ever discovered." Mike nodded absently before using Appraise to confirm the man''s words. ------------------------- High Grade Mana Core Magical Material (Tier 4, Rank 3) A High-Grade Mana Core. -------------------------- [...I should have known.] Sera whispered in his ear again. "Whatever you''re thinking, don''t do it. That is definitely something that could be classified as a national treasure, so it would be best to look elsewhere." "I''m not that dumb." He shot back, feeling a little annoyed that he couldn''t even satisfy his curiosity anymore without being accused of something. Scanning the room for a few moments, he decided to avoid picking up anything that he didn''t fully understand, and therefore settled on a fist size ruby that had been carved into the shape of a draconic claw clutching an orb. "I would like my first item to be that one, but I want to donate it to the country and have the proceeds be used to help those affected most by the invasions." Torthan nodded. "Of course, I''ll see to it." He turned to a second Caretaker that had been passively standing in one corner of the room, practically looking like furniture. "Our guest has selected his first item. Please bring it to the Entrance Hall." The puppet bowed and carefully moved to the indicated shelf and removed the gem before disappearing back into the corridor. "Now, where would you like to go next?" After a moment of thought, Mike replied "I''d like to see the weapons." "Very well." As they left the room, he took one last glance back at the powerful mana core. He decided that he would definitely need to find one for himself at some point. The next trip didn''t take quite as long, and within a few minutes they were standing in front of another stone barrier, which slid open in much the same way as the first. This chamber was filled with a variety of weapons racks and display cases, carrying all manner of lethal implements. Mike saw everything from massive battle axes to wickedly curved daggers, and everything in between. Taking a few minutes to scan the room with Appraise, he eventually settled on an item that fit what he was looking for. "I''ll take that one over there, and if you don''t mind, I''d like to hold on to it." Torthan blinked. "That one? Are you sure you want a...Nevermind, that is perfectly acceptable." With a few quick commands, he had another of the stationary Caretakers go and retrieve the item in question and bring it back to him. It was a slender length of some kind of off-white material, seemingly polished marble, but with the flexibility of wood. With the exception of a simple grip at its midpoint, virtually every inch of it was covered with tiny, but immensely complicated, scrollwork. Mike took the weapon in his hands, carefully inspecting it for a few moments before passing it over to Sera. "Here you go. This is for you." "Eh?" She murmured while absently accepting the elaborately carved bowstave. After a few seconds she began to bluster. "Wa-wa-wait! This is too much! It''s supposed to be your reward!." He chuckled at her flustered face. "I''m aware, but I''ve been thinking for awhile now that we need to upgrade your equipment. When I saw that bow, I knew it was the perfect time to do so." Using Appraise one more time, he confirmed his gut instinct that it was a suitable weapon for the Oracle. --------------------------------- Iatromantis''s Grasp Magic Weapon (Tier 4, Rank 2) This bow was crafted by the Master Artificer Malhart Elsdorga for the Hero Iatromantis, who used it to slay the mortal avatar of Lycalgus, God of Monsters and Carnivorous Beasts. In addition to the powerful enchantments added at the time of its creation, it absorbed a portion of Lycalgus''s divine essence, causing it to increase from its previous status of Tier 3, Rank 5. Wielders of the bow are granted an enhancement to their visual acuity, allowing them to see fine details up to three kilometers away. With a command word, the bow can also grant it''s wielder the ability to see beyond the normal visual spectrum, allowing them to operate effectively even in limited visibility or complete darkness. It requires no arrows to operate, instead channeling ambient mana to create temporary magical constructs which act as the weapon''s primary projectiles. These constructs can be directed in mid-flight, allowing for skilled users to correct their aim or even shoot around barriers. Finally, the bow''s wielder is granted a portion of Lycalgus''s beastial power, providing a Large increase to Agility and Endurance. ----------------------------------- [Might be a bit much for her at the moment, but I have a feeling that she will be able to use it to great effect in the future.] "I''m a little surprised that you would pick up something like that for one of your companions." Torthan''s secretary commented mildly. "There are only a few relics of the Heroes that aren''t monopolized by the churches. Should they learn of it..." He was leaning forward and carefully examining the weapon, a slightly disturbing grin on his face. The minister started. "A Hero relic?!" "Of course, although it seems to have found a new owner now." The secretary replied with a laugh, his plain and uninteresting face splitting in a manner that almost made him seem a bit deranged. The moment passed quickly, though. "Ahem. It''s not strange that you would be unaware of it, since I only learned of its existence by reading through the old archives." "Is it a problem?" Mike asked, hoping that he didn''t have to give the bow back now. The odd man turned towards him with a small smile. "Not to worry, Sir Dragonknight. I doubt anyone besides the five of us are even aware of its existence. Thanks to the defense mechanisms in place, and the strange way they Caretakers tend to sort things when no one is looking, keeping an accurate inventory of the Vault has proven virtually impossible. Besides, once a selection has been made, it cannot be changed. I merely found it interesting that you managed to pick out one of the most potent and valuable items in the room with such ease, although I suppose a legendary figure like yourself would also possess a legendary level of discernment." "That''s enough Barkas." The minister broke in harshly. "Of course, sir. My apologies." Clearing his throat to cover up his momentary loss of control, Torthan continued. "As my secretary stated, you''ve already selected the item in question. We would not be so crass as to deny it to you now. Of course, you can also trust in our discretion on this matter." Mike glanced back at Sera, who was still carefully looking over the bow with a conflicted expression on her face. He could tell that she desperately wanted to hold onto it, but was unsure if it was wise to do so. "Thank you for your consideration in this. I greatly appreciate it." He replied. There was a slight inhalation of breath from the Oracle, but no whispered recriminations. "Think nothing of it. Well, Sir Dragonknight, you still have one choice remaining. Would you like to visit another storage room?" Mike briefly considered his options. He''d initially planned on looking through the utility items to see if there was anything that might be useful, but for some reason his mind kept going back to the Artifacts they''d discussed earlier. It simply felt like he would be wasting a valuable opportunity if he didn''t check them out. "I''d like to see the Artifacts, please." "As you wish. Caretaker, lead us to the Artifact Storage Room." Following the now familiar protocol, the group was taken through another series of tunnels. This time it took much longer for them to arrive, and nearly twenty minutes had passed before they were standing in front of the next stone door. The chamber within had a similar layout to the Gem Storage Room, with stone shelves covering much of the walls. However, rather than treasure, it seemed to be largely filled with random junk. The shelves were covered with bits of pottery, rusted metal, and strange bits of carved stone. A casual glance told him that the only reason most of this stuff ended up stored in a vault like this, was due to its historical value. Perhaps sensing his disappointment, Torthan commented placatingly. "While the contents of this chamber are fascinating for some, especially the scholars who frequently petition us for visitations, it probably doesn''t contain anything of overt interest to someone of your background. If you''ve satisfied your curiosity, then may I suggest that we move on?" "While I appreciate the sentiment, minister, I would like to take a few minutes to look things over. After all, we did have to walk quite a ways to get here." He shrugged. "As you wish. Please inform me when you are ready to leave." "If it is all the same, sir," Barkas broke in, "I''d like to take this opportunity to check on the maintenance level. The Caretakers have been indicating that there is a minor error that may need correcting. It''s not too far from here, and it shouldn''t take more than a few minutes to investigate. Assuming I can''t fix the problem quickly, I''ll head back and meet you at the Entrance Hall once I''ve located it." Torthan gave his secretary a speculative look, but finally nodded. "Alright, but be quick. You should know by now that the Caretakers get agitated when someone spends too much time down there. The last thing we need is for them to start reorganizing again." "Will do, sir." The other man replied cheerfully before commanding one of the other seemingly omnipresent puppets to lead him down to the maintenance level. Something about the exchange bothered Mike, so he quickly scanned the departing secretary with Appraise. --------------------- Barkas Finistrade Age: 35 Race: Human Class: Lorekeeper Title: Devoted --------------------- [Nothing that really stands out. Hmm¡­I guess I''ll just keep my eye out to be on the safe side.] He went back to scanning the collected junk, searching for anything of value. Chapter 274: Vaulting Anyone? "Still looking?" Tal asked in her usual emotionless tone. However, Mike got the distinct impression that she wasn''t trying to rush him. Given her personality, he assumed that she merely wanted to prompt him into sharing his thoughts on the matter at hand. "I am. I know it seems a bit odd, but I can''t shake the feeling there is something important down here." He replied distractedly while continuing to use Appraise. It was difficult to get a good look at everything from the narrow strip of safety set aside for visitors, so he had to pace back and forth to alter his perspective. After spending close to ten minutes this way, he''d determined that the vast majority of the room didn''t contain anything of interest. So far, he hadn''t even spotted anything higher ranked than Tier 1, Rank 2, and that was merely due to the material in question being a bit rare. On top of that, while the few fragmented descriptions he''d been able to wring out of the System did give him a small degree of insight into the culture and Technology of the High Elven civilization, they lacked any specific information that might be useful to him. Besides learning that the ancient race had manufacturing capabilities that rivaled or even surpassed those of his previous world, it looked like visiting this particular storage was a waste. [I think there might be something behind that plate of sheet metal, but I can''t get a good enough look to know for certain.] "I don''t suppose you can get the Caretakers to move a few things around?" He asked Torthan, who''d been idly reviewing a few documents he''d been carrying with him. The Minister hesitated before speaking, as if he needed time to select the right words, "Under ordinary circumstances I could potentially get them to rearrange the contents of a storage room, but we are currently operating with a somewhat limited entry permit. With the exception of guiding us and the selection of items for your reward, the Caretakers will not listen to any requests we might put forward. It''s meant to be a security measure, I believe." "That sounds a bit extreme." Sera commented with a frown. "I certainly agree, but it only comes into play when a non-vetted individual is escorted into the vault. The founder likely wanted to prevent possible intruders from interfering with operations, but it does cause us some headache from time to time. In any event, I could have the Caretakers rearrange things in this room during my next scheduled visit, but I''m afraid that won''t take place until next month." Mike sighed. "Let me guess, there is a limitation on the number of times or frequency with which you can visit the vault, right?" "That is regrettably correct. After we leave here today, I will be unable to return for at least thirty days. I would have my secretary escort you again, but he was tasked with depositing an item in the Isolation Chamber yesterday. Unfortunately, there are only three people who can maintain entry permits at any given time, and the third is currently on mission in the Ateshi Commonwealth." "Isolation Chamber?" Torthan nodded, "It''s where we keep the most dangerous or sensitive items. The room is encased in powerful enchantments that prevent its contents from influencing the rest of the vault. I''m afraid I cannot take you there, since it is restricted to all but the three individuals with entry permits." "That''s alright, I was just curious about it." Mike replied soothingly. He briefly considered trying to surreptitiously use magic to get the steel plate moved, but was concerned about triggering the defensive mechanisms of the vault. Judging by the mana he felt stored in the walls, he would likely be able to escape without too much difficulty, but the others would be in danger. Finally, he shrugged. "Alright, nothing to be done about it, then. If you''d be so kind, please take me to the Utility Magic Item Storage." "Of course." The minister replied with a nod before instructing their guide puppet. As the group left the room, Mike couldn''t help but feel that he was missing something important. Resolving himself to coming back here at some point in the future, he concentrated on deciding his final pick. The Magic Item storage room had the same sort of layout as every other chamber they''d visited so far, with items of all sorts of shapes and sizes resting on a variety of shelves, display cases, and pedestals. After a brief look around, he quickly determined that there were only a few things here that might actually benefit him. Between the items he''d already picked up over the course of his travels and the things he''d developed the ability to create, he quickly realized that there wasn''t much he actually needed. This was not to say that nothing of interest or value could be found here, and in fact there were several items that might be worth picking up in the short term, but he wanted to make this choice worthwhile. After all, he now had enough money to simply buy most of these, assuming he could find a seller. Mike considered trying one of the other rooms, perhaps one that stored magical materials. While it seemed like a bit of waste, he could probably make something pretty useful with the sorts of things being stored here. However, just as he was about to give up on the room, he caught sight of a tarnished brass doorknob, barely visible from underneath a stack of magical cloaks. It seemed so out of place among the various treasures, that he felt compelled to use Appraise on it. ------------------------------------- Doorknob of Sanctuary Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 5) One of thirteen identical devices crafted by a now forgotten artificer, the Doorknob of Sanctuary provides weary travelers a place to rest in the midst of their journey. By affixing the knob to any vertical surface, the Owner can create a temporary door that allows access to a unique demi-realm, specific to the knob itself. The portal remains active for ten hours, during which time only creatures designated by the owner of the knob can make use of the door. At the end of its duration, any living beings still within the demi-realm are ejected along with their personal possessions, but everything else will remain behind until the doorknob is used again. May only be used once per day. This doorknob currently has no owner, and requires attunement to function. By placing a drop of blood in the designated receptacle, a new owner can be assigned. Attunement will remain in effect until death or voluntary cancellation. -------------------------------------- At first glance, it seemed to merely be a way of providing shelter to travelers during long journeys, but he quickly picked up on the subtext. [I could potentially use it to make a mobile base of operations. Depending on how much space is available, it could even double as backup storage if I ever manage to fill up the interdimensional sack...Hmm, now that I think about it, I believe I''m supposed to give that back at some point. Maybe I can get the University to let me keep it...] He pulled Tal and Sera to one side to ask their opinion while Torthan politely moved to the far corner of the safe zone. After summarizing the knob''s effects, the two were quick to give their feedback. "Take it." Tal answered simply. "Definitely, that''s the one." Sera added. "Are you sure? There are a lot of other items in this room." The Oracle, not bothering to even look back at the rest, continued. "You won''t find another borderline Tier 4 item in this room, or at least you shouldn''t. Judging purely by the way they''re handling it, I''m guessing the staff here aren''t even aware of how potent of an item it is. As such, they should not have any problem with you selecting it." "Useful features. Very necessary." Tal weighed in. "That''s right. Just think of all the time, money, and resources we''ll be saving if we don''t have to worry about staying in inns or camping as we travel. Not to mention security, since it would be functionally impossible for someone to steal anything we have stored inside it." [Then we''d just have to worry about the knob itself getting taken, I guess.] He thought to himself, but he could already tell that they''d made up their minds. Signalling Torthan, he indicated the knob and said. "I would like to pick that doorknob as my final selection." The minister followed his pointing finger and stared at the item in question for a few moments before looking back. "While I appreciate the gesture, Sir Dragonknight, it is not necessary to take a worthless item for your third choice as compensation for the Hero Relic you selected as your second. Please feel free to take anything in this room. I can assure you that the treasures of true value, or at least those that we are aware of, are stored elsewhere." "With all due respect, I''ve already made my choice." Torthan shrugged. "Very well." It didn''t take long before the tarnished knob was delivered into Mike''s waiting hand. After taking a few moments to feel its surprising weight, he slipped it into a pocket for safe keeping. He planned on experimenting with it once they got back to the dorms. Once he''d finished inspecting the item, the minister announced, "With the three selections made, this concludes our trip here. Caretaker, guide us back to the Entrance Hall now." It took them about fifteen minutes of walking before they were back where they started. As they rounded the corner, Mike caught sight of Barkas with his back turned towards them. The secretary was seemingly looking at something in his hand. "I see you made it in time, Barkas." Torthan commented loudly as they approached, causing the other man to jump and swiftly stuff whatever it was he was holding into a pocket. "Yes, sir. I was able to isolate the issue. Apparently there were some slight mana fluctuations in the defense grid. It didn''t take long to fix." The secretary replied, a little nervously. Torthan frowned. "What have I told you about fiddling with the defense grid? You know how dangerous that is to do without a trained artificer present. You could have activated the vault''s lockdown procedures and trapped us all here for the next few weeks, and that''s only if you didn''t get us all killed in the process." "I was careful. Like I said, it was only a minor glitch." Sighing, the minister glanced over at the other three. "We will continue this conversation in my office. Regardless, I have one last task before we depart." He motioned to one of the Caretakers who were currently standing along the edge of the room. The puppet walked over and handed him a small, wrapped package before that he promptly passed on to Tal. "Please accept this small token of the nation''s appreciation for your efforts on our behalf. We have been holding this particular item for quite some time, and the council thought now would be an excellent time to return it to your people." The elf calmly accepted the package with a simple thank you. The minister nodded back, "Then, without further ado, we should make our departure." To reinforce that statement, he promptly began climbing the ramp leading back to the vault''s entrance. The rest of the group fell in behind him. As they were walking, Barkas gave Mike a slightly unnerving smile. "So, Sir Dragonknight, did you find what you were looking for? Any more hidden gems lying buried beneath accumulated dross?" Finding himself wishing that the strange man would stop talking to him, Mike replied. "I made my final selection, and I am quite happy with it, if that''s what you are asking." "Oh! Of course. I couldn''t imagine it any other way. Would you perhaps be willing to show me what you ended up choosing, and maybe tell me why you did so?" "You forget yourself, Barkas!" Torthan broke in sharply. "As custodians of the vault, we do not question our visitors or the choices they make. It seems that once we are done here, we will need to have a serious conversation concerning your behavior." "It''s alright. No harm done." Mike commented amiably, trying to avoid getting caught in the middle of an argument. The secretary had gone quiet, seemingly chastised, but there was something tense about his posture which made him appear ready to snap. "That''s gracious of you, sir." The minister replied, voice still cold with professional distaste. "Please rest assured that I will make sure that such a breach of etiquette is not repeated." The rest of the trip was spent in silence, which only ended once they were back out in the foyer with the Royal Guardsmen. Once they''d arrived, Torthan turned to the trio and explained, "This is where I take my leave. I will have a clerk guide you to the administrative offices to receive your monetary reward in Miss Talitha''s case, and finalize the paperwork for your line of credit, Sir Dragonknight. I once again thank you for all that you have done for our country. I will pray for your safe travels." After saying their goodbyes, the three of them followed a young male clerk out of the room. Before leaving, Mike glanced back at Torthan and his secretary as they moved towards a different passage. Although he couldn''t determine the content of their conversation, he could guess by the minister''s dark expression and rigid body posture that he was giving Barkas a serious talking to. The secretary for his part appeared to be sullenly accepting his superior''s words, at least superficially. However, just as they were rounding the corner into the passageway, Mike caught a glimpse of the man''s face and noted the look of pure hatred twisting his features as he glared at Torthan''s back. He also noticed that Barkas''s hand was surreptitiously resting on his hip, where his robes might have a pocket. Almost as if he were protecting something, or reassuring himself that it was still there. For a brief moment, Mike considered getting involved. Based on what he''d seen, it was very probable that the secretary was up to no good, but the exact nature of the situation largely eluded him. If he took his suspicions to the palace authorities, they would likely move to investigate based on his clout alone. However, the last thing he wanted to do was tie himself into some kind of embezzlement scandal just as he was trying to leave the country. He could already anticipate the kind of rumors that might start circulating as a result. Besides, it wasn''t as if he owed this kingdom anything at this point. [Eh, whatever. If the guy wants to steal a few things to get back at his boss, I can''t really be bothered. Based on what Torthan explained, I doubt he could do any real harm during this trip.] Despite that line of thinking, he couldn''t quite shake the feeling that he needed to do something, at least. [Maybe an anonymous tip wouldn''t hurt¡­] Chapter 275: Cabin in the Woods The administrative paperwork took the better part of an hour, but by the time they left the palace, Mike had access to a literal fortune. Combined with the large pile of gold coins that Tal earned through her own contributions, the party was now in an excellent financial situation. On their way back to the dorm, Mike swung by the adventurer''s guild and withdrew a few thousand gold to cover their travelling expenses for the next few months. Tal also took the opportunity to deposit the majority of her reward, only keeping a little pocket money for herself. While she was talking to the finance portion of the guild office, a lengthy process given her communication problems, Mike informed the guild of his intentions to leave the country and head to the Riverlands. While it would probably be a few days before they left, he knew that this process had to be completed at some point, and this would save him a trip. He ended up speaking with the same gruff and taciturn male receptionist that had been working every other time he''d come to this branch. It had become so much of a common occurrence, that he was starting to wonder if anyone else actually worked this desk. Changing his base of operations was a pretty straightforward process that only required him to fill out a few forms listing his possible destinations. Although it wasn''t expressly stated by the receptionist, the language of the forms themselves indicated that the information provided would be considered confidential and handled with care. Just to be on the safe side, though, he avoided any specifics about timelines, and kept everything else vague. Once he''d finished, he handed the form back. "Anything else I need to do?" "That''s it, but there is one other thing that I''m supposed to ask." The man answered blandly, as if he wasn''t interested in this business at all. "Alright, what''s that?" "Do you want your guild rank elevated? Based on your deeds over the last few months, I''ve been authorized to bring you as high as Rank 7, assuming you are interested. The Guild Master here can''t do any more than that without approval from headquarters, and that would take a few weeks at least." "That''s fine." Mike replied quickly, wanting to avoid another lengthy explanation. After getting his guild card updated, he rejoined the others and headed back to the dorms. He had a number of errands he needed to run, to start getting ready for their departure, but first he wanted to investigate the items they picked up from the vault. While Sera went out to the archery range practicing with her new weapon, Mike used Appraise on Tal''s reward, which turned out to be a pendant with a thinly cut, green gemstone sitting at the center of a complex golden latticework that looked a bit like a cage. -------------------------- The Eye of Ashae Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 2) Said to have belonged to the Ashae, a sage of great renown who came to prominence during the height of the Second Pyrathien Empire, this pendant grants the wearer the ability to see through deception and perceive that which is normally hidden. Allows the user to ignore the effects of any Illusion Magic of Tier 3 or lower (of limited use on Tier 4 or higher effects), and enhances their visual perception and judgement, allowing them to pick up on otherwise overlooked details more easily. ---------------------------- After Mike explained the necklace''s functions, Tal replied in her ancient tongue. "Makes sense. The Ashae was supposed to have been gifted with preternatural wisdom and insight. So much so that people came from all over the Inland Sea Region to ask for her advice. Perhaps this item was one of the reasons for that insight." "Based on what I''ve heard about the Sable Enchantress, we could certainly use something like this when we visit her." Mike commented while pulling out the doorknob he intended on using next. It looked fairly simple in structure, but at the juncture where it was supposed to attach to a door, there was a small sliding plate. Underneath it was a tiny depression, only a couple of centimeters wide, that bore a large number of intricately carved arcane runes. Based on the loose translation he gathered with Communication Magic, this was where he was supposed to deposit his blood. Nicking his finger with a bit of hardened shadow via Dark Magic, he allowed a drop of his blood to fall into the depression, and noted a momentary flash of energy pass through the knob. He examined it with Appraise again, and saw that the section about not having an owner had disappeared. "Alright, I guess the only thing left to do is try it out." He stood and walked over to the common area''s wall. Unsure of exactly how this process worked, he tried just pressing the knob against it, and was rewarded for his efforts when the outline of a door appeared on the wood paneling. Based on the lack of hinges, he assumed it opened inwards. Glancing back at Tal, who was standing with the obvious intention of following after him, he motioned for her to stay back. "I''m not sure what''s on the other side of this door. For all we know, the demi-realm could be filled with poison gas or molten lava or something to that effect. I''d be surprised if it was, but I can''t rule out the possibility. So, I''m going to make a shield around the entrance and open it with magic. Assuming that everything goes alright, we can move on from there." Shield in place, he used a bit of Dark Magic to turn the knob and push, making sure to select his party members as permitted travelers when he felt the mental prompt. The door moved with surprising ease, almost as if it were on oiled hinges. He was expecting to see...something, once it had opened fully, but he was left staring at an opaque, black plane. [Maybe light doesn''t travel through the portal? Or perhaps this is meant as a privacy feature?] When nothing horrifying had emerged from the doorway after a few moments, he cautiously lowered the shield and took a brief sniff of the air. Besides the distinct smell of dry, stale air, he didn''t detect any odors. Focusing his will, he chanted a quick summoning spell and brought forth a small earth elemental. The creature resembled a small, anthropomorphic pile of dirt, that barely reached the height of his waist. Despite that, he was able to give it a couple quick instructions in some kind of gruff and guttural language that reminded him of falling rocks. With a nod of acquiescence, it slowly entered the portal. He waited for a good five minutes before the elemental returned and relayed its information. Apparently, the barrier between realms prevented it from sending any kind of mental message. Something that Mike took note of for future reference, as it would influence how he made use of the item. Unfortunately, the summoned creature wasn''t the brightest, so it could only inform him that there was some kind of structure on the other side of the portal, that it didn''t detect any overt threats, and that the dirt tasted bad. When asked to expound on that, it merely emphasized that the dirt was bad. [Serves me right for trying to skimp on the mana, I suppose.] He thought with some chagrin as he dismissed the elemental, allowing it to disperse and vanish. "Going in?" Tal asked as he pulled out his spear and checked his panoply of magic items to make sure they were functioning. "Based on what I could gather from my summon, there shouldn''t be anything too dangerous on the other side, but to be on the safe side, I want you to stay here. If I don''t come back, wait for the time limit on the doorknob to expire. That should force me back out, unless I get killed somehow." As he was explaining, she had started walking around to stand in front of the portal, carefully observing it. For some reason, he got the distinct impression that she was dissatisfied by something. "Hey, be careful. The elemental might have been fine, but there could be some kind of environmental hazard that we don''t know about. It could even filter through the portal." Mike did one final inventory of his equipment, regretting that he still hadn''t gotten his mental protection item back from Selene yet. He''d lent it to her in order to prevent any undue influence from the Cabal or the undead while she was conducting her investigations. Thankfully, it had turned out to be unnecessary, but he figured that it would be necessary for him going forward. "Okay, I think it''s time to¡­" He trailed off as he realized that he was the only one left in the room. Apparently Tal had already stepped through the portal. "Shit." He cursed under his breath as he ran through it himself. "Are you alr¡­" He trailed off once again, but this time for a very different reason. Mike found himself standing next to an idyllic looking pond, complete with frogs on lily pads and hovering dragonflies. The pool itself was partially surrounded by a cliff that rose about 4 meters from the water''s surface. A small waterfall cascaded down from its heights, creating a soft rushing noise that mixed soothingly with the ambient sounds of insects and birds. The rest of the area was dominated by a lush forest that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see in every direction. "I''m fine." Came the response from the woods behind him. Tal was carefully examining a nearby tree. Without looking at him, she explained. "I believe all of this is an illusion. With the Eye of Ashae assisting me, I can determine that the majority of this place is disguised to hide its true shape. That being said, there is something strangely real about these illusions that even the Eye cannot fully penetrate. I suspect that the demi-realm itself is creating them." "Ah, yes. I see." Mike replied, feeling a little stupid for having worried in the first place. "Hm, I thought the elemental said there was a structure here¡­" "It''s over there. I can see it through the trees." The elf replied while pointing at a spot of dense and impenetrable foliage. "I''''l take your word for it." He acknowledged, before walking that direction. "Come on, let''s check it out. I bet it''s the source of all this." The ''structure'' turned out to be a fairly large cabin, of sorts, built into the side of a wooded hill. It seemed to have three floors, to include a sort of basement level dug out of the hill itself. A porch extended from the middle layer, creating a scenic resting spot for the cabin''s occupants, complete with a set of patio furniture. "Out of curiosity, what does this all look like behind the illusions?" Tal took the Eye off for a moment, glanced around, and then put it back on. "Completely different. The plant and insect life are all fake, and rather than a pleasant blue, the sky is a misty grey that seems to curve strangely. However, the hill is still there, and the cabin appears to be much the same." Mike activated his Aerosense, momentarily becoming dizzy as the information he gained from it began to conflict with what his eyes were telling him. The feeling faded in a few moments, as his mind adapted to the strange dissonance, and he was able to determine that nothing was moving within the cabin, or indeed anywhere else in the demi-realm. This was less impressive than it sounded, since the realm itself seemed to resemble a sphere roughly three hundred meters in diameter. Aside from the currents created by their presence, the air in this realm was dead and stagnant, with a sort of sterile lack of content that reminded him of hospitals from his previous world, albeit without the scent of disinfectants. "I don''t think anyone has been here for a very long time." He muttered, suddenly feeling a bit like a grave robber. There was a basement entrance, but Mike figured that going in through the front door was probably the safest option. Just because there wasn''t anything living in there, didn''t mean that the place wasn''t trapped in some way. The front entry turned out to be a grand set of double doors bearing ornate carvings. While plant motifs were common on much of the surrounding walls and columns, the doors themselves bore two symmetrical images of stags, locked in intense combat with one another. To be on the safe side, he repeated his previous method of creating a shield surrounding the entryway, and then opening it with a bit of Dark Magic. Much like before, this didn''t result in any more than the door swinging open, and after waiting a few moments, he let the shield fall. The interior of the cabin was dark, but thanks to his ring, he could see a large foyer with other passages branching off to either side. A pair of staircases flanked the room, leading up to a balcony on the next level. As far as he could tell, there was nothing of any real interest in this first room. After exchanging a quick nod with Tal, he took the lead, and started inside. Chapter 276: Cabin Fever Stepping through the door, Mike cautiously scanned the entry hall. After finding nothing of interest, he proceeded to carefully check the other rooms on the first floor, of which there were five. To the left of the front entrance was a study of sorts, complete with a desk, a few tables, several reading chairs, and shelves filled with books. Habits from his old life kicked in, and he spent a few minutes scanning through the selection. It quickly became apparent that the previous owner of this demi-realm was some kind of researcher or sage, specializing in plants. Most of the books focused on botany, plant biology, and geography, but there were a few works on magic as it applied to plant life which might be useful for his own studies. Unfortunately, it was readily apparent that the contents of this library were in poor condition, evidently having been left here unattended for a great deal of time. He would need to be very careful when handling them. [Perhaps there is an application of Healing Magic that can be used on once living things...Might be worth experimenting with once I''ve finished exploring this place.] He thought while carefully setting down the volume he was examining. The idea had some promise, but he felt like anything he did would have about as much chance of creating some kind of zombie book as it did repairing the damage. The next room they visited was a fairly spacious kitchen, complete with magic items capable of producing fire, water, and even a few rudimentary seasonings. There was a sort of cold storage closet that seemed to be permanently chilled by magic. The few food items remaining inside were desiccated to the point that Mike needed Appraise to even identify them, but indicated that the previous inhabitant had a fairly standard diet. Another closet, that seemed to function as a dry pantry, contained similarly spoiled products that had thankfully long since stopped rotting. "This will take a while to clean fully, but will come in handy when traveling." Tal commented while examining a collection of cooking implements stored in one of the cabinets lining the walls. She tried pulling out a frying pan, only to have the handle break off in a shower of rusted metal. "We''ll need to replace most of this." "Shopping trip it is." Mike answered while sniffing the contents of a stoppered jug he found in the pantry. It might have once contained wine, but it had long ago become something close to vinegar. Putting it back on the shelf, he made a mental note to simply toss and replace everything in the kitchen. Finally, there was a door that led down into the basement, but they decided to finish exploring the rest of the cabin before looking into it. Another two of the rooms on the first floor were bedrooms with a few pieces of furniture and a closet-like chamber that was this world''s version of a washroom. Mike got the impression that these were meant for guests, based on the uniformity of the layout. After a quick inspection, he concluded that nothing of value or interest remained inside of them, and most of it was in poor repair. With the exception of the wooden parts of the furniture, it seemed pretty much everything else had rotted to the point of near unusability. [Based on the description of the doorknob''s creator, this space should be about a thousand years old, assuming of course it didn''t exist prior to the knob itself.] Mike thought while trying to recall what he could from the archaeology class he took in college. Judging based on the decay of materials was not exactly a textbook strategy, but as best as he could figure, the cabin was probably somewhere in the region of a few centuries old, and had likely been left unattended for several decades. The last section of the floor was dedicated to a sort of common area, complete with a dining table and eight chairs, a couple couches, and a fireplace operated by magic. It seemed to extend away from the rest of the cabin in a separate area of sorts, which made it possible to have long rows of windows on three of the four walls. Additionally, there was a door that led out onto the porch. Much like the foyer, this room also had a high ceiling that extended to the second floor, with another balcony overlooking it. After poking around for a bit Mike stepped out onto the porch, noting that the floorboards creaked a bit ominously as he did so. Ignoring the fact that it was a manufactured image, he took a moment to savor the view. His vantage placed him slightly above the illusory treetops, allowing him to overlook the gently rolling and forested foothills that stretched nearly to the horizon, before slowly turning into a tall, snow-capped mountain range with its peaks shrouded in mist. To his left, there was a wide and placid lake that lay within walking distance. A quick check with aerosense told him that the portion nearest to the cabin actually existed, albeit without any real water. That said, there appeared to be a depression of sorts where he could mimic the presence of a lake, should he feel inclined to do so in the future. Finishing with the first floor, he moved onto the second. The staircase from the foyer lead them to a sort of landing with a few chairs and tables located near the two balconies. Another three doors extended off from it, the first of which turned out to be for a sort of large storage closet or attic. It was filled with random junk of the kind that one accumulates over a lifetime, most of which didn''t serve any practical purpose. One whole section was devoted to a set of large storage cases containing various preserved plant specimens. Not being of a botanical nature, Mike quickly got bored of sorting through the extensive collection, especially since he had to rely on Appraise to get any kind of information at all. After a few minutes of dedicated searching, the most interesting thing they''d found so far was a trunk stuffed to its brim with a variety of tribal masks, carved and painted in the shape of stylized animals. While fascinating to look at, they didn''t have any unusual properties, appearing to merely be art objects that the previous owner had been collecting for some reason. Moving on, they next encountered a large room with several full-sized windows that seemed to function as the master suite. A once luxurious bed dominated one side of the chamber, and was accompanied by two bookshelves, a nightstand of sorts, two dressers, a wardrobe complete with a large mirror, and a writing desk. They took a quick survey of the rooms contents, and discovered little besides a large amount of women''s clothes in the dressers and wardrobe. The books on the shelves were of a slightly different nature than the ones downstairs. While botany and plant biology still featured heavily, there were more works of a literary nature, with a tendency towards somewhat tawdry romance novels. "This is just an educated guess," Mike commented while scanning the books, "but I think the previous owner was a woman." "Indeed." Tal replied in a flat voice while eying a set of lacy undergarments that would have looked a bit silly on a man. After a few moments, she spoke again. "I also found this, but I was unsure if I should open it." She was holding a thin, leatherbound book that appeared to be on the verge of falling apart. Carefully lifting the cover, Mike quickly determined that it was a journal or some kind of research log, however, most of the writing was so badly decayed that he couldn''t read it. "Hmm, I bet this will have some clues, but I''m afraid that I''ll need to be very careful while reading it." "Then you can understand the contents?" Tal asked. "Yeah, it looks a bit faded, but I can make out parts of it." The elf was silent for a few moments before replying. "Do you know what that language is?" Something about the question struck him as a bit odd, and he quickly realized that his Communication Magic had been working while he was focused on keeping the cover intact. "Honestly, no, but that doesn''t mean I can''t read it. I''m not sure if I ever told you, but one of my skills lets me understand and use languages. It''s the reason we''ve been able to communicate like this." She nodded. "I suspected that it was something of that nature, but I didn''t wish to pry. I assume it also applies to the ancient magic languages, right? That would explain a number of your more outlandish deeds." "It does." Tal paused for a few seconds, her emotionless face becoming more opaque than usual. Finally she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "My apologies, I was simply marveling at the way I''ve become numb to the outrageous. It appears that my association with you has warped my common sense to a rather distressing degree. In any event, would you perhaps be willing to discuss the details of your skill with me?" As she spoke, he could almost sense a sort of tension in the air. Despite the somewhat off-hand way she asked about it, it was clear that this was an important matter to her. Saying the wrong thing here would be bad. [Kind of wish I had something like dialogue options in situations like these, since I''m already living in a game-like world, but I guess that''s asking too much.] Mike hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to share this kind of information, since it technically related to his reincarnation and the Ancient One who made it happen. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it would be fine to tell her some of it. He trusted Tal, and didn''t think that the revelation would change anything about their relationship. "I can do that, but I don''t think now is the best time to be talking about it. We still have to explore the rest of this cabin at the moment. However, once we are done we can continue this conversation." "Very well, I''ll hold you to it." She replied simply. Walking towards the door, she shot a look back at him. "Shall we move on to the next room?" Her agitation had faded and been replaced by her usual calm demeanor, causing Mike to relax a bit in turn. [Maybe it''s time to tell everyone?] He contemplated while following Tal to the next door. This one belonged to yet another guest room. It was a bit hard to tell with all the decay, but he got the impression that it was used more often than the ones downstairs. "Perhaps the previous owner was a traveling scholar or adventurer." The elf suggested after they determined that it had the same layout as the others. "She would only need so many rooms if she planned on journeying with companions. Judging from the nature of the carvings on the support columns, I suspect that she was a devotee of Lysande, and might have even been one of his clergy. It would make sense if that was the case, since they often travel in groups." "What makes you say that?" Mike asked as he looked over one of the columns in question. "See the image of an eye laying atop an outreached hand?" He nodded, finding the carving a bit creepy. "That is a common theme in artistry dedicated to Lysande, as it represents the accumulation of knowledge even at the expense of oneself." "That sounds a bit...fanatical." He muttered, not really expecting an answer. "Priests of the creator gods are frequently quite intense in their dedications, but I''ve encountered several over the years that are fairly reasonable outside of their faith." "You make it sound as if faith is somehow unreasonable. I mean, we know the gods exist. Isn''t worshiping them to be expected?" Tal gave him a look that would have been incredulous, if her face was capable of forming the expression. "The gods are irrational beings who will act as they see fit, regardless of whether or not you worship them. This is especially true in the case of the creator gods. You may receive some benefit for your devotion, but outside of Divine Magic users, few will be rewarded for their efforts. While I do not wish to condemn anyone for their faith, it seems the height of folly to sacrifice one''s own life to serve an uncaring being." [Hm, I didn''t take her for the irreligious type, but perhaps that makes sense given her background. I imagine that the persecution she suffered for being a Spirit Mage was partially motivated by her people''s religious beliefs.] He let the topic drop, and they continued down to the basement in silence. Rather than the exterior entrance, they decided to use the stairs in the kitchen. As soon as they began descending, Mike noticed a soft, low-pitched hum that grew louder the farther they went. At the bottom of the stairs, they encountered a solid metal door that had survived the passage of time without any sign of deterioration. A quick Appraise told Mike that it had been enchanted to both resist corrosion, and bar entry to anyone save the owner of the demi-realm. Signalling Tal to be ready, he reached out and grabbed the handle, noting that the humming seemed to be coming from within. Steeling himself, he pushed the door open in a rush before taking a step back. As soon as he did, the noise he''d been hearing stopped, and in its place came a voice. "Ah! Visitors! It''s been so long since I''ve had visitors! Please come in!" Chapter 277: Seeing the Forest for the Trees The basement was pitch black, but Mike''s ring allowed him to see the room clearly. While he was searching for the origin of the voice, he noted that the room was basically an open square littered with a mix of equipment that seemed to be a hybrid between magical or alchemical arts and science-based technology roughly on par with the early twentieth century on Earth. Creating an orb of light to allow Tal to see as well, he stepped in and looked around. In one corner of the basement was a complex cage-like apparatus made of a copper-colored metal woven into a fine mesh. Wires and tubes ran to it from several other devices and containers throughout the room. Inside of the cage was a small, but oddly deformed tree, bare of any leaves. Scanning the chamber one more time, and not seeing any sign of the speaker, he moved in a little further. As soon as he did, the voice spoke again, and this time he could tell that it was originating from the cage. "Welcome, welcome. I''d offer you some refreshments, but I''m pretty sure it''s all dried up at this point." The voice was fairly androgenous, but had an odd, echoing quality that reminded Mike of stringed instruments. Perhaps taking their silence as a sort of rebuke, the speaker quickly started again, clearly distressed. "Wait! Wait! I''m sorry! Don''t go! It''s just been so long since I''ve talked to anyone. I''ve quite forgotten how I''m supposed to behave." Deciding that the other party was probably not dangerous, Mike walked a bit further into the room and asked, "Where are you?" "Huh? You..Ah, over here! In the Stasis Array... it''s the metal cage thing, in case that wasn''t clear." "...Are you behind the tree, or something?" "Funny story, actually. I am the tree!" A quick Appraise let him know what he was dealing with. --------------------- Reber Wentil Age: 127 Race: Chestnut Tree (Human) Class: Druid Title: Survivor of Solitude -------------------- "...Yeah, I think I''m going to need some more information here." Mike muttered, more to himself than anything. "I''m guessing you''re the new owner of the demi-realm, right?" The plant asked. "That''s right." "Well, first of all, congratulations. I hope you enjoy your new acquisition. It''s quite nice assuming you can get out from time to time. Not that I''ve really seen much of it, to be honest." "How long have you been down here?" "Hmm, hard to say. When you are trapped in an impenetrable darkness, unable to move, and artificially prevented from dying, the passage of time is a bit hard to factor. It feels like it''s been months since I''ve even heard someone''s voice. Did you by any chance run into a black-haired woman upstairs? Charming smile, but pretty handy with a scalpel? No, she''d probably be dead if you can get in here¡­" Feeling a little awkward, Mike cleared his throat. "I''m not really sure how to tell you this, but I got the doorknob for this demi-realm from the Almiran Royal Treasury. I don''t know how long it was sitting in storage, but judging from the condition of the cabin, no one has been here for several decades, at least. I''m not certain where the woman you are talking about went, but chances are, she''s been dead for quite a while." "Decades? That''s...huh¡­" The tree muttered quietly. Tal tapped his shoulder and pointed to a bundle of clothes next to one of the strange consoles. "I found something." He stepped over and looked a bit more closely. The pile turned out to be the tattered remnants of a simple robe wrapped around the skeletal remains of a humanoid creature. Appraise confirmed Tal''s suspicions. -------------------------------- Corpse of Fatima Juliani Human Corpse (Tier 1, Rank 1) The remains of a deceased human. --------------------------------- "Hey, by any chance, is the woman you were talking about named Fatima?" "...Huh? Ah, yes. That''s her." "Were you close?" The tree laughed. "You''re not exactly wrong, I suppose. I''m about as close to her as any torture victim is to their torturer. Who do you think locked me up in this cage?" "I see...Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can confirm that she''s dead. Her body is laying over here." "...It is? Kind of a bummer, I was hoping to have a bit of revenge. Anyway, I don''t mean to be a bother, but could you perhaps see it in your heart to get me out of here?" Mike didn''t see any obvious way of opening the cage, but used Appraise to see if he could get some insight. --------------------------- Stasis Array (Modified) Hybrid Magic Device (Tier 3, Rank 2) Crafted through a combination of ancient magi-science and modern alchemy, this device generates a passive field that halts the physiological functions of beings placed inside. Ordinarily, this would allow living things to survive indefinitely without aging or requiring sustenance, however this particular model has been modified to reduce the field''s effects. These modifications allow the subjects to retain consciousness despite the field, which will require external energy resources to keep the subjects alive. Additional devices have been incorporated into its structure to provide food, water, and air to the subject, as well as creating a means for the subject to broadcast their thoughts. The modifications have lowered the rank of this device from (Tier 3, Rank 4) to its current state. --------------------------- A quick search around the room eventually located something that looked a bit like a control console, and after a bit of experimentation, he found a button that seemed to do the trick. With a hiss of escaping air, a portion of the Stasis Array swung open, giving Mike his first good look at the cage''s inhabitant. His initial impression was largely correct, in that the creature inside was basically an unusually shaped tree, however, it quickly became apparent that there was more to the story. It was vaguely humanoid, with bark taking the place of skin and branches functioning as arms and legs. A head-like knob of wood rested on the creature''s shoulders, crowned with several small branches that looked like they should have had leaves, but were currently bare. Sprouting from its back were several other branches that curved towards the ground like some kind of cloak. These even had a few dried chestnut husks still hanging from them. Mike waited a few moments, wondering if the creature was even capable of movement, before asking hesitantly, "Hello? Are you alright?" With a sort of graceless awkwardness you''d expect from someone who''d been trapped in the same position for decades, the tree man attempted to stand, barely managing it by grasping the cage for support. Two slits opened up on its head, quickly revealing a pair of pure green orbs that appeared to be eyes. They swiveled for a bit before focusing on Mike. After a few moments of staring, the creature opened yet another slit, to reveal a toothless gash of a mouth, and started speaking. "H- *cough* - Ugh! Sorry, been a long time since I''ve actually talked. Quite forgot how to do it. Apparently, I don''t really remember how to move, either." "No problem. Take your time." It nodded, a strangely fluid motion accompanied by a creaking noise reminiscent of the sound of tree branches straining under the force of the wind, and proceeded to take a few minutes to grow accustomed to moving again. Once it seemed mostly capable of functioning again, it stepped out of the cage with a slight gasp of inhaled air. [I guess it breathes. Carbon dioxide, maybe?] After a few further moments to adjust, it fixed its gaze on Mike. "Ah, now that hits the spot. Nothing like a good breath of fresh air...Although I suppose this place doesn''t exactly have the best air...and it''s not exactly fresh¡­ Anyway, let me introduce myself. In this life I am...or perhaps was...Reber Wentil, a druid of the Circle of the Whispering Grove." [In this life? Some kind of druid thing?] "I''m Michael, but please call me Mike. This is Tal. We don''t really have a definite affiliation, I''m afraid. If you don''t mind my asking, what exactly happened to you?" The creature who called itself Reber looked down at his wooden hands. "Well, you know the old story. Boy meets girl. Girl turns out to be a psychopathic researcher bent on turning humans into plants. Boy becomes an experimental subject that''s slowly tortured until he masters the ability to become a tree. Girl is unsatisfied with that and makes the boy into a glorified lawn ornament. It''s a tale as old as time." "Um...I guess?" Mike offered, a bit confused. "You seem to be handling this rather well." "That''s the tree bit, I think. Old Fatima mentioned that plants don''t really have emotions like humans do, even the sentient ones. Something to do with glands, if I recall. Anyway, it makes this whole insanity thing much easier to deal with." Reber shot back with the tree man equivalent of a wink. "On another note, any chance we can move this conversation outside? I''ve been jonesing for a bit of sunlight." "Sure." Mike replied quietly while moving to the door. The three of them walked in silence up to the front entrance and out into the illusory sunlight. As soon as he was outside, wooden feet firmly planted on the dirt, Reber looked up and said. "Even though I know it''s all fake, this much better. Thanks." They waited for a few moments as he bathed in the light of the demi-realm''s artificial sun. Finally, Mike broke the silence. "I know I might not look like it, but I''m a fairly accomplished healer. Do you want me to try and fix your...condition?" The tree man broke out of his trance with a jolt and gave him an incredulous look. "I literally just finished explaining how being a tree is the only thing keeping me from going fully batshit...Ah, whatever. Thanks for the offer, but I''ll pass. Believe it or not, this form is actually pretty comfortable. All I need is a little water, sun, and soil, and I''m in paradise. Quite frankly, this is loads better than being a human with all of their feelings and needs and whatnot." "That''s fair, I guess..." [Well, whatever floats his boat. Speaking of which, he''s been using an awful lot of colloquialisms in his speech. I wonder if that''s just the way he is, or it''s some kind of effect from my Communication Magic. Hmm, maybe I need a second opinion.] He turned to Tal. "Out of curiosity, what''s your take on this guy?" "I am unsure, truth be told. Since you have been communicating in that strange language this entire time, I haven''t been able to follow what''s going on." [Huh?] Reber suddenly broke in. "Man you''ve really adapted to living here, haven''t you?" "What do you mean?" "Well based on your age, it can''t be that long since you''ve reincarnated here, and you''ve already mastered another language. Some kind of Elven, right? Sounds totally badass." Mike held up his hand, "Wait, how do you know about the reincarnation thing?" The tree man shrugged. "Well, since you started talking in English, I figured you must be from Earth. Was I wrong?" [Ah, the old ''we were speaking a different language the entire time'' bit. I used to think it was just a cheap narrative ploy, but I guess universal translation effects make it a bit more believable.] "You''re not exactly wrong, but does this mean that you reincarnated as well?" Mike asked. "Sure does." Reber replied cheerfully. "Apparently, I have a ''fat soul,'' so some goddess had to send me to this world to get reborn. Ordinarily, this would have meant wiping my memories, but I managed to convince her to let me keep them." "Oh? How did you manage that?" "Let''s just say that it involved a whole lot of begging, a little bit of crying, and a fair amount of terrified gibbering." He leaned over a bit conspiratorially. "Between you and me, she''s got a bit of a soft spot for the desperately pathetic. Anyway, I ended up regretting it afterwards. No one ever tells you how much it sucks to be a baby, especially with the whole birth process. Had nightmares about that for years...So, how about you, same deal?" Mike glanced over at Tal, who was patiently watching the two of them. He was starting to feel a little guilty about leaving her out. "Not exactly¡­can you give me a minute?" "Sure thing. I''ll just be over here, enjoying the sun." He motioned to Tal and walked a few dozen meters away. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he turned and faced her. "What''s the matter?" She asked after seeing his facial expression. After pausing for a few moments, and confirming that this was the route he wanted to take, he looked her in the eyes and started. "There is something I''ve been meaning to tell you¡­" Chapter 278: Personal History After a few moments to build up his courage, Mike started "...There is no easy way to say this, but I''m basically a Reincarnator, or I suppose a Transmigrator might be closer. I died and was sent to this world with a new body. Because of that, I pretended to have amnesia in order to explain my lack of common sense and general knowledge. I''m sorry to have deceived you for so long, but I had my reasons initially, and then it simply became too difficult to explain." As soon as he was done, he glanced over at Tal, who had been silent this entire time. The elf stared at him for a few moments, the faintest hint of a smile on her face, before looking away at the trees. "I understand. No apology is needed." He blinked, feeling a little confused. "Are you sure? This is a pretty big thing I''ve been hiding from you. I was sure you''d be angry." She looked back, once more smiling. "But you are sharing it now, yes? That means that you trust me enough to tell me. Why should I be angry?" "That''s...I''m not really sure what to say, but thank you." He muttered, feeling strangely warm. "Besides, we''ve known about you being a Otherworlder for some time now." "...Eh?" For a moment, she almost seemed to break out into laughter, before the emotions vanished from her face once more in an seemingly forcible manner. She continued with a slight frown of annoyance. "You are in a party with an Oracle, who has devoted much of her free time trying everything she could to divine the swirls of destiny around you. Both to guide you along the right path, and help you delve into your supposedly forgotten past." [Well, now I feel guilty.] "Wait, so Sera knows too? Who else? For how long?" "Don''t worry. It''s only the two of us. We decided to keep it from Brenden, since we were unsure of how he would handle it. You know he''s a bit unstable when you are concerned." She replied quickly. "Shortly after we arrived at the University, Sera came to me stating that she''d attempted a ritual to peer into your past." "What, really? That sounds incredibly useful. Why didn''t she mention anything about it before?" "It only works if the caster is very familiar with the subject, and has something of significant emotional value belonging to them. Which meant that it''s largely useless outside of a specific set of circumstances. I believe she intended to bring it up if she felt it might come in handy at some point, and planned on telling you if she discovered anything regarding your forgotten past. However, I what she saw rendered that moot." "I see. I suppose it would." "Besides, she temporarily borrowed Audra for the process." The faint smile reappeared on her lips. "I think she felt a bit ashamed about needing an entire chicken to bribe her into cooperating." Mike chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Well, what did this ritual reveal? Do you know about my past life now?" "Not really. Even an Oracle cannot penetrate the boundaries between realms, so she was unable to see anything farther back than the moment of your arrival in this world. Apparently though, that was sufficiently informative. Also somewhat traumatic, although she wouldn''t explain why. Suffice it to say, she caught a glimpse of one of your titles. Specifically the ''Otherworld Traveller'' one." Thinking back to the manner in which he''d first appeared in Ea, he could imagine what bothered her. [I''m going to have to tease her about this in the future.] "Well, I guess that saves time, then. This tree guy is actually another traveller from my old world." Tal nodded. "I assumed that was the case. Does this mean he will be as ridiculous as you?" "Let''s hope not." Mike replied with another chuckle. Silence descended between the pair for a few moments, until Tal broke it quietly. "I would love to hear about your homeland, should you feel like telling me." Feeling that warmth again, he nodded. "I will, I promise, but we shouldn''t leave Reber hanging for too long. From what I gathered, he''s been alone for nearly a century." "Alright. There is still the other door in the basement left to explore, as well." Tal said, while starting to walk back to the cabin. "What other door?" As far as he could remember, there was only the one entrance. He''d made sure to check for that exact thing, since it seemed so odd that there was an exterior entry to the basement that seemingly didn''t connect with the laboratory. Tal paused for a few seconds. "Ah, I think I understand the problem. There may have been an illusory wall covering it. Once we return, I shall point it out to you." [Yep, definitely going to have to work on some kind of illusion resistance or immunity. If I stay like I am now, it could get me in serious trouble.] When they arrived back at the cabin, they were greeted with the sight of Reber lying spread eagle on the ground. His eyes were closed, so he basically looked like a strangely humanoid piece of driftwood. After waiting a few moments, Mike coughed loudly. The tree man cracked one eyelid. "Sup?" "We''ve finished our conversation, and were planning on heading back down to the basement to finish our investigations." He answered. "Cool, cool. Do what you got to do." Reber fired back, before closing his eye again. "Actually, I was kind of hoping that you''d go with us, since you are the person most familiar with this place. You know, guide us through any hazards. That sort of thing." "Oh? Why didn''t you say so?" He replied, standing up. "I don''t know too much, but I''ll guide you through what I can. I mean, it''s not like I have any trauma related to being in that basement. You know, the kind that might cause a PTSD style flashback or anything." "Ah...I suppose that might be the case. Sorry to have asked." Reber tapped him on the shoulder. "Have you forgotten already? Tree. Glands. Don''t have them. While I still get a bit of the old plant stress response from being down there, I think it has more to do with the lack of sunlight and soil than anything psychological." "Alright...thanks." "No problemo, I''m just excited to be using English again for the first time in a while. Which, now that I think about it, doesn''t make a whole lot of sense. Excitement is an emotion, right?" Mike nodded as he followed Reber back into the cabin. "So, maybe my brain is only partially a tree?" He frowned, deep in thought for a few moments before shrugging, "Eh, whatever. Not worth worrying about it, I guess. Anyway, I''ll take you through best I can, although I was serious about not knowing much. Spent most of my time here as a prisoner, after all." "How did you end up here, anyway? Surely you didn''t reincarnate as this Fatima''s test subject." The tree man nodded. "That''s a bit of a story, actually. I was born to a tribe of nature worshippers that lived in the Forest of Shadows. You know the types. Big on recycling and planting trees. Used renewable resources for pretty much everything. Real hippies. They all seemed to believe that they lived in some kind of paradise simply because they didn''t have to worry about air pollution or some such thing. I, having once enjoyed the benefits of modern society, found it pretty damn depressing. So, when I was old enough to survive on my own, I decided to set out and find my fortune." "Must have been tough." Mike remarked, recalling how his own experiences in the forest went. "Well, truth be told, I didn''t get far. About twenty kilometers from my village, I ran into a bunch of Druids by accident. Interrupted some kind of important ritual, actually. I learned later it was supposed to balance nature in the forest for a decade. With my interference, they would have to start over and prepare for it again, which would take weeks of effort. You should have seen the Grand Druid''s face, he looked ready to skin me alive." He gave a nostalgic sigh. "Anyway, while they were debating about what they should do about me, one of them used some kind of magic crystal and found out I had the potential to be a Druid myself. Since they seemed to have an issue with recruitment, they finally decided to let me off the hook, provided I join their order for the rest of my life." "That''s a bit harsh, but at least you got to be a Druid, right? That should have been pretty cool." Reber nodded. "I thought so at the time, too. Figured it would be all throwing fireballs and turning into bears and whatnot...You know, now that I think about it, I never did get to turn into a bear...Anyway, it''s a lot more about learning herb lore and animal behavior than you''d think. Hell, I spent a full month learning how the Lunagloss flower responded to different levels of moonlight, simply to figure out how to extract the nectar in order to make a mild analgesic. Suffice it to say, after a few years of this, I''d had enough." "So, you made your escape?" "Like a pro...or at least I''d like to say that. Truth be told I only managed to get away for a few hours before they tracked me down. Didn''t take them long to hog tie me and start dragging me back." "Ah, I see." "Anyway, that was where I met Fatima. She was conducting a survey of the plant life in the southwestern part of the forest, and ran into my captors by pure happenstance." Reber stopped in front of the basement door and looked a bit wistful for a moment. "There was a standoff. I thought she was trying to rescue me, but apparently she''d been looking for druids to capture for her experiments for years and wasn''t about to let this chance slip by." Mike waited for him to finish. "Long story short, she and my captors fought for a bit until finally the Druids decided they were overmatched and escaped. Fatima was a fairly powerful Tier 3 mage, you see. It would have required some of more powerful members to stand a chance against her. Anyway, she captured me and turned me into a lab rat. You know the rest of the story." "Wow...sounds like you had pretty rotten luck." Reber shrugged while walking over to one of the basement''s walls. "What can I say, it''s a gift. Anyway, there''s a door over here that will take you into the demi-realm''s control chamber. Don''t know much about it myself, but Fatima went in a couple of times to adjust the illusions when she was having visitors. Apparently, she wanted to spruce up the place a bit when company was coming over..." Reber waggled his non-existent eyebrows at Mike for a few seconds. "Get it, spruce? And I''m a tree...Hm...I guess my comedic talent went the way of my meat-based organs..." After neither of them commented on his pun, the tree man gave up, and pressed a button on one of the devices in the room, causing a portion of the wall to fade out of existence and reveal a steel door. Inside was a small chamber, little more than a few meters square that was empty save for a single object. At the center of the room was a metallic pillar stretching from floor to ceiling, and about a meter in diameter. It was carved with some of the most intricate arcane runes that Mike had ever seen. Which happened to glow with a faint blue light. He tried to imagine how long it would take him to make something like this, and could only figure that the carving itself would require months, if not years of dedicated effort. After a few moments of marvelling, he tried to use Appraise. ------------------------- Control Pillar Magic Device (Tier 3, Rank 5) Origin point and control nexus for the demi-realm it is found in. ------------------------- [Gotta love the System''s explanations.] "This...is¡­amazing." Tal muttered, sounding slightly overcome. "Pretty impressive, isn''t it. This is the heart of the demi-realm, and the reason that it hasn''t collapsed under the pressure of interdimensional space, or so I''ve been told." Reber explained proudly. He stared up at it for a few seconds and then glanced back at them. "Well, that''s all I know about it, anyway." Mike gave him a confused look. "What? Do you think Fatima shared the secrets of operating this thing with me? Hell, I spent 90% of my time inside that Stasis Array. I only know what I told you because she mentioned it once when she was drunk. By the way, did I mention that she had the bad habit of going on a drinking spree and then coming down to complain about her love life?" "What, really?" "Yep, it was quite sad. I would have felt a bit of pity for her, if not for the whole, being held prisoner for insane experiments, thing." Mike looked back at the pillar. "So, you don''t really know anything else about this?" "Nope, but I will say it''s probably safe to leave it alone. After all, it hasn''t exploded or anything after all these years. The only other thing of interest in this basement is the storage room through there." He pointed to another steel door opposite of the one they came in. "It was where Fatima kept most of her bulky plant samples. I''m sure it''s mostly gone bad by now, though. You can also get into the back yard from there, should you feel so inclined." "I see. Thanks for the explanation." Mike replied, before passing the information over to Tal, who was busy examining the control pillar. After deciding that they should avoid experimenting with it until they knew more about how it operated, they agreed to bring this current expedition to an end. "So, Reber, we''re going to be heading back now. I wanted to ask, what are you planning on doing. Do you want us to take you somewhere?" The tree man scrunched his face up in the parody of deep contemplation. "Actually, there is one thing I''ve been wanting to try for a while now¡­" ------------------------------------------ "So, this is Reber, everyone." Mike explained to the rest of the party once they were back. "Look! Look! I''m doing it! I''m photosynthesizing!" The individual in question was yelling. Not long after he''d stuck his legs into the dirt of the dorm''s backyard, the branches on his head and back started to sprout leaves. "How does it feel, buddy?" Mike yelled back, ignoring the odd look he was getting from Sera. "Have you ever been bald before? Imagine suddenly developing the ability to grow your hair back at will, and then also having that hair absorb sunlight to chemically produce energy. It''s wild, man. You got to try it sometime." "Right. I''ll definitely get on that." He replied with a sigh. Chapter 279: Nick of Time "...And so we came back here." Mike concluded, having explained most of the situation to the rest of the party. He decided to leave out the bit about Reber being a Reincarnated person from Earth, since he wasn''t quite ready to tell Lily and William just yet. He''d only known them for a short period of time, after all. That said, he did want to speak with Morris about it, and planned to do so at the next opportunity. Unfortunately, the bard was still dealing with a number of loose ends that originated with the coalition army. From the sounds of it, he would likely be occupied for another few days at least. "You lead an interesting life, Master Mike." William was the first to speak up after he finished. Judging by the way the butler put it, he wasn''t exactly certain if that was meant to be a compliment or a complaint. "Sounds like this demi-realm is a bit more extensive than we originally thought. Do you have any specific plans for the extra space?" Sera asked. Mike wasn''t sure, but he thought she was intentionally directing the conversation away from Reber to avoid any awkward questions, which suggested that she might have some idea of his origins. He shrugged. "Beyond a place to stay and somewhere to store various things, I hadn''t anticipated using it for anything in particular." Of course, considering the sheer size of the realm, he''d already intended on bringing in the tools and equipment he''d need to start working on his various crafting skills. Initially, he''d been concerned about being forced to neglect Smithing, but this would solve it nicely. "Cultivation, perhaps?" Tal suggested. It took Mike a second to realize that she was talking about agricultural cultivation rather than the self-improvement kind. "That might work¡­" He glanced over at Reber, who was still busy enjoying the plant lifestyle. By this point, a few birds had perched themselves on his head, and even looked like they were trying to make a nest. "Hey, do you think the demi-realm could support plant life?" The tree man slowly held up one wooden finger. He responded in a muted whisper. "Quietly. I don''t want to scare them off just yet. To answer your question, it''s possible. The soil''s a bit sterile at the moment, but if we can add a bit of fertilizer and introduce some water, it should work. Sunlight is going to be a problem, though. You''ll need to adjust a few settings on the control pillar to change the ambient lighting. I''m not sure, but I think that might mean taking down most of the illusions, as well." Mike summarized for the others. "If we can implement all that, it would give you a means of growing your own ingredients." Sera explained. "We can even introduce some harmless animal life, should we feel the need to do so." [Come to think of it, I''ve never tried to use Healing Magic on plants before. I wonder what I can do with it.] William coughed politely. "While this has been a most fascinating conversation, I''m afraid it is nearly time for dinner. If you would be so kind as to excuse me. I still have a few preparations to make beforehand." "Of course." Mike replied with a nod, quickly noting that Lily had already disappeared while they were talking. He caught sight of her walking back into the dorm, and guessed that she had some kind of project she was working on. "Alright, since we are done here, I''m going to go back to training. I think I''ve just about gotten the hang of it." Sera announced. [I guess that brings this meeting to a conclusion.] "Will start. Preparing." Tal commented, indicating that she would begin working on getting the demi-realm ready for cultivation. It seemed like she was really excited about having some kind of garden to maintain. With Reber''s Druidic expertise to assist her, she could probably make something pretty spectacular. [Now that I think about it, I haven''t spoken to him about his future plans, yet. He might want to go his own way.] Nodding to his departing companions, he made his way over to the tree man, unintentionally scaring the nesting birds away. "Aww, I was hoping they''d lay their eggs here. It would have been interesting to watch them grow up." Reber complained when they were gone. "You are starting to sound like an old man." "Ha! I am an old man. If you count my life before reincarnating, I''m probably close to two hundred years old. Anyway, what can I do for you?" Mike scratched the back of his head. "Well, the thing is, we''re actually planning on traveling in the next few days. Heading to the Riverlands for some business. While I can probably convince the University administration to let you stay here, I was wondering if you had somewhere you''d like to go." Reber shot him a sidelong glance. "Right, I didn''t explain it yet. I''m actually soulbound to the demi-realm. Supposedly, it''s something that Fatima managed to do in order to keep me there long term. Not too clear on the specifics, but I was told that I can''t be away from it for more than a few days...probably." "That''s rough...probably?" He shrugged. "I''m only relating what Fatima told me when she first put me in the Stasis Array. It''s possible she was lying, but I''m not sure if I really want to test it. If she was telling the truth, it would end badly for me." "...You know, I might be able to fix that. Like I mentioned before, I''m something of an accomplished healer. I''ve reached the point I can even correct anomalies in the soul." "Well, aren''t you fancy with your magic and whatnot? Alright, be my guest." Mike stepped forward and laid his hand on the tree man''s shoulder, channeling his Healing Magic into him. It was an unusual experience. Reber felt fundamentally different from the others he''d healed in the past, and not just because his body was composed of plant matter. There was something unusual about his soul that stood out. It was denser and a bit more unstable, almost as if it had been unnaturally concentrated by some force. [Is this what a Reincarnator''s soul is like? I wonder if mine is something like this.] In any event, it didn''t take him too long to identify the effect that was keeping Reber in his tree shape. It was haphazardly attached in a manner that shouldn''t have accomplished anything, but had evidently found some kind of crack in the unstable surface. If the tree man''s soul could be visualized as a solid sphere, then the effect was like a weed growing in the only available space, sending a root system down into the depths of the structure. Mike thought it would be relatively easy to remove the foreign influence, even though it had largely permeated Reber''s soul, but he refrained. After searching for a few more minutes, however, he couldn''t locate anything that might tie him to the demi-realm in some fashion. Finally, he let go. "Well, I''m not an expert, but I think Fatima might have been lying, or at least misleading you. As far as I can tell, there is nothing affecting your soul at the moment besides the curse, or whatever it is, that''s keeping you a tree." Reber shrugged again. "Figures, but I think it would still be wiser to avoid testing that assumption if I can avoid it. Since that''s the case, would you mind if I tagged along for a while?" "Not at all." Mike replied with a smile. It would be nice to have someone from his old world to talk to. "Cool. Of course, it''s not like I have anything else I''d like to do. Being trapped for several decades means that most of the people I once knew have likely died or forgotten about me by now. Seems to me that this is a great time to make a fresh start." He commented while idly scratching his back, causing his leaves to rustle. "Sorry, still getting used to having foliage." "I can imagine that being a bit unusual." "Also, I''m fairly certain I''m starting to develop flowers." He said, indicating a few buds that were forming along his branches. "I wonder if this means I''m going to be a father soon...or mother, maybe? This whole gender thing is weird when it comes to plants." [Should I be worried about him starting a new race of tree people? Wait, wasn''t there something about chestnut reproduction that was a bit unusual? Hm, it might be worth checking some kind of reference book...Ah, crap. I was going to hit the library today.] "I just remembered I have something I need to do. Will you be alright on your own?" Mike asked. "Sure, sure. I''ll probably hang out here for a bit then head back into the demi-realm when the sun starts going down. In the meantime, I can hide myself among the other trees and scare passersby." "Don''t do that. The last thing we want is for the University to start thinking there is some kind of tree monster on the loose. If you need anything, see if you can find one of the people from earlier. They should be able to help." "Will do. Have fun storming the castle, or whatever it is you''re doing." Reber replied with a wave, watching Mike go. ----------------------------------------------- After taking a few minutes to catch up with Rusilka at the front desk, Mike headed up to the highest part of the Spire aside from the headmaster''s office. Here in the most restricted section of the library, he could finally find books of real power. He''d even gotten permission to borrow three of them for an extended period of time. Eventually, he''d need to bring them back, but there was no explicit limit on how long that would need to be. [If I can improve my Space Magic enough, it might be possible to come back here every now and then and get new ones.] He thought while opening the door. Inside he was confronted with the usual circular room, albeit with one noticeable difference. Instead of caged bookshelves lining the walls, there was bare stone. In the center of the room were five locked display cases containing three books, an ornate scroll case, and a pile of wooden tiles. Simply judging from their appearance, this particular collection represented the most valuable written works the library had to offer. Without further ado, he walked over to the first book and read the cover. It was entitled "On a Voyage Through Time: An Autobiography of a Time Traveler." Feeling a bit breathless, he opened the tome and started looking through it. It covered the life of an Arcane Mage who spent nearly a century developing a spell to mimic the effects of Time Elemental Magic. Unfortunately, the contents weren''t quite what he hoped for. While the book did discuss some aspects of how Elemental Mages used Time Magic, it quickly became clear that the methods used by the author were incompatible with other forms of magic. In fact, a large section of the first half of the book was devoted to extrapolating on how he needed to basically start from scratch in order to make any kind of progress. Nevertheless, the work did give him a few ideas on what to expect should he ever try time traveling himself. It seemed that the world of Ea had some in-built limitations that prevented even accomplished Time Mages from doing anything too crazy. While it was possible to travel into the past, there was some kind of paradox excluding force that prevented a traveler from interfering in events that were already designated as having happened. Although this only extended to things that had a lasting impact on the course of history. This meant that while it might be possible to alter the past to a very limited degree, one would never be able to change something significant without violating an intrinsic law of the universe. Similarly, traveling forward in time also had some unique drawbacks. While a time traveler was more free to act in the future, simply visiting it had an effect on their destiny as soon as they returned to their own time. The author didn''t quite understand how this worked, but he quickly realized that the future he encountered became predetermined for him, regardless of what steps he took to change it. This didn''t extend to anyone else, but the resulting stress caused by any differences led to the creation of strange and unnatural circumstances that could be quite hazardous. It also seemed that any kind of time travel was inherently temporary, and that unless an individual continued to supply an exponentially increasing amount of mana, the universe would cast them back into their own time after the effect ended. [I suppose this would be one method of avoiding any serious complications created by paradoxes. Still, it seems a bit limiting compared to other things the System has done. Maybe there is more to it¡­] Mike took a few notes for future reference, and returned the book to its case. He was about to move on to the next when he detected the presence of someone entering the room. Turning, he watched as Emmanuel stepped in. "It''s good I caught you." His teacher said with a sort of grimace. "There are a few things we need to speak about." Chapter 280: Giving Books in a Library While Mike had seen Emmanuel a few times over the past few days, mainly as part of official ceremonies, they had not spoken since the war ended. Not only had things been a bit strained prior to the final fight, but the older mage had all but abandoned him in his conflict with the Skull Lord. Even though it had turned out alright in the end, it still left a bad taste in his mouth. Combined with the general dissatisfaction he''d been feeling about him and his friends being used as semi-disposable pawns during the conflict, he was not particularly interested in repairing the relationship. "What can I do for you, Marshal?" Mike asked after waiting a few seconds for Emmanuel to continue. Although he tried to keep his voice neutral, a bit of frostiness leaked out into his words. "I no longer have that title, fortunately. Another general has taken over command of the Central Army. Although, truth be told, there isn''t much left of our military forces any more. With the exception of the Western Army, who managed to hold out in Southern Tennundi for the last few weeks and are still on their way back here, most of the soldiers have been released from their duties. It seems that with the absence of a hostile neighbor to the west, and our new peaceful relations with both the orcs and the elves, there is little need for a standing army." The older man paused, taking a moment to examine the book Mike had been looking at. "In any case, I came to find you today for a personal reason." "Oh?" "We didn''t part on the best terms, and I doubt my actions during the battle, justified though they might have been at the time, did anything to improve that. So, I came here to offer my apologies. Regardless of your true origins, you nevertheless single-handedly saved this country from annihilation. It was wrong of me to treat as anything other than a treasured ally. I had feared...well, it doesn''t matter now. Suffice it to say, it was an error on my part to view you as anything other than an ally, and for that I am truly sorry." Mike studied his teacher for a few moments, noting that he did appear to be generally remorseful about the situation. [It''s easy to say that, now that my purpose has come to an end, but I suppose there is no harm in accepting his apology, so long as I avoid getting wrapped up in whatever else he is planning.] "I understand. It was a trying time for all of us. I can''t imagine the kind of pressure you must have been under." He replied finally. An awkward silence descended for a few moments before Emmanuel coughed. "Yes, well, I don''t want to take up too much of your time. I''m sure you have a lot of preparations left to complete before your departure." Mike nodded, waiting for him to get to the point. The older mage pulled out a leatherbound notebook and handed it to him. "Before I go, I just wanted to give you this. It''s a collection of most of the Space Magic spells I know. Please keep in mind that I have a few personal creations that would be problematic to share, but I''ve given you what I could. Additionally, I''ve included some guidance about improving your control over the element for the purposes of free casting." Flipping through it, Mike discovered that it was full of detailed notes on the various aspects of Space Magic. The information was presented in such a fashion that he felt quite confident in his ability to make use of it. "Thank you. This will definitely come in handy." He answered sincerely after determining the contents. "Think nothing of it. It seemed rather arrogant of me to call myself your teacher when I''ve only ever given you a single introductory lesson. Hopefully, this notebook will do something to rectify that. Anyway, I should be getting back. I have a dinner meeting to attend and I''m already running late." Emmanuel sighed. "I don''t envy you in the slightest, but I wish you the best of luck." With polite, almost friendly smiles, the two parted ways. Once the older mage was gone, Mike slipped the notebook into his extradimensional sack and mentally reviewed the conversation. By all appearances, Emmanuel had been genuinely trying to apologize, and had even prepared a gift to make up for his actions. In the past, Mike would have been happy to simply have the conflict resolved, but now he wasn''t as naive. Perhaps it was the attribute enhancement that came along with advancing to the next tier, but for some reason, he found himself feeling a bit skeptical about Emmanuel''s sudden change of heart. [It seems something''s happened to alter his priorities. While I suppose it could be as simple as him not wanting to be on the shit list of a Tier 4 mage, I have a feeling it''s more complicated than that.] After a few minutes of contemplation, he didn''t seem to be any closer to understanding the situation. Finally, he decided to merely keep an eye out for anything that might be hostile to his interests, which didn''t really take much in the way of effort. After all, he was already watching for the Cabal, the Annhilites, Lacotians, the Dovistani agents after Lily, the vampires who''ve been strangely quiet ever since they tried to abduct him that one time, and any other person or organization that might try to mess with him or his friends, given the opportunity. [Now that I think about it, don''t I have a lot of enemies for someone that''s only been in this world a relatively short time?] Dismissing his concerns for the moment, he went back to checking the rest of the books in this restricted section. The next tome he investigated turned out to be a sort of research log/recipe list belonging to an Artificer of some kind. It didn''t take him long to make this one of his choices. He moved on to the scroll case next, wanting to save the other actual book for last. Inside was a roll of a thin, malleable metal, etched with a complicated runic diagram that was practically indecipherable to him. It wasn''t so much that he couldn''t understand it''s meaning, but rather that there appeared to be several segments that were missing. He could tell that it had something to do with the transmission of sound, or perhaps thought, but he wasn''t sure what the intended purpose was. Thankfully, it came with a sheet of parchment that appeared to be the notes of the original cataloguer. According to it, the diagram was found in a High Elven ruin and is believed to be the blueprints for some kind of device meant for interdimensional communication. Unfortunately, it was never completed, and no modern mages have sufficient understanding of the methodology behind it to complete the work. [As fascinating as all this is, I don''t think it''s going to be much help. Based purely on the parts I can understand, this formation isn''t even halfway complete. I wouldn''t even know where to begin putting it into practice. Still...it can''t hurt to jot this down...Just in case.] He spent the next hour copying it to the best of his ability. This ended up taking a large section of his notebook, but it seemed justified considering the possible uses. Whether or not he would have the time to research it was another matter entirely. Next he sorted through the wooden tiles, finding them to contain remnants of an ancient martial arts manual centered around hand-to-hand combat technique. According to a card in the display case, it dated back to the very beginning of the 3rd Age. While it looked fairly interesting from an academic standpoint, he didn''t understand why it might be in the restricted section at all unless it was merely for the historical value. The moveset wasn''t particularly impressive, even to his untrained eye, but he guessed that it might have been more revolutionary back in the day. Regardless, he didn''t see any need to borrow this particular work. Moving on he picked up the last book, he found that ''Through the Skies Themselves,'' was emblazoned on the front cover. For a few seconds he wondered if this might not be related to some kind of flight magic, until he read the first page. ''In this tome, I have done my best to catalogue the knowledge bestowed upon me by my generous hosts, the Air Dragons of Kalientus Peak. Though I am but a humble researcher, they saw fit to show me not only the beauty of their home, but the nature of their lifestyles and the secrets of their ancient lore. I write this account in the hopes that it will correct certain misconceptions about our scaly brethren in the skies, and that more people might benefit from their wisdom.'' He scanned through its contents, quickly noting that the meticulous author had covered virtually every aspect of the dragon''s life cycle from birth to death, and had even catalogued every individual member of the species he''d come across. It was a remarkable work, chock full of information that would have been both inaccessible and unbelievable for most readers, but it was presented in such a fashion that made it difficult to remain skeptical. [Although they aren''t quite the same species, this should give me some insight into what''s going with Audra and provide some details that might improve my dragon summoning in the future.] Taking it with him, Mike moved down through the lower levels of the restricted section and scanned their contents. While a number of the books seemed useful in the long run, he decided to instead focus on one aspect he''d long neglected due to its apparent ineffectiveness for him. After taking note of the acquisition method for the Light Armor Usage skill, he picked up a book that detailed methods for crafting armor, specifically of the lighter varieties. With the demi-realm to provide a mobile workshop, he fully planned on taking advantage of his manufacturing skills. Choices made, he headed down to the front desk, and surprised the librarians there with not only the books he planned on checking out, but the length of time he was intending to hold on to them. Something about that struck most of them as being a heinous crime. Despite the fact that he''d gotten express permission from the headmaster, they acted like he was trying to take their children away. It was only after swearing on his life to not damage any of them, was he allowed to leave. [Kind of a big difference from the VIP treatment I got when I first showed up. I suppose it''s a good thing that they are serious about their work. Still, it''s not like I was never planning on returning them.] Chagrinned, he headed back to the dorm to hopefully catch the tail end of dinner and start working on some of his many projects. ---------------------------------------------------- Barkas knocked on the door in the prescribed pattern and waited for three full seconds before entering. The dingy tailor shop was dark and empty, its displayed clothes and fabrics covered in a fine layer of dust. He''d heard that the owner had fled the city in the days before the siege, and had either not returned yet, or died before he could. He was just about to call out, when a prick of something metallic and cold on the side of his neck caused him to freeze in place. A quiet woman''s voice whispered in his ear, sounding slightly strained, "Who are you, and what do you want?" Another voice, male this time, arose from the shadows at the rear of the shop. "No need for that Vivienne, I''ve been expecting our guest here for some time. He has something of value to me. Besides, you should be resting. You still haven''t recovered from your injury." The blade was pulled back from his neck, and any hint of the woman holding it vanished, sending chills down Barkas''s spine at how easily she did so. [What have I gotten myself into?] He thought, before dismissing his doubts. He''d come too far to turn back now. "I take it you have brought what I requested?" The voice asked from the shadows. "I did. It very nearly cost me my job, but I did." He replied while unwrapping a small bundle he''d been carrying in his pocket. A stray patch of light from the street fell across his hand as he held up the shard of rune carved bone. The voice laughed. "Good, good. That''s exactly what I was looking for. Please set it on the counter. You''ll find your payment there as well." Barkas complied, quickly pocketing the purse full of coins and stepping back. "Right...well...I''ll be off then." "Safe travels." The voice purred from a slightly different section of the shop, causing a wave of revulsion to creep up Barkas''s throat at the unnatural warmth of the statement. Not needing any further prompting, he turned and made his way out, only stopping briefly at the door to look over his shoulder. He still couldn''t quite make out the figure of his employer, but as he watched, the man stretched out his hand and collected the bone shard. The skin of his arm was pale, almost corpse-like, and something about its pallor sent renewed shivers of fear down his spine. Resolving himself to never again involve himself in this kind of mess, Barkas shut the shop door and hurriedly made his way to his favorite tavern. All of a sudden he was in desperate need of a stiff drink. Chapter 281: Dreadfuls The next morning found Mike in the training yard, where he''d been working on his Space Magic. Unlike other skills he''d picked up in the past, he found it a bit more difficult to make any real progress. Emmanuel''s notebook gave him some guidance, but even with its chants, it was hard to achieve the necessary visualization that the spells required. It seemed he was having trouble wrapping his head around the concept of space as something you can manipulate with your thoughts alone. Other types of Elemental Magic were more concrete and easier to imagine. It didn''t take much effort to picture a ball of flame appearing in his hand. He''d seen fire enough to understand how it looked and how it operated. Not to mention he had taken enough science classes to know vaguely how it came to be in the first place. Space on the other hand was conceptually more difficult to grasp. Before the difficulty of the magic became evident, he''d tried to work on multiple skills simultaneously by practicing it while keeping one of his hands inside a small flame to train his Heat Resistance and Pain Resistance as well. Unfortunately, even with the mitigation effects of the resistance skills, the resulting agony was so distracting that he was forced to quit. It seemed that until he got a little better at manipulating space, it would be difficult to do anything besides focus on it to the exclusion of all else. [I guess all I can do is keep working on it.] He thought to himself while heading inside to grab breakfast. After meeting the others and learning that they were going to be busy dealing with various personal projects, he decided to head into the city and do a bit of shopping. Since the only thing he was really concerned about getting in the short term was smithing equipment, his first stop was the blacksmith shop where he originally acquired the skill. After talking to Gearhart at the front counter, he learned that there weren''t many places that dealt in those kinds of goods. Typically, a smith would commission a craftsman to build a forge in a specified location, and then add in the other accoutrements that would be necessary to conduct his craft. "I don''t exactly have time to wait for someone to build it¡­" Mike muttered to himself while considering his options. Gearhart shrugged. "The way I see it, you don''t have too much of a choice. Far as I know, no one makes portable forges besides the military, and I wouldn''t recommend using those." "Why not?" "They''re not bad for things like making horseshoes or nails, but if you want to do serious smithing, I suggest you look elsewhere." [I don''t really need for it to be portable, just ready made and semi-mobile. Maybe I can pay a smith to let me uninstall theirs and move it with magic¡­] The large bearded man rumbled a chuckle at Mike''s thoughtful face. "Course, if you consider yourself a true craftsman, you could always make your own." "I get what you''re saying, but that''s not...wait¡­" [With Earth Magic I can essentially create everything I need, assuming I have enough mana. Even the metallic components can be produced with the Minor Creation effect, although it would probably take some trial and error to get the right shape and consistency.] He glanced back at Gearhart. "Would you mind if I went in and took a look at your forge as a point of reference. I''ve used it a few times, but I''d like to take special note of the working pieces." "Be my guest. Just be warned, my wife is in the middle of preparing for the day''s work." Mike nodded. "Okay, I''ll try not to get in her way." The shopkeep laughed. "That''s not what I meant. If you go in now, she''ll likely make you start helping. If you don''t want to spend the rest of the day doing manual labor, I suggest that you stay out of sight. She''ll be pretty focused on her work, so as long as you don''t draw attention to yourself, you should be fine." "Thanks for the advice." Mike replied while making his way to the back, activating his stealth skill as he did. While he''d yet to develop it to the level he''d like, it should be sufficient to avoid the gaze of a distracted craftsman. He spent the next hour drawing sketches of the various kinds of equipment and tools that he''d need to outfit his own smithy. It took that long because he wasn''t completely certain what most of the stuff actually did, so he made sure to include everything, just to avoid having to acquire it at a later date. After he was done, Gearhart pointed him in the direction of a smith specializing in tools that could help him with the more portable products he''d need. The individual in question turned out to be an older man with a gentle personality that was more than willing to walk Mike through which particular items he would need. As someone looking to mainly fashion weapons and armor, he required a completely different set from those intending to forge other types of metalwork. The smith even mentioned that once he''d achieved a high level of skill, he might need better tools in order to work with more difficult materials. He decided to pick up the basic equipment for now, with the intention of adding to it as he improved, and purchased a selection of items from the smith at the asking price. While he could have tried haggling, he figured that the man deserved some extra compensation for all the effort he spent in explaining everything. With his tools stored safely away in the extradimensional sack, he moved on to his next stop and checked in on his unwilling Alchemy tutor, who he hadn''t spoken to in weeks thanks to the war. Fortunately, the old woman was still alive and kicking, and had even spent some time cleaning and refurbishing her store to make it look a bit more inviting. That said, the alchemist''s personality removed any warmth that might have come from her new and improved environs. "What ya want?" Came the harsh yell from the back room as soon as he''d walked through the door. "I can''t come check in on my teacher from time to time?" He shot back jauntily. Grumbling under her breath, Gail emerged in the main room and gave him a cold stare. "So yer back are ya? Thought ya might have forgotten about me. Since yer here now, what ya want?" "Circumstances have prevented me from practicing my Alchemy skills recently, and I am looking to rectify that. Unfortunately, I am also planning on taking a trip in the near future, so I won''t be able to rely on you for instruction going forward." "Ha, well that''s a cryin'' shame." The old woman replied sarcastically. "I take it that this is the part where ya ask me something ridiculous." Mike shrugged. "I was hoping you could give me a list of recipes I can work on while I''m travelling. Ones with progressively higher levels of difficulty so I can keep improving my skills." "Hmph. I don''t recall that being part of our bargain." "Oh, don''t worry. I fully intend on compensating you for the efforts. If you hadn''t heard, the kingdom has seen fit to give me a substantial monetary reward for my efforts during the war." Gail stared at him for a few seconds, a look of suspicion on her face. Finally, she gasped. "Yer that Dragonknight! The Tier 4 one! No wonder..." Mike was surprised that it had taken this long for her to realize, but then he thought back to all the other interactions he''d had today. As far as he could tell, no one had treated him any differently than before. There were a few whispers amongst the people he passed in the streets, but he had not been recognized by anyone he met. [Could it be that most people don''t know what I look like? I mean, I''m not wearing my cloak at the moment, but I would think that my appearance is at least a little memorable, what with the eyes and everything.] The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. With the exception of when he was fighting in battle and the awards ceremony, he''d never been seen in a public setting without a mask of some kind on. In a world without electronic media, it would be difficult to spread his likeness. "Ah, yes. I am. More or less¡­" "Ha! To think the ''Hero of Almir'' is that disrespectful welp who came here and started making all kinds of trouble. The Coppers have ya all wrong." Mike frowned. "Coppers? I don''t think I follow." Gal laughed again while shuffling to her back room to grab something. "Not surprised ya don''t know. They''re these terrible little stories that sell for a few coppers, hence the name. Recently, a bunch have been made about the famous Dragonknight Erasmus. I got one, take a look." She handed him a small packet of cheap paper. There was a string woven into the center of the sheets, which were then folded around it to create a sort of rudimentary binding. The outermost layer was made of a coarser material, and was darker in color as a result. On the front cover, in bold, block letters, was the title "On the Wings of Love." Already dreading what he would find inside, he opened to the first page, and was greeted with the sight of a woodcut illustration. It centered on a man of heroic proportions. Broad shouldered, barrel chested, and bearing the kind of square jawed, ruggedly handsome face that would appeal to a certain variety of middle-aged housewife in his old world. Or at least as far as he could tell from the perspective of the image, which placed the man nearly in profile, with one arm thrown dramatically forward in an accusatory point, and mouth frozen in the midst of some kind of declaration. He was standing on the deck of a ship on a windy day, as evidenced by his flowing locks waving dramatically in the breeze, and was dressed in tight looking pants and white linen shirt that had been torn open to reveal his impressively chiseled pecs. It took Mike a few horrified moments to realize that he wasn''t the only person in the picture. A pair of figures, set in the backdrop and drawn with much less detail were the target of the man''s pointing finger. One was a curvaceous woman dressed in a form fitting and low-cut dress. She was tied and gagged, but her body posture portrayed a certain hopeless distress. The other was a thin, almost sickly looking man dressed in a dark overcoat. His expression was one of abject hatred and he was holding the woman with a sword pressed against her throat. At the very bottom of the picture was a caption that told the whole story. "The noble Dragonknight Erasmus confronts the Heinous Traitor Wendel to liberate Princess Andrea from his clutches." Mike read breathlessly. Gail cackled gleefully at his reaction. "Just so ya know, this is the most popular issue of the Dragonknight series. It''s based on yer rescuing the princess, in case that wasn''t clear." "Wait...there''s more of these?" He asked, suddenly feeling very tired. "Of course! They first started writing them a few weeks ago, but they''ve been a big hit since the war started. I think they''re up to issue twelve now." Mike scanned the contents of the pamphlet, finding it full of messy block lettering that was readable, but evidently the result of cheap mass production. It took him a few minutes to look past the horror of the story''s contents to realize what that meant. "So, these Coppers, they''ve been around for a while now?" Gail shrugged. "Last fifty years or so, I think. Ever since that lad over on Brighton street started his print shop. Course, he''s probably an old man by now." "Does he use some kind of device to mass produce printed literature? Maybe some kind of press?" "A press? What ya on about. He''s just an Arcane Mage that uses a copy spell to make a bunch of these cheaply." [That sounds useful, but I''m guessing from the fact that they could only make this kind of low quality pamphlet that there are some limiting factors. Nevertheless, it would be worth checking out. Might need to stop in to have a few words with the owner. For a few reasons. At the moment though, I should focus on what I came here to do in the first place.] Sighing and rubbing his head, Mike handed the Copper back to Gail. "Right, well. As traumatizing as that was, I think I''d like to move on. We were discussing a list of recipes, right?" The old alchemist shot him a dirty look. "Aye, aye. I''ll see what I can do, but it''ll cost ya." Chapter 282: Fertile Conversation After acquiring a recipe book and a hefty pile of ingredients from Gail, Mike continued with the rest of his shopping trip. He made sure to pick up an ample amount of food, water, and daily consumable items, since he could now simply store them in the demi-realm. To add to that, he also purchased several ingots of simple iron. While he could probably make the required materials using Earth Magic, he figured that it would be better to learn the basics from natural ingredients before getting into anything too obscure. He stopped by the Adventurer''s Guild while he was in the area, and left a message for the Broker, since he would like to have one last meeting with the shady organization before starting his travels. If they were as powerful as their resources indicated, then it was possible they had branches in the Riverlands. Getting an introduction would go a long way to ensuring continued access to rare items, books, and, more importantly, information. While he was there, he visited the Guild''s armor shop and picked up another suit of alchemically treated leather armor. Despite some minor differences in the manner of its construction, the armor was pretty much the same as the last few suits he''d worn in the past. He doubted that it would withstand anything that was capable of harming him now that his attributes were so high, but he figured that might change once he''d learned to use it properly. [This doesn''t look overly difficult to make, at least for people with Leatherworking and the right materials. I guess I can use it as a reference for my crafting while at the same time attempting to learn the Light Armor skill.] With that thought in mind, he also swung by a couple specialized stores to look for more tools. He wasn''t sure what all was involved in leatherworking, but he assumed it wasn''t too different from sewing. However, he quickly learned that he was naive. Much like smithing, it seemed that working with leather required a wide array of specialized items to do it at a professional level. This was even more true when working with rare or particularly durable materials. Apparently, some of the monster hides he was planning on using were considered to be expert level in terms of difficulty. If he wanted to tan them himself, he would need even more gear to properly create even the basic ingredients. [I don''t want to put together an actual tannery in the demi-realm, though. From what I recall, they smell pretty bad, and I don''t think there is any kind of ventilation. Now that I think about it, I will probably need to figure that out for the smithing part too. I would hate to end up suffocating the others because the forge used all the available oxygen.] Finally, while he was still hesitating about what route to take with leatherworking, the shopkeeper suggested that he might want to consider looking into tailoring as a possible option. Cloth armor wasn''t exactly the best means of protecting oneself, but anyone could acquire the skill to use it effectively, making it rather popular with the more rearguard focused adventurers. Additionally, it was still possible to add magical effects to them through Artifice. Processing the raw materials was a bit more difficult, so most tailors simply purchased manufactured cloth to work with. Since it looked like Mike was having a hard time deciding whether or not to invest fully in working in leather goods, the shopkeeper thought it might be worthwhile to consider an alternative path that required a small initial investment in time and money, in exchange for having a lower overall return. [He seems to think that I''m trying to pick out a career or something. Well, whatever. Cloth armor may not actually be a bad idea for some of the others.] So, while he was at it, he bought a beginners set of tailoring equipment and a fair amount of basic linen cloth to practice with. He then spent some time browsing through the other wares offered in the Mercantile district, but didn''t find anything that really struck his interest. Unfortunately, almost half of the shops were still closed with their owners either dead or missing. In hindsight it was slightly regrettable that he had to be leaving soon, since he could only imagine getting excellent prices for most of their goods once things got up and going again. Once he''d satisfied his curiosity, he grabbed a bite to eat at one of the food stalls that were starting to crop up again and headed back to the dorm. There was still a few hours until the doorknob could be used again, so he figured he''d check in on the others and then try to acquire the Tailoring skill. Sera was still out, but a quick mental message to Selene confirmed that the Oracle was just down at the practice range, working on her new bow. She must have decided to gain some degree of proficiency over the weapon prior to leaving for the Riverlands. It was admirable, but Mike was a little concerned that she might be trying a bit too hard. [I don''t know much about archery, but maybe there is something I can do. Making some items is a given, but there should be something else¡­] His thoughts were interrupted when Tal walked back into the room carrying a massive bag. He was going to ask her about it, when he caught a whiff of the extremely pungent contents that told him everything he needed to know. "Uff. I''m guessing that''s our fertilizer, right? Why are you bringing it in here?" Mike asked while covering his nose. "This is only the first bag," She shot back while setting it down on the floor, before turning to head back the way she came. "We''ll need to unload the rest." "First? How many¡­" Mike started asking as he followed her outside, only to see a wagon filled nearly to the bursting point with stacks of the same kind of bag. "I have to ask, was it your intention to bring all of these inside?" Tal nodded, while grabbing the next one. "Had to rent the wagon, so I''ll need to unload them in order to return it." "Yeah, I don''t think the rest of our dorm mates are going to appreciate us bringing in this amount of...fertilizer." "Why?" "Well, the smell is a big part of it." A brief shadow of a frown appeared on her face, as if she just now considered the possibility of her actions bothering someone. "I see. I suppose that would cause some difficulty. To be quite honest, I had forgotten all about it." Mike gave a sympathetic smile. "Well, going noseblind isn''t exactly an uncommon situation. Why don''t we stack them up over by the side of the dorm, so that we can take them into the demi-realm once I can activate the doorknob again." "Blind-nosed? An odd way of describing it." Tal commented while resuming her work. He followed suit and started lending a hand. "Ah, sorry, that''s kind of a saying from my old world. I guess the meaning didn''t fully translate. It happens sometimes, unfortunately." "We never did have a conversation about your linguistic abilities. Perhaps you''d be willing to explain now?" "Alright, fair enough." After scanning their surroundings to ensure there weren''t any eavesdroppers, he related the description of Communication Magic to her and gave a brief overview of its various effects while they were still offloading the fertilizer. At one point, however, Tal stopped and concentrated fully on listening to him. Once he was done, the elf was silent for a few moments, her face more unreadable than normal. Finally, she asked. "Can you really talk to plants?" He snorted, "I can, although there isn''t too much benefit to it. I''m not sure if you noticed, but most plants aren''t particularly bright. For instance, the grass we are standing on now is a little upset about being moderately crushed, and very confused about the sudden arrival of the darkness caused by our shadow. Even if I try explaining it to them, they lack the capacity to do more than yell their basic thoughts. More complex plants like trees are a little better, but they tend to be overly focused on the conditions of their environment. You know, the quality of the soil, access to water and sunlight, temperature and weather. That sort of thing. Trying to get them to talk about anything else is a massive pain." Tal sighed and looked slightly depressed. "Is that all you have to say about it?" "More or less. I''m sure there are some more intelligent conversation partners out there somewhere, but I''ve yet to run into them. Why, did I say something wrong?" "No...it''s just that the Sun Elves have spent a very long time trying to develop a method of communicating with plants as part of their efforts to better understand nature. While there have been some successes when it came to animals and even insects, they never were able to breach the gap when it came to plantlife." "That''s unfortunate...I guess. Why do they even want to talk to plants? I can tell you from personal experience that they don''t have much to say." "It''s complicated¡­" Even with her facial expression remaining the same, Mike could tell that the elf was embarrassed by the shift in her body posture. Figuring that she was having a hard time explaining, he waited until she resumed. "You are aware of my kind''s beliefs regarding spirits, yes?" He nodded. "Well, there are many among the Sun Elves that feel that because plants are able to exist without the need to devour other lives, they must be something along the lines of an incarnation of minor spiritual entities. In other words, semi-divine beings. It is their hope that by mastering the ability to communicate with them, they can expand their understanding of the natural world...While I no longer share those beliefs, it is still shocking to hear that they are so incredibly wrong." [A Biochemistry class would be a big shock to them, from the sounds of it.] At a slight loss for words, Mike glanced over at a nearby tree. It was a large and majestically sprawling oak that dominated much of the dorm''s surroundings. He concentrated briefly on his Communication Magic and listened. While it wasn''t exactly using words in the traditional sense, his skill managed to translate the hidden meaning of its thoughts, for lack of a better description. "HEY! HEY! LOOK! I''VE GOT SQUIRRELS! THEY''RE IN MY BRANCHES! HEY!" It was yelling to its closest neighbor, a maple on the other side of the courtyard which didn''t seem to be paying it any attention, judging from its own monologue. "Wind, wind, wind, sun, wind, water, wind. It''s breezy~." Mike couldn''t tell if it was supposed to be a poem or a song, since the tree delivered it in a monotone, but either case would be equally depressing. Looking back at Tal, he shrugged. "I don''t know what to tell you. The trees of your homeland might be different, but I can safely say that the ones around here are not worth talking to." She nodded. "Then perhaps it is for the best that they haven''t succeeded in mastering that form of communication yet. I cannot imagine the kind of trauma such a discovery might cause those with deeply held religious convictions." There was a hint of a mocking smile on her face before she continued. "In any event, shall we finish unloading? I need to return this wagon soon or risk incurring an additional charge." "Fair enough." He shot back while grabbing a few more bags. Despite the fact that they likely weighed close to twenty kilograms, he was able to lift two at a time without any difficulty. He could probably do more than that, but then it became a matter of trying to balance the load, so he refrained. "By the way, you mentioned something about offering advice after consulting you about my skill. Did anything occur to you while you were listening?" He asked once they were close to finishing. "Truthfully, the nature of your skill eludes me. On the surface, it doesn''t appear to be all that powerful. While communicating with everyone you come across can be handy, and the ability to persuade and even harm others with words is very useful, that is really only secondary to what I feel is the eventual destination of this path." "...You''re talking about that bit about the Words of Creation mentioned in the skill''s text, right?" "Indeed. Though I have never heard of them before, it is believed that the System is managed using a kind of language. There are some that suspect learning to use that language would allow you to control reality itself, assuming the gods didn''t prevent you from doing so. If your skill is capable of increasing in tier, it is entirely possible that you might end up with something approaching god-like abilities." Mike thought about it for a moment before replying. "Which might cause some problems with the gods themselves. They don''t seem to be particularly worried about people following the right way to power, but they''d probably be a bit upset if someone cheated their way there by hijacking the System." "Since the power would originate from the System, they may not be able to prevent you from using it, but I imagine it would make you a target of their hostility. I would recommend that, should you ever increase it''s tier, you be very careful on how you make use of the resulting abilities." He nodded. "A good suggestion. Anyway, I believe you mentioned needing to return a wagon?" "Ah. Yes, I should be going. I will speak with you soon." She replied before hastily clambouring back into the driver''s seat and directing the horses pulling it back towards the University Gate. [Now let''s see if I can find a place to start working-] Mike''s thoughts were interrupted by the muffled sound of an explosion from the dorm. After determining its point of origin with Aerosense, he sighed. Had it been any other source, he might have been worried, but this... [I guess I''ll go check on Lily. Hopefully, she hasn''t set fire to the building again.] Chapter 283: Stitched Together Thankfully, the section of the dorm that they lived in was still in one piece when he arrived, although there was a fair amount of smoke leaking out from the doorway to Lily''s room. Sighing again, Mike went in and surveyed the damage. As usual, it looked like something she was experimenting with had detonated. Fortunately, it only caused a small explosion, which failed to destroy even the other tools at her workbench. Of course, this might have more to do with the enhanced durability of Lily''s equipment (a product of William''s efforts to cut down on regular replacement costs) than anything else. The woman in question was still sitting in front of her station, looking unharmed for the most part. Her hair was a bit frazzled and standing up in a weird way, and she was coated with more soot than usual, but otherwise seemed fine. At the moment, she was attempting to cut a clear, crystalline rock with a knife. "Everything alright?" He asked after a few seconds, when it didn''t seem like she was going to acknowledge him. "Hm?" She asked without looking up. "I was just checking up on you. I heard an explosion." "Only a little one. No reason to be worried." [Right. Only a small explosion. Nothing to be concerned about¡­] "Okay....well, then can I ask what you are working on?" He murmured while examining the rock out of curiosity. A quick Appraise answered the question for him. -------------------------------------- Crystallized Water Alchemical Item (Tier 2, Rank 1) Created through the refinement of a particularly pure source of water, this crystal contains roughly 400 liters of water in a reduced state. It is fairly unstable, and can be returned to its original liquid form by a sharp impact, such as being thrown onto a hard surface. Due to the conservation of mass, the crystal retains its original weight. --------------------------------------- After reading the description, Mike looked back at the work table with a critical eye, and noted that it was slightly bowing in the middle. Which was pretty impressive since it happened to be made of massive wooden boards reinforced with steel. "Solution to water problem." Lily responded quickly while still working on the crystal with her knife. So far she''d barely made any kind of indentation. "Um...what water problem are you talking about?" "In the demi-realm. There''s no water there, right?" Mike felt touched that the ordinarily clueless and spacey woman was going out of her way to try and help the group, but he still thought it would be better to explain it to her. "While I appreciate the effort, I think it will be okay. I can use Water Magic after all, so I can just create some if I end up needing it." For the first time since he entered the room, she looked up at him, a blank expression on her face. After a few moments, she frowned and muttered, "Hm, that makes sense," before returning to work. He watched her for a bit, until a rather unpleasant thought occurred to him. "Out of curiosity, what are you trying to do?" By this point she''d given up on cutting the object with a sawing motion, and had resorted to stabbing the crystal with her knife point. "Trying to cut off a sample, but the material is a bit too hard. Might have to use a bigger knife." "Are you sure that''s wise?" He asked while channeling a bit of mana in preparation for taking action. "Hmmm...yes?" Lily replied. [Why is it a question?] "Wouldn''t trying to cut it while it''s in an unstable state cause it to return to its original form?" She started to reply, but her words were overwhelmed by the rushing sounds of water as her knife punched into the protective layer of the crystal, causing it to explode in a wave of fluid. Ordinarily, this would have led to most of the room getting soaked, but Mike acted quickly to hold it in place. They both stared at the large sphere of clear water that was now resting on the worktable''s surface. "Hmm¡­" Lily frowned. ???That shouldn''t have happened. Did I fail? Maybe I needed more salamander gall..." "Was it not supposed to do that?" Mike asked as he moved the water into a nearby empty barrel. He guessed that it was the source of the original ingredients of the crystal. "I don''t think so. The process was supposed to be slower." She muttered, more to herself than to him. As she returned to her notes, it was clear that the conversation was over. [Well, whatever. At least this was less dangerous than her usual foibles...Actually, now that I think about, I''m fairly certain that this is the first time I''ve seen her make something that wasn''t technically some kind of explosive. I guess that means she''s improving, right?] Feeling a strange sense of pride in Lily''s accomplishment, he moved back to his own room and started working on acquiring Tailoring. As a Tier 1 skill, it didn''t take much to unlock it, and after a single attempt at making something resembling a scarf, it popped up on his [Status] as a Secondary Skill. ------------------------------------- Tailoring (Tier 1, Rank 1) The practice of turning cloth into clothing. Users of this skill can produce cloth items using a variety of methods and stylistic choices. Provides a minor system correction when crafting items primarily made of cloth. Higher levels of skill increase the correction and improve crafting efficiency. The correction does not apply to aesthetic choices. ------------------------------------ [...The fact that the System needed to include that last bit is rather depressing.] Deciding to put his new skill through its paces, he moved on to the slightly more ambitious project of making a linen shirt. Based purely on his understanding of the clothes manufacturing industry from his old world, he chose to cut out four separate pieces of cloth, two for the front and back, and two for the sleeves. It then became the simple matter of sewing them together. He found the process significantly easier than his previous clumsy attempt, and noticed that his fingers were moving like he''d been practicing this kind of thing for months. [Gotta admit, there are times that this whole skill system thing is a bit eerie, despite its convenience. Not sure if I should feel comfortable with something that can even manipulate my muscle memory.] Disturbing thoughts aside, the resulting shirt turned out to be adequate. So much so, that even the System recognized his efforts in its trademark way. -------------------------------- Linen Shirt Common Item (Tier 1, Rank 1) A shirt made out of linen. ------------------------------------ [Yeah, not sure what I was expecting.] He spent the next few hours working on improving his skill and ended up with a wardrobe''s worth of linen products, but had trouble advancing it farther than Rank 2. Figuring that he probably needed to use better materials in order to level up more, he decided to hold off on making anything else until he got a chance to do some more research on the skill. After listening to the clock tower ringing in the distance, Mike determined that the cooldown period on the doorknob should have come to an end. It seemed like the others were of a similar opinion, since, based on the sounds coming from the common area, the rest of the party had already returned. [Moving on to task number two for the day.] "About time you came out. We were about to go in and get you." Sera commented as soon as he''d left his room. "You could have. I wasn''t doing anything too important." He replied casually. Not letting her slightly caustic comment get to him. Based on his understanding of her personality, he guessed she was excited about visiting the demi-plane for the first time, but was trying to not be too pushy about it. "Ready." Tal announced, perhaps as a way of forestalling any argument. She was carrying a bag of what was presumably seeds in her hands. A quiet Lily was standing next to a slightly apprehensive William. While she appeared to be distracted by something, the simple fact that she had left her experiments to visit the demi-realm was impressive enough. Without further ado, Mike pulled out the doorknob and, after a brief moment of thought, walked outside to stand next to the pile of ''fertilizer'' he''d helped unload earlier. Affixing it to a nearby wall, he activated the portal and led the way inside. They emerged into the small, sunlit clearing next to the waterfall. For the members that had not visited before, this was evidently quite impressive. "It''s like something out of a painting." Sera was muttering. "Indeed," William chimed in, "this place is quite beautiful." The butler frowned. "Although...there is something not quite right about all this." "That''s because it''s all illusory. " Mike commented while stacking the sacks of fertilizer near the portal. "Pretty much everything here, with the exception of the dirt under your feet and the air you are breathing, is all fake." "I see???" Sera gave the waterfall one last look before turning back to the rest of the group. "While it''s a fairly convincing illusion, once you know the truth of the matter, the flaws become obvious." "Oh?" William asked, a speculative look on his face. "Well, take that dragonfly for instance. If you watch for a few seconds, you''ll quickly see that it''s following the same pattern of flight in some kind of perpetual loop. While it might be possible for them to fly the same way a few times, I can''t imagine them doing it repeatedly with such precision for any length of time." "The birdsong, too." Lily spoke up suddenly, her head cocked to one side and eyes closed in concentration. "It replays the same sequence every three minutes." [...Definitely didn''t notice either of those...I should probably start working on illusion countermeasures sooner, rather than later. For some reason, I get the feeling that I''m particularly vulnerable to them.] After moving the fertilizer in, Mike led the group through the woods and towards the cabin, where they were greeted by the sight of Reber relaxing on the back porch. He''d somehow converted one of the patio chairs into something that would look more at home around the edge of a pool, and was leaning back with his hands behind his head, looking for all the world like he was sunbathing. A tall glass of a clear liquid was sitting on a nearby table, complete with a strangely thick brown straw. If he had a pair of sunglasses it would have completed the slightly unusual sight. "New visitors!" The tree man exclaimed once he noticed them. "Come on in! Mi casa es su casa, and all that. Can I get anyone a drink? I''ve got cold water aaaaand slightly warmer water. Not the best selection, I know, but I can guarantee you it''s freshly poured." "Thank you for the offer, but that''s alright. Most of us just had lunch not too long ago." Sera replied politely in a slightly stiff tone. Judging by her body posture, she didn''t quite trust Reber just yet. [Or maybe she just finds him odd and doesn''t quite know how to respond yet.] "Are you sure? It''s pretty good stuff. It has a nice mineral balance, and the pH is just barely on this side of acidic." The tree man replied jovially while taking a sip from his own glass. "Pea Ach? No, no thanks, I''m fine." She replied flatly. "Suit yourself. Anyway, do I have something impressive to show you all." Reber exclaimed while standing. "Since I no longer have to sleep due to that whole being a plant thing, I took the liberty of doing a little experimentation, and I came up with some amazing results. Let me show you." Chapter 284: Lighting Fixtures "Behold! I have created life!" Reber announced once they''d arrived at the backyard. He was motioning towards a tiny plot of land, roughly a meter square, that looked to have been converted into a garden. Growing from the recently tilled dirt was a small plant. "Congratulations, I guess?" Mike replied, at first a bit confused why the tree man seemed so excited, but then the realization hit. "Wait a moment...did you get this to grow while the portal was closed?" Reber nodded proudly. "Hell yeah I did. I was playing around with some of my Druid skills and discovered that my ability to manipulate plants has been dramatically improved since my transformation. I can now do things I never thought possible while I was still human. This little beauty is a tomato I managed to cultivate from a seed scavenged from the cold storage room." "How did you get around the problem of the soil and the lack of sunlight?" Planting his hands firmly on his wooden hips, he announced. "Haha! I didn''t!" Sera was rubbing her forehead as if this whole process was giving her a headache. The rest of the group waited patiently until he explained himself. After a few moments when it was clear that no one was going to ask him for more details, Reber shrugged and then continued. "Well, I picked up a title and an inherent skill that dramatically improved the efficiency and power of my magic when it involved plants. Anyway, one of the things I discovered I can do is substitute mana for their basic needs. I can artificially keep a plant alive, even in hostile conditions, so long as I keep supplying it with energy." "Interesting. What else?" Tal asked, obviously curious about the applications of such an ability. "Haven''t gotten too far in my experiments, since I had to spend some time preparing my amazing water, after all. Are you sure you don''t want some?" He asked, indicating the glass by his chair. "It''s pretty good...no? Alright. Anyway, besides keeping plants alive unnaturally, I can also speed up their growth with mana, and get them to move." "Really?" Mike asked. "Could you show us." Reber gave a big grin. "Sure thing. You ready?" He cracked his wooden knuckles, which didn''t really accomplish anything, and then began to mutter a chant in a strange language. Mike had some trouble making the words out, but the parts he did hear were translated by his Communication Magic as, "Grow, grow, grow, you plant. Get very bi-ig. Merrily, merrily, merrily, I could use a drink." [...That can''t be a real chant.] Despite the odd spell, the small tomato plant began to shiver and, at an almost imperceptible rate, grew a few centimeters. After it had gone from barely being little more than a sprout to being slightly more than a sprout, Reber lowered his arms and looked back at the rest of them proudly. Trying to keep his face neutral, Mike commented. "That''s pretty cool, I guess. Can you make them grow more than that?" The tree man nodded. "Sure...although not right now. I''m plum lum out of mana at the moment, I''m afraid. That little trick took nearly half a day''s worth out of me." "...Really?" "Yep. I don''t think I mentioned it, but the efficiency on the base spell is ridiculously low. It''s meant to be used over a long period of time to gradually increase the growth speed of plants. Of course, I modified it a bit, but the basic effects aren''t that impressive." "So, what use does it have?" Sera asked, obviously trying to prod the conversation in the direction of a conclusion. "You mean besides getting a slightly faster harvest? Not much. Still, it will give me something to while away the hours between your visits." [Note to self, try to keep the portal open as often as possible.] "Well, in any case, that doesn''t really change what our goal is today." Mike broke in before the Oracle got angry at Reber''s flippant attitude. "It''s good to know that there are a few other options when it comes to growing plants, but we should concentrate on making the natural way possible first, before worrying about anything else." With that in mind, William, Tal, and Sera set about moving the fertilizer to the cabin while Mike and Reber headed into the control room to try and figure out how to make this thing work. Lily, in her typical fashion, had wandered in the experimental room and was poking through the remnants of Fatima''s research with keen interest. Although it worried him a bit to leave her to her own devices, he figured that she couldn''t do too much harm in the short period of time she was alone. Or at least he hoped so. "Try not to touch anything, Lily." He admonished her while heading into the control room. "We don''t know what most of this stuff does yet.?? She nodded as if she''d heard him, but then promptly began picking things up and examining them. [Well, whatever. I don''t think there is anything too crazy down here. I mean, what''s the worst she could do with a bunch of plants¡­and some specialized alchemical tools of mysterious purposes...and hybrid technological marvels...On second thought-] "Actually, Lily, do you think you can give me a hand with this? I believe I could use your expertise." For a moment he feared he was too late, but surprisingly, she put down the vial of greenish sludge she''d been examining closely and moved to join them, giving him a blank and unreadable look in the process. [I can''t tell if she''s actually listening to me in this instance, or is just curious about the control room.] Deciding that it was better to not think too deeply on Lily''s actions, he led them inside and faced the unusual pillar once more. The three of them stared at it in silence for a few moments, before Reber spoke up, "Yep, still have no idea what any of this means." "Is it safe to touch, do you think?" Mike asked. He could tell that a large amount of mana was being circulated through the structure, but was having a hard time determining exactly how it was doing so. "Not sure...let''s find out." The tree man replied while walking over and slapping the side of the pillar with one hand. Mike tensed at the unexpected action, but when nothing happened after a few seconds, he relaxed. "Seems safe." Reber commented dryly while slapping the pillar a few more times. "Stop that." Running a finger over a few of the runes, Mike noticed that there was a slight response in the ambient mana flow. With a little experimentation, he was able to determine that certain runes, whose original purpose was unclear initially, functioned as some kind of interface that could influence the way power was circulated through the pillar. "These look like some kind of control panel," He explained while indicating the areas in question. "Based on what I can figure, I think I can manipulate the demi-realm to some extent by interacting with them." Reber shrugged. "Sounds about right, but I haven''t got the faintest idea on what to do with that information. Try pushing some buttons at random and see if it does anything." "Are you nuts? That could endanger everyone here. What if I accidentally turned off the air, or converted the ground into lava or something?" "Here." Lily broke in, pointing at one of the interface sections in particular. "This controls lighting." "Really? How do you know?" "Layout." She replied dryly, and then indicated the complex scrollwork that surrounded the figures she was looking at. "The runes here are involved in manipulating the Light Element. Based on their alignment, I figure that it''s meant to create one of several preset illusory backdrops. However, disabling some of these settings will probably free up enough energy to allow the demi-realm to mimic natural sunlight. If you deactivate these three runes, and then activate this one, it should work." Mike stared at her for a few moments like she''d grown a second head. [Where in the hell did that come from?] After several seconds of silence, she glanced up at him. "Anything else?" "Huh?" "Was there anything else you needed to do with this thing?" He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "No...no, that should do it for now. I might have some more questions later." "Alright. I''ll go back to what I was doing now." She announced calmly before standing up and walking back into the experimental hall. Mike watched her go, feeling like he was seeing a new side of her. One that it never occurred to him to look for. "Gotta admit it, buddy, you have an interesting taste in women." Reber muttered quietly once they were alone. "..." He shot the tree man a dirty look. "Don''t get me wrong, they seem like a fun bunch, and I can tell they are all pretty skilled. It''s just that they have somewhat eccentric personalities¡­" "I feel like you might be misunderstanding something. Also, I don''t think you have any room to speak when it comes to eccentricities." He shot back acidly. The tree man nodded sagely. "Keeping it on the down-low. Wise. Let me just say that I recognize game when I see it, so I''ll give props where props are due. It''s definitely something I couldn''t have managed myself, even before the whole plantification thing. Between you and me, I wouldn''t have the guts to even try it in the first place." He paused to give Mike a thumbs up. "So, very impressive." "Listen. That''s not at all what I-" A muffled explosion from the next room prevented him from saying anything else. Rubbing his temples and applying a bit of Healing Magic to ward off the oncoming headache, he walked to the door to deal with the situation. Lily had somehow managed to combine the desiccated remains of a glowing mushroom and the oily extract of a commonly found weed to produce something that burned like phosphorus on contact with air. Fortunately, Mike''s command of Fire Magic was sufficient to prevent any undue damage to the rest of the cabin. After a few minutes to clean up the charred remains, he activated the control pillar following Lily''s instructions (while keeping her under strict observation to prevent any further accidents), and then headed outside to observe the results. Strangely, the disabled features seemed to be solely those responsible for creating the illusions inside the area of the demi-realm itself, while leaving the background applied to its edges in place. The result was slightly disorienting. A stretch of blank, grayish dirt stretched for hundreds of meters in every direction around the cabin, which was placed on the only real terrain feature inside the area, a small hill. This space ended at a shear wall that took on the usual appearance of an idyllic forest, save that it had a slightly artificial semblance to it in light of its surroundings. If that wasn''t enough, a glowing, door-shaped portal was embedded into one side of that wall, roughly where the waterfall used to be. "Much work." Tal commented while examining the soil. Even to his untrained eye, Mike could tell that the dirt was in poor shape. [I might be able to do something with some combination of Healing and Earth Magic, if it comes to it, but I should probably let the experts figure out a solution.] He thought before turning his attention to the next task. While the others were still looking around at the changed landscape, he channeled his mana and began constructing what would be his workshop. Chapter 285: All About that Life Building the structure itself was pretty straightforward. After all, he only needed a place to store tools and something resembling a table to craft on. As a result, he used Earth Magic to raise a simple rectangular building with two rooms, one for a workspace and the other for storage. Next, he added an open section with a covered roof that would house the forge. Since the demi-realm currently didn''t have any form of precipitation to worry about, he could have technically worked in the open, but found that idea somewhat distasteful. If he was going to spend some time putting together a workshop, he intended to go all the way. After adding a bit of simple stone furniture, he turned his attention to putting together the forge itself. The process was slower for this part, since he was having some trouble maintaining the image of it in his mind. However, with much trial and error, he was eventually able to cobble together something that both looked, and functioned, as he intended. Finally, he began making the other specialized tools he''d need, using Earth Magic to produce the raw materials and then shape them in the form he wanted. Despite it being a massive drain on his mana, he nevertheless ended up with a fully kitted smithy after a few hours of dedicated work. Although he was eager to get it fired up and try it out officially, Mike first went back to the cabin to check on the others. They''d largely left him alone while he was working, and he was starting to get a bit suspicious about the lengthy silence. William, Tal, and Reber were working in the backyard. By all appearances, their intent had been to start adding fertilizer to the soil, however, they seemed to have derailed at some point, since the butler and the druid were in the middle of a somewhat heated argument. "Though I may not have the same kind of expertise as you, Sir Reber, I can say with absolute certainty that such a thing is unthinkable. Nay, even to speak of it is near blasphemy." William was stating emphatically, his usual professionalism overcome by a rash of emotionality. "How can you say that? There are very few absolutes in this world, but that is one of them. Argue as much as you want, but you know it''s true." Mike watched them go back and forth in this manner for a few minutes before turning to Tal, who was pointedly ignoring the two as she continued the work they''d largely forgotten. Before he even had a chance to open his mouth, she muttered tersely, "Don''t ask me." He paused for a few seconds, but couldn''t contain his curiosity. "You say that, but what are they even talking about at this point?" Without looking up, she explained in her usual emotionless manner, albeit with a hint of annoyance added into the mix. "We were discussing the possibility of raising some crops here, and the two of them began suggesting options for what to plant first. At some point the idea of producing alcohol came up and they started disagreeing about whether to grow wheat or barley in order to make beer. William is apparently a fan of the former, while Reber is a die-hard supporter of the latter despite no longer having the ability to drink it." At this point the tree man was saying, "Wheat by itself has no body, no substance. Even the best wheat beers add in some barley to give it some real flavor." The butler shook his head, "I''ll admit that barley is an important component of high quality beer, but you can''t rely on it alone. To detract from the value of wheat in favor of your chosen grain is foolish in the extreme." [I guess everyone has to have their passions¡­] "That''s...huh. I feel like I don''t want to get involved in that." "Wise." "How''s the work going otherwise?" She sighed and stood up. "Slowly, even with their argument. The soil here has lacked attention for a very long time. It is dry and sterile, and would not be capable of growing anything if not for Reber''s magic. Quite frankly, it may be easier to simply import dirt from outside." Mike squatted down and really examined the ground for the first time. Based on what he recalled, he knew that there were several factors that played a role in creating healthy soil. [Water is a given, but what else was there? I feel like density was important. Like you had to have a certain amount of air, even underground.] As the beginnings of a plan started forming in his mind, he reached out with his will and tried to get a feel for the ground under him. With his Earth Magic serving as a medium, he could tell that the demi-realm was a perfect sphere, but the soil itself was little more than compacted dust and lacked even the most basic requirements for life. It would need to be completely reformed if he wanted to change that. [I feel like I can probably use a combination of Water, Earth, and Air magic to change the soil composition into something that would work better, but I feel like something is still missing.] Glancing over at a bag of fertilizer, he realized what it might be. [I remember watching a sci-fi movie where the main character was trying to grow crops on Mars. I think he used his own feces as a fertilizer in order to do so, because it contained bacteria that was somehow vital for plant growth. If I take that into consideration, the solution becomes clear. Implementing it might be a bit more difficult, though.] He walked over to one of the bags of fertilizer and reluctantly pulled out a handful of the pungent material. Sending a bit of Healing magic into the clump, he tried to feel for something alive. At first, it didn''t seem like his idea was going to pan out, since he couldn''t sense anything from it, and he began to fear that his skill treated microbial life as an enemy due to its propensity to cause illness. However, he finally started to sense the barest flickers of something responding to his mana. With an effort of will, he tried to invest these flickers with a modicum of his energy. He quickly discovered that if he tried to add too much, the specks of life would disappear, so only by giving the microbes the barest hint of mana was he able to avoid such a fate. Unfortunately, it didn''t appear to be doing anything, even when he was successful. [I feel like I''m on the right track, but there is something missing. Reber was able to use his mana to cause plants to grow, and even though that was probably some kind of unique skill, there should be some way to do it myself.] Based on how he figured Healing Magic worked in the first place, he''d thought it should be a simple matter to get bacteria to reproduce at an accelerated rate. However, it seemed slightly different. [Could this be the limitation of my skill? Like it''s only capable of restoring something to its original qualities.] By this point, Tal had stopped what she was doing to walk over and observe him. Somehow, she managed to guess what he was attempting to do, and offered a few words of advice. "Forcing it will accomplish nothing. The trait of life is that it operates independently, without the need for outside interference. If you relax and allow your mana to flow as it wills, I believe you will have more success." Concentrating, Mike allowed his mana to creep out of his body in a slow stream, but made no effort to direct where it went afterwards. For a long moment, it didn''t appear to have an effect, but then he noticed that the energy was being subtly tugged towards something within the clump of manure. As he watched a small green sprout emerged from the substance, and continued to grow at a fast rate. [There must have been a seed left behind, but I guess this works.] He could tell that the microbes in the manure were also multiplying rapidly and vigorously, so he dropped the clump and used Lifestyle Magic to clean his hand. [I feel like I achieved a greater understanding of how Healing Magic works. Maybe it ranked up while I was wor¡­] Mike checked his [Status] and found that the entry for his skill had changed rather dramatically. ---------------------------------------- - Life Magic (Tier 4, Rank 1) - (EVOLVED) A form of magic only accessible for those who have walked the path of healer, this skill harnesses the power of the fifth basic element, Life. Practitioners can use their command over this element to control, empower, and even create living things. Within the realm of its influence, there are no forms of magic more dominant, but it cannot affect things that never held the spark of life. Higher levels of skill increase mana efficiency and the power of magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Healing Mastery - Healing Mastery - Life Mages arise only from those who have a fundamental understanding of organic beings. With this understanding comes the knowledge of how to treat the many ailments and injuries that such beings encounter over the span of their life cycles. Includes the effects of all Healing Magic skill ranks of Tier 4 and below. -------------------------------------------- [...This is good, I think. Not sure really what I should feel about this.] "Hey, Tal. Have you ever heard of something called Life Magic?" He asked quietly. She stared at him for a few moments, and then shook her head. "I know it is considered one of the Basic Elements, but as far as I''m aware, there is not a skill designed to manipulate it directly. If you have unlocked such a thing, it is probably something belonging to the realm of Tier 4s, and therefore outside of the scope of common knowledge." "I see...Well, in any case, I think I''ve come up for a solution to our soil problem." He commented absently while taking a few moments to explore his newfound understanding of how mana interacted with living things. He realized he''d never given much thought before. How could so much energy be stored in a person''s body without causing some kind of horrible side effect? It would have been easy to write it off as the effect of the System and the divine powers that created it. After all, if anyone could perform the miraculous, then actual gods surely could. However, he now knew that it was more complicated. Mana, as he understood it, suffused every aspect of this world to a greater or lesser extent, but it tended to concentrate in certain areas, one of which was the tissues of living beings. Based on what he could tell from the small plant growing out of the pile of manure by his feet, and comparing it to the mana in his own body, it seemed that the more powerful one was, the more mana was concentrated inside of you. In fact, as he glanced over at Tal, he could tell that, while her body contained a surprisingly large amount of mana, it still was nowhere near his. He tried moving a large chunk of mana out of his body and then observing the aftereffects. Even though he shifted close to a quarter of his reserves, the mana contained within his body barely changed at all. [Is mana perhaps the vehicle the System uses to enhance people as their skills increase? Considering that it''s a mysterious energy source whose properties are unclear, I guess that makes about as much sense as anything else. Now, how can I use this¡­] Putting aside the exciting possibilities for the time being, he returned his thoughts to the task at hand. He wove together a stream of elemental magic drawn from Earth, Water, Air, and Life, and sent the resulting mana into the ground. Within seconds the dirt started to change, taking on the appearance of a soft, loamy soil. He watched the effect spread, eventually expanding to include the entire demi-realm. Once he felt that it couldn''t go any further, he relaxed and allowed his remaining mana to dissipate. [Hmm, that cost me about half of my reserves. I guess trying to use four different kinds of magic simultaneously was a bit much. Come to think of it, this means my Dual Casting skill must have ranked up as well¡­] Mike''s thoughts trailed off as he realized that everyone was now staring at him. Chapter 286: Pursuing Passion William had spent the vast majority of his life as a servant for the Dornovo household in one capacity or another. Raised in an orphanage, he''d been fortunate to find work in the Duke''s stables as a groom at the tender age of eight. From there, he eventually succeeded in working his way up to footman and finally butler through a combination of hard work, discipline, and a good amount of luck. Though many might look down on him for taking pride in it, he''d always believed that a life dedicated to the service of others was worthwhile, and he''d lived with that principle in his heart. However, that belief was tested when he was told that he would be the personal butler of the Duke''s daughter. Such a thing should have been an honor, but the girl in question, though only a few months old at that point, had already been labeled as a cursed child, an inheritor of the royal family''s madness. Thanks to his position, William was privy to some of the household''s darker secrets, so he knew all about the Duke''s brother, who publicly was respected as a war hero, but privately had a habit of flying into homicidal rages, that would be directed at any servant who happened to be in the vicinity. Being sent to his compound was widely considered to be a death sentence, and William had made sure to steer clear of any such assignment like the plague. If this new girl had inherited even a fraction of that murderousness, then he was essentially being sacrificed, which made a horrible sort of sense when he thought about it. Ordinarily, a maid or governess would be in charge of raising a young lady of the Duke''s household, but the majority of the servants of that rank were the daughters of other nobility. In order to avoid causing a political incident, it had likely been decided to dump the responsibility off on William who was a commoner. At first he''d been filled with anger at the unfairness of the situation. After all, he''d already spent more than a decade and a half in service to the Duke. Yet, the reward for his dedication was to be treated as a disposable pawn. It was enough to make him consider resigning in disgust, save that doing so would have ended any hope of a career he might have had in his home country, as it would have essentially blacklisted him among the noble families of Dovistan. Deciding that he would put aside such concerns until after he''d at least seen the child in question, he visited her nursery in a far-off abandoned section of the Duke''s mansion. Here, in the care of a single commoner wet nurse, who''d gladly handed off her duties once he showed up, he met Lily for the first time. As soon as he laid eyes on that innocent face and felt her little fingers curl around his, he knew he couldn''t leave her on her own. Something about her spoke to a half-forgotten protective instinct he''d long ago left behind. So, despite having no real idea how to raise a child on his own, nor any family who he could depend on, William decided to do everything in his power to bring her up to the best of his ability. However, it quickly became apparent that he was in over his head. She was a strange child, right from the beginning. Even as an infant, she never cried nor fussed, instead spending every waking moment gazing at the world listlessly. No toy or song or picture would get any kind of response out of her, and in spite of his best efforts, she continued to be disturbingly quiet. While she did not appear to have her uncle''s lethal temper, she was still far from normal. Thankfully, she would eat without prompting, and had no trouble guzzling down the cow''s milk he''d given her until she could manage solid foods. As she grew older, Lily''s unusual traits softened slightly, and she became capable of interacting with the world around her to a limited extent. She even learned to speak, although she was nearly ten before she managed to say a complete sentence. Through it all, William tried everything he could to help her expand her perspective, even begging the Duke for money to acquire tutors and training resources in the desperate hope of finding something that would break her out of her shell. Alas, it seemed to all be in vain, until one fateful day when the two of them were walking through the market in Medun. Lily had just turned twelve, and they were out looking for her present. William had learned that his best bet in finding something she would show even a modicum of interest in, was to simply wander around the shops and stalls until she started staring at something for longer than a few seconds. They were out by themselves, since none of the guards would have voluntarily accompanied a cursed child, and the Duke surely didn''t care enough to order them to do so. Not that such protection was necessary, since Lily had long ago awoken her bloodline''s terrifying strength, and had already put it to use in defending herself on a few occasions. Any potential kidnapper or mugger would be in for quite the surprise if they thought the quiet girl was an easy target. Nevertheless, the world was full of individuals who would think nothing of harming innocents for profit, so William was on high alert for any possible threats. In fact, he was so keen on keeping a lookout for dangerous strangers, he didn''t even notice when Lily wandered away until several seconds after the fact. Thankfully, she hadn''t gone far, and he was able to track her down with a few minutes of panicked searching. The girl had wandered into a nearby alchemist''s shop and was watching the owner with rapt attention. For his part, the alchemist, who was in the midst of mixing together several substances over a boiling cauldron, took the strange girl in stride, offering her a welcoming smile before returning to his task. Not wanting to interrupt the moment, William waited near the doorway. Over the next hour, Lily remained focused on the man as he distilled the contents of the cauldron into a single vial of a clear liquid, which he then stirred into a thick, mud-like substance. Finally, he pulled out a handful of small, white stones that had somehow formed in the process. While examining them closely, he selected one and casually smacked it with a mallet. Surprisingly, the impact didn''t damage the stone, but rather caused it to start glowing with a brilliant light. Nodding in satisfaction, he handed the glowing stone to Lily, who stared at it wide-eyed for a few moments before looking up at him in confusion. The man replied with a shrug, saying it was a gift for his dedicated audience. Then, for the first time in her life, she asked a question out of personal motivation. "How did you make this?" The man smiled. "Alchemy. Are you interested in it?" She nodded emphatically. That earned a laugh. "I can teach you if you like." And so Lily found her first passion and first real teacher, and for the next six years she was a dedicated, if problematic student. Thanks to her single-mindedness, she acquired extensive knowledge of alchemical processes and techniques to the point that her instructor was frequently left scrambling for things to teach her. Unfortunately, despite her genius, she was handicapped by something beyond and of their control. For an unknown reason, any time she tried to make something with Alchemy, there was an unusual high chance of something going wrong. Even when practicing with a basic recipe that should have the same results ten times out of ten, Lily''s crafting was fraught with strange deviations and unlikely circumstances. This had the unusual side effect of creating explosives out of seemingly inert materials, which made the whole situation much more alarming. Despite his best efforts, her teacher was at a loss to explain the oddity. Finally, after much trial and error, he concluded that she was simply touched by some divine influence, which meant there was nothing that could be done to correct it. Rather than discourage the girl, these explosive failures only seemed to push her further in her alchemical research. When she turned 18, often considered the age when the daughters of the high nobility should be searching for potential marriage partners, Lily asked for her first big favor. She wanted to study alchemy at a university. At first, William was sure that the Duke would refuse any such request. After all, the girl had proven to be much more pliable and much less murderous than her uncle, which meant that she represented a major wartime asset. However, her father had given his consent almost immediately, with the sole condition that the school in question be somewhere outside Dovistan. In hindsight, it was clear that the Duke was already engaged in his questionable behavior at this point. He probably was concerned that denying her request would have led to some kind of outburst, which could have then drawn unwanted attention to his household. Yet, William also thought that it was possible the man had chosen to give his estranged daughter a chance to escape the dark fate that awaited him and the rest of the family. The truth of the matter would remain a mystery for the foreseeable future. Whatever the case, with a few quick letters, the two of them were on their way to the University of Almir, where Lily eventually succeeded in enrolling in the Martial Arts department, after failing to get into her first two choices, the Science and Magic departments respectfully. She adapted to her new life quite well, quickly falling into a routine of skipping her martial classes to attend whatever subjects were being taught in Alchemy. Much to her instructors'' annoyance. Yet, Willam could tell that she was grappling with some kind of internal crisis. One that was pushing her to take greater and greater risks with her practice. Pretty soon, the explosive accidents, which historically only happened once every few weeks, were starting to occur every day. On top of that, they were beginning to get increasingly dangerous and destructive. Although Lily was fairly tough thanks to her bloodline, there were times that she was injured by her experiments, and William was afraid that one of these days her luck would run out and she''d seriously hurt herself. He tried reasoning with her, even though he knew it would be fruitless in the face of her all-consuming passion. While this did get her to take a few safety measures, the accidents nevertheless continued. Finally, at wits'' end, he was considering getting the school to expel her in the hopes of stopping her self-destructive spiral, when a certain individual entered their lives and changed everything. ----------------------------------------- "So you''re saying that you just casually put together a spell involving four disparate elements, including the semi-legendary Life Element, and cast it successfully on the first try?" Reber was asking, ""Whew, man. You''re lucky I''m not the kind of guy to feel jealous. I''m mean, being a genius spellcaster on top of your romantic successes? I bet most folks would be wishing for you to explode right about now." Mike rubbed the back of his head, seemingly a little embarrassed. "Well, I''m a Tier 4, right? This is the kind of thing we do. Also, I''ll say it again. You have the wrong idea. I''m not currently in any kind of romantic relationship. Stop bringing it up." "Right, right. Sorry. Forgot about keeping it quiet." The tree man replied with a wink. "It''s not a matter of keeping it quiet! It''s simply not true!" William felt a tug at his elbow and glanced over to see Lily staring at the ground in fascination. "What happened?" She asked, clearly more concerned about the change in the dirt than the conversation. "Sir Mike has solved the issue with the soil in his usual manner. I believe him and Sir Reber are currently discussing the details." She looked up at the arguing pair and smiled, something she''d been doing a lot more of lately. "Interesting." William felt a bittersweet warmth in his chest. It was a familiar sensation to him now, since it had been occurring with greater frequency in recent months. He wondered idly if this might be what it was like to watch a daughter grow up. As Lily walked over to begin questioning Mike about his methods, the butler took a moment to recall the little girl who wouldn''t do anything under her own initiative. Who simply stared into space like some kind of doll unless prompted into action. When compared to the woman who was badgering the young mage with a bunch of technical questions, one would be hard pressed to recognize them as the same person. [Much better.] He thought, unconscious of the grin that was forming on his face. Chapter 287: Talking Roots "Hm...interesting." Lily finally finally, after her questions had been answered to some degree. She''d asked for a bunch of information that was far too technical for him to really explain, but he did his best to describe what little he knew about soil health and the requirements for plant growth. This of course led to yet further questions, but was eventually able to stave them off with the well worn excuse that he didn''t really know how he did it, but his skills made it possible. Once her curiosity was more or less satisfied, she took a sample of the soil and returned to the cabin where she was presumably going to conduct some experiments. Mike asked William to follow her and keep her from creating any more damage. He was hoping that Lily would be distracted enough by whatever mystery she''d noticed in the soil that she''d avoid messing with anything dangerous. Then again, this was Lily they were talking about. [She did once manage to create a fair sized explosion by heating water, so there is no telling what might happen in an actual lab. Maybe I should build some kind of bomb-proof lab for her so that I at least don''t have to worry about her causing too much collateral damage.] Interrogation dealt with, Mike turned his attention towards one last issue that would hinder efforts to grow plants in the demi-realm. Or rather, the problem was brought to his attention. Sera, having finished her investigations of the cabin, had wandered out in time to catch the tail end of his conversation with Lily, and chimed in once they were done. "I know this whole soil thing is supposedly a big deal, but I''ve been meaning to ask for a while now, what are you planning to do about water?" "I''ve been thinking about it, but I haven''t come to a decent solution just yet. I''d thought I''d have a little more time before we were ready to begin planting. For the time being, I can use Water Magic." The Oracle frowned in thought. "That might work in the short term, but it would be better to make this realm somewhat independent. I know we have that tree, but I can already tell he''ll be useless when it comes to magic." "Ah, but I have a positive attitude and perseverance on my side! At the end of the day, isn''t that what''s really important?" Reber shot back. He was standing with his wooden feet dug into the ground, evidently experimenting with the ground in his own unique manner. A vein popped out on Sera''s forehead as her brow furrowed in obvious irritation. After taking a few seconds to control herself, she continued while pretending that no one had interrupted. "Ahem, did the control pillar have any options to create precipitation?" Mike shook his head. "I don''t think so, but honestly I don''t know enough about it to be sure. It''s possible, but I get the feeling that this place was never meant to be an independent world. Weather patterns are probably outside of its scope." "The place is too small and too cut off to create any kind of air movement," The tree man broke in again, showing no indication that he was aware of Sera''s hostility. "Of course, the control pillar probably does something regarding ambient weather conditions." "What makes you say that? I looked all over it, and didn''t see anything that would have that kind of effect." "Simple deduction, my good man." Reber replied jovially while tapping the side of his head. Mike thought he heard the sound of Sera''s teeth grinding in response. "If this place really is isolated, then something must be keeping it habitable by regulating temperature, pressure, air composition, humidity, and all that. Since there really is nothing else here that would fit the bill, it makes sense that the control pillar is involved somehow. " "So you''re suggesting that there is some kind of life-support function built in? While that might be the case, I don''t really want to mess with it." "Fair. But that leaves back at square one. I do have one idea that might just be crazy enough to work..." Already sensing that this was gearing up to be a major digression, Mike headed it off before they got too involved. "It''s alright. For the time being, I''ll just come back every day to do the watering. When I have some time, I''ll work on creating some kind of sprinkler system with Artifice." Reber shrugged. "Suit yourself. It would have been a pain to find that much tapioca anyway." [...No, not engaging.] Plans firmly in place, he quickly escaped before he could get dragged into anything else, and made his way back to his workshop. Firing up the forge for the first time, he tried turning one of his iron ingots into a flat sheet of metal. While there was no immediate purpose for doing so, he figured that it would be a good way of testing out his tools while working on his Smithing skill. It quickly became apparent that he''d overestimated his ability to create things with Earth Magic, as roughly half of the items he''d brought into existence were fundamentally flawed in a manner that practically made them unusable. Hammers would shatter on contact with a metal surface. Tongs would refuse to close without breaking. Even his anval quickly developed a significant crack. Before he could do any real work, he was forced to spend some time painstakingly recreating new items while paying close attention to their composition. After a few hours of dedicated work, he succeeded in refurbishing his tool collection and making the metal sheet he''d originally been aiming for. Once it was fully quenched and ready to have the excess cut off, he took a moment to examine his handiwork. To his admittedly inexperienced eye, it looked to be fairly regular in terms of both thickness and general shape and he felt a bizarre sense of pride in his accomplishment. He doubted that the piece would stand up to the scrutiny of any experienced smith, but it was not bad for a new crafter just starting out. From this point on, he would work on refining his techniques. Deciding that his next attempt could wait until tomorrow, Mike used the last few hours of his time in the demi-realm constructing Lily''s lab. He decided to go with more or less the same layout he used with his workshop, but kept the work area fairly open in order to reduce the concussive effects of explosions that took place there. Figuring that durability was key, he made the walls thick and reinforced them with rods of steel he created with Earth Magic. After forming a few tables and workbenches, he decided to call it a day. Due to the specialized and delicate nature of most alchemical tools, they would need to acquire some from specialty shops to properly outfit the lab. [Of course, I can probably get most of that from the cabin. Hmm¡­I''ll have to work with Lily to come up with a list of things we might need.] Before leaving the demi-realm, he took one last look through the cabin and its surroundings. Apparently, the others had already returned to the dorm, so the only one left was Reber. The tree man was busily sowing seeds in the freshly tilled soil. He stopped and waited patiently as Mike approached, before asking, "How''s it hanging?" "Uhm¡­good? I guess...What are you up to?" "Planting." He replied simply while holding up a handful of seeds as if to prove his point. "I got that much. Where did you get those?" "Made them myself, actually." "¡­I don''t know much about tree biology, but I didn''t think you could grow grass seeds. Then again, I guess you are technically a unique organism¡­" Reber grinned. "Didn''t do it the natural way, if that''s what you are asking. It will probably be a few weeks at least, before I get a chance to try it out with my own nuts...so to speak." He paused to chuckle at his pun. "This time I just used a druid spell to duplicate existing seeds. All I need is a small sample, and I can produce a nearly infinite supply, given enough time and mana." "Sounds pretty useful, but I''m guessing there are some drawbacks." "Of course. I was always told to not use it too frequently, since it''s supposed to weaken succeeding generations and make the whole population more vulnerable to disease. The way I figure it, that was probably because it creates genetically identical seeds, which will probably be fine in the short term, but could lead to all kinds of problems eventually. Not to mention, it''s also considered somewhat unnatural, so there was a bit of stigma attached to it." The tree man explained while shaking his head in exasperation. "I''m also somewhat limited on the types of seeds that can be produced. More complex plants or magical ones require exponentially more mana to recreate. At a certain point, it becomes functionally impossible." Mike frowned in thought, wondering if such a thing would be possible with his new Life Magic. Based on what little he understood about it, he doubted it would be difficult. "Out of curiosity, what sort of magic do you use. I know you call it Druid Magic, but I don''t exactly understand what that means." Reber chuckled, "That''s fair. It''s basically a kind of divine magic, only we don''t really worship any deity in particular. Instead, Druids tend to revere nature and supposedly utilize their skills to better coexist with it." "Supposedly?" "Well, if you couldn''t tell by the way I act, Druids aren''t all tree-hugging flower children. My circle in particular had a major problem with people abusing their abilities for personal gain, even at the expense of nature. They would pay lip service to the whole coexistence thing, but it wasn''t uncommon for senior members to forcibly harvest rare natural resources and sell them to traders. That said, they still get hung up on certain things, like they can convince nature of their worthiness by following a dogma. Which is also the reason I don''t think they''d appreciate what I''ve become." "Really? Wouldn''t you be closer to their ideal of living in tune with nature?" The tree man shrugged. "You''d think so, but they''re big on keeping things natural. Real purists, you know. Turning into an animal or even a plant for a few hours wasn''t a big deal, since you''re only making use of your Divine Magic talents, but becoming a tree permanently is something else. Basically, if I ever went back, they''d probably consider me an abomination." Mike wasn''t really sure what to say. He knew Reber had a tragic past, but he had a hard time keeping that in mind thanks to the tree man''s jovial and carefree personality. Finally, he offered a lame, "¡­I''m sorry to hear that." "Don''t worry about it." Reber replied with a dismissive wave. "I didn''t have any intention of going back in the first place. Unless you forget, I was basically held prisoner by them. Besides, most of the people I know are probably already dead. Hell, I''m not even sure if the circle is still around. They could have been wiped out by raiders or Anhilites or something." "Still, it sucks that you don''t have a place to go back to." "What are you talking about? I not only have a place to go back to, but I''m more or less required to come back here on a regular basis." "That''s not what I meant. I was just trying to say it must be difficult to not have any roots¡­you know what, I''m just going to stop talking." Reber laughed. "Relax man. It''s all good. I''m at peace with my place in life. And that''s not just the lack of glands talking¡­Or at least I think so. Admittedly, it''s been a long time since I''ve been human. Doesn''t matter though. I''m perfectly happy with the way things are." [How enviable.] "Right, well, I''m going to head out then. I''ll see you tomorrow." "Take it easy. I''ll try to have something growing by next time." Chapter 288: Parting Sorrows Mike got word the next morning that Morris would be ready to travel by tomorrow. Since the ship they had chartered was prepared to leave at any time, the day of their departure was finally at hand. [I guess I''ll have to say my goodbyes today. There aren''t too many people I haven''t spoken with yet, so it shouldn''t take too long. Hmm, I wonder if I should mention anything to Talgratha. I think she''s still in the city, but I''m kind of concerned about what she might do if she finds out I''m leaving. Besides, it might be a bit awkward¡­] Because of her responsibilities as a chieftain, the orc had been spending most of her time out of the city and dealing with the fallout of the invasion. Thanks to their contributions in the war, the Ashborn were originally to be given a fair amount of territory along the southeastern side of the Ash Mountains. However, the Alimiran annexation of Tenundi had rendered that plan untenable. He''d heard that there were even some plans to create some kind of semi-independent orc territory, but they hadn''t announced anything yet. He was in the process of eating an early breakfast and enjoying the sunrise. The dorm''s dining room was well placed to take advantage of the sunlight, so he was able to savor his omelet and the view at the same time. Tal eventually joined him with her usual cup of morning tea, and the two of them sat in companionable silence while he finished. As he was preparing to leave, he explained his plans to her and mentioned that he would be back by late afternoon. "Take care while you are out." She cautioned. "Considering that it is our last day here, I suspect any enemies looking to cause you harm would take this opportunity to strike." Mike promised to be safe, even though he doubted that there was anyone in the city who could pose much of a threat to him. If Tier 4s were that common, the world would have much more serious problems. Truthfully, he was more concerned about someone going after one of his friends again, which is why he handed her another set of warning necklaces that he''d whipped up in his spare time. He headed out after the elf promised to give them to the other members of the party. His first stop was Broderick''s place, due to its close proximity to the University. He hoped to catch both him and Elaine, since they''d not had a chance to speak since that disastrous party. Thankfully, his new status as de-facto royalty made it quite easy to get past the guards at the door, and it wasn''t long before he was ushered into a small parlor. Broderick hurried in with his clothes in slight disarray. By all appearances, he''d only just woken up. "My apologies for keeping you waiting. I was¡­indisposed when I heard of your visit." "Don''t worry about it. In fact, I''m the one who should be apologizing for dropping by unannounced so early in the morning." Mike replied, feeling slightly guilty. Had it occurred to him earlier, he would have scheduled a meeting later in the day. "Please, don''t mention it, my lord." The other man replied respectfully. "Alright, you can stop that right this instance. I know we haven''t known each other that long, but I consider you a friend. There is no need for this kind of polite language." Broderick looked a bit troubled, but nonetheless agreed to drop the formalities. "Very well, my¡­friend. What can I do for you?" "Well, truth be told, I intend on leaving this continent in the near future, so I came to say my goodbyes. As I said before, it was only a short time, but I nevertheless appreciate all you''ve done for me." "Please, I did nothing worth mentioning. By comparison, you not only saved Elaine from her kidnappers, but protected the entire country from invaders." The young man replied, a bit forlornly. "While I understand you likely have your reasons for the sudden departure, I cannot help but feel a bit disappointed. It may have been a bit presumptuous of me, but I was looking forward to renewing our acquaintance once classes resumed." Mike offered a sympathetic smile. He was about say something to commiserate when a ball of energy burst into the room. "ISAUDRAHERE?" Elaine demanded as she ran up to him, trailed by a pair of out of breath maids who seemed to have been chasing her. Broderick waved them away while looking amused. "She is, although she''s sleeping at the moment." Mike explained while removing the small dragon from his pocket and handing her over to the girl. "Be careful not to wake her." Elaine nodded emphatically, and then placed Audra onto her lap with exaggerated care, eyes filled with the delight at the cute sight of the dragon curled up into a ball. Mike soaked in the image, finding a small amount of vicarious joy in the girl''s happiness. After a few minutes, Broderick apparently thought that he''d indulged her rude behavior enough, and coughed pointedly. "Ahem, Elaine? Don''t you think there is something you should say first?" "Ah! I''m sorry. Welcome to our home, Sir Dragonknight. Although we do not have much to offer, I hope that our hospitality will not disappoint you¡­" After a few seconds, she glanced over at her relative and whispered. "Is that good enough?" Mike chuckled while Broderick rubbed his forehead. "Yes, that will be fine." The three of them continued to chat idly for a good hour, discussing what had happened since they''d last met. Elaine especially was keen on hearing stories about his adventures, so he gave some brief accounts, making sure to avoid any of the bloodier details. Eventually, he decided that he''d stayed around long enough, and explained that he needed to head out. There was a host of errands he still had to run before the end of the day. However, before he left, he wanted to give the girl a little gift while simultaneously practicing a spell he''d been working on. After taking Audra back, he said. "Since you''ve been such a good friend to us, I have a little present for you. Something that I think you''ll like." "Really?! What is it?" She squeaked excitedly. "Hold out your hands and close your eyes." He commanded before starting a modified chant. It was based off of the one he''d originally used to summon Red, but altered in a couple key places. "I call for you to this world. Arise in the form I have chosen, and carry out my will. [Conjure Minor Creature]" A small magic circle appeared over Elaine''s outstretched hands, complete with a glowing ball of light that slowly resolved into a tiny draconic form. At first glance, it resembled Audra, in that it had a sinuous, blue-scaled body and decorative frills, however it lacked the horns and a certain mysterious presence that completed his familiar''s appearance. Mike took a quick moment to use Appraise before telling the girl to open her eyes. ------------------------------------- Unnamed Age: 0 (Juvenile) Race: Lesser Water Dragon Class: Conjured Dragon Title: None ------------------------------------ Elaine briefly stared at the small creature in her hands with her mouth slightly agape, before lighting up in a massive smile. "OHMYGODSITSSOCUTETHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" He chuckled again, glad that his efforts had borne fruit. "It''s good you like her." Glancing over at Broderick, he added. "It occurs to me I probably should have spoken to you first, since this might cause you some problems down the road." The young man smiled and was about to respond when he appeared to have a sudden thought. Paling, he looked back at the creature in Elaine''s hands with something approaching trepidation. "Do you mean to tell me that it will be sticking around for the long term?" "She, and yes. I''ve already invested enough mana to have her fully manifested, so she''s basically a living being, albeit a juvenile one. I might be able to forge a familiar bond between the two of them, if you''d like, but I suspect that Elaine will manage just fine without it, given her talents." "Grow? Is-is she a-a dragon?" Broderick asked, panic starting to form in his eyes. "Yes? I figured that since she was so attached to Audra, she might appreciate having one of her own. If it''s a problem, I can take her with me." Mike offered, sensing that maybe he''d made a mistake. "No! She is my friend and I love her!" Elaine broke in while protectively clutching the little dragon to her chest. "I know you''ve probably already gotten attached, but we have to think about how this might affect your future. What will people think if you have a full-sized dragon following you around?" "Actually, based in what I''ve learned about their life cycles, it will probably take close to a century to reach what might be considered adulthood." Mike explained soothingly. "She''ll grow, of course, but you''ll have years to work out a solution before anyone really notices." [Of course, that assumption is based on second hand information I''ve gleaned since reading that library book. As a summoned creature and a different variety of dragon, there is every possibility that things may play out in another way¡­Better not alarm him, though.] Broderick didn''t look convinced, but reluctantly agreed. "While I am not sure if it necessarily a good idea, I will nevertheless thank you for your gift, Mike. I doubt there are many things in this world that might be more capable of moving Elaine''s heart." He took a moment to watch the girl play with her new companion, smiling fondly despite his reservations when she started giggling as the young dragon nipped playfully at her fingers. Finally, he sighed. "I''m sure I''m going to regret this at some point, but I will do my best to help her care for it." "I''ve gone ahead a compiled a set of notes regarding what she will probably require for proper development, and what to expect. Honestly, I am not really an expert, and most of this is based on second-hand knowledge and guesswork, but it should at least help." Mike said as he handed over a small bundle of papers. "I believe you may very well be the closest thing to an expert on dragons that this city has, so thank you." Broderick replied with a smile, before perusing its contents. "In any event, I should be going. Take care, the both of you. I will stop by and see you again the next time I am in the area." "Bye! Thanks again for Misty!" Elaine answered brightly while standing up to see him out. "Misty? You already named her?" "Yep! Isn''t it a good one?" Mike smiled gently. "I think it''s very suitable for her. Be sure to take care of Misty from now on." "I will!" Broderick stood as well, still going over the notes. "Safe travels, Mike. I look forward to your next¡­wait, is this right? Do they really need to eat this much? And mana cores?! How am I going to pay for this?" He commented in exasperation, before realizing it looked like he was blaming the gift giver. "My apologies, I didn''t mean to complain. I should be able to work something out¡­" "Unfortunately, that''s probably going to be the case. I assumed that the Duke would have vested interest in providing for her, since it would add to his house''s prestige down the road, but I can see how that might be a problem in the short term. Tell you what, I have a collection of minor cores I''ve been accumulating. You can have them." "That''s too generous! You have already given us so much¡­" "Don''t worry about it. If I need more, I just need to go spend an afternoon clearing a dungeon or two. Besides, they are mostly low-quality ones anyway." [It might be possible for Elaine to provide mana directly, but that would take some explaining. Besides, I''ve already included that bit in the notes.] He pulled out his extradimensional sack and began removing the cores in question. There were more than he remembered having, and he''d only piled up half of them by the time the host began to get agitated. The resulting collection covered most of the coffee table. [Well, I suppose this will be enough to last them a few years. Assuming that her appetite does increase too much.] Leaving a cheerful Elaine and an overwhelmed Broderick behind, he caught a coach heading towards the Mercantile district. It would have been possible to fly there, but considering the nature of his next appointment, he wanted to remain inconspicuous. Not to mention that it would give him time to plan what he was going to say to the Broker. Chapter 289: Crisis of Faith The illicit organization that the Broker worked for had set up in the business office of a seemingly abandoned shipwright''s complex located docklands of the southern New City. The moldering remains of a half-finished vessel still sat in the drydock, looking sad and dilapidated. Combined with the obvious disrepair of many of the buildings, it appeared that no one had used this place in quite some time. [For a major city, the capital seems to have a strangely large number of abandoned properties. I wonder if there is some reason for that.] Mike took a moment to scan his surroundings with Aerosense, noting the half dozen hidden guards who were watching him as he approached. Although he could see two of them once he knew where to look, the others were too well concealed. One even appeared to have some sort of invisibility or illusion effect active, since he wasn''t visible despite not actually hiding behind anything. [Impressive as always. Now, let''s see. I needed to knock three times¡­] He banged on the office''s door, and then stepped back and waited. After a few moments, it opened and a well-dressed man ushered him inside. Much like the last time he''d visited this organization, the interior of the building was in direct contrast to its outward appearance, being tastefully decorated in a manner that spoke of wealth and elegance. Winding through a few corridors that seemed to have been laid out in an intentionally confusing manner, he was eventually directed into a parlor-like room and told to take a seat on one of the couches. After declined the offer of refreshments, he was left to his own devices until the Broker arrived. Thankfully, this didn''t take long, and within a matter of minutes Mike was facing the unusual merchant once more. "Welcome again to our humble offices, Sir Dragonknight." The emaciated man began with a wan smile. "What can we do for you today?" "I''m here for two purposes. First, If you haven''t heard by now, I am planning on leaving for the Riverlands in the near future. Since I don''t have any established connections over there, I wanted to check to see if your organization had branches in the region, should I need your services." The Broker nodded dispassionately. "We do. Although I am not personally acquainted with those particular representatives, I can guarantee you that they will be more than willing to accommodate you if you reach out to them." "And how would I go about doing that?" "The same way you scheduled this meeting. Leave a message at the Adventurer''s Guild and they will get in contact with you. That being said, I''ll have a letter of introduction drawn up as well. With it, you should have no trouble dealing with my Riverlands colleagues." "That would be most helpful." Mike said with a smile. He''d been hoping for something like that. "As to my second task, I would like to take a look at your catalog." The Broker hesitated for a moment. There was a brief flicker of uncertainty in his eyes before his usual poker face returned. "While we would normally provide that service to a repeat customer such as yourself, the war has disrupted many aspects of our business. Our selection is far more limited than would otherwise be the case. I can certainly give you a list of what we have available, but I cannot guarantee that we would be able to deliver every item on it to you in a reasonable amount of time. If you have some idea of the kinds of books you are looking for, I can see what I can do about acquiring them." [Hmm...I have a hard time believing that the war has affected them so greatly. Everything I''ve seen about the way they operate suggests that they are more than capable of maintaining their supply routes despite the blockade. Is this an intentional effort to steer me away from something? Or does he want to avoid revealing his hand too early?] Deciding that there was little to be gained by arguing the point, he acquiesced. "Very well. First, I''d like to know if you have anything along the lines of a guide to the Riverlands. Preferably one that details regional powers and influential people. The more current the better." Nodding, the Broker consulted a notepad. "I believe I have something that fits your requirements. It''s a travel guide written by a former adventurer who spent the better part of a decade roaming the region. While it is a little out of date, I doubt you will be able to find anything more recent without a significant drop in the quality of information." "That sounds promising. May I see it?" "I''ll send for it." The emaciated man replied while standing and moving to the door to exchange a few quiet whispers with his subordinate on the other side. After sitting back down, he fixed Mike with a blank look. "Of course, there is no book that can take the place of an expert guide. I recommend finding someone to show you around once you get there. Now, is there anything else you are looking for?" "Yes, actually. Do you have any books that cover resistance skills and their acquisition methods? I''m especially interested in any that cover mental defenses or provide protection from illusions." The Broker frowned. "That is a bit more difficult, I''m afraid. Few holders of resistance skills choose to detail the method they used to acquire it, and fewer still have a well defined means of improving said skill. However, if acquisition is all you are looking for, I can see about compiling a list of possible methods based on our information network." "That would be perfect, however, I intend on leaving by tomorrow. Will there be enough time?" "Assuming you are willing to pay up front, I can have it delivered to you by the end of the day." [I suppose resistance skills are probably easier to acquire than others. One simply has to get hit by a corresponding effect often enough. Still, it would be nice to get an idea for how many of them there are.] "That will be acceptable." He replied. "Alright, next I''m interested in¡­" He spent the next half hour going back and forth with the Broker, trying to find other books that might be of use. However, it seemed like the man wasn''t kidding when he said that their inventory was limited. Most of the subjects he was interested in were either unavailable, or only a possibility if he was able to wait a few weeks or months. Considering the tight timeline he was under, this was basically a non-starter. Luckily, they were able to provide at least one of the things he was interested in. "The Beltanian style of unarmed combat, also known as the Way of the Flowing Fist, is widely recognized as being one of the most potent styles of martial arts practiced in the Inland Sea Region. Unfortunately, many of the secret techniques have faded from popular consciousness in recent years, leaving its modern practitioners struggling to match up with the other major schools." The Broker was explaining as he handed over the manual. "This is a rare copy of the instructionary text used by Yorutine, the first disciple of Beltan to take on students of her own. As such, it should be far more effective than those used today." Mike gladly paid for the rare tome, which ended up costing almost twice as much as the list of resistance skills and the guide put together. A few weeks ago, he might have hesitated to sink so much money into a single book, but now he was so rich that it was hard to take the expense seriously. Honestly, he would have to do something like this hundreds of times before it started making a dent in his wallet. With his business concluded, he bid the Broker farewell and went on his way, feeling a small amount of relief in the realization that he would likely not need to deal with the strange figure again. Despite his professionalism and skill, Mike found the emaciated man a little unnerving for reasons that he couldn''t quite put into words. [Strange. I didn''t get this feeling the last time I dealt with him.] Putting his thoughts aside for the moment, he concentrated on putting some space between himself and the shipyard. He figured that he''d start flying as soon as he was far enough away. Or at least that was the plan. Circumstances made such an option more difficult. While he was still walking along the deserted street which ran the length of the docks, Mike detected several sources of hostility in the area around him. Although it was a little haphazard, they were laid out in a classic ambush formation. Using Aerosense, he tried to determine their identity. [Looks like there are five of them. All living, breathing humans. How surprising, I didn''t think my enemies were so bold as to attack me in broad daylight. I''m going to have to give Tal credit for predicting it.] He thought with some amusement before getting serious. Moving quickly, he closed the gap between himself and one of the ambushers, appearing behind him with a hissing bar of fire held threateningly in front of his face. The man stiffened, but otherwise maintained his composure. Something that was quite impressive, given the circumstances. "Now then, let''s start with the basics. Who are you, and why are you preparing to ambush me?" He asked quietly. He could tell that the other members of the ambush group were probably aware of his position, but they''d evidently decided to not take any action at the moment. The man remained silent, so Mike used Appraise on him. ---------------------- Robert Age: 34 Race: Human Class: Inquisitor Title: Devout ---------------------- [...I can safely say I didn''t expect this, but I suppose that''s the point. Jokes aside, if he''s an inquisitor, I assume he''s affiliated with the church in some capacity. If that''s true, this could be a bit awkward.] "So, Robert," He started, earning a flinch from the ambusher, "let''s try this again. What reason does an inquisitor have to lay in wait for me." The man flinched, and then hissed under his breath, "Devil¡­" "Oh? What was that?" Suddenly full of raw anger and hostility, Robert rounded on him, gaze blazing with rampant hatred. "Devil! Monster! You are an abomination before the Gods!" For a second Mike was taken aback. As far as he was aware, he''d never done anything to the church that would warrant such a response. Perhaps the surprise showed on his face, since the man took the opportunity to break free from his grasp. Not quite ready to commit a massacre just yet, Mike let him go and waited patiently as the rest of the ambushers revealed themselves and surrounded him. A quick scan with Appraise told him that they all held similar classes and titles. [Based on their armaments and obvious skill, I take it they are some kind of covert squad belonging to one of the churches.] He thought before turning his attention on the one that had the best chance of being their leader, a lanky and almost sickly looking man whose greying, blonde hair had been tied back in a ponytail. ----------------------------- Harold Greyson Age: 47 Race: Human Class: High Inquisitor Title: Divine Scourge ---------------------------- "Alright, I''ve been patient, but I''m beginning to get agitated. Explain what all this is about right now." Mike commanded, making sure to project both confidence and irritation as he did so. He even added a little mana to drive his point home. Apparently, though, he''d underestimated the potency of his abilities following his ascension to Tier 4, and the force of his voice created an almost visual disturbance in the air, which spread out from him in a wave of barely perceptible energy. As his words rolled over the street, the effect of his Communication Magic became immediately obvious. The four regular inquisitors, who''d been watching him with burning gazes, faltered under the force of his projected will, and began to look a little uncertain. Harold, for his part, flinched under the onslaught, but was able to maintain his hostility. "Threaten us all you want, devil, you will not be able to shake the hearts of the truly faithful. For the sin of your existence, you''ve been sentenced to death. Surrender yourself to the mercy of the goddess, and you will be shown leniency. Resist, and your suffering will be endless." Mike sighed, and resisted the urge to rub his forehead. He had a feeling that this would be annoying. Chapter 290: Calling all the Angels [Are they stupid? Do they really think they stand a chance? I could just leave, but then they''ll probably start acting more boldly. On the other hand, killing them seems troublesome as well, since I''d prefer to not make an enemy of the churches. Ah, whatever, I''ll start by removing the current threat.] With an effort of will he pulled the inquisitors into the ground with Earth Magic, leaving only their heads exposed. Or at least he tried to. The maneuver worked on the four subordinate ambushers, but Harold was somehow unaffected. Even the dirt around his feat failed to stir. "Surprised, Devil? The goddess has seen fit to bless me with her divine protection. Your heretical magic will have no power over me!" The fanatic roared while drawing his sword and charging. "Now, suffer for your sins!" Mike tried to use Dark Magic to tie the man in place, but discovered that it was equally ineffective. Curious, he tried a few more elements until he had some success with Light. The blinding flash he created caused the inquisitor to hiss in pain and cover his eyes before he was able to attack. While Harold was still clutching at his face, he stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch to the man''s midsection, causing him to collapse into a breathless heap. [Looks like I can''t directly affect him with magic, but he can still be subjected to the effects of spells that alter the environment in some capacity. Does he have some kind of resistance skill? That could be useful to pick up, if I could figure out how.] He created a few bands of metal with his Earth Magic and bent them into something resembling giant staples. Rolling Harold onto his back, Mike drove the bands into the ground around the inquisitor''s limbs, effectively pinning him to the dirt. Standing up, he gave the man a disdainful look, "Now, let''s try this again. Why are you attacking me?" Harold stared back with something approaching lunacy in his eyes. "Though you may rend my body and destroy my flesh, you will never break my will!" [Alright. That''s quite enough of that.] He thought while sending a mental message to Selene. It was about time to make use of his familiar''s unique skill. It took her close to fifteen minutes to arrive, and during that time he was subjected to increasingly angry complaints from the restrained inquisitors. Thankfully, the area they were in seemed to be effectively deserted. Had there been any passerbys, it would have been difficult for him to explain the situation. "What''s going on?" Selene asked when she finally showed up. Something about the strange display seemed to be amusing to her. "Do you need some help with your human sacrifice?" "Huh?" Mike looked around and realized that casual observers might interpret the unusual layout, with four equidistant heads and a restrained man at the center, as some kind of dark ritual. "Listen. These idiots attacked me, and it only ended up this way because I was defending myself." "Sure, sure. Whatever you say." She shot back with a grin. "Not going to argue about this. I''m trying to get some information out of them. See if you can figure out who sent them after me, and for what reason." "Will do, boss." Harold proved immune to her Harmonic Domination, but the other four were susceptible. A quick round of questioning revealed that they were members of a secretive branch of armed clergy belonging to the church of Aminatrea. Yesterday, they''d been tasked with eliminating Mike for the supposed reason of him being a monstrous being in disguise. To that effect, they''d been tracking his coach as soon as he left the Old City, and were merely waiting for an opportunity to ambush him. As far as he could tell from the way they described their mission, none of the participants were aware of his real identity. In fact, it appeared that they hadn''t even considered the idea that the famed Dragonknight was their target. [What''s the point of all this? Surely anyone who knows enough to send assassins after me would understand that this bunch didn''t have the ability to do more than mildly irritate me. A clumsy attempt to get me at odds with the church, perhaps?] He had Selene continue the questioning in an attempt to figure out which member of the clergy was responsible for giving the order. Unfortunately, the mission had been handed down to the group''s leader, Harold, and none of the other inquisitors were aware of who''d assigned them to it. [Unless I''m willing to resort to torture, I doubt he''s going to be willing to tell me what I want to know. That said, it would probably be faster to just go to the source.] "Keep an eye on them for a bit." He muttered while mentally reviewing the layout of the city. [Let''s see. I think the main Aminatrean temple was in the Old City, a little southwest of the Span.] "What? Where are you going?" Selene asked. "I''m going to pay the heads of the church a visit. I''ll be back soon." "Ugh, fine. Just leave me to babysit a bunch of religious fanatics. That''s just great. I mean, it''s not like I am a member of a species that stands as the antithesis of everything they believe in or anything." "That''s the spirit." Mike shot back with a teasing grin. "Just try to keep them contained until I get back. It shouldn''t take me that long, but if you have any trouble, send me a message." "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Not sure why I bother working for such a callous individual." She grumbled as he took off. "It''s my winning personality, obviously." He called once he started flying, moving fast enough to avoid any comeback she might have sent his way. It only took a few minutes before he was standing on the roof of the Aminatrean cathedral. Activating his stealth skill and using a bit of Dark Magic, he slipped inside and began his masterful plan of simply wandering until he stumbled upon something of interest. Of course, this was made more difficult by the size of the building itself. It was at least five stories tall, not including any basements, and was designed in the shape of a hexagon with a large courtyard at the center, which seemed to be used for gatherings or ceremonies. Ordinarily, searching this place would take a few hours, but he quickly realized he would have trouble staying out of sight with all the people wandering the hallways. Men and women in white robes flitted about the complex, bent on day to day tasks. Interspersed amongst them were several individuals wearing silver colored plate armor, decorated with inscriptions of sunbursts. While the first group seemed to consist primarily of individuals with classes like Acolyte, Priest, or Worshipper, the latter was exclusively composed of Paladins. [I wonder if Cariel is based out of here...Anyway, I''m not going to make much progress if I have to stop and hide every few seconds. Better find another way.] After a few minutes of carefully moving around the crowds, he found a room that seemed to serve as a kind of clothing storage. Hundreds of white robes were stacked on shelves throughout this chamber, and a bored looking acolyte sat behind a desk, dispensing them to visitors. Sneaking past the sleepy youth, he grabbed one and put it on, before stepping back out into the hall and blending in with the rest of the crowd. Disguise in place, he continued wandering, hoping to find someone that looked fairly important. As he did so, he caught fragments of conversations from the people around him. Most of it was uninteresting. Simply the daily minutiae of individuals going about their lives. From the sounds of it, there was a sort of monastic society living here under the command of some kind of high priest. It seemed that the people rarely left the confines of the temple, and didn''t seem particularly concerned with what was going on outside. The Paladins were a little different. Apparently, they belonged to the knightly order that was assigned to protect the complex, and although they had their own rooms here, they were allowed to leave freely. After close to a half hour of this, he was beginning to reconsider his strategy, when he caught a bit of interesting conversation. "...it was an actual angel!" A white robed Acolyte was excitedly explaining to his companion while the two were carrying a crate down the hallway. Mike surreptitiously followed them to listen to the rest. "The goddess sent one to Ea? How can that be? I thought they were only able to act in the most dire of circumstances. You know," the other man leaned in and whispered, "like when the Hero shows up." "That''s what they''re saying actually. Since none of the priests were given any Divine Inspiration regarding the angel''s arrival, the augurs believe the goddess sent it to serve as the new Hero''s guide." "What? Did they actually get that from their divinations?" "Well, you know that guy Gordon, the one who works in the Augury?" The first man asked. "The one with the lazy eye?" "Right, that one. Anyway, according to Gordon, who overheard the augurs talking, they''ve been trying to get a reading on the presence or absence of a new Hero ever since they heard about the angel. But, there''s something unusual about the Hero''s destiny that''s keeping them from finding out anything at all." "What does that mean? I thought those guys always got something back from their rituals, even if it''s just a ''try again later'' sort of deal." "Ha! I''d like to hear you say that around them. Anyway, considering the kind of power that sort of interference would require, they''ve concluded that something on the level of a god is purposely obscuring the Hero''s destiny. Of course, you know what that means..." "...Shit." The other man replied, momentarily setting down his load. His partner took the opportunity to rest as well. "Yeah. It''s going to be bad, whatever it is. That''s why the brass has been so keen on tracking down that angel. If anyone has an idea what we''re in store for, it would be one of the goddess''s direct servants." In order to continue listening, Mike had to pretend to stop and adjust his boot laces. Of course, he only noticed after the fact that pretty much everyone here was wearing sandals. Thankfully, no one was really paying attention to him. "So, they don''t have any idea where it is?" "Besides the fact that it originally landed around Wyrport and somehow got involved in the war against Lacot, they don''t have much to go by. Angels take mortal form when they come down here, so they''re hard to track if they aren''t intentionally trying to be noticed." [Sounds like at least one god is trying to track me, but I don''t think they''ve had much success. After all, the only remotely angelic being I''ve come across recently has been Cariel, and I have a hard time believing she is capable of functioning on her own, let alone being entrusted with an important mission. No, it has to be someone else. Someone who''s so far avoided interacting with me directly...] "I guess it''s just a matter of waiting until the Paladins track it down then." "More or less." The first man sighed and stared out a nearby window with a wistful look. "It seems that we''ve had the misfortune to be born during interesting times." "Now, now. Don''t say that. I''m sure the gods have everything under control. Anyway, do you remember where this box is supposed to go. I''ve plum forgotten." "Me too. Luckily I wrote it down...Looks like it''s meant for the Pontifex''s office." "Delivering cargo to the head of the church, and here I thought I''d never amount to anything." The man replied sarcastically. "Ha! Come on. Let''s get this over with. If we hurry, I bet we can still catch lunch." Trying to remain unobtrusive, Mike followed after the talkative pair, suddenly feeling a lot more confident in his random roaming plan. Chapter 291: Maximum Pontification The Pontifex''s office was a surprisingly modest affair, with spartan furniture and a complete absence of decor. The exception bieng an elaborate sunburst set in the wall behind the simple desk that dominated one section of the small chamber. In fact, Mike was fairly certain he''d already been here, but didn''t think it was important at the time. Who could blame him, though? There were dozens of rooms in this building that had virtually the same layout. With a shrug, he slipped into the office while using a combination of his stealth skill and Dark Magic to eliminate his presence. He even made sure to hide behind a simple wooden chair set in one corner, just to be on the safe side. After all, he had no way of knowing just how effective his skills would be on someone like the head of a religious order. Once there, he settled in to wait. "Delivery, Your Holiness." The first of the two acolytes announced. The Pontifex, who was kneeling in front of a small altar in another corner of the room, raised a hand and murmured. "Please wait until after I''ve finished the Benedictions of Flame. It is disheartening to see the youthful members of our order so flagrantly disobeying one of our most basic tenets. What reason do you have for doing so?" She was an older woman, looking to be in her mid to late fifties, steel-grey hair pulled back into a bun. Her thin frame was clothed in a simple white robe that gave no indication of her rank or authority. Indeed, the only embellishment anywhere on her outfit was a plain brass necklace that carried a pendant in the shape of a solar disk. "Oh! Ah, my apologies, Your Holiness." The acolyte replied while bowing low, he whispered to his fellow, loud enough for Mike to hear. "Crap, I totally forgot it was that time of day." "Idiot! Give some kind of excuse! Like we were pulled away on a critical assignment and couldn''t take the time to pray. I really don''t want to spend another week in the isolation cells." "What should I say?" "Anything!" "Uhm...well...the thing is, Your Holiness...we weren''t able to pray today for a simple reason¡­" The Pontifex stood and faced them, one eyebrow cocked in a skeptical manner. "Oh?" "Yes, umm...we had...to...to respond to the call of nature!" The other acolyte facepalmed. "Are you suggesting that both of you were...indisposed for the duration of prayers, but somehow still had enough time and energy to carry this crate of ritual offerings from the Dispensary, all the way to my office immediately after they were done? I admit that I take a bit longer than most, since I recite the full passage rather than the abbreviated one, but I find that hard to believe." "Uhh...yes...I suppose so." The Pontifex frowned, until the second man took over. "You see, Your Holiness, we''ve actually started praying a little before midday, since our duties as dispensers mean we often have to deliver materials during the traditional prayer times. Ordinarily, we would have been able to complete the Benedictions of Flame and still make our delivery with room to spare, however, things were different today." "Oh?" That cocked eyebrow was back. "Yes, were you aware that the dining hall served Thurvanian omelettes this morning? No? Well, they did, Your Holiness. Unfortunately, it seems that my colleague and I got a bad batch. To make a long story short, we were forced to spend much of the rest of the morning responding to the call of nature, as he put it." The Pontifex sighed. "Know this, a true member of the faithful would be willing to complete their prayers, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. That being said, the failings of our bodies are numerous, and not everyone has the will to overcome them, so I will forgive you your failings this time." The two acolytes breathed a sigh of relief. "However," the woman continued. "Praying outside of the established times is a privilege of full clergy members. It is not something that you in your novitiate position can do without permission? Did anyone give you that permission?" "Ah...no, Your Holiness." The second acolyte murmured. "We weren''t aware there was a restriction on that." "Ignorance is no excuse, but you are still young, and there is much for you to learn. Perhaps a week performing penitence in the kitchens will teach you the importance of timing and proper procedure. Report to Jorn and tell him that I''ve sent you." "As you will, Your Holiness." The pair intoned in harmony, before straightening and heading to the door. Once they''d left the room, they began to whisper to each other once more. "Call of nature? Really?" "Hey, it worked, didn''t it? And we got out of going to the isolation cells." "By going to the kitchens instead. Well, whatever. At least we''ll eat well for the next week." Mike suppressed a chuckle. [It''s good to see that even the church has people like that.] While waiting for them to finish leaving, he took a moment to use Appraise on the Pontifex, in preparation for the conversation to follow. ------------------------- Alaine Valakut Age: 54 Race: Human Class: Hierophant Title: Pontifex ------------------------- [Hmm...I''m not sure, but I think that means she''s some kind of Divine Mage. Well, no matter. So long as I prevent her from chanting, it should be alright.] He went on to scan the rest of the room with Aerosense to make sure that there was nothing that would be surprising. Unfortunately, it wasn''t great at seeing things inside of other things, so he had no way of knowing if there was any kind of hidden passage or secret cache that might contain some kind of weapon. However, he doubted she was strong enough to really be a threat to him, so he decided to make his move anyway. Once the coast was clear, he used a bit of Air Magic to softly close the door, and then stepped out with the hood of his robe raised. It didn''t take long for the Pontifex to notice his presence. Looking up from the crate that appeared to be filled with several cloth bundles, she fixed him with an intense stare. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" "That''s not really important at the moment." He replied while casually taking a seat in the chair he''d been hiding behind. "Suffice it to say that I am here on critical business, and you''d do well to listen carefully. After all, the cause of this little visit is the actions of some of your followers." Her eyes hardened, and she shot a glance over at her desk, before standing up and slowly making her way in that direction. The action almost looked natural, but it didn''t escape Mike''s high tier senses. "You''ll have to be more specific. I have many followers, and I do not control all of their actions." "Stop there. If you think I will let you freely use the thing in your desk, you have another thing coming." The Pontifex grimaced, but stopped walking. "What do you want?" "As I said, I am here to discuss the actions of some of your followers. Specifically, some of your inquisitors." Her nostrils flared, "I have no idea what you are talking about. The church of Aminatrea eliminated their Inquisitorial branch decades ago." "That''s unusual. According to one Harold Greyson, they are still very much active, and are currently taking missions." He shot back, making sure to keep a careful watch over her expression. At Harold''s name, there was a flicker of recognition, followed by confusion that was quickly pulled under the mantle of steely calm. "The man you speak of is a member of our clergy. Although he is somewhat radical in his beliefs, he is not, nor ever been, an inquisitor." [Either she''s an excellent actor, or she didn''t know about this. Is there perhaps a secret faction in the church?] "You say that, but not only does he hold the High Inquisitor class, but the Divine Scourge title as well. Are you absolutely certain of his affiliation?" "A Divine Scourge, you say?" The Pontifex asked, rage dripping off every syllable. "They dare bring back the Anathema?! Tell me, where are those fools? Who sent them on this mission?" "A colleague of mine currently has them under guard after they attempted to attack the Hero Almir." Mike had to take a moment to school himself after that statement. The embarrassment of calling himself that was almost too much to bear. "As to your second question, short of torture, there was little we could do to get a straight answer out of the man. Since we didn''t want to make an enemy of your church...yet...we decided to go straight to the source, and hear your side of things." "Those idiots tried to attack one a Tier 4 in broad daylight?" The woman asked while rubbing her temples with one hand, suddenly looking very tired. After a few moments, she added in a much more respectful tone. "I take it that means you represent the Hero of Almir?" "You can say I''m affiliated with him, yes." "So one of his followers, then. Very well. Please take a message back to your master. We of the Aminatrean Church sincerely apologize for any difficulty that might have arisen from our members'' actions. If you would be so kind as to return the guilty parties, we will make sure to have them thoroughly punished." [Well, that would take care of one of my problems, but simply giving them the inquisitors would be letting them off too easily. Hmm...should I try to extort them a bit? Even if they did attack me, I''m not really interested in being the enemy of one of the largest religions in the world...Then again, a little shouldn''t hurt.] "That''s all well and good, but it seems to me that you are forgetting something." "Oh?" "Regardless of the reasons, members of your church attacked the Hero of Almir. Are you really planning on denying any responsibility in this matter?" The Pontifex favored him with a long, hard stare. Finally, after a few minutes, she sighed. "Although this is clearly the action of a rogue element within our order, I suppose it doesn''t change our culpability for allowing them to act in the first place. Very well, once the guilty parties are delivered, we will make sure to pay you reparations for the trouble." Mike took that moment to stand, using a bit of Air Magic to push the door open again. "I will leave the amount or contents of said reparations to your discretion. Expect your ''rogue elements'' to be delivered to the roof of this building within the hour." He began to leave, but stopped as the Pontifex spoke up one more time. "You are fairly young, are you not? Yet you managed to sneak in here, one of the more well guarded locations in our little complex, without any trouble. That the Hero of Almir has such capable people in his employ is surprising. Perhaps even a little concerning. Tell me, what does your master plan on doing from now on?" [Fishing for information, is it? Does she think that I am an easy target or something? Maybe a little reassurance will keep her from doing anything extreme.] "My associate''s plans are his own, but I can assure you he has no intention of harming this country, nor seizing power for himself. Indeed, if you recall, he spent a good deal of time fighting to save it. What sort of sense would it make to ruin it now?" He shot back, and then paused for a few seconds to see if she had something else to say. Once it was clear that she was waiting on him, he added, "If there is nothing else, then I will be taking my leave." The Pontifex remained silent as he walked out the door and into the hallway, bypassing a distracted receptionist in the process. The man appeared to be pouring over a ledger of some kind with almost fanatical zeal. Checking to make sure that the woman hadn''t followed him out, he doubled back and reactivated his stealth skills, positioning himself in the hallway across from her office. [Now, let''s see how this all plays out.] Chapter 292: Divine Communion Alaine watched the enigmatic figure slip through the door to her office and vanish into the corridor. She paused for another minute to ensure that he was really gone before walking over to her desk and pulling out the amulet she kept there. Only once she felt it''s reassuring weight in her hand did she begin to feel calm. The amulet was composed of a ruby carved in the shape of a triumphant sun disc. The gemstone glimmered with a barely perceptible light, which was known to grow stronger when exposed to natural light. The Sun''s Heart, as it was called, was a powerful artifact, supposedly granted to the church by Aminatrea herself at the dawn of the Third Age. It harnessed the strongest Fire Magic known to mortals, and could lay waste to entire cities if used to its full potential. Of course, such power came with a cost, and each activation of the amulet would drain the user''s life in proportion to the effect desired. Nevertheless, by sacrificing a few years of lifespan she could have easily disposed of the intruder if he''d proved hostile. At least, she could have if she''d been given the opportunity. Unfortunately, the Dragonknight''s follower was not only skilled, but well informed. [I will need to review our security measures. That man was probably using some sort of stealth ability, but was nevertheless able to bypass the sensors on our external entrance. Unless he came in through teleportation, which I doubt since only the Headmaster of the University could transport another person through our wards, this means there is a flaw in our defenses.] She paused to consider this new idea. [It is said that Emmanuel and the Hero of Almir have a close relationship...but, no, I don''t think he would risk a confrontation with us, at least so directly. It would be much more his style to use this information to pressure us in a more roundabout fashion. That he was willing to let us off with mere reparations suggests that the intruder might have genuinely been representing the Dragonknight, and that he does not want a conflict. If that is the case...] Alaine left her office and walked over to her receptionist, a small and slightly nervous man named James, who was prone to fits of stuttering when he was agitated. Despite his flaws, he was among the most competent of organizers and administrators, and his efforts in managing the affairs of the order saved her a great deal of time and hassle, allowing her to attend to more important matters. "James." She intoned once she was at the man''s elbow. He was still focused on the task in front of him, an expense report from the looks of it, and had evidently not noticed her arrival. "AH! Y-Your Holiness! Y-you su-sur-surprised m-me." Her receptionist stuttered. "Indeed. In any event, call the council together for an emergency meeting. There are some issues to discuss. Additionally, send word to Captain Kendrick. Have him place High Priest Ulan and Minister Varus under guard until I tell him otherwise." "G-guard? A-are y-you s-s-sure, Your Holiness?" "Yes. Make it quick. We do not want things getting any more out of hand than they already have." She shot back before returning to her office. As she was sitting down, she noticed that she was still clutching the Sun''s Heart. Putting it down on the surface of her desk, she was disturbed to notice a slight tremor in her arm that spoke to more than just the gravity of the situation. Alaine glanced around the room, for the first time not feeling completely at ease in the simple chamber. Needing to calm her heart, she closed her eyes in prayer. [My goddess, I pray to thee. Though I know this is all part of Destiny, the great plan that you and the other Creators have laid out for us, I confess a lack of understanding. Why is it that you have seen fit to bestow the Hero of Almir with such power? What is it that you wish to see him accomplish? What do you want your faithful to do, now that he has become a force to be reckoned with? I pray that you will bestow upon me the wisdom to see the correct path, and the will to follow through on it.] For a few moments, she waited, and was rewarded for her patience when her skin began to warm, as if exposed to the midday sun. After a few seconds, the sensation was gone, and with it any trace of her unease. Mind clear, she opened her eyes and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper from her desk. She would need to draft a few documents before meeting the council. Thankfully, long years of practice had made her quite skilled at it. -------------------------------- Aminatrea sneezed, something that was quite unusual for her considering that she had no need to breathe. Her current circumstances, however, made it inevitable. "Ugh. Do we need to use real flour for this? It''s getting everywhere." She asked Kulina, the Ascended goddess who bore the aspects of Hearth, Home, and Family. The plump and cheerful woman was the closest thing Aminatrea had to a friend. "Now, now, dear. You complain about that every time, If you want to be good at baking, you will need to get messy from time to time. It''s all part of the process. Besides, it tastes a lot better when you make it from scratch, rather than creating it with divine power." "If you say so." The Sun goddess replied, unconvinced. In her personal opinion, Kulina''s sweets were equally delicious when made in either way, so all this mess was completely unnecessary. That being said, she didn''t want to risk offending her friend. The last time they got into an argument she''d spent nearly a century deprived of Kulina''s delicious concoctions, and the resulting withdrawal symptoms had been extremely unpleasant, psychosomatic though they might have been. "I do say so," Kulina commented brightly, "and I think the cake should be just about done, we can swap it out for your biscuits now." Aminatrea looked down at the misshapen lumps that were the products of her last half-hour of effort, and tried not to feel too down about it. Despite her friend''s instructions and the whole divinity thing, which should have made a difference in her opinion, she''d never really gotten the hang of baking. "Alright, let''s get this¡­" She was interrupted by a sudden prayer from one of her most influential mortal servants. Ordinarily, such a thing was handled by her followers, but they''d evidently thought the matter important enough to pass along to her. Once she''d gotten the contents of the message, she sent back a momentary burst of contentment to assuage the Pontifex''s doubts before turning to the real situation at hand. "Sorry, Kulina, it looks like something came up. I''ll have to postpone this for a bit." Her friend gave the usual reassuring smile. "That''s fine, dear. I''ll get your biscuits cooking. By the time you''re done with your business they should be ready to eat." Aminatrea smiled back, enjoying the warm emotions the goddess of Family seemed to inspire wherever she went, before teleporting to her solar to contemplate the implications of the Pontifex''s prayer. Looking down over the representation of Ea, she thought. [So the Hero of Almir is a youth with unnaturally enhanced abilities. One so unusual that someone believed he was some kind of monster in disguise. I had my suspicions when he first appeared, but I figured it was Teun acting to save her favorite continent. However...] She tried searching for the man in the city of Almirn, and was able to locate several individuals who were related to him in some fashion, but couldn''t lay eyes on him at all, despite it being the middle of the day. This could only mean one thing. "Haha! Found you at last, you little bugger." She muttered to herself, causing the two angels guarding the room to exchange glances with one another. Realizing that she''d spoken out loud, she pointedly ignored the pair before continuing the rest internally. [Now, if I can just get Cariel to actually do her¡­] Her thoughts trailed off as she reviewed the actions of her servant over the last few days, realizing that angel had succeeded in the first part of her mission on two separate occasions, but had utterly failed to follow through on it. Cariel has seemingly met with an individual whose identity remained obscured in the recorded memories, and even spoke to him at length. Yet, somehow, the angel didn''t recognize him. "That birdbrained, muddle-headed, combat junkie! I didn''t think it was possible, but she''s actually become an even bigger idiot since taking mortal form!" She roared, unable to contain herself. A nimbus of flame erupted from her body, raising the temperature so much that the angel guards were forced to retreat from the room. After a few moments, Aminatrea calmed down and concentrated on what she needed to do. [It''s okay, she''s in the right location, I just need the idiot to focus long enough to establish a serious connection. It even looks like she picked up a helper at some point, so maybe together they can get this worked out...What in the hell is that?] The cat beastman that was currently accompanying Cariel had an unnaturally potent curse laid atop her soul. One that could have only come from a divine source. After reviewing the records, which unfortunately had more of those blank spots that could have only stemmed from the current Hero''s direct presence, she concluded that the beastman must have been involved in the affair in Wyrport. Somehow, she was subjected Anhilus''s curse in the process. While the effects weren''t exactly stable, they appeared to have something to do with negatively influencing the beastman''s destiny, making otherwise impossible outcomes not only possible, but likely. Simply put, the curse ensured that its victim failed at almost everything they tried to accomplish, regardless of how well prepared they were. [Hmm...it seems that Cariel''s failures are not entirely her own fault. If I want this to work, I''ll either need to fix that beastman or have Cariel abandon her.] She paused to mentally inventory her resources, to see if there was anything that might be useful in this case, but she eventually came to the conclusion that she would need to speak to the other creator gods to be able to do anything lasting. [If she was a direct follower, it might have been possible to cure her, but as it is, I''m largely unable to influence her destiny directly without the other Creators getting involved. That won''t do at all. It''s bad enough that they know Cariel''s down there in the first place. If they get wind of her mission being repeatedly sabotaged by a distortion of destiny, I''ll never hear the end of it. No, it''s better to simply have the two separate, and let Cariel continue unimpeded.] After a few moments of concentration, she sent a divine message down to the surface, informing her idiotic servant that the Dragonknight she''d met on two occasions was the same Hero she''d been looking for, and that if she wanted to succeed in her mission, she would need to leave behind the beastman that had been following her from Wyrport. [Now, hopefully she understood that. I''m not sure what changes have been going on in that tiny mind of hers, but surely I kept it simple enough, right?] Dismissing her ongoing concerns, she returned to the kitchen, only to be embraced by the delectable smell of baked goods. "Oh, you''re back just in time to try some of this, "Kulina exclaimed happily while handing her a slice of the fruit-infused and buttercream-iced cake, complete with crystalized sugar lumps that had been shaped into tiny flower blossoms. Aminatrea could already feel her apprehensions fading as a much more primal sensation took over. She took a bite, and the resulting sense of contentment washed away all of her worries. Before too long, she was laughing happily with her friend as they surveyed the ruinous remains of her biscuits, once they''d come out of the oven. Chapter 293: Miss Miscommunication Cariel blinked, and then straightened. Ordinarily, this wouldn''t be any cause for concern, but under their current circumstances, it was a fatal mistake. "Wha..Who goes there?! Identify yourself!" The University Guard yelled while running in their direction. "Idiot! What are you doing?!" Julia screamed before grabbing the angel''s unresisting arm and pulling her back through the tunnel. After winding through the irregular pathways for a few minutes, they broke through into the streets of the old city. A few minutes of running saw them once more hiding in the abandoned tea shop that had been serving as their base of operations for the time being. They''d nearly succeeded in infiltrating the University, but Cariel''s little episode had thrown away the hours of prep work they''d sunk into bypassing the outer wall. The passage would most likely be guarded from this point onwards, now that the guards had located it''s entrance. "What''s wrong with you?!" The cat beastman yelled, once they were finally able to relax. "Do you have any idea how much effort it took to get that tunnel made? How many people I had to bribe in order to get that Earth Mage to make it? Why in the hells would you give us away like that?!" The angel looked at her blankly for a moment. "Well, I got a message from my goddess." "That''s no¡­" Julia started to yell, and then frowned, finally begrudgingly asking. "How does that work? Did she just talk to you in your head, or something?" Cariel didn''t respond initially, instead wandering over to the window to look out at the walls of the University. "Normally, yes, but this was different. Jumbled somehow. I''m still trying to make sense of it." "What did she say? I hope it was important enough to interrupt our infiltration attempt." Without looking, the angel replied. "The part I understand is that I''ve been failing a lot. I''ve not only met the Hero once, but twice, and both times I failed to recognize him." "We pretty much knew that already. Haven''t I basically been saying the same thing?" Cariel shook her head. "This is different. I could feel her anger, her frustration with me. I mentioned that I''m something of a screw-up, right? Well, I''ve never heard her like this before. I think she''s running out of patience with me." Julia was about to say that the goddess was right to be angry, but held back her words at the last second. She took another look at the angel, and realized that she''d never seen her this depressed. Despite all of the difficulties they''d faced, Cariel had always maintained an upbeat attitude, never letting the situation get her down. Now, she looked ready to give up. [Whatever happened between her and her goddess is definitely bothering her...Ugh, whatever. I can be mad at her later, I guess.] "I''m sure she''s just upset that it''s taking so long. In your defense, you''ve been busy with other things. Securing transit to this city, surviving a shipwreck, getting rescued by raiders and then joining them, and finally fighting to protect Almir from undead hordes. Honestly, I''m impressed you even had the time to look for the Hero, let along guide him." Finally, Cariel looked back at her, a confused mix of emotions threatening to burst free at any moment. Tears were beginning to bead up at the corner of her eyes. "Really? Then you don''t think I''ve failed?" "Well, I wouldn''t say that, precisely. More like you''ve been...delayed. Yeah, that''s it. You''ve been delayed by unforeseen circumstances beyond your control. Completely reasonable. Why, anyone else in your position would have likely floundered in the face of those challenges. You not only persevered, but succeeded, and now you are standing on the threshold of completing your mission. The only thing we have left to do is get past a little wall, nothing to worry about. Quite frankly, it''s downright admirable that you''ve gotten this far." "Then...then, you think I can still complete my mission?" The cat beastman gave her companion a confident grin. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure you can report back to your goddess with news of success." With tears pouring down her face, Cariel suddenly gripped her in a bone crushing embrace. "Thank you so much! I was really worried there for a second, but I''m so glad I have such a great friend watching my back." "Urk...can''t...breathe." Finally letting Julia go, the angel wiped her eyes with the back of one hand, a broad grin on her face. "Alright! I''m all fired up now. Let''s get to work on the next infiltration plan. I have a good feeling about that whole posing as fishermen and landing on the shore near the lighthouse. I bet we could really sell it, after all of our time with boats." *Cough, cough* "We would need a boat for that...well, nevermind. I''m glad you''re feeling better. I''ll try to come up with something that will work. Worst case scenario, I suppose we can just try to leave a message for that guy...Speaking of which, was there anything else to your goddess''s mind thing? Any kind of clue that might help?" "Hmm, not that I can remember...wait, I think there might have been something else, something about going different ways?" "What, like we shouldn''t try the usual routes or something?" Julia asked. "Hmm...that sounds about right. I think she was trying to warn me about something." "Well, can you message her back and ask her to clarify? This could be important." Cariel frowned for a few seconds and then shook her head. "I think she''s busy. That or one of the other angels is screening my prayers." "...Is that a thing?" "Of course. You don''t think a god has time to listen to everyone''s problems, do you? Unless you are particularly important, your prayers mostly just go to one of the angel clerks. From there, they usually get sent to the one of two places...what were they called again?" "Some sort of processing location, maybe?" "No...Ah! I remember. Disposal is the big one. Almost every prayer ends up there. Only a few get sent on to...what was it...uh...stoppage? No...Oh! Storage. Then, in a few years or so, one of the more senior angels might get around to looking at them." Julia looked at her companion, aghast. "It can''t really be that bad. I mean, isn''t there some kind of category for particularly sincere prayers or something?" "Not that I know of...but I could have forgotten about it. They were always coming up with new rules in heaven, so it was hard to keep track of them all..." The angel replied in a carefree tone. "Anyway, what were we doing?" "Figuring out how we should go about finishing your mission." "Hmm, what mission?" Julia sighed deeply, allowing every ounce of the sheer frustration she''d been feeling over the last few days to drain out of her, before finally grabbing Cariel''s shoulder. "I want you to listen to me very carefully. You are supposed to meet the Hero, and become his guide in the mortal world so that he might save the world when he is needed most. This is a mission given you to by Aminatrea, who is the goddess of the Sun in case you''ve forgotten." "...Right¡­" The angel responded with a blank look. "All we need to do is to talk to him a bit, explain your intentions, and then convince him to take you along with him. With the possible exception of that last bit, this shouldn''t be too difficult to accomplish. Do you think you can remember that?" She took a moment to return Cariel''s blank stare, before sighing again. "Well, just stick with me and I''ll do the talking." "Awesome! Thanks, Julia." She managed to fend off another rib-crushing hug. "Now we need to focus on how we''re going to meet him in the first place. Considering that last bit of your divine message, I''m guessing we need to think outside of the box. Do something really out of the ordinary." "Hmm..." Cariel frowned in thought. "Can I just blow a hole in the wall?" "...Let''s save that for a last resort." "Then I don''t know. Even if we ask, I doubt they''d be willing to let us in." Julia tapped her lip as a sudden thought came to her. "That''s not exactly the case, now that I think about it." "Huh?" "Ugh..don''t let it bother you. Just don''t wander away from me, and I''ll take care of everything." --------------------------------------------------- Far away in a divine realm, the sun goddess sneezed again. This time there was no flour involved, and in fact nothing that should have caused it. However, because she was still busy with her baking exploits, she ignored it. Which was something she would come to regret in the following days. --------------------------------------------------- Mike watched the council of religious leaders gather in the Pontifex''s office, waiting until there was a small crowd fighting for space in the chamber before sneaking in himself. He made sure to keep his stealth skill active and remained on the outskirts of the group, but otherwise trusted his disguise to keep him from being noticed. Thankfully, the clergy members were a little distracted by the worrying nature of their gathering. Judging based on the whispers he could overhear, they were clueless to the reason for it, but were concerned that something serious had happened. He began scanning the members of the crowd with Appraise, and quickly determined that these were mostly high level functionaries of the church. They almost universally had the Priest or Priestess class, with some even having the high variations. However, there was one other person who shared the Pontifex''s Hierophant class, and her status was interesting. ----------------------- Grace Age: 92 Race: Human Class: Hierophant Title: Living Saint ----------------------- [I feel like that title is implying that other types of Saints are usually dead. Does that mean my title is an unusual one?] By all appearances, she was an unassuming, wizened, old woman who was still in fairly good health despite her advanced age. Thanks to a slightly crooked back, she was forced to rest the majority of her weight on a simple cane. Nevertheless, she carried herself with a confidence that could only have come from a lifetime of power and influence. The other members of the group seemed to be paying her a rather extreme amount of deference. In fact, they almost appeared afraid of the woman. [Maybe she''s some kind of specialist leader or advisor. I''m guessing that anyone referred to as a Saint is probably fairly influential...well, at least in cases besides mine.] Finally, after more than thirty people of varying races, but almost uniformly in the later stages of life, enter the room, Alaine told her receptionist to close the door and keep all other visitors out until they were done. "It has come to my attention that the Anathema have once more taken root in the heart of our organization." The Pontifex announced. An astonished silence filled the room. Eventually, one man, looking to be close to his seventies spoke up. "How could such a thing have come to pass? They were supposed to have been destroyed during the Purge." "I do not know, Xavier. Truth be told, I only found out a few minutes ago that they even still existed. However, I have received information that suggests at least one of the senior priests has not only become an inquisitor, but achieved the title as well." A sun elven woman with a tattoo of a sunburst on the center of her forehead spoke up, "That''s quite troubling. Out of curiosity, Your Holiness, how did you find out about this?" The Pontifex gave the woman a hard stare before answering, "A representative of the Hero of Almir paid me a visit just a little while ago. Apparently, the Anathema have decided to label the Dragonknight as an Apostate, and sent a kill team to deliver judgement." "Good Goddess! Are they insane?!" The old man named Xavier exclaimed while clutching his chest. His face had paled so much that Mike was mildly concerned that he was having a heart attack. Of course, being in a room with this many Divine Mages, he was likely not in any danger of dying. "Why they thought it was a good idea to assault a Tier 4 mage with their numbers and skills, I do not know. This does, however, create two problems for us." The Pontifex continued. The older Hierophant, who''d said nothing up to this point, chose this moment to finally speak up, silencing everyone else with the firmness of her voice. "What have they demanded as recompense?" Alaine replied respectfully, as if to someone of a higher rank. "Astute observation as always, Master. The Dragonknight''s representative asked only for a token monetary gesture to cover both the trouble of the attack itself, and the effort of returning the members of the kill team to us. Considering the prize he''s been awarded by the kingdom already, I had intended picking a few items from the treasury for that purpose." [Token monetary gesture. I guess I really should have asked for more¡­] "Then he is not yet an enemy of the church. Good." The old woman stared off into the distance for a few seconds before continuing. "I suspect that means you are focusing on the inquisitors at this juncture. What progress have you made in identifying the senior members responsible for sending the kill team?" "That leads me to the second problem. Once the Dragonknight delivers the prisoners-" The Pontifex started. "There''s no time for interrogation. Besides, I doubt anything short of complete Soul-Shriving will succeed in freeing any information from someone with the Divine Scourge title, and we definitely can''t sit around until the summer solstice. No, this requires more extreme measures." "I have already taken the liberty of securing the two members of the high clergy that were most likely to be involved in a resurgence of the Anathema. If we dig into their past actions, I suspect..." Grace clicked her tongue, causing the younger woman to trail off. "Not an unexpected leap in logic, but I''m afraid it won''t do you much good. When I was dealing with them during my time as Pontifex, they proved quite adept at creating scapegoats among their colleagues. Oftentimes, the most obvious suspects were the ones with the least connection to the enemy." "Then who is responsible for this?" Xavier asked, having listened to the exchange with increasing hopelessness. The old Hierophant smiled. "Based on my experience, the culprits have more than likely infiltrated the highest level of our order." The current Pontifex grimaced, "Then you are saying¡­" Before she could finish, Grace slammed the tip of her cane in the ground, creating a shockwave of force that swept over the room. The energy passed harmlessly through the group before concentrating on the doors and windows, creating shimmering barriers of light. "I have sealed the exits." She announced, a hint of fatigue in her voice. "Now, let us find the traitors among us." [Hmm...this might be problematic.] Chapter 294: The Sin Within A palpable aura of fear filled the room as the clergy members backed away from Grace''s display of power, before perhaps realizing that doing so might make them look guilty. As such, there were a few moments of awkward shuffling about before the chamber fell silent, a loose semi-circle formed around the former Pontifex. Mike, for his part, took the opportunity to study the barrier on the door. It looked fairly sturdy, but he doubted it could hold him if he really wanted to get out. Besides, there was nothing preventing him from simply going through the wall, should he find himself needing to escape. It would be flashy, of course, but that wasn''t much of a concern when he was intending on leaving in the very near future. [Considering the average power level of the people gathered here, I''m guessing this is enough to keep them locked down. Based on that, it''s probably safe to say that my cover is still intact. So, I guess there is no harm in observing things for a while longer.] He sent a mental message to Selene to have her start bringing the captured inquisitors to a location near the cathedral. That way, he could still do the handoff in a reasonably timely manner, once this particular situation was resolved. Of course, she didn''t like that idea. After dismissing her complaints about having to transport five fully grown men, one of which was still full of resistance, through the city streets, he managed to talk her into it. She finally relented once he pointed out that she would have control over the other four, and could simply have them carry the fifth. It would simply become a matter of keeping him quiet as they did so. Based on her angry muttering as she severed the connection, it looked like she intended to shove the angry High Inquisitor into a barrel, or something to that effect. [Well, I''m sure she''ll figure it out.] It was then that Grace finally broke her silence. She''d been observing the members of the group with a critical eye, as if she could determine which of them was guilty by sight alone. Of course, it could also simply be a means of intimidating the assembled church functionaries. "Now that I''ve ensured there will be no interruptions, and no escapes, let''s talk about betrayal. One of you, or perhaps several of you, have violated our laws and brought Anathema back into our order. I cannot allow clemency for such a heinous sin, but I swear that if you speak up now and reveal yourselves, your deaths will be as painless as we can make it for traitors." Not surprisingly, that guarantee didn''t encourage anyone to step forward. After a few moments of the group glancing around at each other awkwardly, Grace spoke again. "Very well, we shall do this the hard way." Pointing her cane at one of the priests nearby, an elderly cat beastman, she intoned a solemn chant. "I beseech thee, oh holy one, grant me the blessings of your wisdom and allow me to see through any falsehood. [Aura of Truth]" A glowing golden aura appeared around the priest, but otherwise, he appeared to be unharmed. Nevertheless, the spell inspired a sudden rash of commentary from the crowd. "Here it is, her interrogation spell. Does she really think this will work? Inquisitors have means of defeating these kinds of things." One of the priests near Mike whispered to his neighbor. "I''m sure she has her reasons." "She''s probably taking advantage of the situation to eliminate those who''ve opposed her in the past. Seems like something she''d do." "If that''s the case, do you think it''s wise to badmouth her right now?" That shut him up quickly, and the ensuing quiet allowed Mike to hear the question Grace directed at the now glowing priest. "Eniphas, do you have any dealings with the Anathema?" The cat beastman drew himself up to his full height and announced, "I do not." The golden aura flickered, but otherwise didn''t change. "Very good. Then, do know of anyone who might be a member of such a group? Anyone you might suspect?" He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. "No, I cannot think of anyone." The aura flickered again. "Alright, thank you Eniphas." She replied with a bow before turning to the rest of the group. "If you keep your answers short and truthful, this enterprise will pass quickly. Now, for the next." The scene repeated itself multiple times, with the old Hierophant asking slightly altered variations of the same questions to every member of the group. Almost universally, this resulted in a slight fluctuation in the aura, and Mike was beginning to suspect that this was a faulty method. However, that changed when the elven woman from before was being questioned. "Liande, are you a member of the Anathema?" "No." Came the terse reply, accompanied by a minor flicker of the golden glow. Grace gave the woman an evaluating look. "Then, tell me. Who among the people in this room is the least trustworthy?" The elven woman started, looking surprised by the unexpected question. She glanced around for a few seconds, and Mike could see growing unease on her face. "Answer quickly, Liande. It''s a simple question. Who is the least trustworthy among those you see around you." The old woman prompted, a slight smile on her face. "...I...if I must say, I find Gareth to be the least trustworthy." She replied while pointing to an old dwarven man. As the man in question was looking around in shock, gasps arose from the rest of the crowd. However, it was not because of the accusation itself. The golden aura surrounding the elven woman was now fluctuating between gold and red. It flicked between the two colors a few more times before finally settling back into its usual color. Grace walked forward, her every step heavy with ominous finality. "There is a fundamental flaw in the protection charms used by the Anathema. While they are fully capable of concealing the falsehood of answers to direct questions, they rely on the wearer to be fully committed to hiding the truth. In the case of an inquiry of a more nebulous nature, the items will be unable to fully make sense of the wearer''s conflicting emotions, resulting in this kind of display." She stopped in front of Liande. "Tell me dear, and do not lie this time. Why did you betray us?" A pained look crossed over the elf''s face, briefly making her see much younger, however it quickly passed and was replaced by a grimace of irritation. "Ugh, you always could get me feeling like a disobedient schoolgirl." A deafening silence fell on the group, as everyone stepped back, making a loose circle around the pair. It seemed that the clergy here was content to let them work out the issue on their own. [I never knew clerical staff meetings were so dramatic. Almost makes me want popcorn...hmm...I wonder if I could conjure some...] Mike thought while taking up a good vantage point to watch the show. He was still debating about intervening, should things dissolve into violence, but hadn''t quite decided if he wanted to get involved in this mess. "You were always a talented pupil," Grace replied, face a stony mask, "but you never did manage to learn respect. That is a large part of the reason I never recommended you for the position of Hierophant." Liande practically growled, "HA! That''s just an excuse! You always had your precious human student in mind when you were looking for a successor. No matter what I did, or how obedient I was, you never planned on giving me what was rightfully mine!" She turned towards the current Pontifex with a furious glare, "I deserve to be where you are now! I was always the hardest working, the most talented! The only reason I''m not sitting behind that desk right now, is because my ears are pointed while yours are round." Alaine frowned, as if trying to figure out what to say, "Liande, I never thought-" "Don''t deny it! I was there when you were first accepted as an acolyte. I know your aptitude score was less than mine. I know that your proctors thought you''d never go farther than a mid-level priestess. If it wasn''t for the fact that you were a distant relative of the reigning Pontifex, you''d still be pushing papers in the Rectory!" "That''s enough, Liande." Grace broke in. "There is more to holding our office than talent and skill. It takes a certain kind of person, one who is able to withstand the pressures of the position without bending or compromising. They must remain incorruptible, even in the face of the most difficult of situations. Alaine had that quality, but it was clear from your long history of rule breaking, that you did not. There was a vein of weakness within you that might have spelled the end of our order, if I had chosen you as my successor." The old woman seemed to age a bit as she spoke. "I had hoped that you''d find peace with your path in life, but it seems I was mistaken." Liande fell silent for a few moments, the weight of her old teacher''s words evidently causing her a great deal of pain. Finally, she laughed. "Ha...I should have known that you''d fail to recognize your own flaws this late in the game. You never were one to admit your mistakes. Fine! So be it! I''ve long ago thrown away that life!" She pulled something from her robes and smashed it against the ground in one smooth motion. Whatever it was exploded into a plume of dark-grey smoke that quickly washed over the room before vanishing. Mike created a temporary mana shield to protect himself from the substance, and as a result, was able to watch as it touched the glowing barriers on the door and window, causing them to flicker and fade. The members of the clergy were hacking and coughing, as expected, but were also beginning to panic. That seemed a bit strange to him, since the substance didn''t appear to be poisonous or anything. Thankfully, the active participants of the drama offered an explanation. "Powdered Silence?! Are you mad?! You willingly sever our connection with the Goddess?! Your own connection with the Goddess? You have fallen far, Liande!" Grace roared in anger, but there was growing unease in her face. "Not feeling so arrogant now that you''ve been stripped of your greatest asset, are you, teacher?" The elf asked with a sneer. "It seems we were right to take our precautions." The door to the office exploded inwards, and a large group of armored figures rushed in, dragging the Pontifex''s receptionist with them. Liande gave the assembled clergy members a triumphant smile. "Looks like I''ll be the one who laughs last this time. Without your magic, you are nothing more than a collection of old men and women. Weak. Helpless. Unable to prevent me from taking my rightful place. Know that your deaths will be the spark that ushers in a new age for our order." She turned to the warriors at her back, and commanded simply, "Kill them." As they rushed forward with weapons raised, Mike sighed. He really didn''t think it was wise to get involved in all this nonsense, but it looked like there was a radical and dangerous faction staging a coup d''etat right in front of him. Unless he wanted the hostile group to seize control of one of the most powerful churches in the country, he would need to do something. [Damn my luck. Always creating headaches for me. Alright, how do I want to play this?] Chapter 295: Divine Presence Alaine could only watch in horror as the paladin raised his sword to deliver the killing blow. He was familiar, someone she''d seen in passing on several occasions. They''d even exchanged greetings on a few occasions, and she vaguely remembered that he had a somewhat lopsided grin and a fondness for birdwatching. Now, however, his face was stony and cold, with no trace of hesitation or mercy. Again, she tried to call upon her source of power, the sacred connection with her goddess that powered her magic, but it was to no avail. Even the powerful amulet she was currently clutching failed to respond to her desperate pleas. The light in its depths had vanished, leaving her with nothing but a cold gem to defend herself with. She''d only ever heard of Powdered Silence on a few occasions, and then only in passing. It was supposedly a material developed during the Second Age, and the method of its creation was now lost. As a base substance, it didn''t have any real use, but once powdered it could be turned into a gaseous cloud that temporarily disrupted the conduit by which Divine Mages accessed their abilities. Thankfully, it was incredibly rare. To her knowledge, there were only a few recorded instances of it ever being used in the sealed records of the order. That the Anathema managed to get their hands on enough to fill this room indicated that she''d seriously underestimated both their resources and their ambitions. She had a brief moment to consider where she might have gone wrong. How she might have prevented this situation. Had she planned things differently, maybe spent a little more time investigating the matter prior to calling the meeting or consulted her mentor before taking action, it might have been possible to resolve this quietly. Instead, she''d acted rashly, too emotionally charged by the thought of the Anathema taking root inside HER order. Now she was paying the price for that mistake. [It looks like I will go down in history as the Pontifex that failed, allowing a radical and dangerous sect to seize control. Although, knowing Liande, she will likely paint a different picture.] As history is so often written by the victors, Alaine could only assume that her old rival would make her out to be the villain of this story. After all, she would need to have sufficient justification for her actions, and the current Pontifex would serve as an excellent scapegoat. Leveraging her perceived failure or corruption and fabricating a believable scenariod, Liande could very well succeed in placing herself in power as part of an emergency measure. Of course, none of that really mattered to her in the face of approaching death. Rather, she found herself worrying more about the stray cat she''d been feeding for the last few years. It had taken her months to get the pugnacious tabby to accept food from her, and she was concerned that he would starve once she was gone. Any further fears were driven from her head as the window to her office exploded inwards in a shower of glass shards. A deafening roar filled the room as powerful currents of wind raged through the opening. She squeezed her eyes shut, fully convinced that death, briefly averted by the sudden change, was now about to resume its grim approach. However, the noise slowly abated, eventually leaving the chamber in an eerie calm, with only the quiet echoes of tinkling glass to break the silence. Alaine opened her eyes, and the first thing that caught her attention was a grey feather, floating in a beam of streaming sunlight that was pouring in through the shattered remnants of her window. It was drifting on unseen air currents, and gracefully descended to the floor to join a small collection of its fellows. The second thing that caught her attention was the figure standing in front of the window. The afternoon sun was casting his face in shadow, but it was clear from the number of feathers wreathing him, that he was their source. For a moment, she was overcome with a sense of awe mixed with a bit of apprehension. A part of her was convinced she was in the presence of something greater than herself, perhaps even something divine, and she wondered if her goddess might have answered her prayers after all. However, that feeling faded a bit when she realized that she recognized the person. "So¡­" The Dragonknight''s follower started, still wearing his stolen acolyte''s robes. "I was checking in to see if you were ready to receive my captives, and I took the liberty of stepping in. I hope you don''t mind the interruption." He gestured towards the far wall, where a mass of traitorous paladins was being held against it with interlocking bars of solid stone. Alaine could tell that they were pinned just tightly enough to prevent them from moving, but not enough to crush them in the process. "That''s quite alright," Grace answered him while standing herself, leaning heavily on her cane as she did so. "Your assistance was more than welcome. I take it you represent the Hero of Almir?" The young man offered a simple shrug, "I can speak for him, yes." "Then it seems we owe you and your master a great debt of gratitude." The old woman shot Alaine a glance, subtly indicating that she should be speaking here. With a start, the current Pontifex realized that her teacher had been covering for her. Standing, she did her best to project authority and confidence while speaking. "Of course, the Church of Aminatrea will ensure that your timely efforts are rewarded. You have my guarantee of that." She turned to one of the recovering priests and ordered him to locate a sufficient number of loyal paladins to secure the prisoners. "I would assume nothing else." The visitor shot back, a slight smile on his face. "Considering what you were willing to offer for a single team of inquisitors, I am curious to see what you believe is fair compensation for this bunch. At this point, I''m not sure if a token gesture would be sufficient." Alaine felt her heart sink a little. It seemed that she would have to work hard to come up with an adequate reward. The man had effectively saved their lives and spared their order a bloody coup, even if it didn''t take much effort on his part. As a result, she would need to make sure that his pay matched his contribution. [I suppose we can offer a few relics from the vaults. They are valuable, at least, even if they can only be used by individuals who meet the right criteria.] By that point, the priest she''d sent had returned with a handful of paladins in tow, including one of the captains, Melian. Thankfully, she was well known for her stubborn adherence to duty, and was among the few members of the order that Alaine trusted implicitly, even if she wasn''t particularly well liked. The dour female knight and her subordinates quickly moved to secure their traitorous comrades, binding them in chains once the Dragonknight''s follower had released them from their current restraints. Liande, for her part, meekly accepted the arrest. After all, there was little she could do while still suffering under the effects of the Powered Silence. Nevertheless, something about her sudden reticence bothered Alaine, but she couldn''t quite pin down what it was. Ultimately, she dismissed her concerns. Once all of the traitors had been chained, Melian led the procession out of the chamber and in the direction of the dungeon, where the prisoners would wait until judgement was passed on them. The other church leaders were quick to follow, soon leaving Alaine alone with her former teacher and the mysterious man. "Alright, if there is nothing else, then I''ll see about bringing my band of prisoners. I''ll drop them off by the front door, if you don''t mind having someone meet me there" The Dragonknight''s servant commented while walking back towards the window. Then, without waiting for their response, he stepped out and began floating down to the ground. Grace took up a position at her elbow once they were alone. "I am beginning to see why you were so flustered prior to the meeting. There is something unsettling about him." Alaine bent down and picked up one of the feathers that littered the floor of her office, examining it carefully. "According to the eyewitness accounts, there was supposedly a winged being that fought Kultanis alongside the Dragonknight. One that was capable of wielding weapons made of light." "Paladins capable of calling down a divine spirit could do something similar." Grace offered with a frown, clearly not convinced by her own words. "That is a possibility, but what if the angel we''ve been looking for was a little bit closer than we thought?" Her old mentor grimly stared down at the feathers. "Let''s hope, for all of our sakes, that isn''t the case." ------------------------------------------- Mike had to brush off a handful of bird feathers that had affixed themselves to his disguise. His plan of pretending to arrive just in time to intervene in the coup had backfired slightly when a small flock of doves had gotten caught in his initial spell. A quick application of Healing Magic kept them from suffering from anything more than a few missing feathers, but it had nevertheless proved enough of a distraction that he''d very nearly stepped on one of the fallen priests as he took his place near the window. Despite that, it had proven fairly simple to restrain the armored warriors. Thankfully, they didn''t appear to have any particularly strong individuals among them, and a few free casts were all that was required to completely immobilize them. Doing his best to avoid attracting any more attention to himself, he left the cathedral compound and headed into a nearby alley to meet up with Selene. He was greeted by the slightly unusual sight of four blankly staring men standing around a single barrel, which rocked every now and then, as if the person inside of it was trying to get out. Every single one of them was sopping wet. [I feel like there is a story here, but I''m not sure I want to hear it.] "Has he been giving you any trouble?" He asked. Selene sighed. "Like you wouldn''t believe. It took nearly ten minutes to get here from the port simply because he tried to escape about four times. Thankfully, I was able to play it off as a particularly active barrel full of fresh fish. That kept most of the passersby from interfering, but I''m pretty sure at least two dock workers called the guards on us. The sooner we get this done the better." "Right. Give me a second to get them restrained and then release your effect. The last thing we need is for them to see us using mind control on members of their clergy, traitorous though they might be." "Would that matter? The one in the barrel witnessed it." "Yeah, but he''s not exactly trustworthy. Rather than a certainty, it would be an instance of his word against ours. If they end up looking into it, we would have a reasonable amount of deniability." "Whatever you say." She replied with a shrug. He used an application of Earth Magic to wrap the four men in cubes of hardened dirt. Thanks to his proficiency in the skill, he was able to direct them to float over in the direction of the cathedral''s entrance. He made sure to also create a small disk of stone to levitate the inquisitor containing barrel over as well. "I''ll take care of the rest. You go ahead and get back to prepping for the journey. I''ll make sure to have your ride ready by this evening." She shot him a dirty look. "Ugh¡­Are you sure I can''t take some other route there? I''m not exactly thrilled about being your guinea pig for your new means of travel." "As I''ve said before, if we want to have any idea what we''re walking into, prior to getting there in the first place, you''ll need time to insinuate yourself into the local populace. That means you need to get there as quickly as possible." He countered, not really wanting to get into this argument again. Frowning, she crossed her arms and glanced away for a few seconds. "¡­Look, I understand the reason¡­it''s just¡­I''m not exactly thrilled by the method." Mike stared at her for a moment, before the realization struck. "Don''t tell me¡­are you afraid of heights?" She continued to look away and didn''t answer, but he thought he saw the hint of a blush on her cheeks. Laughing, he started walking towards the cathedral while commenting over his shoulder. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure to summon you something that flies steadily." Selene didn''t reply, but he could feel her staring daggers at his back. Chapter 296: Reliquary Mike made sure to keep his hood pulled down low as he followed the strange menagerie of floating dirt cubes. It was probably a little too late to avoid attracting too much attention, but he figured that it was better than doing nothing. The guards at the cathedral''s entrance were watching him with a combination of confusion and fear, which wasn''t too surprising considering their inexperience. Apparently, the people assigned to the main entrances were trainee paladins, at least as far as he could tell with Appraise. It was doubtful if they''d ever seen anything like this. He set his captives down and walked over to stand in front of them. "Well, I''m here." The guards exchanged glances before asking him to wait while one of them located their supervisor. Mike was left to awkwardly stand around while he did so. Thankfully, Selene''s skill had left the four inquisitors unconscious. [I guess I could have given them a little more time to get ready. Really, though, how hard is it to let the guards know that we''re coming?] Finally, after a few minutes, a group of paladins marched out of the cathedral and took up positions around his prisoners. The same grim looking, female knight that had taken custody of the other traitors, was in the lead. It didn''t take long for them to restrain their new batch of captives and carry them inside once he''d freed them from the cubes, and in short order he was once again left alone with a pair of confused looking guards. No one expressly stated it, but he was effectively bid to wait until another representative could come out to meet him. [I''m a little disappointed by their lack of hospitality. You''d think the person who saved them from a grisly coup would be treated a little better. Then again, I did kind of extort their equivalent of a pope, so maybe that''s to be expected.] He waited another ten minutes or so before a second group of people showed up. The Pontifex was out in front, flanked by four paladins. A group of acolytes were following behind, carrying three large and ornately decorated chests on miniature palanquins. Judging from the number of religious symbols emblazoned on each of them, he guessed that they contained something along the lines of holy relics. "I see you still choose to appear in disguise. Is it your wish to keep your identity a secret at this time?" Alaine asked as she descended the small staircase towards him. "Let''s just say I want to avoid any undue attention." He replied. The Pontifex glanced around at the small crowd of passersby that had started to gather to watch the proceedings, and muttered dryly, "Indeed¡­Very well, we shall accommodate." She turned and motioned to the acolytes, who proceeded to bring the chests forward. "For your efforts in protecting the sanctity of the Church of Aminatrea, we have chosen three of our most sacred relics to bestow upon your and your master, the Hero of Almir. It is our hope that they may aid you in travels." The bearers lined up and deposited their litters on the ground in front of him, before opening them with a great sense of ceremony. The first of the three contained a small leather sack, which was distinctly ordinary apart from its obvious age. As he stepped for to examine it, the Pontifex offered an explanation. "The Knucklebones of Saint Guispard. Although blind from birth, he followed the light of the goddess for all of his long years, relying on it to guide him through life. For his devotion, he was granted to the power to perform miracles, and many legends have been told of his exploits. These bones retain a small portion of his blessed foresight and can provide guidance in uncertain times." He picked the bag up and opened it, reveal a handful of polished bones that had been carved with a variety or runes. Those he could see with a casual glance suggested that they dealt primarily in abstract concepts such as fortune, danger, and the like. To be on the safe side, he used Appraise on them. --------------------------------- The Knucklebones of Saint Guispard Magic Relic (Tier 2, Rank 3) Crafted from the remains of the legendary traveling saint, these bones can provide skilled users with insights about the near future. When thrown into an appropriate vessel, a user can read the layout of the bones to foretell on some specific event or answer a specific question. As with all methods of precognizance, such insights are limited in scope, and subject to the Haze of Destiny. Individuals of the Oracle bloodline receive a system correction when using this item. -------------------------------- [So, a relic is somehow its own kind of item according to the System? Even though it seems to function just the same as any other magic item? Anyway, I bet Sera cold put it to use. I wonder if they are aware of her identity, or merely selected it based on usefulness.] He moved on to the next chest, which contained a scrap of cloth that had been sealed between two panes of glass. "The Sacred Banner of Talingland, said to have been carried by paladins of order since its inception. It was lost during the Siege of Batai, and this piece is the only known fragment still in existence. While its power has faded over time, a portion of its divine aura yet remains." This time, Appraise worked without him having to pick it up. ---------------------------------- Fragment of the Banner of Talingland Magic Relic (Tier 3, Rank 2) This piece of cloth was once part of the banner created by Archangel Coriethinel, and gifted to the Order of the Sun, a now defunct knightly order that arose near the beginning of the Third Age. It passed into the hands of the Church of Aminatrea following the former''s dissolution in the face of political pressure, and was frequently carried into battle by their paladins. During the Siege of Batai, its bearer was slain and the majority of the artifact was destroyed when the Archlich unleased his Desolation Swarm. When carried prominently, this relic serves to inspire and protect those who are ideologically aligned with the carrier. Provides minor bonus to Willpower, Endurance, and all resistance skills for all allies who are capable of seeing it. A Tier 3 or higher Divine Mage, dedicated to Aminatrea, can pray upon the relic to release what remains of its divinity, momentarily creating a Tier 5 barrier of protection in an area 30 meters around the user. Doing so will expend the remainder of its stored energy and reduce it to non-magical cloth. Item has been downgraded from Tier 4, Rank 2 due to its current condition. ---------------------------------------- [Well, the second bit won''t really help us, but I guess the first part can come in handy. I''m getting the impression that relics are like magic items that have some kind of usage requirement. That, or they are just related to certain gods or something.] He moved over to the last chest and listened as the Pontifex explained. "The Belt of Bertilak. This strange relic is said to have originated in another realm entirely, where it once belonged to a knight of great virtue and renown. While its full power remains shrouded in mystery, it is believed to protect worthy bearers from harm, even sparing them from certain death. The legendary knight Foltest supposedly wore it while he challenged the Beast of Galor. With its magic, he withstood the creature''s acidic breath on three separate occasions, allowing him to deliver the finishing blow before he succumbed to his other injuries." Mike stared at the length of green silk, and used Appraise with an odd sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ------------------------------------------- The Belt of Bertilak Magic Relic (Tier ?, Rank ?) Non-System Object. Details not found. ------------------------------------------- [What the¡­] As he was considering the implications of what he''d seen, he realized that the group of Aminatrean clergy had fallen silent and were staring at him expectantly. "Ahem," He cleared his throat before speaking. "On behalf of our leader, I thank you for the generous gifts. It is my hope, and his, that this day will mark the beginning of a long and prosperous friendship between us." That statement caused a bit of confused muttering from the onlookers, but he could tell that his intended message had been delivered, judging by the slightly sour expression on the Pontifex''s face. Nevertheless, she offered a slight bow in response. "Our order graciously accepts the offer of friendship. May the Lightbringer always illuminate your path." [Now, they''ll think twice about trying to portray this as anything other than me doing them a favor.] He thought to himself while returning the bow. With that, the Pontifex turned and led her entourage back into the cathedral. The acolytes stuck around long enough to reclaim the ornate chests, once he''d pocketed the relics. In short order, he was once again left alone with the subdued entrance guards, who weren''t really sure what to do about him. Deciding to spare the hapless newbies any further difficulties, Mike turned and made his way through the small crowd that had gathered to watch the event. The onlookers parted in front of him with a sort of awestruck silence, making his egress fairly simple. Once he was in the clear, he ducked back into the alley, made sure the coast was clear, and activated his stealth skill before stepping out again. He walked several streets over before he ditched his disguise and started flying. There was one last place he wanted to visit today before he headed back. It was something he''d been intentionally been putting off until all his other business had been concluded. As he was traveling in the direction of the slums, he pulled out the length of green silk, which was supposedly some kind of belt, and examined it. His fingers tingled a bit as he touched the smooth material, which might have been an indication of its magical properties, or static electricity. It was hard to tell for sure. [Bertilak¡­where have I heard that name before? Since its from outside of the System, it must have come from another world. Could it be something from Earth?] He decided to put it aside for now. There would be time to experiment with it in the future, but he needed to focus on the upcoming meeting. Hopefully, his friend was in a good mood. -------------------------------------------- "Why is it that you all are able to organize the equivalent of a fully functional sporting league, complete with judges, rankings, audience participation, and systematic gambling, based around a form of ritual combat with a laundry list of rules, but can''t give me a rough idea of how many people we actually have?" Brenden asked with exasperation. He was trying to get a solid idea of the full scope of the operations he''d taken control of, and had tasked the various gangs to report on their numbers and enterprises. While it wasn''t exactly a popular initiative, since many of them found the idea of sharing intimate details of how they ran things reprehensible, he pushed it through anyway, hoping to identify areas that needed improvement. Of course, he''d almost immediately hit a snag when it came out that most of the gangs didn''t maintain any kind of reliable records of their business practices or membership. While he could kind of understand not wanting to have the details of their illegal activities in writing, they also didn''t really have any other methods in place. As a result, they''d been working for close to three days on getting an estimate of their overall membership, and very little progress had been made. "Well, You Highness, this isn''t exactly a simple matter-" Fang started to explain before he was cut off by the leader of the Hanged Gulls, a mid-sized gang that operated in northeastern Almirn and dealt primarily with overland smuggling. "That''s right! Do you have any idea how many crews I got running right now? Cause I don''t. That''s something for the sub-bosses to figure out, and I can guarantee that they haven''t got a clue about how many people actually work for them. That''s more of a matter for crew leaders. Which doesn''t even include the trainees, who are the responsibility of the assistant crew leaders¡­" "Look," Brenden interrupted, taking the opportunity to address the rest of the group, who likely had similar stories to tell. "I understand your organizations are complex, secretive and, operate independently a lot of the time. We are criminals after all, and that''s just part of our business, but you should be able to give me some kind of idea of how many people actually work for you. If we ever want to be anything more than a two-bit crime syndicate, operating out of a moldy basement, we need to start doing things differently. So, get me a number. It doesn''t have to be exact." There was a little more grumbling about the impossibility of the task, but none of them had the courage to outright refuse his command. Despite their initial enthusiasm for his rule, most of the gangs were not used to taking orders, and there had been something of a learning curve when he first started making changes. [They''ll get over it.] He thought to himself as he dismissed the council and sent them on their way. He also told his guards and followers to wait outside for a few minutes, because he needed some time to clear his head The constant stream of problems he''d been dealing with over the last few days, coupled with the reticence of his followers to fulfill even a simple request, was starting to give him a headache. "Rough day?" A familiar voice asked from nearby. It might have surprised Brenden if he hadn''t caught a whiff of the intruder''s scent a few seconds earlier. He gave Mike a tired look, "More like a rough week." Chapter 297: Sailing Awayyyyy Brenden motioned for his friend to sit down. "You know, I''m not surprised you made it all the way here without anyone noticing, but you do realize this means I now need to add security reforms to my to-do list? In addition to everything else?" Mike winced. "Sorry. That wasn''t my intention." Brenden sighed. "Nah, don''t worry about it. I suppose I''d rather have you pointing out the flaws in my defenses than some assassin. I''ll just throw it in with the rest of the stuff I need to work on. It should only take me the next century or so to get it all done. Anyway, to what do I owe this visit? I''m assuming this isn''t just a social call." Mike rubbed the back of his head, as he was prone to do when he was feeling uncertain. "Well¡­the truth of the matter is, we are planning on leaving first thing tomorrow. So, I want to stop by and see you before we''re gone." "Oh¡­oh¡­yeah, I suppose it is about that time." The pair fell into an awkward silence for a few moments. "So, I take you''re settling into your new role here. Any issues?" Brenden shrugged, "I can give you the list, but it would take a while. Truth is, they''ve been operating independently for so long, they barely know how to work together anymore. Hells, I have my hands full just trying to get them to explain how they make their money. Half of the gang leaders seem to believe that gold just rolls into their coffers as if by magic." Mike chuckled, "I''m guessing they''ve had it a bit too easy up until this point. Decades of peaceful co-existence has made them a tad stagnant, or something along those lines." "Not everyone''s like that, mind you. The smaller gangs are just as scrappy and competent as the ones I saw in Wyrport, but the larger ones have been around for so long they''ve become mired in tradition. The Fishmongers especially." "Fishmongers?" "Don''t ask." Mike nodded and then reached into a pocket and pulled out one of his emergency necklaces. "Anyway, I know we haven''t exactly been on the best terms lately, so I don''t want offend you by giving you this, but I hope you will accept it." He set it down on the table, within Brenden''s reach, hesitating a moment before pulling his hand back. "I think you''re familiar with these, so I don''t I need to explain. However, I want you to know that this doesn''t mean I don''t believe in your abilities- " His friend raised on hand to cut him off, before picking the necklace up and putting it on. "Thanks. I''ll make sure to call you if I end up needing anything. Not sure how much good it will do, since you''ll be a continent away, but hey, maybe by that point you''ll have figured out Space Magic, and could just pop over." Mike felt a relieved smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Considering how difficult it is to teleport people over long distances, that might take me a while, but I could probably make it back here in less than a day by flying, if I really put forth the effort." "Hmph, show-off." Brenden shot back amicably. For the first time in a long while, Mike didn''t sense the tension that had been part of their interactions. Although tired, and perhaps a bit overwhelmed with his new responsibilities, the beastman seemed happy. Almost as if his friend had finally found some measure of peace with his lot in life. A slight smile on his face, he added. "Just so you know, I''ve included an additional feature in this necklace. It will still work the same as always, but if you say a brief message right before breaking the charm, it will get passed on to me. I''m hoping this will prevent the confusion that came with the last few times these things go used." "Huh, that''s pretty useful. Is that something you could add to a more permanent magic item? You know, one that didn''t break after a single use." The beastman asked speculatively. "Actually, I''m already working on something like that. Unfortunately, the enchantments are fairly complicated and require a good amount of mana to activate. With disposable items, I don''t need to worry about durability, but finding the right combination of materials to make it more permanent has been an ongoing struggle. If I ever get something put together, I''ll be sure to send you one." Brenden frowned in thought while fingering the glass charm on his necklace. "If you can make them cheaply enough, I''d love to have as many as you can spare." "You want it for your organization?" He nodded. "If I ever want to expand operations, I''ll need an effective means of coordinating over long distances. You get me a communication device that''s cheap enough for me to pass out to my subordinates, and I could be running all the illegal activities in this country by the end of the year." Mike grinned. "That''s a bold claim." "Not a claim, an eventuality." Brenden added with a confident grin of his own. "Besides, I was aiming for that from the start. Communication devices will just speed it up." "Alright, alright. I''ll see what I can do. Anyway, I need to be getting back. There''s still a bunch of prep work before we leave tomorrow." Mike said while standing. Brenden''s smile faded a bit, but he stood up as well. "I got it. Best to keep goodbyes short. Speaking of which, send Tal and Sera my regards." "I will." He replied, before activating his stealth skill and slipping out once more. As he was leaving, he heard Brenden call his guards back in to discuss changes to how they handled security from here on out. With his last real task in this city complete, he headed back to the dorms to finish up the packing process. With any luck, they should have an uneventful departure. ------------------------------------------ The next morning found Mike on one of the University''s training grounds, where he''d been working on his Space Magic. He''d finally succeeded in increasing the skill rank after brute forcing it with as much mana as he could. As a result, his command over the tricky element had improved to the point he could even teleport himself over short distances. While he could now do that via free casting to some extent, the mana cost was so extreme it would be counterproductive to use for anything save the direst of emergencies. Even with a lengthy chant, it was exactly efficient, so he figured that he would need to improve his skill a few more times before he could really add it to his battle repertoire. [I wonder what rank Emmanuel has. Considering some of the stuff he''s capable of, I can only imagine it being pretty high up there. Then again, he might have a few titles that help as well.] He decided to put an end to his practice when he heard the clock tower strike four bells. This meant that he still had a few hours before the ship was set to depart, but he wanted to grab breakfast first. While he was walking back, he got another angry mental message from Selene, who was still in the middle of her ocean-spanning journey. He let her vent a bit, then reaffirmed the necessity of her suffering and promised that he''d figure out something else the next time this situation came up. [Maybe I can put together some kind of enclosed saddle device that I can strap to transport summons. Something that will make the process a bit less terrifying. Of course, then she''d have to worry about hiding or disposing of it when she reached her destination. I guess I''ll think on it.] After breakfast, the group gathered up the rest of their belongings, a process made much easier by the extradimensional sack the University agreed to let him keep indefinitely, and headed down to the port. By the time they got to the docks, the gotten had already gotten their ship prepped and ready to go. All they were waiting for were the remaining passengers. So, once they were aboard and settled into their cabins, the captain gave the order to leave, not wanting to miss the tide. In a matter of minutes, they were out in the bay and moving towards the open ocean. Mike stood on the aft castle and watched as the city receded from view. It was kind of an odd feeling, leaving it behind after spending so much time there. Almirn had become the closest thing he had to a home since arriving in this world. "Welp, we''re on our way, now." Morris commented while taking up a position next to him and leaning against the railing. Glancing back at the pilot, who was too busy steering the ship to really eavesdrop, Mike replied. "It definitely took longer than I''d anticipated, but we are. The others settled in yet?" "More or less. There''s not much unpacking to do, since we''ll spending most nights in your convenient demi-realm, but Tal and Sera have been tied up with something and William''s been trying to keep Lily under control. Apparently, she''s already managed to set fire to ship, even though we''ve only been underway a short time." Mike chuckled, but didn''t say anything. After pausing for a few seconds to look out at the bay, he continued. "I have to admit, you''ve got an odd bunch here. Between the anti-social, elven Spirit Mage, the explosion prone noblewoman with giant''s strength, the disturbingly laid-back humanoid tree, and the living, breathing Oracle, you''re only a few steps away from having a full-on traveling circus." "Don''t forget the miniature beast of legend that likes to hang out in my pocket," Mike replied, indicating the lump in question, "Anyway, what''s that say about you?" Morris laughed. "Me? I''m just the one that got caught up in all this after finding a naked boy in the woods." "You''re never going to let me forget that are you?" "Not in this lifetime." The pair lapsed into silence for a few minutes, casually watching the water. Perhaps sensing something of his friend''s mood, the bard asked, "You alright?" "Yeah, just got a feeling that I''m forgetting something. I can''t think of what it might be. I made sure to take care of all of my business before I left." He thought for a moment, "Well, I kind of intentionally avoided Talgratha. Mainly because I didn''t want to deal with the resulting fallout. I''m sure that will come back to bite me in the end." "No doubt about it." Morris commented, before pausing for a beat. "So, wait, you didn''t even tell her you were leaving?" "I left her a message at the guild. They were supposed to pass it along, but I don''t think its made it to her yet. After all, it''s not like she was actually in the city." Mike shot back, a little defensively. "Still, this kind of thing should have been handled in person." Mike sighed. "I couldn''t figure out a good way to say it that wouldn''t deeply offend her or have her try to come with us. So, I went with the cowardly option. I''m not proud of it, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully, even if it makes her furious, her anger will have cooled by the next time we meet." Frowning, Morris shook his head. "I don''t know about that. Based on what I''ve seen of her personality, I''m thinking that we''ll be getting an angry orc chieftain on our tail in the near future. She''s not the type to let a little thing like an ocean get in the way of what she wants." "Come on, she wouldn''t go that far, would she?" He shrugged. "We''ll find out, I guess. Anyway, did you figure out what you forgot yet?" Leaning heavily against the railing, Mike sighed again." Haaa¡­. no. Well, it will either come back to me eventually, or it wasn''t that important in the first place." --------------------------------------- "Alright, we need to be on our best behavior." Julia admonished Cariel while the pair were heading to the meeting place. "I had to call in practically every favor I have left to get this audience, so don''t blow it. Do you remember what you are supposed to do?" "I know, I know. Keep my mouth shut and follow your lead." The angel replied cheerfully. "AND don''t wander away." "And don''t wander. It will be alright, Julia. I have a good feeling about this time." "That makes me worried." The cat beastman replied. "Anyway, it looks like we''re here." The run-down tavern was one of dozens of similar establishments throughout the city. Everything, from its dilapidated sign bearing only a sun-bleached painting of a foaming mug, to the tiny windows so coated with grime they were practically opaque, indicated that it was little more than the commonplace watering hole in the slums. However, it was also the place where they were supposed to meet one of the most powerful people Almirn. As soon as they stepped inside, they were surrounded by a group of heavily muscled thugs who bound their hands and threw hoods over their heads. Afterwards, they were led down into the tavern''s basement and through a series of tunnels. Julia quickly lost track of the various twists and turns, but could tell they''d gone quite a distance by the time there were told they''d arrived. The first thing they saw once the hoods were removed was a grizzled bear beastman, who promptly motioned at them to follow. "This way. You will have ten minutes to plead your case. Make them count." He led them down another passage without saying anything else. They were apparently still underground, judging by the musty dampness of the air and the torch sconces which lit their way. The tunnel soon opened up into a large chamber. Near the center of it was a newly constructed platform on which sat an ornate throne that was currently empty. A young rabbit beastman was standing nearby and veritably bounced over to them as soon as they walked in. "Welcome petitioners, to the court of the King of Thieves! Please excuse the mess, his majesty has only recently decided to occupy this decrepit hole in the ground and we haven''t really had time to decorate." Julia looked around, but didn''t see anything that could really be called a mess. "Now, please keep in mind that the king is a busy man, with a lot on his plate." The girl continued in a condescending manner, "So don''t waste his time. You''ll have five minutes to talk once he comes in." "Huh? He said we''d have ten!" Julia exclaimed while pointing at the bear beastman. "Right, ten. What did I say?" Before Julia had a chance to answer, another thug stepped into the room from a second passage and loudly announced. "Now presenting his most august majesty, King Brenden the First, the King of Thieves!" "I told you to stop all this nonsense." A youthful voice cut in from further down the corridor. The thug looked a bit confused. "Uhh, but your Voice told us it was important to ''establish your royal presence,'' Your Majesty." "You can definitely ignore anything that Elaine tells you." The King of Thieves grumbled as he rounded the corner and came into view. "Now where are these¡­" He trailed off as he caught sight of the pair, and there were a few seconds of silence until Cariel spoke up. "Ah! I know you!" She paused for a second and leaned over towards Julia, "It''s that fighty guy with the big sword." Julia resisted the urge to facepalm. She''d heard that the leader of Almirn''s underworld had a close connection to the Dragonknight, but she hadn''t connected the dots until now. Had she known his true identity; she''d have tried this method a long time ago." "Alright, give us the room." The King of Thieves commanded while motioning for his guards to leave. Surprisingly, they did so without so much as word of protest. "You too, Elaine." He said to the rabbit beastman, who was proudly standing next to him. "Aww, but I never get to see you doing kingly stuff." She complained. "Can''t I stay? Pleaseeeeeee?" "No, and stop looking at me like that." "Finnneee¡­." Came the reluctant reply and she slunk back into the hallway with exaggerated depression. At the entrance, she shot one last look over her shoulder, highlighting the tears forming at the corner of her eyes, before walking out. "Is she going to be okay?" Julia asked, feeling a slight pang of guilt for reasons she didn''t fully understand. "Don''t fall for her act. More than likely, she''s already making trouble for me somewhere. Now, what brings you here?" The King asked wearily. "Right, we were actually hoping that you might get us in to see your friend the Dragonknight. We have something really important to tell him." He scratched his chin. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you''re a little late." Julia frowned. "What do you mean? He didn''t¡­die or something, did he?" "Of course not." He gave her a disgusted look, like the idea was so nonsensical that it wasn''t worth contemplating. "No, he got on a ship heading towards the Riverlands earlier today. He''s probably already made it out of the bay by now." It took a moment for his words to sink in. "¡­. Huh? Wait, he''s coming back, right?! It''s just a short trip, right?!" The King grimaced. "I think he plans to be gone for a while." Julia collapsed like her strings had been cut. Cariel tilted her head, "I guess that means we need to catch another ship to follow them." The puddle of misery on the floor sobbed. "What did you need to see him about that''s so important?" The King asked. He was idly playing with a small piece of glass he was wearing around his neck on a simple strip of leather. "I can''t tell you. It''s a secret mission." The angel replied seriously. "I see¡­" He dropped the glass bauble. "Well, I''m afraid I can''t help you, so unless you have something else you need¡­" Julia brought herself together long enough to stagger back to her feet. It took nearly every ounce of willpower she had to utter her next words. "Can you help us find a ship?" Chapter 298: Island in the Sky "Ugh, I''ve forgotten how boring sailing can be. Why aren''t we there yet?" Sera complained as she collapsed on the deck of the ship. They''d been out to sea for the better part of a week, and weren''t even halfway there yet. "You know, I did have a faster means of travel available." Mike commented from where he was sitting, not bothering to look up from his work. He was in the middle of carving a piece of driftwood into the shape of a small turtle. "Don''t remind me!" The Oracle shot back while childishly kicking her arms and legs up into the air in a fit of emotion. "Besides, I''d rather suffer through weeks of boredom than get on one of your flying deathtraps." "Come on, it''s not that bad. Right, Tal?" The elf gave him an unreadable look before returning to the book she''d scavenged from the cabin''s study. "No comment." The three of them were occupying a space on the ship''s foredeck, out of the way of most of the sailors that went about the business of keeping the vessel moving. It had rained for most of the journey, forcing the party to spend nearly all of their time inside their cabins, when not in the demi-realm, and the resulting dreariness had been dampening their morale. Thankfully, that weather pattern had come to an end, and they were able to get out and enjoy a bit of sunlight on deck. "Look, I know flying is a bit scar-" He started before Sera cut him off. "Flying is not the problem! It''s how fast you end up going at that make the process terrifying." "Well, if we want to get where we are going before the summon dissipates, we need to move quickly." He shot back, a little irritated. While he didn''t mind taking his time on traveling, especially considering the number of things he needed to work on, he was getting tired of hearing her complain about it. "If the boredom really bothers you, I can have us in the Riverlands in a matter of hours." Sera frowned for a second, as if considering the idea, before shaking her head. "No thanks. I''d rather suffer boredom than risk death just to save a few days of travel time." "Fine! Then stop whining about it!" "But it''s taking so long!" Relying on his enhanced Willpower to resist the urge to strangle the infuriating girl, Mike took a couple of deep breaths before resolving to ignore her. Once he felt reasonably calm, he went back to his carving. "What doing?" Tal asked in the common tongue, perhaps as a means of distracting both parties from the argument they were fixing to get into. "I''m trying to make a wooden sculpture of a turtle to serve as the base for my Transmutation practice." "That''s supposed to be a turtle?" Sera asked while rolling over to give it a better looked, "I thought you were making a horse with an unusually large saddle on its back." "That''s its shell!" "What are those fiddly bits hanging of the sides? Hair?" "Legs!" She snickered. "Well, it''s good to know that you aren''t perfect at everything." "Look, I haven''t gotten a carving skill yet, so I''m basically an amateur. Give me a few days of practice, and I''ll be making works of art. Just you wait." Mike grumbled in defense of his creation. It was a little amateurish, to be honest, but he didn''t think it looked too bad¡­. probably. Once again playing the roll of the peacemaker, Tal asked. "Why turtle?" Taking another deep breath to calm down, he explained. "According to my reference books, Transmutation is more dependent on imagination than other forms of crafting skills. Because you are essentially infusing the normal runes into the object directly without writing them out, it becomes necessary to have a strong image of what you are attempting to create. They recommend that beginners start with items which strongly relate to the intended effect, to better facilitate the imaginative process." "So, you are making it a turtle because you want to enchant it with defense?" Sera asked, sounding mildly intrigued. "Do you associate turtles with protection or something?" "Well, of course. They carry around a natural suit of armor. Why? What do you two associate them with." "Slowness." Came Tal''s quick reply. "Helplessness, since most of them can''t do anything when they''re on their backs." Sera added with a mischievous grin, obviously messing with him now. "Whatever! It''s my creation, so I''m going to do it how I want it." He must have spoken a little too loudly, since the water to the left of their position burst into a spray of droplets that quickly left them soaked. A large serpentine head looked down on them with something that might have been concern or maybe hunger. It was hard to tell. "It''s alright." Mike reassured the Sea Serpent. "Nothing''s going on, we were just having a bit of an argument." The creature stared at them for a few more seconds, before once again dipping back beneath the water. Sera watched the creature go, before asking, "Didn''t you say that thing was supposed to be temporary? Why is it still following the ship?" "How should I know? I''m pretty sure I only used a basic summoning spell to bring it into existence, but for some reason it seems to have fully manifested as a living creature. Every other time I used that particular method, they only lasted for a half hour at most." The serpent was something of a mystery to him. As far as he could tell, it had become a real being, much like Red, but without the intense mana requirements that the dragon had needed to maintain himself. The only possibility that made any sense, was that at some point it must have gotten hold of a mana source powerful enough to sustain itself. If he could figure out what that might be, it would go a long way towards improving his dragon creation methods, which were still in the developmental stages. Of course, Sea Serpents were unusual among draconic beings for only having slightly more intelligence than most animals, making questioning the one accompanying the Huntsman fairly difficult. So far, Mike hadn''t had any luck in solving the mystery. "Not sure why you are complaining." Morris broke in as he walked up to join them. "I think it''s been eating the monsters that would have otherwise been harassing us." "Now that you mention it, we haven''t been attacked once since we started out. With Mike''s luck, I''m surprised we haven''t been swarmed by vengeful fishmen or something." Sera replied lazily. She''d yet to get up from the deck of the ship, and was now apparently basking in the early afternoon sun. Mike chose to ignore her comment, mostly because he kind of agreed with it. The bard grinned, "I was talking to the crew, and apparently they think of Shipwrecker as something like a guardian spirit. Ever since the night they were rescued, it''s has been following along and protecting them from harm." Mike was in the middle of carving the turtle''s slightly lopsided head, but had to put his tools down for a second to comment. "Please tell me that they aren''t calling it that." Chuckling, Morris nodded. "Unfortunately, it''s true. The ship''s mate said that, as soon as you left for the city, your serpent friend headed over and began wreaking havoc in the Tenundian fleet. It apparently figured out that putting a large hole in the bottom of their ships was an effective means of disabling the enemy, and he estimated that it had sunk more than twenty before the Tenundians finally gave up on chasing the Huntsman. This of course inspired the name." "Ugh¡­well, I suppose it could be worse. At least they didn''t try to call it Fluffy or something. Anyway, was there anything you needed?" The older man shook his head. "Nah, just getting some air. I''ve been cooped up too long, so I figured I needed a break." "Any luck?" "So far, I haven''t learned much about the Sable Enchantress that we don''t already know. It seems that details about her are scarce, especially since she really hasn''t taken on center stage in any major political dramas. About the only thing of use I''ve been able to determine, is that she''s probably an elf of some kind." Mike paused to consider that. "Because of her lifespan?" "More or less. It''s just my theory, mind you, but after sorting through the majority of the books I''d brought with me, I''ve been seeing a pattern. For a few hundred years prior to the enchantress''s appearance, that region of the Riverlands suffered from a series of mysterious disappearances. People, mainly loggers, hunters and other individuals who frequented the region''s forests, would vanish without a trace." "Are you suggesting that she''s been kidnapping people for hundreds of years?" Morris shrugged. "Hard to say, but it never became that big of deal since, as far as I can tell, the missing people showed up again in good health after a few weeks. They usually had no memory of what happened, but a few mentioned meetings with a ''raven-haired beauty'' in the woods, who invited them back to her mansion." "Same person?" Tal asked curiously. "Black hair. Star elf?" "That was my thought. Of course, as a master illusionist, it''s entirely possible that she was disguised. Needless to say, I wasn''t the first to make the connection between the strange abductions and the emergence of a Tier 4 mage specializing in mental magi in roughly the same area, but even then, it was only casually suggested by historians from outside the Riverlands. Native writers studiously avoid mentioning the first, and only sing the praises of the second, which leads me to believe that she''s been influencing the academic field for quite some time to keep her true identity hidden." "And since she''s been operating this long, she''s probably not a human." Mike commented absently as he studied his carving again. "Usually, without the Lifespan increases provided by increasing in Tiers, humans have a hard time living past a hundred. Other races, and elves especially, are a different in that they age much slower. I''ve even heard that they are technically immortal, so long as they avoid a violent death." The bard explained while looking over to Tal for confirmation on that last statement. Tal shrugged. "Elves¡­" She frowned for a few seconds then looked over at Mike and continued in the ancient tongue. "It is hard to explain properly. Most elves don''t exactly have a set lifespan. Once they reach maturity, they cease to age, and instead gradually become detached from the world until they no longer have the will to take care of themselves. This is a process that usually takes centuries to occur, but varies from person to person. There are a few remarkable individuals who have managed to maintain their sanity for multiple millennia, but the vast majority of my race can expect to pass on after several hundred years." "That would make sense based on what I''ve heard." Morris said after Mike had relayed the information. "If she had a few hundred years to prepare, there''s no telling just how far her influence has sprea-" "Oh! Look at that!" Sera exclaimed suddenly, pointing at something up in air. She''d been laying on her back and lazily staring up at the sky for most of the conversation. Mike followed her gaze. Something massive was slowly emerging from a bank of clouds. For a second, he thought it was a distant mountain, until he realized that they were still in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight. They watched in awe for a few minutes as the full structure came into view. It resembled a vaguely circular floating island, roughly twenty kilometers in diameter, that had been separated from the earth in some terrific cataclysm, leaving its underside jagged and torn. A giant, crystalline spike extended from the center of its mass, and Mike thought he could detect a faint hum coming from it, even though it must be a few dozen kilometers away. Its northern edge had a single waterfall that fell towards the sea, dissipating into spray long before it reached the surface. On its upper surface, he could see a jagged mountain range intermingled with some regular patterns that suggested artificial constructions or buildings. [Well, I''m definitely in a fantasy setting.] Mike thought as he watched the island float through the sky with a regal pace. "Wow, I haven''t seen the Asan since I was a child." Morris commented with a grin. "Forgot how much of an impressive sight it is." "The Asan?" Mike prompted. "Ah, right." The Bard replied, before going into lecture mode. "The Asan, also known as the Wandering Island, is the largest known flying structure in the world. It seemingly follows a random pattern of movement over the Inland Sea, and for some reason rarely travels over major land masses. So, it''s usually only ever spotted by sailors and inhabitants of coastal regions." "You forgot the Asani." Sera broke in. "I was getting to that. Asan is the home of the Asani, a race of bird-like humanoids who remain isolated from the outside world. While they''ve occasionally been known to send a few representatives down to merchant vessels in order to engage in a bit of trade, I haven''t heard of anyone who''ve visited the Asan, so there isn''t much known about them." "Let''s see if I understand you correctly. They are a race, shrouded in mystery, who are inhabiting a mysterious floating island, and are mysteriously wandering about the region. That about right?" Mike summarized with a straight face, causing Sera to snicker. "Well that''s a bit oversimplified, but not exactly inaccurate." Morris replied with a slight cough. "Look, I''d like to give you more information than that, but I really don''t know much about them." "About to." Tal said. "Getting closer." "It does appear to be coming this way." Sera murmured. "And is it just me or is it getting lower in the air too?" "It''s not just you," Morris answered, a hint of concern in his voice. "I think it''s losing altitude." Mike could tell that it was sinking rapidly, but not exactly falling. As best as he could figure, it was only a few hundred meters above the ocean, and that distance was shrinking rapidly. "It looks like it''s trying to touch down on the wat-" Morris started to say, but he was interrupted by a deafening crack. As they watched, the crystalline spike on the underside of the island fractured, and nearly half of its length broke off. For a brief moment, the Asan seemed to hang in the air, before inexorably plummeting to the surface. Chapter 299: Visiting the Aftermath "HOLD ON!" Someone yelled. As the Asan crashed into the surface of the ocean, the resulting shock of displaced water spread outwards in a series of massive waves, the largest of which must have been hundreds of meters in height. Any one of them would have crushed their ship to pieces, so Mike needed to act fast to avoid a tragedy. Since splitting the wave around the ship would require a massive amount of mana, given the sheer volume of water bearing down on them from above, he settled on moving the Huntsman instead. Of course, this left him with two real options. He could use a burst of Water Magic to propel the vessel over the top of the wave, and then repeat that process until they were of a manageable size. It would be difficult, and might lead to a fair amount of damage if he couldn''t get the timing just right, but he was fairly certain it would work so long as he focused. Alternatively, he could make use of the old swimmer''s trick, and simply go underneath. [Well, this will either be incredibly awesome or end in a shipwreck.] He thought before finally deciding on the later of his two options. With a quick chant, he summoned an air shield around the ship, using it more as a delineating point for the next part than for its protective properties. He then sent his will into the seawater below them, pulling it around the ship to form a second barrier. Using that mass as a medium for his efforts. he pushed the resulting air bubble underwater. With the panicked cries of the sailors ringing in his ears, the ship submerged, entering a strangely quiet underwater world. Once it became clear that they weren''t about to die, the crew fell silent, staring in wonder at their surroundings. Above them, the destructive waves ravaged the surface, but the violence was strangely distant and muted. The only effect they seemed to have on the ship''s protective bubble was to cause a bit of gentle rocking. Mike was a little disappointed that there wasn''t any sea life to look at while he concentrated on maintaining his spells. He''d been hoping on letting his friends see something fascinating, but he contented himself with novelty of the submarine voyage. As if sensing his thoughts, the Sea Serpent, which he refused to think of as Shipwrecker, swam into view, coiling up and around the ship''s port side before diving past it''s starboard. Seeing the draconic creature at its full length was awe-inspiring. It must have stretched for close to thirty meters from snout to tail, and its long, sinuous body featured a delicate looking frill that extended all the way down its back. Moving with a confident and easy grace that belonged to aquatic alpha predators, it slipped out of view once more. [Well, that was pretty cool] After a few minutes spent in that odd silence, he noted that the surface had calmed. Judging that it was probably safe to ascend, he flexed his will again, allowing the air bubble to slowly rise to the surface. Their reemergence was quiet by comparison to their descent, and they gently slipped back into the open air with nothing more than a bit of displaced water to show that anything had happened. By this point, the titanic waves had passed, leaving only some minor turbulence to overcome. There was a brief moment of silence as the crew looked around again, but it was swiftly shattered by relieved cheering. "That¡­that was something." William commented a bit breathlessly, having emerged onto deck at some point during their time underwater. "I knew you were a powerful mage, but that¡­that was a feat straight out legends." "Eh, that''s nothing." Sera broke in dismissively. "Stick around long enough and you''ll see some really impressive things." Mike listened absently to the exchange, but otherwise kept his attention focused towards the ship''s prow. Beyond it, he could see the jagged expanse of the Asan, which was apparently still floating on the surface of the ocean. [Unless it has some large air pockets built in, I''m guessing whatever effect that allowed it to fly is still partially active. If we assume that the crystal spike was the source of that, then the island is probably on the verge of sinking.] "What do you think?" Morris asked neutrally, as if he was trying hard to avoid betraying his thoughts. Mike spared him a glance for a few seconds before answering. "I''m not sure, but the Asani probably don''t have long before their island is submerged." Staring out over the water, the bard murmured, "There doesn''t seem to be any effort to evacuate, but then again it did fall pretty far before hitting the ocean. Who can say what sort of state the Asani are in, or even if any are still alive? Unless they were prepared for this kind of disaster, it''s entirely possible that we are witnessing the end of their race." "What do?" Tal asked with her usual emotionlessness. He thought about his options, but he knew his conscience wouldn''t let him just do nothing. Besides, he had a feeling this whole situation was in part caused by his luck. If that was the case, ignoring the disaster might have consequences he might have to deal with at some point. That being said, he didn''t have any idea how dangerous it might be. Glancing back at his party members for a moment, he made up his mind. "We don''t know enough about what''s going on to really decide if we should get involved or not. So, I''m going to go take a look, and get idea of what the situation might be." "Wait, what about the rest of us? What are we supposed to do?" Sera asked, obviously upset. "Stay here." Mike replied over the sound of the wind as he lifted himself into the air. "I''ll be back once I know more." Before any of his party members had a chance to argue, he launched himself in the direction of the Asan. As much as he hated leaving them out once again, he couldn''t bring himself to put them at risk just to satisfy his conscience. Resolving to apologize to them once he was back, he focused on the task at hand. From his new elevation, he was able to see that the Asan was clearly not a naturally occurring structure. The mountains that made up the majority of the island''s surface were laid out in a spiral pattern. Most of these were craggy peaks that would not have looked out of place in a common mountain range, if not for the unnatural way they were laid out. However, at the axis of the pattern was another of the crystalline spikes, this time pointing into the sky and looming over its surroundings. Dotting the slopes and valleys of the island were pockets of buildings, which were in turn surrounded by sprawling farmlands. He flew over a few of the larger settlements on his way towards the center of the island, slowing down to get a better look. Clearly, they had suffered something along the lines of a major earthquake, or perhaps floating island quake was a better term, which had left the fragile buildings in ruins. Some of the more robust ones had survived, though, which gave him some clues about the nature of their inhabitants. The presence of artificial illumination sources (currently nonfunctional), glass windows (mostly broken), and elaborate and artistic architecture suggested that the Asani were a cultured and advanced species that had manufacturing capabilities comparable to many of the surface nations. Judging by the shape and size of the doorways, the owners of the buildings were probably similar to most humanoids, with one notable exception. They apparently didn''t need to rely on walking to enter their buildings, as most of the entrances were set at least a few meters above the ground. [Well, Morris did say they were bird-like. Maybe that means they are capable of flight. Still, it''s hard to imagine a humanoid creature that would be comfortable flying to the extent that they designed their homes based on that principle, but still have the manual dexterity necessary to build things¡­I suppose magic or some sort of innate skill might be the cause. Anyway, I''ll have to wait until I meet one to know for sure.] He''d yet to see any sign of the people in question. Even with Aerosense activated, he couldn''t detect any signs of a living being larger than a mouse inside the ruins. It seems the Asani had evacuated at some point prior to the crash. [While it''s possible they abandoned the island when they realized the danger, they also may have moved into some kind of emergency shelter. Assuming, of course, they had sufficient warning.] Figuring that the center of the island would likely be the best protected, and therefore the safest place to house evacuees, he headed towards the large crystal spike. As he got closer, he could hear a faint, discordant hum that seemed to emanate from its surface. It vaguely reminded him of the note he''d detected earlier, but it now had a sort of warbling, chaotic sound mixed in, which set his nerves on edge. The base of the crystal seemed to serve as the focal point of the Asani settlements, with a large city built around its circumference. Here he began to get an inkling of what might have caused the island to fall. The buildings were also damaged by the seismic activity stemming from the impact with the ocean, but there was additional destruction caused by something else entirely. Scorch marks, melted stone, circular holes bored into the side of the stone buildings, and even splashes of red fluid that looked like blood were present throughout the city. He''d seen enough warfare to recognize a battlefield, but wasn''t able to locate any bodies. Landing briefly, he examined a strange polearm-like weapon that was embedded in the ground near one such blood stain. It was one of several dozen in the area, although it was the only one that appeared to be intact. The long, metallic shaft was topped with a two-pronged, trident-like blade with barbed edges. While it didn''t appear to be particularly useful in combat, he could imagine its victims have a rough time. A quick Appraise told him a bit more. ------------------------------------ Kalingi Mundane Weapon (Tier 2, Rank 1) Crafted from Sky Steel, this polearm is one of the many traditional weapons of the Asani. Primarily used as part of the Tuling school of aerial combat, which specializes in fighting large, airborne monsters, it is designed to deliver painful and debilitating wounds in preparation for a lethal finisher delivered by a comrade. -------------------------------------- Mike left the weapon where it was, and took another look at the others in his surroundings. Based on the layout of the blood spatters and the other more damaged armaments, he began to get an idea of what happened. [This seems to have been the site of a fight between Asani fighters and some kind of large flying creature. Maybe there are no bodies because they were eaten? Not sure if I want to run into anything with this large of an appetite.] His thoughts were interrupted when his Aerosense, which he''d been keeping active, picked up the hint of a disturbance from a large building that practically abutted the crystal. Guessing that this might be his best bet for answers, he moved to investigate. The structure had all the appearances of a fortification, being composed primarily out of massive blocks of worked stone. In comparison to the graceful and aesthetically pleasing architecture he''d seen on the rest of the island, this stronghold was almost crude. It resembled a cube made of smaller cubes, and Mike was reminded of a certain popular puzzle toy from his old world. There was no sign of any windows or adornments, so it had all the hallmarks of a final redoubt. In the center of the building''s outward facing wall was a single entrance. There, a hinge like apparatus was built into its upper side, which would have ordinarily lowered a large slab of stone to seal the opening and disguise it among the others that made up the wall. However, something had evidently gone wrong, since the melted remains of the door were lying some distance from the structure''s foundation. Mike flew up to the entrance and found that it led to a square tunnel which extended for a few dozen meters before ending in a chamber. The edges of the corridor were scarred, blackened, and melted, as if something hot enough to liquify rock had passed through here recently. Keeping his mana at the ready, he flew forward, making sure not to come in contact with the warped surface of the stone, just to be on the safe side. The room turned out to be a simple squarish space that he guessed occupied the exact center of the building. With the exception of a circular opening in the floor, there was nothing else of interest. He floated over and looked down, using a bit of Air Magic to scout the passage with Aerosense. It was a circular shaft which seemed to extend deep into the heart of the island, farther than he could make out with his sight alone. Much like the previous passage, this one was also damaged. As he was examining the edges of the hole, his senses picked up the distant presence of living creatures in its depths. However, the picture he got from Aerosense was strangely distorted and confused. The best he could determine was that there was a large group of smaller creatures right next to something that was a great deal larger, but anything more than that was lost in the odd static. He briefly contemplated going back and leaving the Asani to their fate. After all, he didn''t even know the species existed an hour ago. However, he had a feeling that whatever was attacking them posed a threat to more than just this island. Where might it go, once it had finished here? [I need more information before I can decide whether or not to leave. The last thing I want is to abandon this place, only to have a country destroying monster chasing us.] The unusual air currents became more jostled and confused, and he thought he heard the distant sounds of screaming. [I suppose there is really only one way to find out now.] He thought as he began his descent. Chapter 300: A Long Time Coming As he flew down the tunnel, the air began to get warmer and it smelled of ozone. At the same time, he began to feel a strange sense of disorientation, almost like his vision was wavering. The further he traveled, the worse it seemed to get. Just to be on the safe side, he used a quick burst of Life Magic to ensure that he hadn''t been poisoned or drugged. While his mana did manage to cure a minor headache, which he hadn''t noticed until then, it did nothing to correct the abnormalities in his surroundings. [The air doesn''t appear to be causing this. Hell, it''s almost like the world itself is warping¡­] With a sense of foreboding, Mike channeled some mana in his Space Magic and expanded his awareness. Instantly, he understood the cause. It appeared that the very fabric of existence was bending and twisting. He could even detect a few fraying tears, which were too small to be visible, but were quickly growing in size. "Shit." He muttered. It was clear that he''d stumbled on a potential world-ending threat¡­again. After about a kilometer, the tunnel opened up into a vast chamber. It was unnaturally smooth and spherical in shape, extending several hundred meters across, and was centered around the long crystal spike, which Mike realized must pass all the way through the island. Built at the exact epicenter of the room was a platform that circled the spike. There, he got his first look at the Asani, as well as the creature they were fighting. Winged humanoids that would have resembled angelic beings, if not for their distinctly avian head and arms, were frantically trying to protect themselves from a monster straight out of nightmare, which his senses told him was the cause of this disturbance. It was a misshapen and strangely transparent mass of a rubbery material that reminded Mike of gelatin...or at least would have if said gelatin had been left out for far too long, exposed to some kind of mutating radiation, and evolved into a cosmic horror bent on devouring the world. As if to prove that point, its body began to change, forming a seemingly random collection of fanged maws, writhing tendrils, and glassy, staring eyes all over. While horrific to look upon, the beast was far from the worst thing he''d seen since reincarnating. Yet, for some reason, merely glancing in its direction was enough to make him feel queasy. Something about it was so wrong, so immiscible to this world, that its very presence seemed to distort his perception of reality. Hoping to get a better idea of what he was dealing with, Mike tried to Appraise it. ---------------------------- !@#%!@!@%@! #$! #:"?3:"]! #$#]!@"$ !#$!#!!@#@!^#$@ ()$^%^$%#?[#} ---------------------------- [That''s different¡­] He thought initially, before remembering that he''d seen the System behave this way on one other occasion. Specifically, in his own class description, when listing the name of the Ancient One who''d sent him to this world. [Whatever this means, I doubt it''s good.] The Asani, for their part, appeared to be engaged in a series of hit and run attacks. The fast-moving warriors would swoop in low, stab at the squishy mass a few times, and then escape before the grasping tentacles could reach them. They didn''t appear to be having much effect, and Mike was a bit confused as to what their strategy might be. Suddenly, one of the bird people on the platform issued a shrill cry. The flying Asani began putting as much distance as possible between them and the creature. Almost simultaneously, a cylindrical device on the platform around the crystal started to glow with an angry, red light. After a few seconds of charging, a beam of intense crimson energy exploded forth from the weapon in a shriek of tortured air and slammed into the strange creature. It silently recoiled from the blow, as some of its component mass began to disintegrate. For a brief moment, Mike thought the Asani had won. Every second the weapon remained operational, more of the creature was dissolved, but that changed when it counter attacked. It spawned a particularly large tentacle, which it whipped at the platform with blinding speed. Rather than the terrific impact he''d expected though, the limb seemed to simply pass through the weapon and a few of its surrounding defenders, leaving nothing but empty space in its wake. As Mike watched the severed arm of one of the Asani warriors fall towards the distant floor, he realized that this is what must have happened to the other bodies above ground. [So, it can dissolve things on contact¡­or perhaps erase them from existence is a better explanation.] He thought while examining the resulting spatial disturbances caused by the creature''s act of destruction. [However, based on the way it seems to still be affected by the Asani''s more mundane attacks, it isn''t constantly active. In which case¡­] With a few plans in mind, he began chanting. --------------------------------- Sahel dodged to his right at the last second, but couldn''t get fully away from the Invader''s attack. A searing bolt of pain shot through his body as his left wing was caught in the blow. "Grrrrgh." He grunted, slamming into the plating of the Command Platform. He felt the Sky Steel structure creak ominously, and a distant part of his mind realized that the lower supports must have been hit. Struggling to his taloned feet, he briefly glanced back at his wing and immediately regretted it. The appendage had been sheared off a little after the middle joint. Thankfully, it had apparently been cauterized in the process, so he needn''t fear bleeding to death, but it would require several weeks'' worth of visits to the Medical Corps to regenerate. Of course, that was assuming he survived the next few minutes. The Invader chose that moment to become agitated, swiftly recovering its lost mass in a flurry of growth and change which had the other warriors scattering to avoid being caught by one of its flailing limbs. "Sahel!" Tuli called as she landed nearby. "Are you alright?" With an effort, he managed to steady himself and answer in a manner that would not alarm her. "I''ll live. Where are the other weapons platforms? We cannot hope to hold the Invader with strength of arms alone." "Most were damaged in the crash, and the few that weren''t have to be recalibrated, lest they self-destruct when activated. The engineers are working, but it will be several minutes, at least, before they can get here." Sahel stared up at the Invader, who seemed to have overcome its momentary outburst, and was now menacingly drifting closer to the Command Platform, no doubt intending on destroying the flight matrix which its fellows had damaged. "We do not have that long." With a growing sense of helplessness, he realized he had neither the tools nor the manpower to throw back the enemy in front of him. His hands clenched and unclenched impotently at his side as he came up with plan after plan, only to discard them as unusable. "Then our only hope is that the Creators have mercy upon us." Turi added morosely, her wings flattening against her back in her despair. He was about to growl a response about the uselessness of relying on uncaring deities, when something miraculous actually occurred. Dozens of projectiles, almost moving too quickly to be seen, suddenly impacted the Invader, punching holes in its body. Sahel could tell that the blow was far from lethal, but it had nevertheless hurt the monster greatly, forcing it to retract in upon itself to recover. "Where did that come from? Are one of the Homeguard units still alive?" Turi asked in amazement. "No bolt thrower in our arsenal could do something like that." He shot back gruffly as he scanned the chamber for the source of the attack. He did not have to look long, as a small humanoid figure landed lightly on the plating nearby, moving quickly enough that Sahel was barely able to track his arrival. It was a young human, by all appearances, wearing a crimson cloak, but carrying no obvious weapons. The Asani veteran assumed that due to his arrival and lack of armaments, the stranger must have been some kind of mage. That being said, he doubted that anyone so young would be capable of magical flight. [Perhaps he is one of the Immortals, or is wearing some form of disguise. I can only hope he does not belong to the ranks of the undead. If those monsters got a hold of our technology¡­] Almost as if he was intentionally ignoring the two Asani, the youth kept his attention on the Invader, muttering quietly under his breath as he did so. Although Sahel''s Pyrathien was rusty, he could make no sense of the words, leading him to believe that it was a chant. Turi moved to step forward, evidently seeking to question the newcomer, but Sahel held her back. Whatever the mage was intending to do, it would be best to not interrupt him. The youth finished his chant, and the air around him erupted in an intense heat. Crackles of lightning ran through the deck plating, causing the two Asani to jump back to a safe distance. The human raised one arm above his head, fingers splayed, and a ball of angry blinding light formed in the palm of his hand. He held it there for a moment, as the air began to swirl around him. The orb started to grow larger, and Sahel had to step back even further as the heat grew to match. He could only imagine what it must feel like to be caught in the center of that inferno. That a human could remain there without issue was almost as unbelievable as him creating the dangerous energy ball in the first place. [The deck plating is beginning to melt...A Tier 3...no, he must be a Tier 4. No other mortal beings have such presence. But what is he doing here? Could word of our plight already reached the surface?] Before he had a chance to contemplate the oddity of the situation, the human thrust his arm forward and hurled the ball at the Invader. It careened through the air, accompanied by a shriek of superheated wind. The extra-dimensional being attempted to avoid the attack, but the laws of this world kept it from making full use of its mobility. As a result, it could only partially escape the orb. The energy did not hit it, so much as devour its way through the creature''s mass. Roughly three quarters of the Invader''s form was dissolved in the angry light, the remainder existing only because of its last minute avoidance. The ball continued, largely unaffected by the encounter, and slammed into the far wall of the Control Chamber, melting a hole that seemed to continue for some time before the temperature abated. He hoped it would not create a tunnel to the outside and compromise the structural integrity of the Asan. Of course, that was a distant concern at the moment. Sahel clenched his talons in regret. The human had been so close to dealing the creature a finishing blow, driving it from this realm. Now they would need to strike again, before it had a chance to escape and reform. Suspecting that the mage likely had no idea what he was facing, he stepped forward to speak, using what little he remembered of his Pyrathien. He could only hope that his meaning got across. -------------------------------- [Welp, that should do it.] Mike thought as he watched the strange creature begin to dissolve into particles. He''d been concerned that he might have to do something else to deal with the monster, but evidently throwing a wad of plasma at it had done the trick. "Much more, for to make death. Trap can hull, save all!" Mike glanced over at the injured bird man, completely confused. "...What?" The Asani shook his head, and spoke again. "Make death, must trap can!" This time he tried to illustrate what he was talking about with his taloned hands, making a sort of crushing gesture, then acting like he was throwing something. "Can you just speak normally, like in a language that you know?" He shot back, concentrating on using his Communication Magic. The bird man blinked, momentarily taken aback, before yelling, "The Invader is escaping! You have to trap it now, before it has a chance to regroup and reform!" Mike looked back at the weird gelatin monster, which was still dissolving. As far as he could tell it was no longer alive, but then again he was probably speaking to the closest thing to an expert on gelatin monsters he was likely to find around here. [I''m not sure how effective a physical restraint would be, and I don''t want to try to maintain some kind of energy cage for any length of time, so I guess that leaves me with Space Magic.] He went over a mental list of the chants he''d memorized, finally selecting one he''d had some luck with during practice. "Twist and twirl at the heart of creation. Bend that which cannot be broken. Tie that which cannot be unwoven. Seal that which has no opening. [Spatial Prison]" Warping space itself around the creature, he created something along the lines of a miniature pocket dimension that remained coterminous with reality, but had no traversable connection with it. By all appearances, it simply vanished from existence, however, Mike could still feel the creature just barely outside the realm of reality. Normally, such an effect was temporary, locking the target in an inescapable prison for as long as the caster channeled mana into it, but he decided to add in his combo finisher which he''d developed with a fair amount of trial and error over the last few days. While maintaining his concentration on the original spell, he channeled some additional mana and formed a dimensional blade at the exact point in space that maintained the connection between the Spatial Prison and the rest of the world. The result was the creation of a minor rift in the fabric of reality, which expelled the creature into inter-dimensional space. [Whew, that was exhausting.] He thought to himself as he examined his mana reserves and determined that this method had taken nearly half of his supply. He''d come up with this particular strategy as a means of disposing of troublesome opponents that refused to die. It was still in development, mainly because he''d yet to really determine where his targets ended up once they''d been ejected from the world. It was something he hadn''t quite worked up the courage to explore just yet. Nevertheless, he was fairly confident that the creature would have trouble coming back. Turning back towards the two Asani, Mike gave them a grin. "Now that''s taken care of, how about we do some introductions?" Chapter 301: Worldview After exchanging a glance with the female at his side, the male Asani gave a short bow. "I am Sahel, Fifth Spear of the Coreguard. You have our thanks for the timely intervention, and this is my subordinate¡­" "Tuli, Twenty-First Spear of the Coreguard." The woman stepped forward and introduced herself. Mike took a moment to use Appraise to confirm their statements. ---------------------- Sahel Age: 98 Race: Asani Class: Guardian Title: Coreguard ----------------------- ----------------------- Tuli Age: 65 Race: Asani Class: Scout Title: Coreguard ----------------------- Both had essentially humanoid bodies, but were covered with dark grey feathers. Their feet and hands sported talons that looked quite dangerous, but evidently still had a great deal of manual dexterity. From their backs emerged a pair of large feathered wings that must have stretched nearly 2.5 meters across when unfolded. Their heads were distinctly reminiscent of birds of prey, with forward facing eyes, and curved beaks. [Not exactly angelic, but I suppose you could make the mistake at a distance. Also they seem to be a bit longer-lived than humans, for what it''s worth.] "Call me Mike." He added, once he was satisfied. "Very well...Mmm-ike." Sahel replied, having a bit of difficulty forming the word. Apparently, they relied primarily on throat and tongue movements to speak, which seemed to create problems for them when attempting to replicate human-made sounds. "Once again, I wish to thank you for the assistance, but I am duty-bound to inform you that you are trespassing. Ordinarily, such an offense would warrant immediate expulsion, but I suspect that would be more difficult than throwing back the Invader." He glanced over at the region of space where the gelatin monster had vanished, before continuing. "The right to visit the Asan is granted rarely, and only one of the Elders can do so. As such, I cannot allow you to roam freely." "I see." Mike replied succinctly. He understood where Sahel was coming from, but it hardly seemed like the time to be worrying about such trivial matters. "That being said, I believe it is within my rights to escort a potential visitor, at least until such time as an Elder is available to hear his case. Is that not right, Tuli?" The other Asani woman blinked, before nodding, "While such a thing would normally never happen for one of the Coreguard, I doubt that any would question your right to proceed that way." "Considering that all of the Elders are currently sealed in the Sanctuary with the other non-combatants, which is not scheduled to open for several hours at least, such an escort mission could last quite a while." Mike suppressed a laugh. Apparently, circumventing unpopular regulations was something that spanned cultures. "Alright, then perhaps you can explain what''s going on here, and what that strange gelatin creature was." "Gelatin? You speak of the Invader, I believe." Sahel replied, a bite of real hatred entering his voice. "If that''s what you call it." The Asani paused for a few moments, as if to consider how to answer the question. "Tell me, what do you know of the realms that exist beyond the borders of this world?" "Honestly, not a lot." "Then I shall start at the beginning." He replied, while walking over to a strangely futuristic device set into the platform near the crystal spike which ran through the center of the room. To Mike, it actually kind of looked like a sort of console, only lacking some kind of display screen. Tuli stopped him and whispered in a voice that would have been too quiet for most to overhear. "Are you sure about this, Sahel? Revealing the secrets of our people to an outsider." The Asani male gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "I believe he has earned the right to see what is even common knowledge to our children. Any time spent sifting through the domiciles on the surface would likely yield the same answers. Had he taken the time to explore rather than save us, we would not be here to question his access. Besides, as someone who speaks our tongue, there is little reason for him to not know our purpose, at least." With a nod, Tuli allowed him to continue to the console, where he pressed several tiles with no apparent markings. The device started to hum faintly, and a small glowing ball appeared in the air above it. After a few seconds it turned into an elaborate diagram of incredible complexity. Mike could vaguely tell that the confusing three dimensional shapes and forms were a series of concentric circles and rings, but beyond that he wasn''t quite certain what he was looking at. "Let me preface by saying that this is a demonstration meant to teach our children their place in the world, and as such, it is merely a representation of Ea in it''s true form. To truly show the wonder that is Creation in all of its glory is beyond our current technologies." Sahel explained, gesturing to the glowing display. "At its center, you can see what many believe is the full extent of the world." Mike stared at the diagram for a few seconds before he was able to identify a small circular region which seemed to occupy the very heart of the formation. "Surrounding, weaving through, and co-existing with it are the Thousand Realms." "Thousand Realms...yes." With what was probably a patient expression, the Asani continued. "It is the name for the uncounted multitude of smaller worlds that have grown from Ea since its creation." "If they are uncounted, why call it the Thousand Realms?" "Tradition, mostly." Sahel replied with clucking noise that resembled a chuckle, and then tapped a few more tiles, causing the image to zoom out until a sort of nebulous cloud surrounded the complex pattern. "This is what we refer to as the Outer Reaches, a place beyond the confines of Ea where the laws that govern our reality do not apply." "And that''s where the Invader comes from?" "In a sense yes, but also no." Mike gave him a look. The Asani tapped a few more tiles, and the display zoomed out again, much further this time. When it finally stopped, it showed a chaotic collection of thousands of greenish dots around a single blue one. "This is what is known as the Multiverse, at least to the extent the High Elves were able to map it prior to their fall, but they believed that many more existed beyond the limits of their exploration." [I wonder if one of those is Earth¡­] Mike found himself thinking. Sahel pointed to a space between two of the dots. "In order to explain the Outer Reaches, you must first understand that every universe exists as a self-contained whole. Each of them occupy their own place in the makeup of the Multiverse. However, much like a stone wall is joined by mortar, the worlds in this pattern do not directly touch one another. Instead there is a kind of buffer region which keeps them separate. This is the Outer Reaches." "So basically interdimensional space. Got it. Is that where the Invader as you called it is from?" The Asani hesitated, but shook his head. "We do not believe so, but it remains a possibility." "What do you mean?" "According to our tradition, the Outer Reaches is known as a place beyond all conception of reality. It is fundamentally and unequivocally different from how we perceive existence. Because of that, any living creature that attempts to travel there in body will inevitably be lost." [Good thing I didn''t try it myself.] "So you are saying that the Invaders aren''t coming from interdimensional space, but you have no means of confirming that?" "That is more or less the case. It is considered the greatest of taboos to attempt to open a doorway to the Outer Reaches." "Why? Because it''s dangerous?" Mike asked, wondering if his little stunt with the gelatin monster might cause some long term problems. Sahel gave him a hard stare, or least it appeared that way. He was having trouble reading the avian man''s facial expressions. "We consider it taboo for the sole reason that such an attempt was the cause of the Fall, and nearly led to the destruction of Ea." [Right. Probably should avoid doing that again, unless absolutely necessary.] "The Invaders are beings from a world beyond ours. Whether they have come from another universe or inhabit the Outer Reaches themselves remains unclear, but they have been appearing here since the end of the High Elven civilization. As such, it is commonly believed that whatever caused the Fall has made it possible for them to break through the barrier around our world." Mike nodded, "So, they''ve been around for thousands of years. Why haven''t I heard about them before now?" Sahel straightened. "Ever since we rebelled against the Creators, it has always been the Asani''s sworn duty to protect this world from the Invaders." "Wait, Creators? As in the gods? You rebelled against them?" "Indeed." The Asani confirmed before tapping on the console again, and causing the display to change. This time it showed an image of another of his kind, only different. The figure was powerfully built, and carried himself with a level of confidence and grace that was nearly divine. Instead of the piercing avian eyes of his living kinsmen, however, he had two pools of swirling blue light. "This is Asan, the first of our kind and the leader of our people. During the Second Age, he was the divine servant of Enturatriti, the Ascended who bears the Aspects of Protection, Birds, and Defensive Warfare. It was Asan''s mission to lead the others of his kind and protect the boundaries of Ea from any intrusion, a duty that he fulfilled for millenia without questions." Tuli stepped forward to continue where he left off, evidently knowing the story as well. "That was, until the High Elves discovered the secrets to interdimensional travel. When he saw what they were doing, he was worried. He begged Enturatriti to allow him to put an end to the practice, but he was denied. The Creators had forbidden direct intervention in the affairs of mortals." Sahel took up the story once more. "So, he was forced to watch as the High Elves grew ever more conceited, ever more arrogant in their power, expanding their rule across the Multiverse, never knowing that the forces they were playing with would spell their demise. Then at the height of their decadence, they took a step too far and brought ruin upon themselves." "The Outer Reaches." Mike offered, anticipating the turn in the story. "That is correct." Tuli resumed her part. "They opened a pathway to that place, confident in their ability to deal with whatever came from it, and yet they were unprepared. What really happened on that fateful day remains a mystery, but when the dust settled, the ancient heart of the High Elves dimension-spanning empire had been brought to ruin. Some survived the destruction, especially on the fringes of their society. However, they soon become prey for the Invaders who appeared in the chaos." The male Asani took over once more, "Whether the portal led their world, or merely gave them a means of entering ours is uncertain, but the records speak of the horrors that emerged in the hours following the Fall. Many of those who''d survived were subsequently slain by the monstrosities that seemingly desired to consume all life on Ea." Tuli spoke again. "Asan looked upon this tragedy with horror, and begged his master to allow him to intervene, but was once again denied. The Creators had managed to seal the breach before it destroyed this world, but they would do nothing to save their mortal followers from the Invaders, and they forbade any of the Ascended from getting involved. Their reasons were unclear, but as it came from the five most powerful beings in this world, the command was absolute." "Yet Asan could not bear to see his charges suffer while he had strength to protect them, and so he disobeyed his master, and led his host to Ea to drive back the Invaders." Sahel continued. "Long was the battle, but eventually the divine warriors were able to drive back the monsters and save what few survivors remained. However, as punishment for their rebellion, Asan and his followers were banished from the heavens, cursed to walk the world forevermore as mortals." "Huh...I guess that''s-" Mike started before he was cut off by a sudden yell from above. "What is the meaning of this, Sahel?!" A quartet of Asani, dressed in elaborate robes were descending from above. "Say nothing." Sahel muttered before turning to face the newcomers. Chapter 302: For the Lore "Loremaster," Sahel said while acknowledging the new arrival with a bow, "I wish to report that the last of the Invaders have been repelled." The robed Asani landed a few steps away, with the one who''d spoken earlier taking the lead. "That is of little consequence at the moment. Why is there an outsider here? Why have you not done your duty and removed him?" "With respect, Loremaster, if not for this human, the Invader would have destroyed the Core. We all owe him our lives. As such, I am escorting him to the first available Elder as a potential visitor." While this was going on, Mike took a moment to evaluate the newcomer with Appraise. ------------------------- Numeni Age: 215 Race: Asani Class: Minister Title: Loremaster ------------------------- [I''m guessing he''s some kind of civilian authority, but I''m not sure what a Loremaster could really be in charge of.] The other three accompanying him all had the Apprentice Loremaster title. Numeni and his followers looked superficially similar to the two members of the Coreguard he''d become acquainted with so far, carrying the same avian appearance, however it was obvious to Mike that these four were from a much less martially inclined background. Rather than the simple linen clothes worn by the two warriors, they were dressed in elaborate and colorful robes which seemed to demonstrate their respective status through the presence of stylized pictographs. By all appearances, the more of the symbols they wore, the more senior the individual. Numeni himself was practically covered in markings, while his apprentices had significantly fewer. In addition to their garb, the most glaring difference between the two groups was in terms of figure. While Sahel and Tuli were lean and muscular, resembling the avian predators which they seemed to have been based off of. The robed Asani appeared softer, and more plump. Obviously, they led more sedentary lifestyles. Still he couldn''t exactly call them fat, either. He figured that relying on flight to get around probably burned a lot of calories. By this point, Numeni was squinting at him suspiciously. "You are telling me that this...child, who has barely walked this world for more than a decade, managed to defeat an Invader? Do you take me for a fool?" Tuli took this opportunity to speak up in her leader''s defense. "It is the truth, Loremaster. I saw it myself. The human wielded powerful magics to confront the enemy. You can still see the aftermath for yourself." She said while indicating the warped and melted platform where Mike had been standing during the fight. The older Asani glared at the Coreguard for a second, as if chastising her for speaking out of turn, but turned to examine the indicated region of planking for several seconds. Finally, he asked. "This was caused by the human and not the Invader?" "That is the truth." Sahel responded. "Although I have not confirmed it with him yet, I believe he is a Tier 4 mage." Numeni sucked in a breath before turning to briefly stare at Mike. "Very well, I will see to it that the Elders are informed of this potential visitor once they emerge from the Sanctuary. Until they are available to render judgement on his claims, ensure that he is kept out of trouble. I will hold you personally responsible for any damage he causes." "Of course, Loremaster. I had no intention of doing otherwise." With a nod, the robed Asani lifted off the ground, leading his followers back towards wherever they came from. While he was leaving, he called back down briefly. "And get that wing treated soon." As soon as they were gone, Tuli gave a sigh of relief. "That went surprisingly well." "Numeni is no fool. He well understands the situation we are currently in. The Asani can ill afford to make an enemy of a Tier 4 mage at this moment. Especially one that has already come to our aid." Sahel replied quietly. "I take it he''s normally more strict about the rules?" Mike asked. "Loremasters are required to be. They are the protectors of our race''s knowledge and technology." The Asani male explained. "It is their duty to ensure that none of our secrets are leaked to the outside world. As such, they are the highest authority when it comes to the flow of information. No doubt they were alerted to my accessing the Core''s data stores, and came to investigate." "I''m not getting you in trouble am I?" "Some, but think nothing of it. Because of you, I am still alive to receive chastisement. Besides, the Loremasters have not exercised their full authority in centuries, I doubt they''d have the gall to start now." Mike grinned at the man''s cavalier attitude. "Alright, so what''s next on the agenda?" "Ordinarily, I would still have much to do. The Invaders caused serious damage to the Flight Matrix, and it will likely take weeks of dedicated effort to repair. As the Fifth Spear, I would normally be charged with overseeing the work parties. However, my current physical predicament makes that impossible." He turned to his subordinate. "Tuli, rendezvous with the engineers and have them start their initial damage assessment. See if they can get the lift operational while they are at it. I will need it to visit the Medical Corps." "It will be done." She acknowledged before taking off. "Mm-ike, if it is acceptable to you, I would like to escort you to the surface. Regrettably, I am unable to fly at the moment, so we will need to await the engineers, I hope that you will bear with me." "...Out of curiosity, does the problem have something to do with your wing?" Sahel nodded. "Indeed. The damage is quite severe, and will likely take quite some time to heal. Until then, I will need to rely on other means of transportation." Mike examined the injury thoughtfully. "Do you mind if I take a look at it? I''m something of a healer, truth be told." The Asani hesitated for a brief moment, but finally nodded. "I''m afraid there isn''t much that can be done for it right now. Thankfully, our medical technology is quite advanced. So long as I receive the proper treatment, I should be back to normal in a few weeks." [Yeah, I don''t really feel like waiting around for a bunch of engineers to fix some fantasy version of an elevator.] He thought while moving around behind the man. Channeling his mana, he activated his Life Magic, and sent it into the wing. There was a brief flash of light, and when it faded Sahel''s limb had been restored. "There we go. How does that feel?" Mike asked, pretending to ignore the man''s shock. The Asani ran one taloned hand over the newly-formed feathers before asking, "This is no illusion, yes?" "Nope, just good old fashioned Healing Magic. You can fly now, right?" Sahel glanced down at his wing again. "Indeed. It seems like there is no longer any need to wait for the engineers¡­" He trailed off, as if lost in thought. Finally, after a few seconds, he said. "Alright, then shall I take you on a tour of the island? There are several places which will remain inaccessible even to established visitors, but I can show you the rest." "Before we go, I do have one thing I want to ask you about." "What is that?" Mike scratched the back of his head. "Well, the thing is, I didn''t exactly arrive here by myself. In fact, I left behind an entire ship load of people when I came to investigate this island." "Are they all like you?" Sahel asked with something approaching apprehension. "What, human? Most of them are, I suppose, but there are a few other races as well." "No, I am asking if they share your level of power." "Oh. Well, I wouldn''t exactly call them weak, but I''m the only Tier 4, if that''s what you are worried about." The Asani nodded. "I see...very well, I believe I can accommodate a few more. It is acceptable for you as an important visitor to arrive with an entourage, but I will need to evaluate them before they can set foot on the Asan." "Sure. That won''t be a problem.." ---------------------------------- "You left us! Again!" Sera yelled as soon as he landed on the deck of the Huntsman. "Ah...well...in my defense, I was doing something stupidly reckless, so I didn''t want any of the rest of you to suffer because of it.. Besides, I had to fly all the way there. Logistically speaking, it was just simpler to go by myself," The Oracle fumed, turning a bright shade of red. "That is no-" With a thump, Sahel landed beside Mike, causing Sera''s mouth to snap shut with his sudden appearance. The Asani man scanned the people on deck with a critical eye. Unintentionally, his fierce gaze seemed to be intimidating the crowd of sailors into silence. "Are these the companions you spoke of?" He asked Mike once he''d finished his examination. "Well, some of them." "Could you please indicate which you intend to bring with you?" "I''d like to take these four, and one other." He replied while pointing at Sera, Tal, Morris, and William, before asking the butler. "Do you mind grabbing Lily? There''s something I want her to be involved in." "Of course, sir." Sahel took up his examinations again. "The yellow-haired female should not be a problem, but I am afraid the others lack the fortitude to withstand an Elder''s presence. If you still wish to bring them along, I must warn you that they could suffer severe side effects from the experience." Mike stared at him for a few seconds before asking, "...What exactly are your Elders?" "Hm? I see, I have not explained yet. They are the remaining members of Asan''s original host. The ancient progenitors of our race. Because of the vestiges of divine power that still remains within them, they have the tendency to overwhelm weaker mortals with their presence alone." "Wait, you are talking about people that were alive during the Second Age?" "That is correct." [That''s insane. Although, I suppose the gods have been around longer, technically.] "I know you are probably busy at the moment, but do you mind explaining what all this is about?" Morris asked in the brief period of silence. "Ah, right. Everyone, this is Sahel, the...Fifth? Yes, Fifth Spear of the Asani Coreguard. He is going to be escorting me and a few others around the island for the time being. We were just discussing who to bring." "So you are planning on bringing us along now? When it''s convenient for you?" Sera asked, still obviously angry. "That was the plan, but it seems there is a complicating factor." "Oh?" Came the emotionless reply. "Well, I was going to meet the Elders of the Asani, but they seem to have a strong effect on those without a certain¡­fortitude." He turned back to Sahel. "What were the side effects, by the way?" "In most cases, they are limited to nausea, vomiting, incontinence, and an overall sense of dread. However, in rare instances, seeing the Elders may cause the viewer to lose consciousness and even stop breathing, possibly resulting in death if treatment is not provided." [What is this, a drug commercial?] Translating for the others, Mike explained, "Apparently, pretty much everyone beside Tal is going to have a hard time of it, if they go." "...Are you kidding me?" She asked, a slightly dangerous note in her voice. "That one would also be fine." Sahel added unhelpfully, indicating Lily, who had just emerged on deck and was now curiously staring at the birdman. "Did he just say Lily was fine, too?" Sera demanded. "Uhh, yes?" "Grr¡­" Mike thought she was about to pop a blood vessel in her forehead, so he quickly followed up. "But not to worry, i have a solution to this issue that will make it possible for everyone to go." "Are you sure?" Morris asked, sounding slightly concerned. "It sounds to me that your new friend doesn''t think it''s wise for us to accompany you." "Yes, of course. Trust me." [Alright. I have until they get to the island to come up with a plan. Shouldn''t be too hard. I guess I can probably do something with Life Magic¡­] Chapter 303: Enhance "Alright, here''s the plan. We''re going to saddle up and head over there. Due to the landscape of the Asan, and the fact that it''s still floating, it would be difficult to disembark from a ship. So, I''ve summoned these fellows here to give us a ride. It''s only a short trip, and we don''t need to worry about moving too quickly, so it should be a relatively easy process." Mike explained while indicating the trio of wyverns that were now casually perching on the deck of the ship. After a great deal of trial and error, he''d determined that this particular variety of draconic creature was not only capable of carrying several passengers, but were fairly competent combatants in and of themselves, roughly on par with a high Tier 2. That they flew significantly slower than some of his other options, which turned out to be a positive aspect when trying to be considerate of his party members. While a layman might mistake them for a type of dragon, owing to their shape as a large reptilian creature with wings, a careful observer would note the absence of forelegs and the stinger-tipped tail. Combined with their lack of elemental affinity, and by extension breath weapons, these features led to them being considered as a sort of dragonkin rather than a true member of the species. Surprisingly, the crew didn''t seem too concerned about the monstrous beings hanging out on their ship. He supposed they''d gotten used to it after spending so much time with the Sea Serpent. "Are these...things...safe?" William asked, obviously a little reluctant to approach the creatures. Mike gave his best reassuring smile. "Of course, I summoned them myself." The butler looked unconvinced. "And you truly want me to attend whatever this event is? I am afraid I can not see what help I could possibly be." "Well, I won''t force you to go, I merely thought to extend an invitation to the whole party." Sera gave a sniff of disdain as she tried to finagle her way onto the back of one of the wyverns next to Tal. Distracted as she was, she had little hope of recovering once her foot slipped on the scaly creature''s leg, sending her sprawling onto the deck with an audible thump. While the Oracle glared around as if challenging someone to comment, Mike continued, pretending to not have noticed. "You are welcome to remain here if that would be easier for you." William gave a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Sir. I believe I shall do that." He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. "If I could ask a favor, please keep Miss Lily out of trouble. She''s been behaving herself quite well over the course of the journey, but I fear that a new environment might lead her to taking reckless actions." "Don''t worry. I''ll keep an eye on her." He replied while giving the butler a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Ready." Tal announced, letting him know that the rest of the party was prepared to leave. "Looks like we''re all set." He told Sahel, who''d been waiting patiently for them to make preparations. "Very well, follow my lead." The Asani announced before taking to the skies and flying in the direction of the island. Mike sent a mental command to his summoned creatures and lifted off the ship as well. The trip itself didn''t take long, and they were soon standing before a large and intricately formed civil building that reminded him a bit of the neoclassical courthouses of his old world. "This is the building we use to house visitors until they can be seen by an Elder." Sahel announced once they were ready. "I thought you said that visitors were rare." The Asani nodded. "I did, indeed, but buildings can have more than one purpose. When not being used to welcome land-bound guests, it doubles as a gathering place for those members of our race who have lost the ability to fly, whether due to injury or age. I''m told that there is also a rather large group that meets here for regular board game sessions." "Speaking of which, where are all the other Asani? The surface of the island still looks pretty deserted." Sahel motioned for them to follow before he answered, leading the group through the doors at the front of the building. "There are shelters built all over the island. During an Invader attack, our citizens are trained to evacuate and secure themselves while the Guards defend our home. These shelters were designed to withstand a crash landing onto the surface, so I have no doubt that they will be out and returning to their lives in the near future. The remnants of the Homeguard are most likely organizing the process." They entered into a sort of foyer with multiple branching passages, including a few that would only be accessible if one could fly. Surveying his surroundings, Mike took note of a few things which stood out to him. First and foremost, he could tell from the regularity of the construction materials and the presence of magical lights that the Asani evidently had some very sophisticated manufacturing techniques. Of course, considering the fact that the leaders of their race had been alive since the Second Age, it wasn''t too much of a stretch. Second was the almost complete lack of anything that could be described as decoration. It was something that he''d noticed during his flyovers earlier. While the Asani buildings were elegant and beautiful to look at, they had no ornamentation of any kind. Sahel took them into a sort of large chamber that actually reminded Mike of a courtroom. There were several rows of benches, which took up the majority of the chamber, but the far side was dominated by three throne-like chairs. While they did not bear any decoration, something about the simple wooden frames seemed to emanate a sort of regal dignity. He assumed that this was where the Elders would be sitting once they arrived. "I would have liked to show you around the city," The Asani man started once they were seated, "but there isn''t much to see at the moment." "That''s alright. There will be time for that after we meet with the Elder. Speaking of which, do we have a timeline of when that might be?" Scratching the side of his beak in what appeared to be a thoughtful manner, Sahel replied. "Truthfully, I cannot predict when one of them might arrive. Even under normal circumstances, they are not the most reliable when it comes to time. With the Loremaster helping, however, I think we can expect to see them within the next few hours at least." [Good, then I''ll have some time to experiment.] He nodded in response and then looked over at Morris, planning on asking for him to be his first test subject. Surprisingly, the bard appeared to be on edge. "Got a minute?" He said, nodding to one of the corners of the room to indicate that they should move away from the others. Once they''d gotten clear, he fixed his friend with an evaluating look. "You alright?" Morris cleared his throat before answering. "Fine. Fine. Why do you ask?" Mike just raised an eyebrow at him. "Haa...well, admittedly, I''m a little excited. This is the first time I''ve ever even heard about beings like the Elders. Just thinking about the knowledge they must, the wisdom they''ve acquired over thousands of years of life. How can I not get a bit anxious?...By the way, have you figured out what to do about us?" "I already said I had a plan, didn''t I?" The bard grinned. "Come on, I''ve known you for a while now. You might have a few ideas, but I doubt you''ve concocted a fully formed plan by this point. You are much more of the spur-of-the-moment inspiration type, anyway." Crossing his arms across his chest, Mike replied defensively, "I know exactly what I need to do...I just need to work out a few kinks. Which brings me to the real reason I brought you over here." Morris gave him a curious look. While slapping a hand down on his friend''s shoulder, Mike gave a thumbs up and said. "Be my guinea pig for a bit." There was a few seconds of silence as the bard looked at him blankly, and then his face fell. ------------------- [Let''s see. I''m guessing whatever the effect the Elders have on people is primarily mental or psychological, so it should be more a matter of Willpower than anything else. That being said, I can''t really rule out the possibility of physical factors playing a role. Which means I need to improve their Endurance as well. If I could just pass on the enhancement effects of my Elemental Magic it would be enough¡­] "Um, Mike? What are you doing?" Morris asked, sounding concerned. "Shh, concentrating." Mike replied absently, concentrating on the hand he had placed against the middle of his friends back. [I can''t exactly push mana infused with Water Magic into someone else. That really only works with unchanneled mana and healing...I guess Life Magic is probably the key here. Maybe if I can just reorient the energy towards something more simple growth and repair¡­] "Hng! I get that, but this feels really weird. Can you at least explain what''s going on?" "I''m trying something. Now hush. I need to focus." "Yeah, but it feels like the skin all over my body is itching...on the inside. Also, I think some of my organs are...quivering? Is that supposed to happen?" [I don''t feel anywhere near confident enough to mess with his brain, so let''s concentrate on Endurance...Now that I think about it, I''m not exactly sure what causes really influences someone''s Endurance. It seems to be related to overall physical wellness and the ability to resist damage and fatigue, but I''m not sure how to artificially improve it. Unless I just need to use mana to enhance the durability of his tissues¡­] "Haa! What was that?! And why can''t I move my arm anymore?!" [That was a bit too much. Let''s dial it back a bit, and then spread the effect over the entire body.] A soft light suffused the room as Morris''s body glowed for a few seconds before fading. While Mike was finishing up the last touches of effect, he felt the sudden onset of the lethargy he''d come to associate with using a large amount of mana. Feeling slightly concerned, he checked his stores and noticed that more than half of his reserves had been depleted. [What the hell? I figured it would be a bit more difficult to enhance someone else, especially since I was trying to do it manually, but this is kind of ridiculous. Could my efficiency be low because I''m doing it wrong?] "He''s been enhanced? It appears he now has the fortitude to withstand the presence of the Elders, albeit with some discomfort. What did you do?" Sahel asked curiously. At some point while Mike had been concentrating, he''d appeared next to the pair and was staring at Morris with evident interest. [So it was more physical after all? I wonder why...Ah, hell. I''m sure the answer is ''mana does it'' somehow.] "I used a method I''ve developed to improve his Endurance." "This is incredible." The bard muttered, not really paying attention to either of the others. "I feel like I could run for hours and not get tired. Hells, I think I might be able to go for days." Mike grinned. "Well, I doubt it was quite that effective, and like I said, it should...be...temporary?" [Wait, I''m not investing any mana at the moment, and anything infused into his tissues should have dissipated already. Why does he¡­] Feeling a sudden rush of understanding, he grabbed onto his friend''s shoulder again, and sent his awareness down into his body. Instantly, he could tell that his mana was still present, but instead of vanishing like he was used to, it had instead become embedded into the cells of Morris''s body. And there was no sign of it decreasing at all. "Well...I''m not really sure how to say this, but it might be slightly less temporary than I originally thought." The bard glanced over at him, his excited grin faltering slightly when he saw his friend''s serious face. "What do you mean?" "I think, and keep in mind I''m not really an expert or anything...I think the effect might be kinda...sorta...permanent?" "...Huh?" Chapter 304: Pawns "You can do that?" Morris asked, looking awestruck. "I guess so. This is the first time I''ve used this method, and I''m honestly not sure how it''s working like this." "That''s amazing! Just think of all the applications...Wait...did you just use an untested spell on me without knowing what it would actually do?" Mike scratched his chin. "I did ask you to be a guinea pig, didn''t I?" His friend scowled at him. "Yeah, but I assumed you''d done some kind of testing prior to this!"" "What should I have done? If I wanted to ensure the method worked I needed to use it on someone. Thanks to my unusual constitution, it''s not like I can really practice on myself." He shot back defensively. "Then why not use a summoned creature?" "Because..." Mike started defiantly before trailing off, "...well, because it honestly didn''t occur to me at the time...Sorry about that." Morris sighed while rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I know you mean well, and with your command of Healing Magic, you could probably fix any damage you might have caused, but try to think things through a bit before taking action. Even if you have the power and skill to overcome obstacles through brute force alone, that doesn''t mean it''s always the best option." "I know." Mike replied quietly. The older man slapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Well, considering your luck, this might actually have been the best option. If you tried it on something you summoned, it could have ended up a lot worse. After all, these sorts of experiments were the original source of some of the more unusual monsters." "What, really?" "Of course, you don''t think something like the bearowl developed naturally, do you?" "Do you mean owlbe...you know what, never mind. I don''t think I want to know the answer to that question." Morris grinned. "Now that we''ve gotten that out of the way, let''s talk about this new discovery of yours. How exactly did you make this happen? Is it limited to Endurace? Can you enhance other attributes? What about baseline physical abilities?" "That''s a lot of questions all at once, maybe you could slow it down a bit. You know one at a time, and all that." "Ahem. Right. Sorry, I got a little carried away. If you don''t mind, could you start with explaining the process. Did you make use of Healing Magic, or was this some new application of one of your other skills?" "Actually, there is something I need to confess..." Mike started before glancing over at Sahel, who was standing nearby and watching them with all of his usual avian intensity. "Would you mind giving us a second?" The Asani nodded, and stalked over to the room''s entrance without another word. There, he assumed a rigid pose as if he were guarding the door. "So, here''s the thing," He continued quietly. "My Healing Magic actually evolved into something called Life Magic recently." "Life Magic? As in magic that controls the Life element? I''ve never heard of anything like that." Morris replied with a thoughtful frown. "It''s been theorized to have existed, of course, but as far as I''m aware, no one has confirmed the existence of that skill." The bard''s face gradually began to lighten until he was giving an excited grin. "This could very well be the beginning of a new and more comprehensive understanding of the way in which mana interacts with living beings. Just think of how revolutionary-" He stopped short after noticing Mike''s rueful smile. With a cough, he backtracked. "Of course, we can''t reveal anything too specific, lest it be used against us somehow, but I can only imagine the discoveries it might allow." "I''m glad you''re excited, but can we perhaps concentrate on the task at hand?" "Right, right. Could you give me a description of what this skill is supposed to be capable of?" Mike summarized all he knew about Life Magic, which pretty much consisted of the brief description available in his [Status] screen. Morris began pacing while deep in thought. "That''s quite open-ended. Although, I should have expected as much from an evolved version of an Elemental Magic skill. Nevertheless, it seems like we have an adequate solution for our current situation." "Yeah, just give me a few minutes for my mana to regenerate, and I can probably slap the effect on Sera as well. Assuming she wants anything to do with me at the moment." The bard gave him a blank look for a second, evidently distracted by other thoughts, before answering, "Ah, you are referring to her current agitated state. I know it must seem like she''s infuriated with you, but I suspect that she''s actually grappling with a distressing realization. More than likely, her acidic temperament is a result of this inner dissonance, and is in no way a product of your actions." "...You know, you sound a lot more intelligent when you''re lost in thought." Morris blinked, and then chuckled. "Yeah, I''ve been told that." "Anyway, I''m going to talk to her. Wish me luck." He wandered over to the bench Tal and Sera were sitting at. The Oracle was grimly staring at the back of the seat in front of her. Based purely on the way she was clenching her hands together, it was obvious that she was thinking about something that disturbed her greatly. [Well, here goes nothing.] "Ahem, Sera, do you have a minute? I need to prepare you for the Elder''s visit." She shot him a dark glare for a few seconds, opening her mouth as if to yell something at him, but apparently thought better of it. Finally, she grumbled. "Alright¡­" Standing, she walked over to one of the empty corners of the large room. He followed after while downing a couple of the mana potions. While he was fairly certain his mana had regenerated enough to allow him to make use of the enhancement method again, he wanted to be on the safe side. It didn''t seem wise to be running on fumes before meeting a bunch of ancient and powerful beings. Once they''d gotten a bit of distance from the others, she turned and stared at him with her arms crossed. They remained like that for a few seconds until she finally said, "Well? What are you waiting for?" Sighing, Mike nodded and placed one hand on her shoulder. "Give me a second. This isn''t exactly easy." He tried to follow the same steps that he used with Morris, but quickly found that there were some pretty large differences between the two. For one, Sera had a lot less bodily tissue to reinforce, so he would need to balance the amount of mana he used to accomplish the same level of enhancement. Secondly, he noticed some rather unusual energy fluctuations that seemed to be stemming from something near the base of her spine. He couldn''t tell exactly what it was, but it seemed to be releasing pulses at regular intervals. [What the hell?] He moved around to stand behind her and lifted up her shirt to get a better look at the spot in question. This, of course, made her squirm. "What are you doing?!" She yelled while trying to step away from him. "Hold still." He commanded, the firmness in his voice causing her to freeze. Scanning the area just above her tailbone, he noticed a thin scar, barely a few centimeters in width just to the left of her spine. It could have been a small cut that had healed years ago, but something about it reminded him of a surgical incision. [When could this have happened? During the kidnapping? Earlier?] He channelled a bit of mana into the strange location, using the energy as a makeshift ultrasound to try and get a better picture of the item in question. Unfortunately, he''d never really practiced this technique, so the best he was able to determine was that it was an oblong and irregularly shaped object that was embedded a little past the muscles of her lower back. "Shit, I''m going to have to go in¡­" He muttered under his breath. "Ha?! What do you mean, go in?! What''s going on?!" Sera yowled and started struggling again. Realizing that he would need to calm her down before doing anything else, he spoke quietly while channeling his mana. "There''s something in your lower back. I don''t know what it is, but it''s emitting energy pulses on a regular basis. I will need to make an incision in order to determine anything further." "There is something...in me?" Mike couldn''t see her face, but he could practically feel her working through the implications of his statement. "Do you think¡­" She started before trailing off again. Mike detected a particularly large pulse from the object, which sent a spike of alarm through him. "Look, I know you have a problem with me at the moment, but this is serious. I don''t have time to explain everything right now, so I''ll need you to trust me." She was silent for a few seconds before responding. "...It''s not you I have a problem with...Whatever, do what you need to do." Without any further prompting, he created several small blades of darkness while simultaneously sending a wave of healing through her. As quickly as he could manage, he stabbed into her lower back with the blades at an angle until they''d gone past the object, before having them wrap around it. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled the item free. By the time she''d staggered from the initial bout of pain, the injury had already healed, this time leaving no scar. To be on the safe side, though he held her in place until she''d regain her balance, while simultaneously sending another wave of Life Magic through her, checking for any other abnormalities that might have cropped up. Fortunately, none were apparent. Glancing down at the strange object he''d removed from her back, he was surprised that it looked a lot like a chess piece carved from some kind of white stone. It resembled a squat and broad shouldered soldier clad in leather armor. Under the base, where the piece would rest against the game board was a single arcane rune which his Communication Magic translated as ''knowledge.'' "What is it?" Morris asked, nearly surprising him with how close the bard had gotten while he''d been distracted. Apparently, all of his party members, with the exception of Lily who was still staring blankly into space, had come over to see what was going on. "I''m still working on that." He replied before using Appraise. ----------------------- Scout of the Alabaster Legion Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 3) This carved game piece is part of a magically enhanced set based on the Conquest board game. Created by the talented and eccentric artificer, Keldon of Anji, each individual component of this set has its own unique function and abilities. This particular piece belongs to the Alabaster Legion, one of the four Conquest factions, and is meant to represent a scouting force. It allows the holder of the piece to send information to the holder of the Alabaster Legion''s general piece. Ordinarily, this would have consisted of a limited amount of verbal communication over any conceivable distance, however it has been modified to instead send a consistent signal indicating its location. As a byproduct of this modification, the range has been reduced to a little over twenty kilometers. Additionally, it includes a failsafe that will trigger upon meeting certain conditions. ---------------------------- "It''s a tracking device¡­" Mike muttered before quickly dropping the piece as it began to smoke and melt. Within a few seconds, it had been reduced into a pile of foul-smelling goo. Chapter 305: Respecting Elders They all stared down at the spot for a few seconds without saying anything. Finally, Morris broke the silence. "Do you mind explaining what''s going on?" Mike glanced over at Sera, tacitly asking permission to let them know the situation, however, she was blankly gazing at the now discolored portion of the stone floor, and didn''t seem to notice what was happening. Guessing that he was not going to get a clear answer there, he decided to explain. "There was a magic item implanted in Sera that was sending its location to another similar item. Based on our history and the way things have been going over the last few months, I can only assume that the Cabal is responsible for it." "Tracking? Are safe?" Tal asked, evidently inquiring about whether or not they were in any danger at the moment. "The operational range of the item is, or was, limited. Unless they had a team following us by ship, which I haven''t seen any sign of over the last week, we probably exited their scanning radius shortly after leaving Almir. So, besides whatever signal it sent out at the end, I think we can safely assume that they haven''t been aware of us for quite some time." "What''s the plan, then?" Morris asked quietly. "Do we need to leave?" He thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No. I don''t think they''ve been following closely enough to know precisely where we are. I''m not sure, but I believe that the final signal was a kind of alert, making them aware of the item''s discovery. Chances are, we should still be safe. That being said, the less time we all spend in this exact location, the better overall. Once we''ve completed our business here, it would probably be our best interests to move on." "What about the Asani?" Sera asked suddenly with a hollow voice. "Won''t they become a target now?" [Ah, so that''s what''s bothering her.] "The Cabal would have a hard time doing much of anything to these people. In the short period of time that I''ve spent here, I can already say with confidence that they are capable of defending themselves. Especially since they will be repairing their method of flying in the near future." She nodded, but didn''t appear to have any other response. Mike coughed. "Ahem, well, as interesting as all this is, I should probably get back to what I was doing. Would you mind holding still for a second." The Oracle nodded again, but said nothing else, her eyes still focused on the spot where the item had dissolved. He placed his hand on her shoulder again, and made use of his new enhancement method. There was another flash of light that lit the room, and he was done. Sagging slightly under the fatigue of expended mana, he asked, "Well, do you feel any different?" She finally glanced up for a second, then down at her hands, clenching and unclenching them repeatedly. In a quiet voice she answered. "Yes¡­" [Hmm, I was hoping that would have cheered her up a bit. Not much I can do about it now except wait for a chance to speak with her one on one. We''ll definitely need to clear the air.] "It seems you have finished your preparations." Sahel announced from the door where he was still standing. The Asani warrior had been so quiet up till this point that Mike had almost forgotten he was in the room. "Yes, that is correct." "Very well, then I will inform the Elder you are ready for your meeting." Mike blinked, "What? They''re already here?" "Indeed. I believe Elder Marcosias arrived approximately ten minutes ago. He has been waiting in the wings until you were ready." He replied. "Fear not, though. The Elders tend to be patient beings, he will not begrudge you the extra time." "Well, I certainly appreciate the forbearance, but I thought you said they would be locked up in the Sanctuary for a few hours at least." "I did indeed, but it appears that the Loremaster was able to rouse them faster than I anticipated. Truthfully, his order has many secrets that a lowly guard like myself is not privy to. It does not surprise me in the slightest that he was able to bring the Elder here this quickly." He gave a small nod, and then marched out of the room. "Alright, everyone ready?" Morris asked, sounding a little nervous. "Be fine." Tal reassured him, although Mike caught the surreptitious glance she gave Sera. It was clear she wasn''t as confident as she suggested. Before anyone else had a chance to comment, the doors opened and Sahel entered again, followed by a second person. The newcomer looked very similar to the other Asani he''d seen since coming to the island, with only one notable exception. Whereas the rest of the species appeared to have plumage in various shades of grey, this particular individual was clad in midnight black feathers. Mostly out of instinct, he used Appraise once the Elder came into view. --------------------------- Marcosias Age: 21,0156 Race: High Asani Class: Elder Title: Asani Elder ---------------------------- [I''m a little surprised that it even worked, but that''s a hell of a long time to be alive. What would you even do with 20 thousand years of existence?] The Elder surveyed the room and then casually walked up to one of the chairs that were apparently set aside for him. Then, in a calm, but authoritative voice, he said. "Please, have a seat. I''ve found that makes it a bit easier to bear." Mike was confused for a second, but he glanced around at the rest of his party and noticed that they were suffering under the effects of the Elder''s presence to varying degrees. Lily seemed to be handling it the best. There was only a slight frown on her face to indicate any inherent discomfort. Tal, on the other hand, was paler than normal, slight tremors running through her arms as she stood stiffly in place. Although still emotionless, he thought he could detect a hint of grim determination in her face. The last two were in the worst shape. Visibly shaking, Morris seemed to be doing everything in his power to remain standing, but he seemed to be on his last legs already. Sera, on the other hand, had already collapsed onto her hands and knees, apparently unable to even maintain her upright position. He knew it was supposed to have been rough on them, but he''d underestimated just how much they would be suffering from the Elder''s presence. Moving over to stand next to them, he helped guide them into seats, and then sat between them while slowly feeding them a stream of healing magic in order to combat the worst of their symptoms. [I guess I''m going to have to cut this meeting short.] He thought to himself before turning to face the Elder. ------------------------------- Sera couldn''t breathe. She couldn''t think. It felt like the air itself was squeezing her lungs, keeping her from moving or responding. They''d said this was difficult, that it could even be fatal, but she would be damned if she''d let the rest of the party put her back on the ship, where it was ''safe.'' She''d assumed it would have been similar to the time Mike had summoned that hurricane, but this was much worse. [Damnit! Get up! Don''t let this beat you! Don''t be the weak link again!] Try as she might, though, her body simply wasn''t responding. Just as her vision was starting to narrow down to pinpricks, she felt a hand on her shoulder and a wave of calming energy passed through her. Suddenly, she could breathe again. The cool, dry air of the strange Asani building was a welcome balm to her suffocating lungs. For a second, she could feel the tension ease out of her body. So much so that she nearly passed out, and only a titanic effort of will kept her conscious. "Let me help you up. Alright, we''re going to be sitting right here." Mike murmured comfortingly in her ear, unsurprisingly proving himself the source of her reprieve. He lent her his hand, and helped her stand and then fall back against one of the benches. The quick movement turned her stomach, but another wave of the calming energy drove the nausea away. Once she finally felt settled enough to take stock of her surroundings, she realized that she was the only member of the party that had been completely incapacitated by the effect. Morris was looking a little worse for wear, and she could tell that he was on the verge of passing out as well. That being said, he was clearly tolerating the unseen pressure a lot better, as indicated by his ability to remain upright without Mike''s constant attention. Much to her disappointment, she saw that Lily was basically fine, and even Tal was able to keep her calm in the face of the Elder. [...I see...I''m the weak one...the liability...again.] "Thank you for meeting with us...uh, Elder." Mike started speaking suddenly while keeping a hand on her shoulder. "Truthfully, I''m at a bit of a loss as to what to call you. IIs there a preferred term of address?" Marcosias chuckled in that unsettling bird-like way that seemed to be common amongst the Asani. "Please, feel free to call me Marcosias, or just Marco for short." At this, Sahel made a chuffing noise that could have been mistaken for a cough from a humanoid creature. "Ah, my apologies. I believe that my attendendent here is attempting to remind me that it would be beneath my position to allow strangers to use my nickname. Please forget I mentioned it." Mike made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Not at all." "Thank you for that. On another note, how is my Pyrathien? I don''t get many opportunities to practice it." "Very good, actually." "Marvelous. Now, we really should begin soon. I do not want to unduly stress your companions. The young lady over there in particular seems to be quite miserable, and I would hate to see her suffer longer than necessary." Sera gritted her teeth and clenched her hands, the resulting wave of frustration threatening to force her into screaming. However, she still didn''t quite feel up to doing anything of the sort, and any such attempt would have probably caused her to collapse. "As to your visitor rights," The Elder continued. "I see no reason why you cannot move about freely in the place you saved. I only ask that you respect the boundaries and privacy of our people. There are places that non-Asani are not meant to visit. So long as that is agreeable, I shall also extend these rights for the foreseeable future, so that." "That will be fine, and thank you." Mike replied. "It is the very least we can do for someone who helped us at a critical juncture. Had you not intervened when you did, the Invader could have done serious and irreparable damage to the Asan." "I actually have a question about that, if you don''t mind humoring me." "Of course, please speak freely." "It''s been bothering me for a while now. Why did the Elders not participate in the battle with the Invader? Surely a being of your power could have made short work of anything like that creature." "There are a multitude of answers to that question, depending on what information you are actually looking for. Some of them would make you privy to secrets that no mortal is meant to have access to." Marosias paused as if in deep contemplation before continuing. "Of course, considering your achievements and status as a Tier 4, I could tell you..." The Elder gave him a sly look. "If you were interested, of course." Sera could feel Mike hesitating, and began to panic. She wanted to warn him that the offer was most likely an attempt to lure him into some sort of contract or deal. Based purely on the Elder''s actions up to this point, she could only assume that he was an expert of subtle manipulations who intended on encouraging her hapless friend to agree to something that could be dangerous or even deadly. With a titanic amount of effort, she raised one hand and started to reach for Mike''s side, intending on poking him to get his attention. The act of speaking seemed beyond her at the moment, but she hoped to convey her meaning with an intense glare and the shake of her head. However, before she could even touch him, she felt a sudden increase in the pressure as Marcosias''s gaze slid to her, freezing her in place. For one long, horrible moment, all she could think of was the Asani man''s eyes that seemed to grow and darken until they threatened to devour her entirely. Then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, the terrible pressure was washed away by another wave of calming energy, much stronger than before. "I appreciate the offer, but I am going to have to decline." Mike answered politely, but with a note of steel in his voice that was not there before. There was no apparent disappointment in Marcosias''s manner as he continued. "In that case, the answer to your question is relatively simple, the Elders did not participate in the battle because we couldn''t." "I see, very well. Then there is only one other thing I would like to inquire about." The Asani Elder motioned for him to continue. "Yes?" "Since you''ve acknowledged me as a visitor, does that mean I have the right to visit local shops and buy their wares?" Chapter 306: Marketing Sahel watched from the roof as the small group walked out of the building and headed towards Traders Square. "Are you sure this is wise?" He asked Marcosias, who had joined him to observe their progress. "Giving him free reign in the markets? What if he gets his hands on something that could upset the balance of power on the surface?" "Oh, I don''t think it will cause too many problems. He seems to be the secretive sort to me. Unless moved by altruism, I doubt he''d share anything he''d discovered during his time here. That''s not even counting the problems he will face in acquiring anything of true value." The Coreguard furrowed his brow. "You are suggesting that our people will not be willing to sell him their wares? Surely the Settlers would." "Perhaps, but I wouldn''t be so certain. They are aware of the possible consequences. More than likely, he will end up with a few trinkets at best. Nevertheless, I have to admit I am rather impressed. He handled that situation better than I would have expected for one of his age. So well in fact, that I would normally suspect him to be a Reincarnator in disguise." The Elder replied calmly, a hint of amusement in his voice. Sahel started. "You think he is one of those fiends? I thought they did not get involved in mortal affairs unless it was to find new victims." "Indeed. I initially thought as much, but after getting a good look at him, I changed my mind. Now, I can safely say that, while he bears some similarities to the Unborn, he is something else entirely." It was said that the Elders possessed a skill that allowed them to see through one''s soul. They could discover a person''s darkest secrets and greatest achievements with a single glance. However, they were forced to keep most of this information to themselves as part of their divine curse, which made many of their actions quite mysterious to the rest of the Asani. "I see. Then is there anything else you would like me to do?" He asked, hoping to get back to his usual duties. Marcosias watched the group round a corner a move out of sight and paused for a few moments as if in contemplation. Finally he said. "No, you are free to return." Sahel saluted and turned to leave. As he was reaching the door, the Elder called out to him. "Fifth Spear, do me a favor and carry a message to your peers. Let them know that our exodus is nearly at an end." The Coreguard stiffened for a moment, but managed to give a brief salute and leave without saying another word. However, it was not discipline that stilled his tongue, but fear. Fear of what the Elder''s message foretold, and the horrors that no doubt laid in wait for them as the end of their mission grew closer. Steeling his nerves, he went to spread the dark news. ----------------------------- "Whew, that was rough." Morris commented weakly as they walked through the streets of the Asani city. He was looking a little dispirited, and Mike could easily guess the reason. "I''m sorry you didn''t get a chance to ask your questions. Maybe I can see about making some inquiries before we leave the island." The bard shook his head. "Don''t worry about it. I''m getting the feeling that any knowledge I get from them would come with a price I''m not willing to pay." "Dangerous." Tal agreed. "No doubt." Morris continued while rubbing his shoulders as if trying to get warm. "I could tell from the second that he walked into the room that I wasn''t going to be getting anything from him. A being like that, you don''t ask it for favors, you just pray that it overlooks you." Tal, and even Lily, nodded in agreement. Evidently they''d both found the experience disturbing. Sera didn''t comment, but then again she''d been silent since the meeting ended. Mike frowned. Marcosias was fairly intimidating, but he didn''t seem to be all that bad. Honestly, Morris''s father seemed like a more dangerous individual. Then again, there had been that strange offer which had come up in the middle of their discussion. He''d been strangely tempted to accept it, and only decided to decline after Sera tried to warn him about something. [Maybe lower Tier people see him differently? Well, whatever. Once we leave this island, it won''t matter anymore, and I doubt that we''ll be coming back.] Wanting to lighten the mood a bit, he spoke up. "We should be getting there soon. Is there anything you''d all like to look for?" Perhaps in an effort to go along with the attempt, Morris took up the question first. "I''d love to see what kind of books they have here, although I''d probably need your help to read them. If the stuff you mentioned from before is what constitutes a basic education for the Asani, I can only imagine the kinds of secrets their normal works would have." "Good luck." Sera muttered quietly. The bard gave a forced laugh. "Yeah, I figured that would be one of the things they''d be most hesitant about letting us have. Considering how polite and orderly everyone''s been up to this point, I''m guessing we''ll find that the only bookstores are currently closed for some plausible reason, and won''t be open again until long after we''ve left. Still, there might be a few they''re willing to part with." "That''s true. I''ll keep an eye for them. Speaking of which, is there anything you are looking for, Lily? I bet they have some fascinating¡­" Mike trailed off once he realized that she was no longer following them. [Alright, don''t panic. Nothing''s exploded yet, so she can''t have gotten far.] He quickly activated Aerosense, and scanned his surroundings, locating her just as she walked through the doorway of a nearby building. Above the entrance was a sign emblazoned with the letters ''Arms Depository.'' Based on the signals he was getting, not only was there no one in the building besides Lily, but many of the secure areas had been left open in the chaos that had accompanied the attack. "Crap, crap, crap, crap¡­" He muttered as he raced to catch up with her, already imagining the kinds of destruction she could cause with Asani weaponry at her disposal. The door into the depository was a few meters off of the ground in the manner of the buildings on this island, but that was little impediment to him, as he was able to easily clear the distance in a single leap. Inside, he found a sort of checkpoint that would have prevented unauthorized visitors from traveling further inside if it had actually been manned. Instead, the heavy door that led further into the compound was left hanging ajar. Without a second thought, he ran on through. Mike passed by several chambers which housed a vast array of weaponry. There were racks of the spears and polearms he''d seen the Asani warriors carrying, as well a variety of more esoteric armaments whose exact purpose was unclear. He finally caught up to Lily in one such room that appeared to be solely dedicated to complex looking crossbows. While there were still long rows of bolts lying in stacks on a nearby table, she was carefully examining something a bit more complicated. For all intents and purposes, it looked a bit like a long, thin glass tube with fletching on one end, and a sort of smooth rounded point on the other. Inside were two compartments separated by another layer of glass. Each of these were filled with a different colored liquid. One was a transparent grey, while the other was distinctly yellow and practically opaque. There were hundreds more slotted into a kind of storage device on the wall behind her. Guessing that it was probably some type of explosive, and any accident now would likely trigger a chain reaction, Mike tried his best to remain calm. "Lily, I know that looks pretty interesting, but you shouldn''t be in here. The Asani probably wouldn''t like you messing with their weapons like that." Without looking up, she muttered. "This would work¡­" "Maybe you could set that down for the time being. I''m sure we can figure out what''s going-" He asked while slowly approaching her, trying to avoid making any sudden motions, but cut off when she casually dropped the tube, as if it didn''t contain a highly volatile substance. A quick application of Air Magic kept it from becoming a tragic event, but it was a near thing. "I need to go back." She announced while he was gently slotted the explosive back with its fellows. "Go back to the ship? Can it wait? There are still a few things I want to do here." Lily gave him a blank stare for a few seconds, then shook her head. "No, cabin. I have something I need to look into." "I see¡­" He replied uncertainly. [Did she get an idea from those weapons? If so, I''m not sure if it is a good idea for her to pursue it. If she has a tendency to create havoc unintentionally when working on normal alchemical products, I can only imagine what it would be like if she actually tried to make explosives.] That being said, he''d known Lily long enough to be aware of her stubbornness, or rather her lack of common sense when she was focused on something. He doubted that he could really convince her to drop the matter until she''s tried it at least once. Even then, it would be difficult. "For now, let''s get back to the others. It would be a bit awkward to explain what we''re doing here if any of the Asani show up. We can talk more about it later." Surprisingly, she didn''t protest, and allowed herself to be taken back to the rest of the party, who''d gone as far as the entry hall. After a brief exchange, they left and headed towards the region of the city referred to as Traders Square. Sahel had told him that, although there won''t be much up and running yet, the more enterprising members of his kind would likely already be selling their wares, no doubt hoping to capitalize on the destruction left behind by the crash. Mike was initially a little skeptical, since it seemed like the civilian Asani would have enough troubles repairing all of their houses, but apparently, the entire island was riddled with underground chambers where the majority of the populace had their primary homes. Thanks to millennia of reinforcement and maintenance, the actual structure of the Asan was quite durable, making it the ideal location to store important or valuable belongings. The same could not be said of the surface, where periodic attacks from Invaders meant that anything built there would have to be impermanent by nature. As a result, most of the island''s inhabitants ended up having two homes. An underground one meant for security, and an above ground one meant for comfort. [That reminds me. I never did get a chance to talk to ask Sahel about that. If they''ve had thousands of years of experience fighting these things, why was the damage so bad this time?] He was distracted from his thoughts when the market district came into view. Up until this point they''d been walking in deserted streets, with no sign of any life, but that changed radically once they arrived. "Meat pies for sale! In support of the reconstruction efforts, we are having a one time deal. Buy three and get the fourth for free! Come on in and build up your strength before you start working." "Rubble got you down? Then try our new automatic shovels! You''ll be done rebuilding and sitting back with a glass of Spring Wine while your neighbors are still trying to dig out their front door." "We know that you''ve suffered a terrible loss since the most recent invasion. That''s why the Mason Brothers are here for you. Act now, and enjoy a one-time, fifty percent discount on your new surface home. Don''t wait! We can only take on so many orders, and slots are running out quickly!" After the quiet thoroughfares they''d been using, the chaotic market seemed like another world entirely. There were hundreds, if not thousands of the Asani occupying the square and the airspace above it. [This...is not quite what I anticipated.] While he was in the middle of staring upwards at the flock of avian humanoids, Morris nudged his elbow and pointed. Following his finger, Mike noticed that there was a fairly large pocket of people to one side of the area. At first, he wasn''t sure what his friend was trying to let him know, but then he realized that most of the members of the crowd weren''t Asani. In fact, quite a few of them were human. Chapter 307: An Exchange of Services As they got closer to the group, it became readily apparent that there was some kind of disturbance. Pretty soon, they could hear raised voices from the crowd. "But what are we supposed to do? We don''t have underground homes like you lot. This attack cost us everything!" It appeared that they were surrounding a small delegation of Asani guards, who were in turn protecting a single individual dressed in white robes. Mike guessed that he was some kind of representative from the government. "While I regret that circumstances have led to your impoverishment, I''m afraid it is out of my hands. Did you not receive the stipend set aside for reconstruction efforts?" The Asani bureaucrat replied dryly. The leader of the small mob of humanoids shot back. "That was a pittance! Barely enough to cover the cost of debris removal! Most of us lost not only our homes, but our livelihoods as well. What do you intend to do about that?" The functionary sighed, clearly fed up with their complaints. "Once again, you have our condolences, but you have to understand, the Elders have no obligation to help you. Were you not informed of the dangers of living on this island when you chose to emigrate? Besides, even the Asani civilians will have to devote themselves to rebuilding for the next few weeks. And they will not be getting any financial assistance from the government." His callous response started a new wave of grumbling from the dissenters, but they didn''t say anything to counter his words. Gradually, the crowd began to disperse when it became clear that nothing was to be gained from continuing. They were leaving in an orderly manner, but Mike could hear quite a few angry mutters as they did so. In truth, he could understand both sides of the conflict. The local government likely had bigger things to worry about than the financial ruin of a small portion of their citizens, and that assumed they even treated non-Asani as citizens in the first place. On the other hand, the wingless people had lost their houses and livelihoods in the attack, leaving them homeless and destitute. If the government couldn''t help them, they really didn''t have anywhere else to turn. "So, what are you thinking?" Morris asked quietly while watching the crowd leave. "Planning on helping them?" "It occurred to me, but I decided to hold off on making a decision. While jumping in during a major crisis is one thing, intervening in civil affairs of an independent country for my own satisfaction is a little much." [Of course, if they are willing to pay me for my efforts, it would be a different story.] "Going shopping?" Tal asked, indicating the stalls that were lining the square. "That''s the plan." He replied cheerfully before leading them in that direction. Over the next hour or so, they wandered the area, exploring what the merchants had for sale. While the goods were quite diverse, it was quickly apparent that they were mostly catered to reconstruction efforts. The few sellers with other products were strangely reticent when they inquired about them. It didn''t take him long to realize that they were being treated prejudicially because of their race. After the third time that a merchant refused to sell them anything for suspicious reasons, Mike called a halt to their shopping efforts and brought them over to a bench in the center of the square to reconvene and discuss the matter. "We''re not getting anywhere with this. Does anyone have another idea?" He asked the group. "Well," Morris replied after a few seconds of thought, "there is nothing to stop us from just leaving." Mike sighed. "Yeah, I know, but the Asani have access to technology that I think could come in handy. I am not sure exactly what, but I have a feeling that there is something here we will need in the future." "That would be in line with your previous encounters." Tal added in the ancient language of her people. "Considering the pattern of your adventures so far, we are probably here for some reason." After a brief translation, Morris continued. "If that''s the case, then we need to either find a vendor willing to work with us or consider some other alternative." "Talk to the humans." Sera added quietly. It was the first time she''d spoken since meeting, and he could tell that she was still processing what had happened. "There don''t appear to be any human merchants working right now¡­" He replied, a little hesitantly. "Of course not." She shot back, a little of her usual fire creeping into her voice. "They don''t have the luxury of acting like nothing serious happened right after a major disaster. But I bet you can find someone willing to trade with you. Especially if you can leverage your assistance in whatever reconstruction effort they need." "Works for me. At the very least, talking to them can net us some more information." Mike commented before the group separated to make some inquiries. He made sure to bring Lily with him, in order to keep her out of trouble, and moved to talk to a pair of humans that were standing in front of a collapsed building, looking at it with an air of defeated hopelessness. As he got closer, he used Appraise and determined that they were a married couple with the Merchant class and titles related to business. He guessed they were likely shopkeepers of some kind who had lost their store in the disaster. Unsurprisingly, they seemed to be having a hard time deciding what to do with the pile of rubble in front of them. "Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you something?" The man glanced up and looked blankly at him for a few seconds before answering. "Ah¡­yeah. What do you need, lad?" "We''re actually visitors to the island, and we were hoping to find someplace to buy a few souvenirs before leaving." He knew his statement wasn''t particularly believable considering the circumstances, but he hoped that a combination of shock and their presence there would compensate. Thankfully, both of them seemed too deeply affected by the incident to really notice. "Souvenirs? Then you want Margret''s, she''s just down the¡­" He pointed in the direction of another ruined building, and trailed off once he realized what he was doing. "Sorry, she might still be around somewhere, but it will probably be awhile before she''s back in operation." "If she''s not dead¡­" His wife muttered under her breath. "I see. That''s unfortunate. In that case, maybe you can point me in the direction of someone who handles magic items or mechanical devices. I have a friend back home that would definitely love to get his hands on some of the things you have here." This finally managed to break through the haze of loss surrounding the pair, and he was treated to looks of careful suspicion. "I''m sorry, but I don''t know if I can help you there. The Asani maintain strict regulations about who can and cannot deal in those types of goods. Settlers like ourselves aren''t allowed access to them." "Really? That''s seems quite strange to me. I had figured that people intelligent and resourceful enough to make their homes on one of the most exclusive locations in the world would be able to figure something out." He replied with an ingratiating smile. The man hesitated for a moment, a few conflicting emotions warring in his eyes, but his wife cut him off with a sudden outburst. "As he already said, we don''t deal with that kind of product, and we don''t know anyone who does! Why don''t you leave us alone already?" "My apologies, I didn''t mean to offend. I was just hoping to arrange a trade of services. If you can''t help me, that''s alright. I''ll go find someone else. Have a good day." He started walking away and had to suppress a smile when the man called out to him. "Please wait a second. What do you mean an exchange of services?" "Well, I assumed that you would benefit from the assistance of an experienced Earth Mage to help you clear the rubble and rebuild, but I was evidently mistaken. Maybe some of your neighbors would be more interested." He turned to Lily, who''d been quietly watching the exchange up to this point. "Come on, let''s go try someone else." The woman broke in at that moment, moving forward with a surprisingly polite smile on her face. "Now, now, Sir Mage. There is no need for that. I assure you we can certainly come to an arraignment." "I thought you said that you didn''t know anyone that traded in the goods I''m interested in." She waved her hand dismissively. "Sorry about that. It was a bit of a misunderstanding. You see, we don''t actually know anyone specifically, but we can certainly tell you where to go to find out." "Carla!" The man interrupted, a bit fearfully. "Are you insane?!" He continued in a quiet whisper. "Do you want the Loremasters to raid us?" "Relax, dear. These nice young folks are only looking for some harmless souvenirs. Surely there won''t be any kind of investigation about this." "Still¡­" Mike gave his best reassuring smile and added a bit of mana to his voice. "You won''t regret it. I promise." The tension in his shoulders held for a few seconds, before they sagged. "Fine¡­we can tell you where to go, but only if you help us rebuild our store first." Mike shrugged, stepped forward, and channeled his mana into the ruined shopfront. He could sense the lingering essence of the original structure in the stones and the way that the individual pieces fitted together. With an effort of will, he tried to reassemble them. Gradually over the course of a minute, the building began to take shape. As if time were flowing backwards, bits and pieces of masonry rose up and put themselves back together. He had to summon a bit of stone here and there in order to make up for the parts that had been crushed into dust or were too far away, but pretty soon there was a fully intact structure standing in front of him. He released his mana and turned to the openmouthed shopkeepers. "Now, I wasn''t able to fully recreate everything in the store, so you''ll have to restock the inventory and put in new windows, but the building itself should be repaired now." With a little bit of glee, he noticed the commotion his sudden display of magic had caused, not just among the other humans, but the civilian Asani as well. [Alright, now if the original contact doesn''t pan out, I should have some other options in the near future.] The pair was enormously grateful, and confessed that they''d assumed he would simply help them clear the rubble, not fully rebuild their store. In the midst of their profuse thanks, which might have as much to do with their fear of his abilities as their actually gratitude, they explained that he could find what he was looking for in a settlement referred to as Skyridge, a small town near the edge of the Asan. There he could find other Settlers, a term for non-Asani living on the island, who were known to engage in some rudimentary smuggling. Thanking the couple, he led Lily back to the meeting place he''d set up with the others. It was deserted by the time they arrived, so he took a seat and settled in for a wait. While he was doing so, he realized that the Lily was giving him an odd look. "What?" She cocked her head to the side a bit, as if confused. "You were¡­deceptive and persuasive." "Perhaps, but it was necessary." She nodded blankly then fell into silence for a few seconds. Finally, she muttered, "I''ll have to remember that." He wasn''t quite sure what she meant by that, but didn''t have time to ask as the other three chose that moment to show up and explain what they found. Chapter 308: One Mans Trash... A short flight later, and they were setting down outside of a small community that was built next to a precipitous cliff that marked the edge of the island. Superficially, there wasn''t much of a difference from the rest of the towns that dotted the landscape, but as they got closer, Mike noticed a few differences. The buildings, at least the ones that were still standing, were obviously designed for people walking on two legs, and didn''t seem to have any accommodations for the flying Asani. The reason for that was pretty apparent when he saw that the inhabitants of Skyridge were almost exclusively land-bound humanoids. Much like in the city near the crystal spike, which he realized he still didn''t know the name of, the people here were slowly working to rebuild their lives after the devastation caused by the attack and subsequent crash onto the ocean''s surface. As they walked into town, they attracted a few suspicious glances from the populace, but no one seemed to have the time or the wherewithal to pay them much attention. [Judging from the number of buildings, there should be at least a few hundred people here, but I''m only seeing a fraction of that actually involved in the rebuilding efforts. They must be doing something else.] The set up bothered him a little. Considering the size and nature of the Asan, and the level of organization of the local authorities, it should be next to impossible for something like the smuggling of contraband goods to actually be taking place. That wasn''t even taking into the account how logistically difficult it must be to move their product while riding on a flying island with a seemingly random flight path. If the smugglers actually did exist, then they could only do so if those in power allowed them to. Maybe the Elders saw a need for the controlled introduction of Asani technology into the world, or perhaps they allowed Skyridge to continue in their activities under observation so long as they avoided going too far. Whatever the case was, it didn''t concern him too greatly. If he couldn''t find anything worth picking up here, then he would simply go back to the central city and try again. Eventually they were called out to by a large man who was in the middle of moving rubble. He looked a bit like a burly innkeeper, complete with a rather impressive gut, but something about the way he carried himself suggested that he was more of a fighter. "You folks aren''t from around here. What are you doing in Skyridge?" The man''s tone was neutral, but it was clearly a challenge. Suspecting that he''d stumbled across one of the people he was looking for, Mike used Appraise. ------------------- Roger Comstock Age: 48 Race: Human Class: Brawler Title: Reformed Bandit -------------------- "Yes, we were actually directed to this town by a couple in the city. They suggested that this would be a good place to try the local produce." He answered using the code phrase he was given by the storekeepers. Roger''s eyes narrowed suspiciously for a few seconds, evidently evaluating them, but then nodded. "Alright. I can show you where our town''s farmers sell their best stuff." That was the reply phrase which meant they would be taken to one of smuggling dens in town, and allowed to peruse the products they had for sale. The man led them to the ruins of a barn slightly outside of town. Judging by how decrepit the wooden frame seemed to be, it was likely in disrepair long before the attack. A small section had been cleared of debris, revealing a trap door that Roger opened and started descending through without another word. They walked down a spiral staircase for several minutes before the passage opened up into a large cavern that may have once been natural, but had been heavily modified by its current inhabitants. A vast majority of the chamber was dominated by a complex apparatus that seemed to be designed to raise and lower small boats through a hole in the floor. Under normal circumstances, this tunnel must have led out of the bottom of the Asan, but there was currently a pool of seawater that was threatening to flood the chamber, and only a barrier of desperately applied sandbags had kept it from doing so at this point. A small army of smugglers were currently engaged in holding back the flood, no doubt fearing the resulting devastation of their goods, which were packed into crates around the cavern. Roger led them to a small office built into the wall near the entrance and spoke to the man sitting inside. "Customers from the city." The thin and slightly frail man behind the desk nodded, evidently dismissing their guide, who promptly left, before standing and introducing himself. "I''m Hurston Lowe, and I run this particular site. Ordinarily, I''d hand you off to one of our agents who handles the more commercial side of our enterprise, but I''m afraid you came at a rather bad time." Appraise backed up his statement. ------------------------- Hurston Lowe Age: 47 Race: Human Class: Administrator Title: Gifted Accountant -------------------------- "Yeah, we can see that." Morris commented dryly. Hurston offered a thin smile in response. "So, I must warn you now that, depending on what you are looking for, you may have to come back later. While I might oversee operations, that doesn''t mean I have categorical knowledge of everything we keep in stock." [Judging based on his mannerisms, the complexity of the records he likely keeps, and his title; I doubt there is a single item here that he is not aware of. So, is he planning on giving himself plausible deniability in the event we ask too much of him?] It''s also possible that the smugglers were working with the Asani government in some way, and may have a means of quietly reporting individuals who look for certain things. "Of course. We are mainly interested in two kinds of goods, books and magic items. As far as books go, we really only want to see something along the lines of a general history or background, especially if they are written by an Asani author. However, if you have any containing particularly valuable information, we''d like to see those as well." The smuggler frowned. "That''s doable, but most of those will be written in their native tongue. For outsiders like yourselves, I am not certain they are that helpful." "We''ll worry about that. Anyway, the second thing we are looking for are magic items or devices that have been made using Asani technology." "Ah¡­I see. Is there anything specific you would like? I''m afraid we are rather limited on that front due to the strict regulations that govern their trade." Mike thought for a second. He was hoping that the man would allow him to search through his collected inventory and find something that fit his needs, but he guessed a careful individual like Hurston would be hesitant to give a stranger free reign in his warehouse. "Then, do you have anything that allows one to digitally interface with a larger analog system?" That earned him curious stares from the rest of his party. While the words may have made sense thanks to his Communication Magic, it seemed unlikely that exact meaning had been imparted. The smuggler on the other hand seemed to have an idea of what he was talking about, although he appeared to be undecided about it. After a few seconds, he muttered. "¡­There is one thing I can think of that might fit your specifications. It''s old and in disrepair. Quite frankly, we didn''t have the resources or the technical knowledge to maintain it properly, but you can take a look at it and see if it''s what you are looking for." Mike nodded. "That will be fine." "This way, then." Hurston took them back out into the main room and then through a large set of double doors into what must be their warehouse. Carved into the side of the cavern were long hallways lined with massive and heavily reinforced shelves which bore stacks of crates. Or they would have, if not for the obvious fact that the crash had left them in as much disarray as the rest of the island. Here, there were more of the smugglers working on cleaning up and repairing the damage, but it was clearly an ongoing process. "As you can tell, we are still in the middle of surveying the full damage." Hurston yelled back at them over the noise. "So, I can''t guarantee the item I''m thinking about will be intact." Eventually, he led them back into a deserted storeroom that looked to have been full of junk even before the accident. Now, it was little more than a chaotic collection of broken machinery and scrap metal. Sighing, the smuggler began pushing his way through the debris until he arrived at a crate that had been pushed into the far corner. Using a crowbar he''d brought with him, he leveraged the box open to reveal its dusty contents. "As you can see, it''s not in the best condition. I''ll be honest with you, I''m not certain it''s even operational, but you can probably get an engineer or artificer to get it working again." Mike nodded wordlessly while examining the device. It vaguely resembled the vitals monitor he saw in hospitals back on Earth, complete with a variety of cords and wires that extended from its back and ended in flat pads or clips. However, the display was broken in a few places, and there didn''t seem to be any means of inputting commands. "Where did you get it?" He asked while using Appraise. ----------------------- Asani Control Module Hybrid (Tier 2, Rank 2) This device is designed to serve as a bridge between untrained users and more archaic magical items that would otherwise require specially trained experts to activate and maintain them. As it is meant to work with a wide variety of equipment, the module is capable of modifying practically anything that relies on mana to function. However, such options are limited to the original specifications of the object and requires extensive mana input to make lasting changes. Due to extensive wear, this particular device has degraded to a certain degree, decreasing its functional mana efficiency. This has also lowered its rank from 3 to 2. ------------------------- [Well, it sounds like it works at least.] Hurston consulted his clipboard. "This particular item was acquired along with several other pieces as part of a salvaging operation. Apparently, it is the product of a failed attempt to create miniature versions of the Asan to be used for scouting and trade missions." "So, there are other parts that came with this?" "At one point yes, but everything else has either been scrapped for parts or sold individually." "Why is this thing stuck in a junk closet, then?" Morris asked while picking up one of the device''s wires, exposing a patch of corrosion that was likely caused by seawater. The smuggler sighed. "Honestly? It''s not a product that most of our clients are interested in. A control module is really only useful if you have a magical device that is complicated enough to require an interface, but common enough that non-experts have access to it. So far, we haven''t found anyone that could benefit from it. Also, it''s a bit too valuable to simply dispose of." "That sounds pretty reasonable, but why does it feel like you are attempting to unload a failed product on unsuspecting customers?" The bard shot back. "Hey, if you don''t want it, you are welcome to leave." Hurston replied calmly. "What do you want for it?" Mike asked suddenly, interrupting the exchange. "Ordinarily, I would ask for ten grand, but considering its condition and the fact that it''s been sitting unused for a few years, I think I can knock it down to five." "Five thousand gold?! For this pile of junk?" Morris exclaimed. "Take it or leave it." Mike reached down and touched the display with one finger, pushing a bit of mana into the device. His efforts were rewarded with a brief glow. Straightening, he announced. "I''ll take it." Chapter 309: Assuming Control After ensuring that the control module was set aside for them to purchase, the group followed Hurston to another section of the warehouse that contained several crates full of books. These were in a similar state of disarray, with a large number of the containers having broken apart, spilling their contents all over the room. It quickly became apparent that any works of significant value were not allowed to end up as part of the smuggling operation. Apparently, the only thing that the Asani were willing to have leave the island were texts written about literally anything besides the Asan and its people. Which made a sort of sense, since there was little reason to restrict the exportation of information that already existed on the outside. Nevertheless, they were able to track down a few that fit Morris''s interests after a half hour of searching. He picked up several books that dealt with a wide range of topics, but most specifically seemed to focus on folklore and legends. Deciding that it was probably best to get away from the island before they got caught up in something complicated, Mike took the team back to the ship after making their purchases. Thankfully, the extradimensional sack was able to stretch enough to encompass the bulky control module, even though it was a bit bizarre to see. Then after a quick flight, they landed on the Huntsman and were back underway in a matter of minutes. Mike watched from the aft of the ship as the Asan slowly sunk below the horizon. His brief time on the floating island had been informative, but meeting face to face with the Elder had shown him that there were mysteries to this world that he hadn''t even begun to contemplate. His gut told him that he would eventually need to confront them, but doing so right now felt like a mistake. [Whatever. I''m sure I''m going to be running into them again at some point.] Dismissing his thoughts, he wandered back to his cabin and opened the door to the demi-realm. Lily who''d been quietly watching him intently up to this point swiftly went through and headed towards her workshop without another word. Mike debated about observing her for a while to make sure that she wasn''t trying to invent anything too dangerous, but ultimately decided to move on to his own business. After all, this was precisely the reason he''d built so many defensive features into her work area. If she still managed to do some damage, he would just have to fix it after the fact. With that concern in the back of his head, he moved to the cabin and headed down to the control room in the basement, stopping in front of the pillar that governed the realm. For a moment he studied the structure one more time, trying to see if any additional meaning had magically appeared in his mind while he was out, but it looked the same to him. Sighing, he went about the process of unpacking the Asani Control Module and hooking it up to the pillar. The weird cables that extended from its back managed to stick to the smooth surface without any difficulty, and in a few short moments it was all set. Just as he was channeling his mana with the intention of inputting it into the device to get it running, the display flickered on and began running through a series of incomprehensible symbols. His Communication Magic was translating the meaning, but it appeared to be random gibberish. [It might be more broken than I originally guessed. Then again, it could be some kind of start up procedure, like a computer or something. Guess I just need to wait and see.] He watched the symbols scroll over the display for a few more minutes and was gratified when they eventually stopped, causing the screen to go blank. After a few seconds, a message popped up in a strange, squiggly language that he nevertheless understood. It read, "Initiate management protocol?" Mike once again examined the device, but couldn''t see any way to actually input a command. Feeling a bit annoyed by the design flaw, he tried pressing the display on the off chance the Asani had developed touchscreen technology. Unfortunately, the hard material, which felt like strangely rough glass, didn''t yield or show any indication that it registered his finger. [Hmmm, could it be controlled via mana somehow?] He thought to himself while channeling a bit of his reservoir into the device. He could feel the energy drain into the machine''s internal systems, but otherwise it didn''t appear to have any effect. "Haaa...I wish I could just tell it what I want." Responding to his voice, the message on the screen flickered and changed, now displaying, "Command unrecognized. Please try again." [...Of course it''s voice controlled¡­] Assuming that he would need to be using the Asani''s native language in order to control the module, he concentrated and spoke in their tongue. "Yes." "Acknowledged. Please wait while the sensor reads item parameters." The screen flashed before switching to a blank screen. [This would be an excellent place for a loading bar, but I suppose that might be asking for too much.] After a few seconds, the display changed, now showing a simple vertical bar through its center. Mike was concerned that the device might have been malfunctioning, but relaxed when more text began popping up with arrows pointing to different parts of the bar. Clearly, it was meant to be a representation of the control pillar which governed the demi-realm. As far as he could tell from the writing, this seemed to be the main interface that he could use to alter the pillars settings. Looking over the available options, he found himself pleasantly surprised. In addition to the basic features that governed the entry settings and illusionary surroundings, there were several other settings that he wasn''t previously aware of. [Lets see...gravity controls are fine, don''t really want to mess with the atmospheric ones too much, especially since it seems to be set on auto-replenishing at the moment. Would hate to accidentally vent the realm or something...What''s this? Power Setting and Sourcing?] "Display Power Setting and Sourcing." He told the screen and then read the result wall of text. Making sense of it the best that he could, Mike figured that the realm was somehow drawing the energy necessary to maintain itself from Ea during the brief periods of time that the portal door was open. As for the power setting, it seemed that, perhaps as a result of the long period of inactivity following the death of the previous owner, the system was set to the default low usage. There was a medium and high option listed alongside it. Before he got too deeply involved, he backed out to the main menu and checked the realm''s mana reserves. Apparently, there were some kind of mana batteries buried underground which served as the primary source of energy for the realm when the door wasn''t active. Currently, they were sitting at about ten percent of their maximum capacity, but that amount was steadily increasing. [High power is probably out of the question, but I can probably maintain the medium setting for a while. Unless of course I can find an alternate mana source for the device.] He had the device bring up the Power Setting and Sourcing menu again and looked through the options. Based on what he could gather, the demi-realm could be powered through three ways. First was the one currently in use, where the portal door served as a conduit with Ea, allowing mana to naturally flow into the realm''s storage location. Second was to manually transfer mana from a person or item. The last option was a bit different, since it was actually tied to a separate part of the control pillar that maintained the exterior border of the realm. Apparently, it was possible to alter the barrier separating it from the rest of existence, allowing it to absorb some energy from its interdimensional surroundings. The downside of this being that doing so creates some vulnerabilities in the barrier that could potentially allow others to enter without using the portal. He quickly decided on avoiding the last option unless absolutely necessary. Having just fought against something that may or may not have been a native of that space, he didn''t want to do anything that might accidentally bring them into his home. That left him with the other two options, neither of which was particularly useful in his current situation. While he could simply continue to keep the portal door open for as long as possible and recharge the realm using the standard method, he had no way of knowing how much longer it would take, or whether or not it would be a sustainable option in the event he wanted to make use of higher levels of power usage. [I suppose I could just periodically dump some of my mana into the realm. It may not exactly be the fastest way to recharge the system, but it''s better than nothing. Alternatively, if I can find anything like a mana generator, this would be the perfect place to set one up.] Checking his internal reserves, he decided to hold off on any serious experimentation for the time being. While his mana regeneration had definitely improved since he ascended to Tier 4, he was still only sitting at about sixty percent of his maximum reserves. One he rested and got them back up to full, he might try messing around with the power settings a bit more. In the meantime¡­ [Let''s see here...there it is, Climate Controls.] After examining the options, he commanded the module, "Engage precipitation sequence, set for one instance per seven days at a rate of 16 mm over a 24 hour window." He checked the power requirements for the change and felt satisfied that he wasn''t overburdening the realm''s reserves. [Alright, now I just need to let Reber know the good news¡­] Mike thought to himself as he started walking out of the basement. He stopped, however, when he noticed someone waiting for him outside the control room. Sera was leaned against the wall, idly fiddling with the hero relic bow. As soon as she saw him, she straightened slightly, mouth open as if to say something. She stayed like that for a few seconds before grimacing and trying again. Finally, she managed to squeeze out, "Can...can we talk?" She was clearly struggling with something that deeply bothered her, and he had a suspicion of what that might be. --------------------------------------- Below here is a status update, please feel free to skip to the next chapter. -------------- [Status] Michael Rasmussen Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Skill Master Tier: 4 (Low) ------------- Title: Aspirant Ascendant Multiverse Traveler Blessed One Hunter of Renown Battlefield Healer Kal''Thel Philanderer Hero Dungeon Savior Undinekath Saint of Healing Nemesis of Demons Adversary Wyrmkin Fortuitous Alchemist Known to the Lurker Conjurer of the Draconic Bloodline Dragonknight High Elementalist (EVOLVED) Battlemage Iron Soul Slyphkath Renowned Initiate Defender of Ea (NEW) -------------- Skills: -------------- Primary Skills: -------------- Communication Magic (Rank 4) Life Magic (Rank 1) (EVOLVED) Appraise (Rank 4) Journeyman Almiran Military Swordsmanship (Rank 2) Advanced Water Magic (Rank 1) Advanced Fire Magic (Rank 1) Advanced Air Magic (Rank 1) Advanced Earth Magic (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Basic Light Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Dark Magic (Rank 5) Basic Conjuration Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Calling Magic (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Basic Space Magic (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Basic Alchemy (Rank 5) Master Scrivening (Rank -) Basic Artifice (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Bind Familiar (Rank 2) Blood Collector (Rank 1) -------------- Secondary Skills: -------------- Lifestyle Magic (Rank 0) Advanced Lovemaking (Rank 3) Athletics (Rank 3) Advanced Evasion (Rank 1) Basic Dagger Fighting (Rank 2) Intermediate Spear Fighting (Rank 4) Intermediate Sword Fighting (Rank 2) Advanced Elemental Magic (Rank 1) Basic Summoning Magic (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Intermediate Riding (Rank 1) Basic Haggling (Rank 5) Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Rank 2) Intermediate Unarmed Fighting (Rank 1) Intermediate Chanting (Rank 3) Tri Casting (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Aerosense (Rank 3) Dancing (Rank 1) Basic Stealth (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Basic Dismantling (Rank 3) Basic Blacksmith (Rank 5) (RANK UP) Mana Transference (Rank 5) Mana Shield (Rank 5) Mana Attack (Rank 1) Tailoring (Rank 1) (NEW) -------------- Passive Skills: -------------- Intermediate Fear Resistance (Rank 4) Advanced Physiological Resistance (Rank 1) (TIER UP) Advanced Poison Resistance (Rank 1) Intermediate Heat Resistance (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Intermediate Mental Resistance (Rank 3) Basic Electricity Resistance (Rank 3) Basic Cold Resistance (Rank 2) (NEW) Basic Death Resistance (Rank 1) Basic Curse Resistance (Rank 1) Large Mana Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Large Mana Regeneration Enhancement (Rank 4) (RANK UP) Moderate Endurance Enhancement (Rank 5) Moderate Agility Enhancement (Rank 4) Moderate Strength Enhancement (Rank 3) Moderate Willpower Enhancement (Rank 2) (RANK UP) Minor Speed Enhancement (Rank 1) Limit Break (Rank 1) Detect Hostile Intent (Rank 4) -------------- Inherent Skills: Traveler''s Luck Fate-Touched (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser Aspirant Ascendant -------------- - Initiate Defender of Ea - A title granted to those few mortal beings who have fought against invading forces from outside of Ea and its associated realms. At its current rank, this title provides no bonus. - High Elementalist - Through your mastery of the four basic elements, you have achieved a new level of understanding and control. Moderate increase to the efficiency and potency of all Earth, Air, Fire, and Water Magic skills. ---------------------------------------- - Life Magic (Tier 4, Rank 1) - (EVOLVED) A form of magic only accessible for those who have walked the path of healer, this skill harnesses the power of the fifth basic element, Life. Practitioners can use their command over this element to control, empower, and even create living things. Within the realm of its influence, there are no forms of magic more dominant, but it cannot affect things that never held the spark of life. Higher levels of skill increase mana efficiency and the power of magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Healing Mastery - Healing Mastery - Life Mages arise only from those who have a fundamental understanding of organic beings. With this understanding comes the knowledge of how to treat the many ailments and injuries that such beings encounter over the span of their life cycles. Includes the effects of all Healing Magic skill ranks of Tier 4 and below. - Advanced Earth Magic (Tier 3, Rank 1) - One of the most basic forms of Elemental Magic. Earth magic allows the user to create and manipulate earth and stone. It is characterized by its permanence and durability, providing the most effective defensive techniques of the four basic elements. Higher skill levels increase the mana efficiency and power of the magic produced. Rank 1 Effects: Earth Mastery - Earth Mastery - Advanced Earth Mages master the inherent mobility of their chosen element, granting them unprecedented control over earth. Allows users to control all forms of earthy materials, and perform feats of delicacy and speed with them that would otherwise be impossible. Includes all lower skills. ------------------------------------- - Tri Casting (Tier 4, Rank 1) - Due to the difficulties inherent in the practice of magic, most mages are limited to utilizing one spell at a time. By virtue of practice or natural talent, Tri Casters are not bound by this limitation. Allows the user to cast three spells simultaneously. Higher levels of skill improve efficiency and grant a system correction to concentration and processing speed. Tailoring (Tier 1, Rank 1) The practice of turning cloth into clothing. Users of this skill can produce cloth items using a variety of methods and stylistic choices. Provides a minor system correction when crafting items primarily made of cloth. Higher levels of skill increase the correction and improve crafting efficiency. The correction does not apply to aesthetic choices. ------------------------------------ - Advanced Physiological Resistance (Tier 3, Rank 1) - You have developed the ability to control your body''s physiological responses to a large degree. Large resistance to the negative effects of physiological responses. - Basic Cold Resistance (Tier 1, Rank 2) - Frequent exposure to cold has increased your body''s ability to handle low temperatures. Provides minor resistance to the negative effects of low temperatures. Chapter 310: Unsurprising Twist Guessing that she probably wanted to keep this between the two of them, Mike led Sera into the basement lab and had her take a seat on one of the workbenches. "What''s on your mind?" He asked once they were settled. She spent a few moments watching him silently, seemingly building up the courage to speak. Finally, she took a deep breath and said her piece. "When we arrive in the Riverlands, I am planning on leaving the party." Mike was surprised. This was not the method he''d expected her to adopt, and it meant he would need to revise his plans. Perhaps he''d been silent too long, because Sera continued with a veritable rush of words. "Don''t get me wrong, it''s not that I hate you all or anything, and you''ve certainly done a lot for me...a lot more than I''ve done for you anyway. But I just can''t take it anymore. Over and over again, I''ve either been the damsel in distress or the lodestone dragging you all or the reason we''ve gotten tangled up in a mess, and...and I''ve had enough of it." There was a hint of tears in the corner of her eyes, but she appeared to be holding them back. "Is this about the thing with the Cabal? That tracking device?" He asked. "That''s part of it." She replied quietly while glancing down at her hands that were idly rubbing the grip of the hero relic bow. "But it''s more than that...it''s...well, I don''t...like¡­what I''ve become." He frowned, but waited silently for her to continue. "I...have something to confess. We didn''t meet by chance." "I already knew that. Didn''t your mother tell you to come find me?" "She only said that in the city of Wyrport, I would find someone destined for great things. Someone who I am supposed to guide using my own foresight." "Well, you have given me some great advice." Her face screwed up in something between despair and anger. "That''s just it. While I may have been following my mother''s last words, I also sought you out for my own purposes. I wanted to use you as a weapon to bring about my revenge against the Cabal." "I see...I didn''t notice at all." Sera stood up suddenly, turning away and wiping at her eyes. "That''s because I''m pathetic! I had every intention of making you into my tool, but I stumbled right from the beginning. Not only was I incapable of directing your actions, even on the small scale, but I ended up getting caught up in your pace, merely following along as you went on your adventures. Pretty soon, I became little more than baggage." "Hey, come on. Don''t say that. You''ve helped us out on plenty of occasions." "Name one!" She yelled, whirling on him in a sudden fit of anger that seemed only partially directed his way. "Sure I''ve given you a few pieces of advice that you largely ignored, only to end up succeeding spectacularly anyway. Maybe a few of my visions have helped out a little, but beyond that, the most meaningful contribution I''ve given to this party has been telling you what silverware to buy when outfitting a room we never ended up using!" "What about that whole situation in Wyrport? Without your foresight, we wouldn''t have known how to stop the summoning. Who knows what would have happened if you weren''t there?" She grimaced, but seemed slightly mollified. "Maybe, but it''s not like I really helped stop the ritual. It was you and Tal and Brenden that did all the heavy lifting. I just got in the way." "Come on. You can''t compare yourself to them. Tal''s an elf who''s been practicing her skills for decades, and I''m pretty sure Brenden was some kind of bandit before he became an adventurer. They''ve both been in a lot more fights than you." "I notice you didn''t say anything about yourself." She muttered under her breath before continuing. "Anyway, that''s not the point! I''m trying to tell you that I only approached you in the first place in order to use you, which I have failed utterly to do, and I''ve done nothing besides be a burden to you since!" Mike was suddenly reminded of a very similar conversation he''d had not too long ago, back when they were still idling through their University days. He remembered promising to help train his party members, allowing them to stand by his side without feeling like they were useless. "Shit¡­" He muttered. Looking back on it, he realized that he''d done nothing more than make a few halfhearted attempts at training them since. It had always been his intention of getting back into it, but he''d been distracted by events. Sure, the war ended up taking most of his attention, and there always seemed to be some new crisis that he needed to solve, but it was clear that he''d been neglecting them again. Taking them for granted...again. What must his ascension to Tier 4 have looked like to them in that context? [Tal''s always been patient with me, but I think I''m finally beginning to see why Brenden chose to leave us.] Misinterpreting his quiet curse, Sera seemed to wither a bit, but then took a deep breath and said. "Which is why I''ve decided that it is time for me to make my own way. From the beginning, I never deserved to be a companion of the Hero, and nothing I''ve done since then has changed that." She paused for a few seconds, evidently having a hard time squeezing out her next words. "Thank you for everything, but I can''t do this anymore. I''m returning the bow. It''s not like I was worthy of it in the first place." Thinking quickly, Mike tried to come up with a way to derail the course of this conversation. If he allowed it to continue, it could only result in heartbreak. He could tell that the girl was mostly motivated by guilt, and it would be hard to completely change her mind without altering that. In order to do so, he would have to be a bit unfair. "Are you sure you want to let it end like this?" He asked coldly. She flinched at his tone, but glared back at him before answering. "I don''t see any other way.." "So, that''s it? You''re just going to give up?" "What do you want me to do? The longer I''m with you, the more likely it is that the Cabal will target you. If I go it alone, at least I''m the only one that will suffer." "You don''t understand." He shot back. "I''m asking if you are giving up on your revenge." "...What?" "Didn''t you say that you only joined the party in order to push me into destroying your enemies and avenging your mother? Have you forgotten what they did already? Have you decided to forgive them, then?" "That''s not...no I¡­" She trailed off, too flustered to give a coherent answer. "Really? Because it sounds like you''ve decided to let them win. More importantly, it sounds like you''ve decided to make your mother''s sacrifice worthless." Sera blanched at that. "No! I-I...that''s not what I¡­" "Isn''t it? If you left us and went out on your own, how long do you think you would be able to survive before they caught you? A month? A week? Isn''t keeping them out of your clutches exactly what your mom died for? Do you want her to have suffered for nothing?" Tears began spilling out of her eyes. "Ah...no..." Feeling slightly guilty, he allowed some warmth to enter his voice and gave her a sad smile. "Then don''t give up just yet. After all, even though you haven''t succeeded in turning me into your revenge tool yet, that doesn''t mean it''s hopeless." She looked at him, obviously confused. "That being said, I have a better idea. Rather than becoming your weapon and bringing an end to those Cabal bastards, wouldn''t it be much more satisfying to do it yourself?" The Oracle laughed bitterly while wiping at her eyes again. "Of course, but you seem to be forgetting what we''ve been talking about up to this point. If I could do that to begin with, we wouldn''t be having this conversation." "That''s because I have been doing a shit job of helping everyone grow. Which is honestly something I need to apologize for." "It''s not your responsibility." She muttered quietly. "Regardless, I promised to do so, and yet, I haven''t really followed through on it. So, in many ways, your current doubts are a product of my negligence." He stood up and moved towards the door, before turning back and regarding her. "Which is why I would like to ask you for a favor." Sera blinked again, a bit taken aback. "What''s that?" "Could you place your trust in me again? I swear that this time I will be truly dedicated to helping you improve, and I promise that when you feel ready, I will be there at your side when you finally put an end to the Cabal''s threat." He softened his expression. "Can you do that for me?" For a moment she didn''t say anything, and he started to get worried that he may have chosen the wrong tactic, but finally she nodded. "Alright." Before she had a chance to say anything else, he exclaimed. "Excellent! Then let''s get started." As he grabbed her arm and began pulling her outside, she managed a confused, "Eh?" "Well, believe it or not, I''ve actually been giving the issue some thought, and I''ve come to the conclusion that there are fundamentally two ways of improving one''s skills. The way I see it, you can either practice on your own, slowly perfecting your abilities through sheer effort, or you can use a faster way." "What faster way?" She asked. By this point they''d arrived at an empty patch near the dried up lake. Judging that they were far enough away from any of the others to not risk causing undue harm, Mike muttered a brief chant and created a series of earthen walls, enclosing a circular area roughly a hundred meters in diameter. Perhaps sensing that things were moving in a dangerous direction, Sera began to look worried. "Mike? What faster way are you talking about?" "Over the course of my admittedly limited experience in skill improvement, I''ve noticed that my biggest advancements seem to occur when I''m fighting in life or death battles and end up overcoming dangerous opponents. While we can certainly do that in the future, I''m thinking we should get started in a more controlled environment." "What are you planning¡­" She started to ask before trailing off as he finished another chant, causing a quartet of summoning circles to appear on the ground nearby. Their light quickly resolved into a group of spiders, each of which was roughly the size of a small car. To make matters worse, they appeared to be composed of solidified flame. Sizzling drops of liquid fire spilled from their twitching mandibles as thirty two eyes glowing eyes focused on the Oracle. [Well, that wasn''t quite what I was aiming for, but I suppose it works.] Sera was horrified, staring blankly at the terrifying monsters for a few seconds before the realization dawned on her. "You aren''t thinking of-" "Don''t worry. I''ll be here to heal you if you get hurt, although I suggest you start running. They look a bit hungry." As if to emphasize his point, the four flaming arachnids began to slowly advance in her direction. Blanching, she turned and tried to put some distance between herself and the monsters. "Dammit Mike! I''ll get you back for this!" Chuckling, he sent a mental command to his summons, ensuring they would hold back just enough to avoid doing too much harm. [If I get her to start practicing that precognition ability of hers, I bet it will make her a much more formidable opponent. In the meantime, however, I suppose I better get to work as well.] With that thought in mind, he muttered another chant, summoning a lizard that was a little bigger than a mid-sized dog. Activating his Life Magic, he pushed his mana into the creature and began experimenting with just how far he could apply his newly discovered abilities. Chapter 311: E in Experimentation [So...there are definitely some limitations to this.] Mike thought to himself while the summoned lizard''s remains slowly disintegrated into motes of light. After nearly an hour of experimentation, he decided to cap off his investigations with an attempt to invest as much mana as possible into the creature''s tissues. The result was...messy. He first noticed there was a problem when the lizard began to twitch uncontrollably. Immediately, he halted the flow of power and tried to determine the source of the disturbance. It quickly became apparent that the more fragile cells in its body had begun to rupture, releasing their stored mana in torrents of energy, which resulted in more cells breaking down. Pretty soon the lizard started to disintegrate into a reddish fluid. He used the healing function of his Life Magic, doing his best to reverse the damage, but that only seemed to make it worse as the energy he tried to apply caused more rampant destruction. So, there was little he could do but watch as the summoned creature was reduced to a pile of goo. Thankfully, it began to disappear shortly thereafter. [Well...that was horrifying. Note to self, be careful when using this on people.] Despite this final setback, he nevertheless managed to determine several important things about his newfound enhancement ability. First and foremost, he discovered it could be applied to more than just Endurance. While he didn''t have much luck on the Willpower front, he found that he could at least improve the lizard''s strength and agility at the same time, simply by directing his mana into different parts of the animal''s anatomy. The second thing he learned was that, while it was technically possible to enhance multiple attributes, doing so required exponentially more mana for some reason. It almost felt like the energy already layered into the target''s tissues was somehow resisting the intrusion of more of its kind. While it was still possible, he would need to think carefully before he used this on anyone. Third, he determined that, even though he was limited in the amount of mana he could use to reinforce a living creature''s tissues, he could manipulate the existing cells using Life Magic in order to get a similar result. So far, he''d tried to keep these experiments limited to some extent, since he figured that he would need a larger pool of subjects to determine how applicable this method was. Despite that, he was able to use what little he remembered about biology to increase the lizard''s overall strength by encouraging it''s muscle fibers to break down and repair themselves repeatedly in a short period of time with bits of mana somehow playing the role of protein molecules in the process. Of course, he soon noticed that the results were less than ideal, as the quickly developed muscles lacked flexibility and severely limited the creature''s movement. Nevertheless, it did open a number of possibilities that he intended to explore in the future. [I bet I can eventually use this to copy the natural abilities of one creature and give them to another. Perhaps I could even transplant body parts or reshape existing ones to increase their existing functionality. Hell, if I take some time to determine exactly how it works, I can probably even give the others my regeneration ability.] He felt a small smile forming on his lips as he contemplated the various possibilities, before he came to the sudden realization that this might not exactly be the best path. [It feels like I just entered mad scientist territory. I suppose this is basically just a magical form of bioengineering, and it''s hard to say exactly what kind of long term effects this method might have on someone. Or worse, how it might affect any children they might have in the future...I might need to do some more serious experimentation before I try anything too extreme.] Sighing, he added building a laboratory and filling it with experimental subjects to his list of priorities. Unfortunately, the unique nature of the demi-realm made any kind of long-term experiment difficult. [Hmm...I wonder if there isn''t some way of altering that setting¡­] He was still lost in thought when a soft impact on his shoulder interrupted him. Glancing over, he almost cringed, but managed to keep his face neutral. An exhausted and decidedly singed Sera was standing there while using the hero bow as a crutch, her face a mask of fury. "What, in the name of all that is holy, was that?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Mike glanced around the makeshift combat site and noted that she''d finally managed to defeat all of his summoned monsters. By the looks of it, she''d managed to do so without taking too much damage. [Did I make it too easy on her?] "Finished already? I have to say I''m impressed. I figured it would take you twice as long." "No! We are not talking about that right now! I want to know what in the hells was that thing you summoned." "Not sure, really. I''m guessing some kind of fire spider, but I can''t be certain." Her left eye started twitching and she began to laugh a bit maniacally. "Hahahaha...hah...Not sure? Not sure?! Do you have any idea what kind of monstrosities you oh so casually let loose on me?!" "Umm¡­" "At first I thought the same. Clearly they were some kind of fire spider, so when they began throwing webs of liquid flame at me, I wasn''t too surprised. However, it got even worse when I managed to kill one of them with a lucky shot." "Worse?" "It exploded! Like into a literal ball of fire! But not just any fire! No, that would be much too easy. No, it also created hundreds of smaller flame spiders that promptly began chasing me too. Can you imagine what it felt like to have the momentary satisfaction of successfully eliminating one of the monsters chasing you ripped away by the appearance of a literal swarm of flaming arachnids that want to devour you alive?" "I don''t-" "And! And, do you have any idea how difficult it is to kill something smaller than you palm with a bow and arrow? Well, I''ll tell you! It''s practically impossible! Eventually, I had to beat them to death with a rock. A rock! Mind you, there aren''t any rocks in this god forsaken realm, so I had to chip one away from that wall you made to trap me here!" [I''m surprised I missed all this. I must have been really focused.] "But you''ve gotten stronger, right?" She glared at him as if to say that if she had the energy, she''d be attacking him right now. "Admittedly, a few of my skills have increased in rank¡­" Mike tapped her shoulder with a quick wash of Healing Magic, easily repairing all of the minor injuries she''d suffered and replenishing her stamina in the process. "See? How long do you think that kind of improvement would have taken if you were just practicing in the usual way?" Hissing through gritted teeth, "Weeks...months...probably." "Exactly, you made a month''s worth of progress in less than an hour. Did you think that kind of efficiency doesn''t have a cost? If you want to get stronger quickly, you''ll have to suffer for it." He shot back, a little harshly. She continued to glare at him for a few seconds, before sighing deeply. "I get that, but...I...I don''t know...I assumed you had some kind of secret shortcut to getting stronger." He scratched the back of his head, "I can see why you''d think that, but I''m kind of a special case. My class and a few of my titles allow me to train faster, and my luck helps me to make breakthroughs in critical situations. In exchange I often end up in dangerous situations and get to experience some things that would probably be mentally crippling if not for my enhanced willpower." Sera stared at him silently, disbelief obvious on her face. "Look, I''ve nearly died a bunch of times over the last few months, and in the process, I''ve learned several things I would rather not have. Like the fact that suffocating is very painful, being slowly crushed while you are powerless to do anything about can be maddening, and being burned alive is probably the worst kind of pain a human is capable of experiencing." He found himself staring into the distance unconsciously, and forcibly relaxed the tension in his face, "Of course that''s not even mentioning having to watch the people around me suffer simply because they happened to be geographically near me when a powerful enemy shows up. That...sucks." Glancing back at the Oracle, he noticed that she was now grimacing. "Ah, sorry. I got a little carried away." He said while heaving a sigh. "The point I was trying to make is that, even though improvement has been easier for me than it has been for most, that speed is not without consequences in and of itself. That being said, the secrets for my growth are not something I can really share, anyway. The best I can really do is help you take advantage of the shortcuts already built into the system." "I get it." Sera replied quietly, before crossing her arms and looking away. "Alright, you are forgiven for now, but I insist that from here on out we talk over any training plans before you throw me into them. I wouldn''t have been angry in the first place if I knew what you were getting me into." He winced, "Fair enough. I''ll do that next time." "So, where do we go from here? You have something else in mind, right?" "Well, I was planning on letting you take a break¡­" "I''m already back in fighting shape, and we only have a few more hours before the demi-realm pushes us out again. Let''s make the most of it and keep going." "Well, if that''s how you feel, I did have an idea for helping you to improve that short range future sight thing you do." "Oh?" She asked, sounding interested. "I haven''t been able to improve my Precognition skill since I got it. Hells, I haven''t even figured out how to control it yet." "Well, I was thinking that you might be subconsciously shying back from using it due to how painful your visions have historically been. In order to overcome that, I believe that we have to force you to rely on it." After a few seconds digesting that, she nodded. "What did you have in mind?" Mike mumbled a quick chant, summoning a small globe of utter darkness in his hand. As soon as it appeared, it began to grow rapidly in size, swiftly washing over the pair of them and expanding until it reached the outer limits of the walls he''d thrown up. Inside the globe was pitch black. While he was still able to see thanks to his ring, he could tell that Sera was completely blind. "My idea is this, if you have to fight in an environment where you can''t see your enemies, you will be forced to rely on your other senses, to include your precognition." "I understand what you are thinking in principle," she commented dryly, "but seeing the future usually involves actually seeing." "Just humor me, alright? Worst case scenario, you can''t do it, and we will move onto something else." "Fine. So what am I fighting? Some kind of shadow monster that consumes souls and will slowly drain the life energy of those nearby?" "Hmm...that might not be a bad idea¡­" "I was joking¡­" She murmured in a slightly subdued voice. "I figured, but I suppose we can leave that particular enemy for later. Instead, I want you to defend yourself against these guys." He replied while summoning a trio of creatures. There were a few moments of silence before she finally commented. "...You know I can''t see anything at the moment, right?" "Of course I do...ahem...Anyway, I''ve summoned three air elementals. In case you aren''t aware, they are basically creatures made of solidified wind. Ordinarily, they are practically invisible and near perfectly silent, but when agitated, they make a noise that resembles a strong breeze. Since they aren''t particularly strong, I figured that they would be good practice to start with before we move onto something more difficult. What do you say?" She took a deep breath before taking a fighting stance. "Alright, bring it." Chapter 312: Improvement for All Mike touched down outside of the training area, and began walking towards the cabin. Based on the mental responses he was getting from his summoned creatures, Sera still hadn''t gotten the hang of fighting without sight, but was starting to make progress. He stopped, however, when he caught sight of something unexpected. A stand of trees had popped up a little ways away from the cabin, for all intents looking like it had been there for years. However, he was quite certain that area had been a barren patch of dirt an hour ago. Curious, he set off to investigate. Drawing closer, his growing suspicions were confirmed as he heard a male voice humming contentedly from within the small patch of woodland. Eventually, the figure of Reber came into view, suspended between two trees on a hammock made of thick vines. He was gently rocking side to side while wordlessly singing a song that Mike vaguely recognized from his past life. It was an older one that was played on the radio every now and then, but he couldn''t remember the name. "Yo!" Reber waved relaxedly from his hammock once Mike moved into his line of sight. "What''s up?" "Just checking out the newest addition to our demi-realm. How''d you manage to make it so fast?" "A magician never reveals his tricks." The treeman replied with a sly smile while tapping the side of his head. "Luckily for you, I never managed to make it past the disappearing ball bit. Your elf friend lent me her mana storage item for a bit, and I was able to grow these in about thirty minutes." Mike paused for a few seconds to digest that. He wasn''t sure what to be more impressed with, that Reber was able to cultivate this level of growth with just the mana in the bracer, or that the amount of energy stored within it made such a big difference compared to when the druid was using his own reserves. "That''s quite the achievement. Did something change from last time?" "Something did, actually. I picked up a Hero''s Companion title, which I''m guessing I have you to thank for. Appreciate it, by the way. It made it a lot easier to practice my skills and helped me make a few big breakthroughs. I can safely say that I''ve improved more in the last week than I have my entire life up to this point." To demonstrate that point, he pointed at the ground and muttered another sing-song chant. A sapling sprouted from the soft earth and quickly grew to about a meter and a half. Mike was wondering why he chose this particular means of demonstration, but it all became clear when the treeman reached over and deposited his cup of water on the waiting branches which seemed to have been perfectly formed to hold it. Suppressing a chuckle, Mike replied. "Still, this amount of development is pretty impressive." "Nah, these are Needle Oaks. Quick growing trees. Under normal circumstances, they would reach this height in a couple years. Of course, they''re pretty flimsy as a consequence, so they have trouble surviving rough storms. Shouldn''t be an issue here, though." "About that. We actually just came back from a flying island inhabited by a race of technologically advanced bird people. While we were there, we met up with a group of smugglers and picked up a device that will allow us to better control the functions of the demi-realm." "Cool." Reber replied while casually taking another sip of his drink. "I''ve gone ahead and set it to produce a light rainshower every week or so, but I wanted to check with you to make sure that will be enough." "Hard to say. That depends a lot on what you''re trying to grow. Should be good for more temperate forest biomes, if you want to go that direction. It''s not a bad choice by any means, but we''ll probably have to introduce some additional fauna in order to properly mimic the ecosystem." "...Out of curiosity. What did you do for a living back on Earth?" The treeman gave him a sidelong glance, "Cashier mostly. Didn''t have much of a chance to branch out on other paths before I got sent here." "No offense, but you sound a bit too well informed about this kind of thing. I have a hard time believing that the druids taught you what a biome or ecosystem was." "Then I have succeeded in my goal of seeming more intelligent than I am. Honestly, I''m just trying to recall what I learned in my bio and ecology courses back in grad school." Mike blinked in surprise, but before he could inquire further, Reber continued. "Anyway, that amount of rain should be enough, and we can always adjust it later, if it''s not. More importantly, how''d it go with the feisty girl?" "Feisty? You mean Sera?" "Yeah, that one. You were in there for a good two hours." He replied with a vague gesture in the direction of the training area Mike had thrown together. "Get any good results?" "Ah. Well, she''s definitely improving, but there''s still a long way ahead of her." Reber cocked a wooden eyebrow at him. "Are you talking about training or something? Thought for sure I''d be hearing some spicier details considering how agitated she''s been since you came back." "Sorry to disappoint you, but that''s all we''ve done over there." [Which is technically true, since the deeply personal conversation took place in the cabin.] "None of my business either way, I suppose." Reber replied with a shrug before standing and stretching. "Think I''m going to step out and get a taste of the sea air before the portal closes again. Might even try to get a few of the crewmembers to hand over some of their whiskey rations. Let me know if you need me to grow anything in particular going forward." [Would alcohol actually affect him in his current form? I''m kind of interested to find out, now.] "Alright, I''ll do that." "Oh, and you should definitely feed that dragon in your pocket. It looks like it''s close to starving." "Even though I just fed her a whole chicken...wait a minute, how do you know she''s hungry?" "Druid thing. I can sense the relative health of most living things in the near vicinity and get basic information about what''s wrong with them, if anything. My instincts are telling me that you little buddy is quite famished." Mike sighed. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. She''s been sleeping more and more lately. I feel like I haven''t seen her looking lively in weeks. I just wish I knew what she needs to get better." Reber walked over and gave his pocket a speculative look. "This is just a hunch, but wouldn''t more food be a good place to start?" "I''ve tried that, but she''ll just eat for a while and then go back to sleep." "Sounds to me like a problem with her diet." The treeman replied while idly tapping the side of his face. "What kinds of things do you normally feed her?" "Pretty much whatever I''m eating, since most dragon lore''s been pretty consistent that they can gain nutrients from just about anything." "Does she show interest in any particular type of food?" "I mean, she''s pretty crazy about mana cores, I suppose." Reber patted his shoulder while walking past. "Then there''s your solution. You need to feed her more of those." "They''re not exactly common. Besides, why would she need to eat them?" "Dragons are predators, right? Maybe hunting in dungeons is part of their natural life cycle or something. Of course, the excess mana build up could also cause her to explode...I guess?" Mike thought back to the summoned lizard he''d recently disintegrated in a similar fashion. "That could be a problem¡­" "Well, I doubt that would actually happen since this sounds like an instinctual urge. Anyway, just food for thought." The treeman replied while walking away. [I suppose there isn''t any harm in adding more of them to her diet.] He considered before taking one of the smaller red cores and depositing it in the pocket that Audra was currently occupying. After a brief pause there was a series of loud crunches followed by a satisfied sigh as his familiar returned to her sleep. [Alright, I''ll make sure to swing by the next dungeon we run across and stock up. It would be a good chance to train the others at the same time.] Lost in thought he idly wandered over to an empty section of the demi-realm and created a chair with Earth Magic. Taking a seat, he turned his mind towards how he would spend the remaining time in the demi-realm. Based on his best guess, there was probably less than an hour until everyone inside, minus a certain druid, was forcefully removed. In that case, it wasn''t really enough for him to really get started on one of his research projects. Besides, he was thinking of consulting Tal and Morris before he went any further with his Life Magic. He hoped that the pair of them would have some insight into how to best make use of his discoveries. In the meantime he wanted to work on another of his skills and hopefully make some progress. Pulling out the notebook Emmanuel had given him, he started reading where he''d left off last time. This particular section detailed a series of techniques used to create a pocket of warped space that was stable enough to be maintained without direct mana investment. According to the notes, which seemed to have been drawn from some other textbook, these methods were the basis of extradimensional storage items, and if he could figure them out, it was likely he could start making some of his own. They also had some combat applications by allowing Space Mages to temporarily trap enemies in virtually inescapable prisons. [Hmm, isn''t that basically what I did with the Invader?] He thought before reading further and discovering the underlying difference being mostly a matter of duration. [So if I master these abilities, I will be able to remove an enemy from combat for a set period of time without having to maintain the spell? That could definitely come in handy. Let''s see, the process starts with some basic spatial awareness exercises...] Over the course of the next twenty minutes, he followed the instructions in the notebook. Thanks to his experiences with the Invader, the techniques proved easy enough to master and pretty soon he was able to trap a clod of dirt in a bubble of warped space for nearly a minute with little in the way of mana investment. Excited, he looked at his [Status] to see if he''d made any progress, and was thrilled to see that the rank had gone up again. ------------------------------ - Basic Space Magic (Tier 3, Rank 3) - One of the most advanced forms of Elemental Magic. Space Magic allows the user to manipulate the very fabric of reality to produce a number of effects. Characterized by its versatility, it is well known for its use in teleportation, extra-dimensional storage, and spatial distortions. Higher levels of skill increase mana efficiency and the accuracy of space manipulations. Rank 3 Effects: Personal Storage - Personal Storage - Through their increasing understanding and mastery of their chosen element, Space Mages develop the ability to subtly alter the space around them in such a manner that it can be used to store things indefinitely. Higher levels of skill increase the capacity of the storage. Current size: 5 cubic meters. ------------------------------------ "Alright! That''s what I''ve been waiting for!" He cheered, wanting to immediately begin experimenting with the new addition. However, he noticed another addition to his Secondary Skills that brought him up short. ------------------------------------- - Basic Instruction (Tier 1, Rank 2) - The skill of imparting knowledge and improving the abilities of others. When assuming a teacher-student relationship with another sentient creature, this skill helps guide both parties towards more effective instruction. Provides a scaled, minor enhancement to the rate of skill improvement and acquisition for all students. Higher levels of skill increase the both the bonus and the number of students that can be maintained. Current students: 1/2, Seraphina. -------------------------------------- Chapter 313: Skipping Time "There." Tal commented blandly from his side, indicating the speck of darkness on the horizon. "Land." "I''m not really one to speak of auspicious events or anything, but I can''t help but feel that this might be a good omen." Morris added relaxedly while leaning on the railing. The weather was exquisite, with the warmth of a clear sunny day moderated by a cool breeze. Combined with the shockingly blue waters of the ocean, it almost felt like they were looking at a painting of some tropical paradise. [All we need now is an island with white sand and a few palm trees.] Mike thought while savoring the sight. The Huntsman was set to arrive in Gildusi by late afternoon, and he had to admit to feeling a little bit of cabin fever. The demi-realm was useful for its purposes, but it lacked a certain freedom that he''d come to take for granted. He was more than ready to get out and stretch his legs on some real ground. "Excited?" Tal asked, perhaps sensing his mood. "Of course. I''ve spent the entirety of my time in this world on the Central Continent, so I''m looking forward to seeing what else Ea has to offer." "Speaking of seeing, I don''t think I''ve seen the others for a while." Morris said while glancing down the length of the ship. "That''s normal enough for Sera nowadays, but Lily¡­" Briefly consulting his Aerosense, Mike located both party members. "Sera''s practicing her foresight in the bilge at the moment, and Lily is currently in her cabin. By all appearances, she is only reading a book, but I suppose that doesn''t entirely rule out the possibility of something more dangerous going on. If it makes you feel any better, William is nearby, mending one of her dresses." The bard gave him a slightly sour look, but nevertheless relaxed. "I don''t think I''ll ever get used to you doing that...Anyway, it seems like Sera''s training is coming along nicely. You must be proud." "At this point, any progress she makes is the product of her own efforts. I''ll pick up the training again once she''s exhausted her current methods, but there is not much left for me to do until then." Mike replied with a shrug. The Oracle had been managing her own training for much of the last week, only relying on him to provide sufficiently difficult opponents. He didn''t mind, of course, since it gave him a chance to practice his Summoning Magic while simultaneously working on other things. Most recently, he''d improved his smithing skills to the point he was able to forge a few basic steel swords for his own personal use. This proved to be the breakthrough point he needed to move into Intermediate Blacksmithing, and subsequently unlocked another skill. ---------------------------------- - Intermediate Blacksmithing (Tier 2, Rank 2) - The art of fashioning a variety of implements and items out of forged metal. Moderate system correction to practitioner''s knowledge and ability in regards to smithing. Functions as the Prerequisite and Limiter for all other forms of smithing. - Basic Weaponsmithing (Tier 2, Rank 1) - Practiced smiths can learn the art of forging metal into weapons of war. Minor system correction to practitioner''s knowledge and ability in regards to smithing. Minor enhancement to the durability and effect of weapons crafted by the practitioner. ----------------------------------- [It seems that it''s a basic principle of crafting skills to stack enhancements from multiple abilities and titles in order to create stronger gear. I wonder if there are more specific skills, like Sword Smithing or something to that effect that I can eventually acquire. If that''s the case, I''d better wait until my skills have improved before investing too heavily in the materials necessary for me to make a more permanent weapon.] While lost in thought, he idly adjusted the weapon resting on his hip. The rest of his creations were currently sitting within his personal storage space, ready to be pulled free at a moment''s notice. He suspected that he''d have an issue with his weapons breaking again, now that he''d gone back to using swords. [While the Fang of the Primal has definitely served me well up to this point, it really has to be a sword for me. Nothing else quite fits as well.] "We were just talking about you. All done with training?" Morris spoke up suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "As much as I can be." Sera grumbled. "I''ve hit another block and it doesn''t feel like my skill is improving any more." She glanced over at Mike. "I might need your help again." There was a slight hitch in her voice which suggested that she wasn''t completely comfortable with asking for his help again, which seemed odd to him considering the events of the last couple weeks. Finally, though he dismissed it as yet another instance of her overthinking things. "Let me guess, you are having a hard time making any progress just using rats as training partners?" She nodded. "But even your summons haven''t been helping as of late. I feel like there is some component of the skill that I''m missing." [I guess it''s time to move onto phase two.] "Then I think I might have a solution for you. I was actually planning on taking the party to a dungeon at our first opportunity. It would give us a chance to practice our teamwork and skills simultaneously, and Audra could use some more mana cores to supplement her diet." The little dragon had all but emptied his supply recently, and he would need to top up at the first opportunity. Thankfully, the expense had largely paid off, as his familiar was back to being the energetic ball of mischief she usually was. "Oh? You''re planning on taking all of us? That''s interesting." Morris broke in. "While I don''t mind the opportunity to train, I doubt I''ll be able to keep up with the rest." "Hmph. I''m sure you''ll be fine. You fought in the war, after all." Sera replied with a shrug. "You forget, I''ve been watching your training over the last few days, and I can safely say that I would have been dead many times over if I had to fight the things you faced. No amount of wartime experience could have prepared me for that." Mike gave his friend a sidelong glance. It didn''t appear that Morris was feeling jealous or discouraged. Rather it looked like he''d come to some kind of realization and resigned himself to his current situation. [Is he trying to keep his distance? I don''t think he''s gotten a companion title yet, or at least he hasn''t mentioned it. Could he maybe be feeling down about it? Or is it something else?] Sera was a bit taken aback by the bard''s comments. She''d obviously spent so long considering herself as the group''s weak link that she didn''t know what to do when confronted with someone that told her the opposite. So, unsurprisingly, she didn''t know how to respond. "I wouldn''t worry too much about keeping up." Mike answered for her. "I was intending on making this a multi-day process done in phases. You know how dungeon progress is determined based on the majority of the party? I''m thinking that if I take a group of two in with me, we can clear it multiple times in order to maximize the benefits." Morris blinked, and then rubbed his chin. "That could work. It runs against the Guild''s recommendations, since you usually want to bring as much firepower as possible to the dungeon in the event that you run into a dangerous situation, but if we have a Tier 4 to escort all of the groups¡­That should work." Mike waved dismissively. After all, having a high level character escorting newbies through challenging content was a basic powerleveling strategy. To be completely honest, the idea seemed so fundamental to him that he was a little confused as to why it would be considered unusual in this world. "Can''t explore together." Tal muttered too quietly for anyone but Mike with his Tier 4 senses to hear. It sounded like she was a bit disappointed. "Well, this is all hypothetical at the moment. I don''t even know if there is a dungeon anywhere close by." He replied with a shrug. "Hm?" Morris looked surprised. "Isn''t there two right near the city?" "Is there?" "Yeah. Haven''t you heard about the Screaming Dark? The high difficulty dungeon where the entrance looks like a bottomless pit. It is said to be particularly deadly, but the rewards are commensurately quite high." He explained, briefly falling into his lecture mode. [...The hell? That sounds like an optional endgame dungeon from an RPG.] "As to the other, I believe it was called the Seaside Citadel or something to that effect, a rare ascending dungeon that features large open rooms filled with a mix of aquatic and flying monsters. It''s considered on the lower end of the mid tier difficulty, so we should have no problem with it.?? "Ah, is that so?" Mike asked absent mindedly while mentally planning. [Based purely on their names, I''m guessing the Citadel should come first, but I bet Sera will do quite well in the Screaming Dark. We should definitely hit it up, if we have the time.] "Anyway, I wasn''t intending on spending the entire day in the dungeon. What''s the point of traveling if we don''t take some time to see the sights? The way I figure it, we can delve for several hours at a time, and then come back out to enjoy the city." "Sounds good to me." Morris commented. "Gildusi is supposed to be a major cultural center. I''d love to get the chance to check out a few of their museums and libraries." "Ah! I nearly forgot!" Sera suddenly exclaimed. "What?" "Gildusi''s famous desserts! I need to try them all!" She replied fiercely, more determination in her eyes than he''d ever seen before. "...Okay? That shouldn''t be too hard. I''ve got the money for it, after all." "Alright!" She cheered. [Despite everything else, I guess she''s still a girl at heart.] They spent the remainder of the journey chatting amicably about what they planned on doing once they arrived. Morris in his usual fashion was able to provide complex details about the many attractions and points of interest in the city and its surrounding areas, despite never having been there. Gildusi itself proved to be quite fascinating, even from a distance. Built into the side of a seacliff surrounding a natural harbor, the city had an unusual tiered appearance, with five layers stretching from the water to the top of the cliff in a manner that reminded him of stadiums from earth. As they got closer, it became apparent that these different layers were connected to one another by an intricate system of pulleys and lifts. These were constantly in motion, giving the city a bustling and dynamic appearance. Careful examination told them that each layer had different styles of buildings, with the ones closer to the water looking more industrial while those higher up appearing more residential. The highest layer seemed to be reserved for a series of large buildings that were either elaborate mansions or some kind of religious structures, with one notable exception. On the northernmost section of the top layer was an elaborate and sprawling building with seven massive spires of varying heights rising from its imposing bulk. Mike was staring at it, trying to work out its purpose when Morris broke in to explain. "That''s Skyreach University, the foremost educational institution in the Riverlands. While they can''t exactly compete with the University of Almir in terms of the breadth of subject matter, they are among the best when it comes to training fighters. The graduates of this university have successfully protected their homelands from several Mirithian invasions, decades of Dovistani expansionism, and centuries of raiding from the people of the western steppes. It is said that the Inland Sea Region''s greatest generals all spent some time studying here, including the Serpent of Almir himself." Morris''s face turned a bit grim at that last tidbit, and he spent the rest of the trip silently regarding the imposing building. Thankfully, the currents proved cooperative, and they were docking within the hour. Mike took a few moments to thank the crew of the Huntsman, passing the captain a stack of gold for their ''troubles.'' At first they were disinclined to accept it, but he eventually succeeded in pressuring them to take it. Thus they bid farewell to the ship that had been their home for a few weeks and stepped out onto the Gildusi docks, fully prepared for the next phase in their grand adventure. "Oh my gods! It''s really him! I can''t believe it!" A voice suddenly screamed out from the crowded streets lining the harbor, causing a general commotion. "Crap!" Mike exclaimed, ducking behind Lily, who happened to be the largest member of the group. "I knew I should have worn a disguise." "I don''t think you need to worry." Sera commented, obviously amused. "They''re not talking about you." "Huh?" Glancing around, he realized that the crowd was focusing its attention on someone else entirely. A skinny man stopped to catch his breath nearby, not even bothering to look in their direction. As soon as he was able to, he exclaimed. "It''s really him! The legendary Mythril Chef, Korgan Hammerfist himself! I need to get him to autograph my copy of his cookbook!" [Convenient exposition aside, what the hell is going on here?] He found himself thinking as he watched the growing crowd of people. Chapter 314: Culinary Giant Partially out of curiosity, and partially since the crowd wouldn''t let them do otherwise, they headed in the direction of the commotion to get a better look at the chef. In the process, they were treated to a lecture from Professor Morris. "...Which is why the Mythril Chef title is typically a ceremonial one, only given to those who have not only won one of the cooking competitions hosted in various cities in the Riverlands, but been acknowledged by at least three other carriers of the title. That said, there are whispered rumors of an Adamantine Chef that is supposedly capable of promoting talented individuals on the spot. They say he or she wanders the country, visiting small restaurants and food stands, bestowing their blessing on any who meet their impossibly high standards." "So, let me get this straight. Despite being home to some of the greatest warriors and generals to have ever fought in a battle, the Riverlands'' major claim to fame is that they have the best cooks in the Inland Sea Region?" Mike asked while pushing through the crowd. He''d gotten more than a few elbows in the ribs already, and he was beginning to feel a bit irritated. "Arguably, yes. I''m sure the Bergellens would disagree. After all, they still hold themselves to be the pinnacle of culture, even this long after the fall of the Pyrathian Empire, but the general international consensus is that the best chefs and the best fighters both come from the Riverlands. With the former actually being the more highly sought after of the two." Morris replied while nearly falling over a couple of times as surges of motion ran through the crowd. "Their dessert chefs are world renowned, too." Sera chimed in from behind them. "Indeed." Morris continued. "Their placement at the mouth of the Inland Sea, coupled with surprisingly robust trade relations with the steppe peoples to the west, and a heavily diversified agricultural portfolio, has given rise to an unusually high level of culinary innovation. This has, in turn, led to some truly unexpected developments in the food industry." "Do you know anything about this Hammerfist guy? He seems to be quite famous." Mike asked, hoping to direct the conversation to a more relevant topic. "I''m afraid I''m not familiar with him. He must be a recent contest winner." Suddenly, one of the people crowding around them turned with a look of abject shock. "You haven''t heard of Korgan Hammerfist?! Where have you been? Living under a rock?" The speaker was a thin man with slightly pointed ears and pale skin. He seemed mostly human, but a quick Appraise revealed his race to be Human (Sun Elf), and his name was Yuln. "We''ve actually only just arrived a few minutes ago." He explained patiently. "I''m afraid we don''t know too much about your country just yet." Yuln gave them a suspicious look for a few seconds before shrugging. "Then you''ll be in for a surprise. I haven''t had a chance to see him in person before, but if he lives up to even half of the stories I''ve heard about him, this will be worth it." "Hm? What do you mean by¡­" Mike started to ask, but then trailed off when the center of the crowd finally came into view, and he could see what everyone was focusing on, or rather who. It was easy to get a good look at the man known as Korgan Hammerfist, since he stood a good head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. He must have stood nearly 2.5 meters tall, but had a stout, stocky build which spoke of incredible strength. With skin a deep chestnut brown, hair and beard the color of seasoned wood braided into an elaborate pattern with a seemingly random collection of beads, and intricate tattoos made with a silvery ink, he definitely was an unusual sight compared to the rest of the cityfolk. "Mother Teun¡­" Yuln uttered breathlessly, "He''s even more impressive than the stories said...I''ve got to get in there!" And with that, the cooking fanboy took off into the crowd, earning himself a tirade of verbal abuse from his fellows he was pushing past. However, he was not the only one attempting such a thing, and it looked like the situation would soon devolve into a riot as a small legion of maddened fans began to fight their way towards their idol. "They''re quite...dedicated? I suppose?" Sera offered, obviously taken aback by the almost religious devotion that the Gildusan natives were showing for this strange, giant sized figure. Curious, Mike used Appraise on the giant. --------------------------------- Korgan Hammerfist Age: 139 Race: Half-Giant (Human) Class: Grandmaster Chef Title: Mythril Chef ---------------------------------- [Huh. I guess he really is a chef.] That of course didn''t prevent him from being a dangerous entity nonetheless. He could, after all, recall several stories from his old world where professional cooks turned out to be highly trained combatants, and deadly in their own right. In a world full of monsters, he supposed it made sense that chefs would need to be strong in order to acquire the best ingredients. Or at least he assumed as much until he expressed those thoughts to the others. "I hate to break it to you," Morris started, "but most chefs just buy or request rare materials from the Adventurer''s Guild if they need something unusual. While there are probably a few individuals out there who hunt for themselves, it would be hard to put into practice. The sheer number of skills one would need to accomplish such a thing is hard to imagine. Not to mention the fact that most crafting classes have a limited number of primary skill slots." [That''s right. Other people have limitations on the number of primary skills they can learn¡­I forget how much of a cheat I am sometimes.] "Still strong." Tal added while looking at Korgan. The giant was in the process of signing an autograph, giving a hearty laugh as he did so. His bearded face was full of mirth as he chatted amicably with the swarm of fans teeming around him. Clearly, he didn''t seem threatened by the possibility of being crushed to death by the mob of people seeking to get close to him. [Probably a byproduct of his bloodline. If Lily is any indication, having giant ancestors makes you pretty powerful.] They stood and watched the proceedings for a good ten minutes, or rather, they were held captive by the press of the crowd until Korgan decided to move on, easily pushing his way through the solid mass of people. With the subject of their attention departing, the gathered fans gradually dispersed, freeing the group from the crush of bodies. "Well, that was unpleasant." Morris muttered while dusting himself off. He''d somehow become partially covered in a fine layer of dust. "Should we see about finding some lodgings?" While they technically didn''t need to get an inn, thanks to the demi-realm, not doing so could potentially draw attention to themselves. Mike was intending on spending no more than a few weeks in this city, just enough time to explore the local dungeons and gather information about Tal''s former teacher. So long as they could avoid getting tangled up with any of the powers that be during that time frame, things should still work out alright. Of course, he''d sent Selene on ahead for this exact reason. So far, she''d managed to infiltrate a few of the more well-informed organizations in the city, and now had a decent understanding of the power politics of the region. As long as he followed her guidance, they could probably get away without dealing with any of the Riverlands'' internal problems. As a collection of city-states theoretically confederated on the principle of mutual defense, the Riverlands should have been relatively peaceful. However, it was in actuality a raging political warzone with dozens of intricately linked factions contending for local dominance while two Tier 4 individuals and their followers skirmished behind the scenes. "I''ve heard that the third level has a few inns that accommodate merchants, lesser nobles, and mid-rank adventurers. Why don''t we try over there?" Mike suggested. While he did earn a few odd looks from the rest of the party, who weren''t used to him knowing anything about the places they were visiting, they nevertheless went along with his idea. Two surprisingly quick lift rides later, and they were walking down a broad and well maintained street. This level of the city seemed dedicated more to office space and stores than anything else, and bustling crowds of shoppers filled much of the area. A surprising number of food stalls and restaurants lined the thoroughfare, saturating the air with a multitude of enticing aromas. It didn''t take long before rumbling stomachs pushed them to try some of the local cuisine. Mike bit into the seasoned meat skewer as he walked, savoring the intense and slightly spicy flavor of the marinade. It reminded him a bit of beef bulgogi, but with a more tangy undertone that suggested the use of fruit in the sauce. Regardless, it was quite satisfying. [Gotta love street food.] He thought to himself while watching Lily sampling a round pastry that appeared to be filled with a meaty stew. It was pretty obvious that while she was enjoying the snack in and of itself, she was trying hard to figure out how it was made. "Gildusi certainly lives up to its reputation as the culinary capital of the Inland Sea Region." Sera commented through a mouthful of cake. "The sheer variety available here is amazing." "This is not the norm, apparently." Morris broke in. "I talked to a few of the vendors, and it seems like a major cooking competition is coming up soon. Hopeful contenders from all over the Riverlands are flooding the city. A lot of them have opened up food stands in order to make a bit of money and keep their skills honed while they wait for it to start." "Huh. They really seem to take this stuff seriously." Mike muttered, looking over the crowded streets again. If every one of the stalls was run by a potential competitor, the event must be massive in scope. They sampled a few more products before moving onto an inn that seemed to fit their needs, and booked two rooms for the week. It was a little surprising that they still had vacancies considering how many visitors the city was having, but they didn''t question their good fortune. Once the group was settled in, Mike took a moment to step outside and make a quick mental connection with Selene. [How goes the investigation? Any sign of our target?] [Not really. It would help if you had something more than ''accomplished Spirit Mage'' to go on, Boss.] Came the slightly annoyed reply. [Well, you know she''s a moon elf, and I gave you a rough description, didn''t I? I''m sorry, but Tal was only with her for a few weeks, and she studiously avoided giving out her name.] [I''m aware of that, I just want you to know what you''re asking of me. I have to pursue multiple leads at once since I can''t eliminate any potential candidates that might fit the mold. It''s time consuming.] [Understood, and I appreciate the effort. It''s a somewhat pressing issue we need to discuss with Tal''s teacher. I can maintain the status quo with a little bit of effort, but there is no guarantee things won''t change in the near future.] [...*sigh*...Alright, I''ll see what I can do.] She replied while cutting off the connection. Mike sighed himself, scratching the back of his head. He hadn''t noticed any sign of the entity that was supposedly possessing him since he''d broken through to Tier 4, and part of him was hoping that the transition had been enough to finally knock the creature loose. It would be one thing if he could explore his own soul with Life Magic, but it was strangely difficult. His attempts up to this point had always felt like he was trying to look over the back of his own head. [Well, whatever. I''ll just concentrate on the next task for the time being.] He thought before going back inside and asking the woman working behind the counter about the city''s Guild branch. Chapter 315: Making Impressions "The Adventurer''s Guild?" The brown haired woman at the inn''s front desk asked blankly before turning towards her coworker. "Did we have something like that here?" The young man was about to answer, denial clear in his body posture, when he suddenly hesitated. "No...wait, wasn''t there a branch down on the second level?" "Are you sure? I feel like I would remember it if we had an Adventurer''s Guild in town." The man shook his head. "No, I''m sure, because I remember asking about it when I was working at that tannery. I thought it was weird that so many heavily armed people were always hanging around, but my boss at the time said they were just adventurer''s waiting for work." "Well, you have a couple of dungeons in the area," Mike commented, breaking into the exchange, "aren''t they in charge of managing them?" "Nah, that''s all handled by the White Lions." The young man replied dismissively. "Ah, you''re not from around here, so you probably wouldn''t know. The Lions are kind of like the guards you find in other cities, except that they are also the army, and the navy, and the tax collectors." While he was counting off on his fingers, the woman chimed in. "Oh don''t forget that they manage the hospitals too." "Right, and the hospitals." "Okay...but you do know of a guild branch here?" The young man nodded. "I do. Here, let me find a city map." He moved into one of the back offices, and Mike heard him rustling around for a few seconds before he yelled. "Kara, do we still have those pamphlets for the city history festival?" The woman, evidently named Kara replied. "I think we tossed those a couple of weeks ago, but try the junk drawer in the second desk. I think Gary keeps spare copies of all the leaflets there until it gets too full." "Hold on a second." He shouted back. There was a brief moment of silence followed by a large crash. "Got it!" He remerged, covered in dust, with a wrinkled piece of paper clenched in one hand. "Here you go. Sorry about the tears. It was the best I could manage given the circumstances." Mike nodded his thanks, not wanting to know, and spread the pamphlet on the counter. Emblazoned at the top was ''Gildusi Tricentennial History Festival.'' On one side was a detailed, if slightly cartoonish map of the city, with major landmarks and historical sites labeled and described with short blocks of text. The other side was given over to a large and extensive timeline detailing important events that had occurred in the city over the last three hundred years. A casual glance was all that was required for Mike to recognize the propagandistic nature of the pamphlet, with the current regime appearing to be the beacon of civilization after centuries of barbarity. Based on the information contained within, Gildusi was ruled by a group known as the College of Worthies, a collection of the wealthiest and most successful individuals in the city. He wasn''t sure, but he figured that they were a bit like an oligarchy with the trappings of a mildly benevolent dictatorship thrown into the mix. [While the quality of the information is probably suspect, I guess the map should at least prove somewhat useful.] He thought before glancing over at the receptionist. "So where did you see this guild branch?" ----------------------------------- "I am beginning to suspect that the Adventurer''s Guild might not be that well liked in these parts." Mike muttered to Audra as he observed the dilapidated and depressing building from across the street. His familiar responded with a disinterested yawn before ducking her head back into his pocket, evidently having seen enough. Located on the second level of the city, between a meat processing plant and some kind of fish warehouse, the Gildusi Adventurer''s Guild branch was a sad, two-storied building that looked to have long passed its prime. To make matters worse, there were a number of surly looking adventurers loitering around the premise, some of which even appeared to be drinking and gambling in the streets. If Mike didn''t know any better, he would have thought that he''d wandered into a crime-ridden slum. [Well, I guess I should at least report my relocation. I don''t think I''ll be able to pick up any decent requests here¡­] He started walking in the direction of the doorway, quickly garnering attention from the bunch of hooligan-looking adventurers hanging out in front of the building. A few of them even began to stand up with the obvious intention of trying to interfere with him, but one member of the crew hurriedly stopped them. The small, mousey-looking woman stood out amongst the crowd of rough and violent adventurers, but they obviously treated her with a large amount of respect. Or at least they seemed to be taking her words seriously. He couldn''t hear what she was saying, but the way she kept glancing over in his direction with something approaching abject terror on her face seemed to indicate that she either knew who he was, or had some means of identifying him on sight. In either case, leaving her alone might become an issue. As such, he started with using Appraise. ------------------------ Salubrious Wren Age: 25 Race: Human Class: Fen Shaman Title: Survivor ------------------------- [She''s a lot older than she looks, and why does that name sound familiar?] Knowing that the question would bother him unless he got an answer, he started walking in her direction with the intention of calling out to her. This was apparently the exact opposite of what she wanted, however, because as soon as she saw him heading her way, she let loose a little squeak and began sprinting away from him as fast as she could. [Yeah, that''s not suspicious.] He thought to himself before casually using an Air Magic assisted jump to land in front of her as she tried to escape through a nearby alley. "Hold on a sec..." He started, only to trail off as she suffered one of the most horrifically unlucky crashes he''d ever seen. She tried to stop, but ended up sliding on a patch of mud, tripping over a small pile of broken crates located against the side of the meat processing plant, and careening head-over-heels into something that looked a bit like a dumpster. Judging from the smell and the gore-spattered chute located above it, the large wooden box was meant to store unused animal parts and waste products meant for disposal. He stared at the tragedy for a few seconds, at a loss at the sudden onset of bad luck, before moving over and helping her out of the rancid morass. "Are you okay? That was quite the...Phew, that is disgusting¡­" He had to cover his nose. Even with his Physiological Resistance skill, it was hard to overcome the sheer potency of the smell. [Good lord. It''s like a dirty diaper full of rotting meat that''s been left out in the sun for a few days.] Gasping for air, the woman scrambled out of the dumpster, fell onto the ground, and crawled for a few meters before spinning around and fixing a terrified look on him. "I''m sorry! I didn''t mean it! Please don''t kill me! I didn''t have any choice! They forced me to work for them!" [...What?] "Slow down...Or rather, calm down. I have no intention of harming you in any way. In fact, I was only going to come talk to you because it seemed like you knew me. If I was aware of how scared you were, I would have left you alone." "They didn''t even pay me that well...wait, what?" She asked, sounding a little confused. "You aren''t here to get revenge on me for the role I played during the war?" "Look, if you are talking about the war in Almir from a little while ago, the only ones I actually held a grudge against are now dead...or are at least presumed dead. Honestly, while you seem familiar, I can''t really remember where I''ve seen you before. I only ended up chasing you because you were acting so suspiciously." "...Eh?" Anything further was interrupted as a small army of adventurers poured into the alley, weapons at the ready. "What in the hells did you do to Wren, you bastard?!" A scarred and muscular guy yelled. Not waiting for a reply, he and several of the leading adventurers roared battle cries and charged in his direction, full of righteous anger. [I guess this does look pretty bad from the outside.] Mike thought while considering his options. There he was, standing over the prone figure of the woman he''d just chased into the alley, and she was covered in bloody offal, looking for all intents and purposes like the victim of some brutal murder. He couldn''t really blame them for thinking the worst, but he had no intention of humoring them either. With a sigh, he converted the ground under them into waist deep quicksand, causing the majority to sink almost immediately. A few of the quicker acting ones at the rear of the crowd were able to jump back in time to avoid being swallowed, but that still left them at the far end of the swampy patch of half-buried adventurers. "Earth Magic!" Someone called. "Are there any Earth Mages here?! We need a counter!" A panicked commotion began, interspersed with less than helpful yells of such things as, "I can use a bit of Air Magic, maybe I can dry the sand with it." "You idiot, then we''d just be trapped!" "Maybe I can get my grappling hook on the roof, and pull myself out." "For the love of the gods, if you put another hole in the guild roof, the guildmaster is going to turn you inside out." "I know an Earth Mage that lives nearby. He even owes me a favor. If someone can take a message to him, we might be able to get out of this mess." Mike looked over the chaotic bunch for a few seconds, unsure exactly how he should feel about the situation. Finally he glanced over at the filth covered woman. "Would you mind calming them down a bit. If this goes on much longer, I think someone''s going to get hurt." She blinked and then nodded. "R-Right. I''ll get right on it." Getting up unsteadily, she walked over to stand next to him, bringing with her some of the odor that was still clinging to her. He had to hold his breath while she started talking. "It''s alright everyone, I''m alright. I just fell into the plant''s slop box. Everyone just calm down. This is a big misunderstanding." The crowd of adventurers quieted down for a few seconds, before one of them yelled. "Why were ya so scared, Wren? Don''t ya know we would have protected ya from this scrawny bugger?" Wren glanced over at Mike a bit fearfully, before answering. "Guys...don''t you know who this is?" "Some asshole?" A voice called out, earning a round of laughter from the crowd. [I guess they really are adventurers. I can''t think of anyone else who''d be stupid enough to insult someone who just immobilized the lot of them without any difficulty.] The woman next to him shrank back as if she expected him to lash out at her. When he merely glanced briefly in her direction, she cleared her throat and started speaking. "Ahem...guys he''s-" "Michael Rasmussen," A voice suddenly interrupted her. "Also known as the Dragonknight Erasmus and the Hero of Almir. He is best known for his achievements during the most recent war on the Central Continent, where he single handedly crushed the Tennundian invasion, defeated the abomination let loose by their forces, slew the Tier 4 lich Kultanis, and in doing so, saved the entire continent from destruction at the hands of the undead." Mike turned to look at the newcomer, who was approaching them from the other end of the alley. The thin, almost sickly looking man was walking with the assistance of a simple staff, but even despite his infirmities, it was clear from the way he carried himself that he was more than he appeared. Out of habit, he used Appraise. -------------------- Torentio Hagenthi Age: 54 Race: Human Class: High Arcanist Title: Guildmaster --------------------- "On top of all that," Torentio continued after taking up a spot to the left of Wren, "He is the youngest Tier 4 Mage in recorded history, making him the most powerful person to have ever visited our humble guild branch. And yet you fools have done everything you can to try and make an enemy of him." There were a few moments of silence as the realization slowly dawned on the muscleheaded group, and Mike could practically watch as they began to turn blue. Finally, one of the more outspoken members of the group voiced their collective misgivings in a succinct and poignant way. "...Well shit." Chapter 316: A Simple Request "I''m terribly sorry about all that, the adventurers around these parts are a close-knit group, and they tend to treat Wren here as something like a little sister they need to protect." The Guildmaster explained while indicating a chair on one side of the cramped office. "Please have a seat." The woman in question was standing in front of a couch on the far wall. She''d cleaned herself thoroughly using Lifestyle Magic, but was evidently still concerned about any lingering grime, since she spent a few seconds carefully inspecting herself before sitting down. "No harm done." Mike replied while taking a seat. "I''m sorry it turned out the way it did. Hopefully there weren''t any lasting injuries." Torentio waved dismissively. "The members of this guild branch have few redeeming qualities. Durability is the foremost among them. Don''t concern yourself at all." "Alright, then what did you want to speak to me about. I take it there is more to this invitation than simply apologizing for overzealous adventurers." "You are right on that account." The Guildmaster agreed. "I''m guessing that you came here with the intention of checking in, and perhaps even looking for a request." "Perhaps...although I''d say looking for information on the dungeons in the region is a larger part of my visit. I intended on visiting the ones nearby when I have the chance." "Of course, of course. While we are not directly responsible for managing either dungeon, we can still vouch for you, and ensure that you are allowed entry. Believe it or not, the Lions rely heavily on our recommendations when determining who is qualified to enter." Mike thought he sensed a subtle threat to the man''s words, which confused him slightly. What benefit could the Guildmaster derive from potentially insulting a powerful visitor. [Maybe he intends to use his recommendation as leverage to get me to resolve some issues for him. If that''s the case, I think he will be sorely disappointed.] Perhaps sensing his sudden wariness, Torentio gave a reassuring smile. "We will of course be indicating our full confidence in your abilities. If a Tier 4 has a mind to do anything, well, I would be quite foolish to try and stand in his way. Wouldn''t I?" Mike nodded, still trying to get a read on the man. "Of course, the same could not necessarily be said of any you plan to take with you." [Ah, there''s the catch.] He raised an eyebrow and allowed a little bit of anger to enter his features. "Now, now Sir Dragonknight," The Guildmaster placated quickly. "I don''t mean any offense, it''s just that the Lions treat our recommendations seriously because we remain impartial in the manner in which we give them. If we were to loosen those standards for any reason, we may very well risk losing our standing with them. If it is not obvious from the state of our branch office, we really aren''t in a position to give up what little we currently have." As if to punctuate his statement, a loud whistle blew from the building next door at a deafening volume that bordered on painful. It continued for a few seconds before trailing off into a warble. Once it had fully quieted, the chute on the side of the meat processing plant opened up and dumped a long stream of fresh gore into the wooden box underneath it. Somehow, Mike could smell the offal through the office window, and he used a bit of Air Magic to push the foul odor away. "Looks like it''s near closing time at the plant." Torentio explained with a tired look on his face. "They always clean out their meat traps at the end of the day. The smell will stick around for a few hours, even after they take the slop for disposal." "You have my sympathies, but I still fail to see how my traveling companions are not qualified to enter the dungeons." "Please, I never said anything of the sort. Any qualified member of the guild is eligible for our recommendation, so long as they meet the rank requirement." "And what''s the requirement?" Mike asked. "Rank 3 for the Seaside Citadel at a minimum, although we recommend bringing a few higher ranking members with you, since some of the monsters can be rather challenging. As for the Screaming Dark, while Rank 5s are allowed, you need to have at least one Rank 6 in your party to receive a recommendation. I know it seems a bit unreasonable, considering how rare high ranking adventurers are, but the Guild felt that the dungeon had too high of a casualty rate with Rank 5s alone." Unfortunately, with the exception of Tal and Sera, most of the rest of his party was unregistered with the Guild and it would take a great deal of effort to achieve that kind of advancement in a short period of time. He''d anticipated this problem, but assumed his status as a Tier 4 Mage would solve most of these problems for him. "Perhaps I should speak with the Lions on the matter." He offered while leaning back in his chair, keeping a close eye on the Guildmaster''s face as he responded. "You certainly could, but I suspect you will find them quite intractable. They are renowned for their strict adherence to the letter of the law, and will not bend save in the direst of circumstances. Alternatively, you could visit the College of Worthies the next time they are in session and petition them to make an exception. I seriously doubt that they would choose to hinder you." "And when would that session be?" Torentio looked thoughtful. "I believe the next session is scheduled to take place in about two months. You see, they are currently in the midst of their winter break, when landholding members return to their homes to manage their affairs. It might be possible to have them call an emergency session, but I fear it would still be several weeks before they could be gathered again." Mike sighed. Apparently he would need to force the issue. "Alright, what is it that you want?" "I''m sorry?" "This whole discussion has been leading in the direction of getting me to do something in exchange for allowing my party members to enter the dungeons. Now, what is it that you want from me?" "To clarify, I am merely explaining the difficulties inherent to any recommendations I might make in the near future, and I planned on offering a solution to the best of my abilities. You see, while I cannot simply grant Rank 5 adventurer status, I can however expedite the process immensely. However, in order to do so, the individuals in question would need to complete a few specially chosen requests to justify the sudden elevation." Torentio hastily explained. "This is the part where you tell me that you have a method of solving both of our problems in a simple and straightforward way." Mike grumbled. "Look, stop playing games and just tell me what it is that you want. As an adventurer, I''m not opposed to working for the guild, provided that we''re adequately compensated for it, but I don''t have the time or the patience for this nonsense, and I won''t tolerate being coerced into anything." The Guildmaster blinked for a few moments, before grinning wryly. "Sorry about that. When you work in politics it becomes second nature. To keep it simple, the branch here has a request we''d like your help with, since it''s largely beyond the capabilities of our current members. If you can get it done in time and complete a few other filler requests, I''ll make sure your party members are promoted to Rank 5. Sound good?" [Getting everyone up to Rank 5 would make things significantly easier in the future¡­] "That would largely depend on the request." "Of course." Torentio replied while thoughtfully tapping his bearded chin with one finger. "What do you know about the Gildusi Cooking Festival?" "Not much, to be honest." "Well, to make a long story short, it is a major event here in town, drawing people from all over the Riverlands. Hundreds of cooks compete every year for the recognition of the Mythril Chef judges and the faint hope of joining their ranks." "So there isn''t any other prize?" Mike asked, a bit confused. "Another prize isn''t necessary. Winning the title of Mythril Chef can pretty much guarantee your future in the cooking industry, and you will never want for sponsors or investors for any of your culinary enterprises. Hells, you''d even be able to make a decent living simply making guest appearances at otherwise established restaurants. It''s more or less a ticket to the easy life for chefs, which makes the competition rather fierce." "Alright, fair enough. So then, what is the request?" "Every year, the competing cooks are charged with preparing a certain style of dish that will be judged. While they are allowed to impart their own unique variations and interpretations of the recipe, they must still follow the basics in order to avoid disqualification." [Not too far away from the cooking contests on Earth, I suppose.] Mike thought before saying, "While interesting, I still haven''t heard what you want from me." "I was getting to that. The dish chosen for this year is called Comen''palla, a traditional meal prepared by the western tribes. Which has been a controversial choice, let me tell you. As a simple recipe that relies heavily on the quality of base materials to provide sufficient flavor, the committee this year essentially made the contest a matter of who could secure the best ingredients. Of course, that''s an oversimplification, there is still a great deal¡­" He trailed off as he noticed Mike''s glare. "Right, yes. Anyway, one of the favorites for this year''s competition has placed several requests for ingredients with the Guild. While the majority of these are relatively straightforward and won''t present much of a problem, the request concerning the main ingredient is somewhat more difficult." "So, you need me to hunt down this ingredient, which will in turn help this chef win the competition. In doing so, you''ll improve the reputation of the Guild among the other cooks while simultaneously proving that you are capable of taking on difficult and dangerous requests. Is that about right?" The Guildmaster looked startled, but finally nodded. "That''s about the long and the short of it." "What''s this ingredient, and why is it so difficult for you to harvest yourself?" "Ah, well, the base material for the Comen''palla dish is traditionally the meat of a certain kind of flightless wyvern that is known to inhabit the mountains to the west. However, they aren''t exactly tasty, and most chefs would describe the meat as palatable at best. As such, it''s believed that the implied task for this year''s competition is to secure a similar, but much more delectable alternative. The request placed is for just such an alternative, or rather the most desirable one." Mike waited for the man to get to the point, something that seemed to be increasingly difficult for him. "The 15th floor of the Screaming Dark is home to some truly horrific creatures, but one of them is famous for the deliciousness of its meat. Known as the Tenebrous Phasianidae, it supposedly resembles the flightless wyvern in form, but vastly surpasses it in terms of taste." "Wait...don''t dungeon monsters disappear after you defeat them? How would one collect the meat?" "That is where the difficulty of this request comes into play. While you can occasionally get meat as an item drop, the most certain method is to harvest it while the monster is still alive. I''m sure you can imagine how difficult that might be, even for skilled adventurers." [Not to mention disturbing.] Pausing for a few seconds to get his thoughts in order, he asked, "How much, and when would you need it?" "At least 10 kilograms, and ideally we''d need it by the end of the week. That being said, the request will be fulfilled so long as it is delivered prior to the start of the competition in ten days." "...Let me think it over, and I will get back to you." [I was planning on scouting out the dungeons before taking the others, just in case there were any surprisingly lethal parts. So, I suppose this won''t be too much of a problem...But, I want to do a little more digging before I blindly go along with this offer.] "Very well. I sincerely hope you will agree to help us." Torentio offered while standing. He glanced out the window where a team of workers from the meat processing plant were finally getting around to disposing of the contents of the slop crate. "We could really use the boost in reputation right about now." Mike nodded, waved a goodbye to Wren, who''d been carefully listening to the exchange with a slightly sick look on her face, and made his departure. Chapter 317: Sneak Attack! After formally registering his move with the Guild''s front desk, Mike headed back to the inn and met up with the rest of the party to discuss what he''d learned. "So, let me get this straight. You have to delve into one of the most dangerous dungeons on the continent by yourself, immobilize a dangerous monster, and then carve pieces of it off to bring back to the Guild?" Morris asked with a rueful smile. "And only then will we have the liberty to go into the dungeons ourselves?" "More or less. There are other options, of course, but this seems to be the fastest and easiest." "Really? And you all are alright with him doing this?" The bard asked the others. Tal merely shrugged as if to say that it wasn''t all that unusual, and that they shouldn''t be too concerned about the matter. Lily and William kept their silence, although the butler did have the decency to look uncertain about it. As expected, Sera chose to make a comment, albeit an unexpected one. "It''s fine. I''m sure he wanted to go by himself at first anyway. This just gives him an excuse." She replied dryly. "That''s true." Mike said. "I had been intending on scouting out both of the dungeons with the intention of identifying any hazards that might cause problems during our delves. This way, I can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." Morris frowned at that. "Aren''t you...doesn''t this make you a bit angry?" She glanced over at him briefly before sighing. "I would have been in the past, but frankly I''m beginning to understand his side in this." "Oh? You aren''t worried about him encountering something too difficult for him to handle on his own?" "Mike is the Hero, and a Tier 4 to boot. Short of a few other Tier 4s and the gods themselves, I don''t think there are many things left in this world that could actually threaten him. Besides, if he really ran into a situation that he couldn''t manage himself, do you think our help would be enough to turn the tables." Grimacing, Morris muttered, "If he didn''t know what it was...Alright, I see your point. For the record, I wasn''t arguing against the move by itself, I was just playing devil''s advocate and trying to determine the group''s opinion on the matter." Sensing they''d reached a consensus, Mike stood up. "Alright then, I''ll go ahead and get started. The sooner I clear this request, the sooner I can start running you guys through the dungeons." "Whoa, whoa, you''re going to the dungeon right now?" Morris asked, a bit taken aback. "It''s almost night...which I guess doesn''t really matter to you, but you haven''t done any kind of research into the dangers you might face inside. It''s one thing to be confident about your ability to overcome any challenges, it''s quite another to blindly walk into a dangerous situation." "Right, right. That''s what I meant. Of course I wasn''t planning on just going there directly." Mike replied quickly while trying to maintain a straight face. His friend sighed, "Alright, I won''t complain, just be careful. I know from first-hand experience how you can quickly get in over your head." "Come on, it''s been ages since the Vargulf. Cut me some slack." He shot back. Then, feeling slightly guilty about giving Morris a hard time, he added. "I''ll be careful, and if I end up somewhere too dangerous, I''ll make sure to run away." "Good. I figured this kind of situation would come up, so I''ve taken the liberty of jotting down some information about the dungeons in this area that is publicly available. While it may not have all the answers, and can''t compare to what the local experts can come up with, it should be enough to see you through to the lower floors." Mike accepted the stack of papers covered in the bard''s neat writing, and glanced through it quickly. "This is...amazing. How did you manage it so quickly?" "It''s nothing much¡­" "He''s been working on a few of those things over the last few weeks." Sera broke in. "I think he builds a framework based on his own personal knowledge and then fills in the details when he has access to reference materials. He finished up this one while you were gone, after questioning several knights he happened to run into." He looked at Morris questioningly. The bard scratched the side of his neck, obviously uncomfortable. "Well, since I can''t really help all that much in combat, I can at least make sure we go into situations armed with enough information." Mike walked over and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Thanks. This will really come in handy." "Right, well. It''s getting pretty late. If you want to question the experts at the Guild before they close, you''ll probably need to head back there soon." [I seriously doubt those idiots could tell me anything useful, but I suppose I need to go officially accept the request.] "Yeah, I need to be heading out. If you have any troubles while I''m gone, make sure to use the necklaces." As he was heading to the door, Lily stopped him and handed him an apple without any explanation. Once he''d accepted it, she nodded once and wandered away. "Thanks?" [Does she think I''m hungry?] Dismissing the unusual behavior of the woman, he headed back out into the street and ambled in the direction of the guild while reading through Morris''s notes. [He''s really...detailed. I don''t think the ecology of one particular variety of cave moss that can be found on the first floor is important enough to devote an entire page to. I''ll have to have a talk with him about what actually matters for a dungeon delve. That said, there''s a lot of good information here.] Mike was about to take a bite of the apple when he felt a sudden burst of hostility from his right, well within the range of his detection abilities. He caught a glint of something metallic out of the corner of his eye, and leaned back out of instinct. It was good that he did, as a narrow bladed weapon ripped through the space his head had occupied a second ago, flickering across his vision almost too quickly to track. Knowing he needed to get some space between him and his attacker, he channeled his mana, and tried to launch himself away with a blast of Air Magic, but he had to stop as the unknown assailant unleashed a flurry of thrusting attacks with his weapon. It was all he could do to avoid them. Thinking quickly, he used one of his dodging motions to release the apple he''d been holding in an underarm throw at the enemy, hoping to at least distract him long enough to back away. Unfortunately, the attacker simply cut the fruit in two with a flick of his wrist, and was in the process of resuming his assault when the bisected apple exploded. As his world filled with heat and light, he had the time to think, [Dammit Lily!] before impacting the ground. Mike rolled back to his feet a few meters away from the blast radius. He drew his sword and readied his mana with the intention of blasting the assailant before he had a chance to recover, but stopped himself when he heard the stranger start to laugh. "Hahaha, that''s great! An exploding apple! I can safely say that I''ve never seen anything like that before. Got to give it to you kid, that caught me by surprise." The man''s voice was rough and gravelly, indicative of someone who''d lived a hard life. His appearance matched the voice, with an untamed mane of grey hair surrounding a face mostly covered by a scraggly beard. His clothes were little more than rags, and he was barefoot. In fact, were it not for the exquisite rapier he held lightly in one hand, Mike would''ve had a hard time connecting the man to his agile attacker. "I''m glad you liked it. Perhaps you can stand there for a few minutes while I throw a few more at you." He quipped to buy time while using Appraise. --------------------- Daisy Age: 19 Race: Human Class: Farmer Title: Milkmaid ---------------------- [...That can''t be right.] The man laughed again. "Ha! I''ll pass on that. And don''t think I''m not aware of what you are doing. If you want to figure out my identity, Hero, you''ll have to do better than that." Mike felt cold. "Then how about introducing yourself? It only seems fair after you attacked me for no reason." "Come now," The beggar swordsman replied with a grin. "That wouldn''t be any fun, but since you did ask nicely, I suppose it is only fair to give you a hint. Let''s just say that I am acquainted with someone who used to be quite close to you, but has decided to move on to other things." [Unless he''s speaking figuratively, that means Brenden. Could he be a member of the underworld?...No. They didn''t have anyone this capable in their arsenal. Unless I miss my guess, he''s probably also a Tier 4. That does raise another possibility...] "I''m not sure what this has to do with our mutual friend, but I think I might have an inkling of who you might be." He said confidently while walking towards the middle of the street. Thankfully, there weren''t many pedestrians out at the moment, and the few that were around had evidently decided that they had somewhere else to be. "Is that right? Why don''t you take a stab at it, then?" "Judging from your presence while you were attacking me, you are also a Tier 4, which really narrows down the options. Since there are only two well-known Tier 4s in the Riverlands, and you don''t really look like a Sable Enchantress to me, I''m guessing you''re the other one." The man grinned again. "The Sword Saint? That''s who you think I am? What a compliment!" "Well, am I right?" Mike asked while falling into a combat stance. "Who knows?" The swordsman said with a shrug. "Honestly, I''m getting tired of all this conversation. I came here to have a fight with the legendary Hero of Almir. The man who took down Kultanis. While a little bit of mid-combat banter is always entertaining, this is really too much." "Is that why you attacked me? Just to have a fight?" His only answer was a sudden blur of motion as the man stabbed forward in a blindingly fast thrust that forced Mike to parry. They exchanged a few lightning fast blows before he used a burst of Air Magic to throw himself back onto the roof of a nearby building. Glancing down at the healing cuts that covered his arms, Mike realized that he was outmatched in terms of pure swordsmanship. The brief exchange had told him that not only was the other man a more experienced fighter, but his style of fighting was too deceptive and flexible to be adequately countered using his own style. At least so long as he relied purely on his physical skills. [In that case, I''ll just have to level the playing field a little.] His reprieve was put to an end as the swordsman vaulted the lip of the rooftop, easily leaping over three meters vertically to do so. Not wanting to give him a chance to resume the attack, Mike took the opportunity to unleash a ball of concentrated flame. Unsurprisingly, the man dodged aside, allowing the projectile to fly past him, and was in the process of running forward again when the fireball exploded behind him, momentarily distracting him as Mike fired a hail of stone javelins in his direction. The attacker slipped between the spears, and even managed to avoid the spike of concentrated darkness summoned from his shadow. Despite his successful evasions, his momentum carried him within Mike''s striking range, and only with a desperate block was he able to avoid being impaled by a sword. Nevertheless he was left unbalanced by his exertions. Feeling a degree of admiration towards the swordsman, who was still grinning, Mike followed through on his mana-infused kick, delivering a crushing blow to the man''s midsection that sent him careening across the street and embedding him in the masonry of a two-story house. [While satisfying, that was a bit more destructive than I''d anticipated. It''s going to be challenging to limit the collateral damage from here on out.] He thought while jumping back down to the ground and approaching the already stirring pile of debris. Chapter 318: Reading the Situation At the head of the team of guards from the custom''s house, Travenor advanced down the length of the dock through the heavy rainfall, grumbling about the idiocy of sailors. Even now he could see the vessel in question sliding through the precipitation. He''d received word of their arrival from the lighthouse, which had barely managed to spot the small, single-masted ship amongst the waves. It was clear from their heading and the tattered nature of their sails that they intended to take shelter at the port. Of course this was very much against the edicts of the current port authorities, who feared the risk of damage to the aging dockworks from unmoored vessels turned into veritable battering rams by the powerful waves crashing against their shore. As such they''d ordered a halt to all shipping until the storm had run its course. "Alright, that''s far enough you lot. I am here under the authority of Lord High Admiral Numinost, governor of the city of Plessin. Cease your activities at once and return to your ship." He yelled over the rush of water. When this announcement did little to halt the activity of the sailors, he continued. "As you are clearly foreigners, you most likely haven''t heard the word. All loading and unloading activities are suspended until this storm has passed. If you fail to comply with this order, then I will have no choice but to arrest you and have your ship impounded." Once again, it appeared that his words had fallen on deaf ears. Indeed, it seemed that the sailors were even preparing to lower their boarding ramp. "Fine, so be it. Guards, arrest...them¡­" Travenor started to command before trailing off when he turned back to look at his escort. For a brief moment, he was convinced that they''d run off somewhere and he was alone. However, that notion was quickly shattered when he caught sight of the still forms lying on the ground. As if to emphasize this point, a brief flash of lightning illuminated the scene. His fellow customs agents were eviscerated, their innards spread all over the docks until it was difficult to determine where one man started and another ended. Numbly, Travenor''s gaze fell on one of the exposed faces. One belonging to a guard whose name he''d forgotten. [Was it Gram or Grey?] The man''s eyes were wide open and staring, as if fixed upon something too horrific to contemplate. By all appearances, he''d been about to scream when death found him. Something that would have proven difficult given that he was missing the majority of his torso. Travenor''s legs gave out, and he found himself scuttling backwards, unable to look away from the sight. "W-w-w-w-what is¡­" He mumbled, stopping when he heard the tread of heavy boots on the dock behind him. His instincts were screaming at him to run, to get away, but he couldn''t avoid turning to look, a dark, insatiable urge taking hold of him. There stood two figures, one a heavily armored woman, and the other a cloaked figure whose face was obscured by a hood. As he watched however, one flash of lightning revealed enough for Travenor to see an expanse of burned flesh stretching from the man''s cheek to the weeping remnants of his left eye, causing his mouth to be pulled into a permanent smirk. "What shall we do with this one, my lord?" The woman asked emotionlessly. "Did you spare him for some reason?" The cloaked man''s eyes turned in his direction, and Travenor heard a deep, raspy chuckle. "No, no, I merely wanted to see the look on his face when he realized his situation. Of course, there can be no witnesses." The woman frowned, but nodded. "As you wish." "Wait!" The custom''s agent shouted, raising his arms in a pleading motion. "I-I won''t tell anyone about this! I promise! You have my solemn¡­" He trailed off again when he heard a rumbling growl from his right. Almost too terrified to look, he managed to summon enough willpower to turn his head. There, slowly advancing on him was a wispy shadow, barely more than a figment against the rain-drenched night. Yet, despite that, he was certain that it was somehow alive. He found himself unable to look away as the creature got closer, growling even louder. He was still staring when the ethereal beast opened its jaws, revealing a terrible maw of sharp, blood-stained teeth, and surged towards him. ---------------------------------- Wendel dismissed the hound once it had finished disposing of the evidence. It didn''t much like eating the corpses of the fallen guards, and in fact had no need to eat at all, but it was much easier than attempting to get rid of the bodies by other means. He started to walk down the docks in the direction of the city, but had to stop as a sharp wave of pain wracked his body. "My lord!" Tanya exclaimed, rushing to his side. "You should not be pushing yourself in your condition." "I''m fine." He grunted once the pain had passed. "We must move quickly, lest the other guards grow suspicious and send another team to investigate." His attendant watched him for a few more seconds before nodding, offering her arm to support him. "Very well, my lord. Let us make haste." Wendel gratefully took the help and began hobbling down the docks to the best of his abilities. Not for the first time, he cursed his luck. To be trapped within the burning wagon, unable to escape as the flames had seared him until he was but a shadow of his former self. Warped and scarred beyond the point of recognition, few would not associate him with the once powerful aristocrat he''d been. However, he mostly cursed the cause of his misfortune. A certain individual who''d not only ruined all of his plans, but left him in his current state. "Just you wait, Michael Rasmussen. I will take from you all that you''ve taken from me." He whispered unconsciously, his raspy voice barely audible over the hiss of the rain. Unbeknownst to him, Tanya''s face briefly twisted in grief before returning to its neutral state as she continued to shepherd her master down the dock. ------------------------------------------------------ On a different continent, another conflict was in full swing, much to Mike''s chagrin. "Can we move this to a less...populated area?" He yelled at his opponent, while vaulting a fruit stand. With any luck, it would avoid the fate of the cart full of cabbages that had been practically disintegrated a few minutes ago. "Ha! You''d like that, wouldn''t you? Give you plenty of space to use your magic!" The swordsman dressed as a beggar yelled back while nimbly jumping over the stand and thrusting his rapier at him with blinding speed. Gritting his teeth, Mike blocked the first stab, allowing the next two to slip past and punch into his chest while he channeled his mana again, willing it into his limbs. Surrounded by an invisible breeze, he stepped forward to counter attack, his arms moving with noticeably greater speed. The pair exchanged several blows in quick succession, moving too quickly for the fearful pedestrians to follow. While many of them began to flee the crowded market, others stood transfixed, obviously unsure of what to do or whether to escape. "You''re assuming that I won''t simply ignore the collateral damage and let loose anyway." Mike shot back while skirting around a fountain, neatly avoiding a small boy who was in the process of fishing for coins in the water. "Come now, Hero of Almir, I think we both know that you aren''t the type to slaughter innocents simply because of convenience." Came the reply from above, forcing Mike to glance up and then roll to his left as the rapier pierced the air he''d previously been occupying. Mike slipped back to his feet, and swept his free hand into the air, bringing with it a hail of sharpened stones that the swordsman easily deflected or avoided. [Damn, but he''s agile. I need to trap him or slow him down, somehow.] Thinking quickly, he waited until the swordsman had pushed forward to attack again, before sending his will into the water of the fountain. With a thought he brought the mass of liquid down on both of them in an unavoidable deluge. The swordsman lept back, but was unable to completely dodge the wash, resulting in the rags covering his lower body becoming sodden. He gave Mike a curious look. "I know I probably look a bit dirty, but that hardly warrants a bath. Especially with that water. I''m pretty sure portions of that fountain were close to developing intelligence." Not bothering to reply, Mike focused his will on the air surrounding his opponent, sending it''s temperature plummeting. With an audible crack, the area around the man froze solid, trapping him in a cage of ice that extended from the ground to the middle of his chest. "That''s pretty impressive." The swordsman offered while examining the situation. "I''ve been thinking about this for a while now, but you have a peculiar way of fighting." Mike almost gave into the invitation for banter, but instead focused on channeling his mana into his body again, this time causing it to be surrounded in a crackling nimbus of lightning. "Most elemental battlemages concentrate on one or two elements in order to take advantage of class and title benefits." The man continued unperturbed. His sword was still held at the ready, but he otherwise displayed no notion of being in danger. "You on the other hand free cast even composite elements without concern for mana expenditure. Either you must have truly monstrous reserves, or you have access to some particularly powerful skills and titles. Of course, I would expect nothing less from the youngest Tier 4 in history." There was a flash of light and the crack of tortured air, and suddenly Mike was standing behind the trapped swordsman, a cloud of steam rising from the friction of his passage. To onlookers it appeared as if he''d simply vanished and reappeared several meters away. With a sigh, Mike released the mana enhancement, bearing with the intense muscle and joint pain until it had faded to a reasonable level. He turned to glance back in the direction of his opponent. While the swordsman had managed to bring up his weapon at the last second, he''d been unable to halt the devastating blow, succeeding only in the destruction of his weapon along with himself. [I thought for sure he''d have some kind of counter. Did I really just kill him?] Just as he was starting to worry about upsetting the power balance of the region, the swordsman stepped out of the cloud of steam looking none the worse for wear. Mike stared at him in disbelief. "...I definitely landed that hit. I felt my sword pass through your torso¡­" "You did indeed, and cut my favorite sword in half at the same time." The man replied with a cocky grin. "But they could hardly call me the Immortal Blade if I could be killed with a simple sword stroke, no matter how quickly it was delivered. That wasn''t bad by the way, that enhancement ability of yours. I could barely keep up with it in my current state. Here I was beginning to worry that you didn''t have any real cards left to play." Discarding the twisted length of steel that his sword had become after the intense attack, Mike summoned a blade of flame and fell back into a combat stance. "If that''s the case, I''ll just have to keep killing you until you stay dead." "Oh?" The man asked with another grin. "That sounds pretty interesting. I wonder if you can manage that." Holding his broken rapier in one hand, the swordsman took a step forward. However, a shout rang out from the crowd. "I''ve found him! Circle around the market, we can let him escape!" The swordsman''s face paled momentarily as he turned to look at a sun elf dressed in an elaborate blue uniform that was pushing his way through the onlookers. "Shit. How did you find me?" "My lord, it is my duty to stop you from avoiding yours. I''ve gotten quite used to tracking you down after all of your...excursions." The man grinned. "Do you really think you and the rest can stop me if I want to get away again." "Not at all, my lord. We are all well aware of your abilities, but I''ve taken the liberty of giving each of my men a bottle of your favorite liquor. They''ve been instructed to begin pouring it out on the ground in approximately...20 seconds." The blood drained from the swordsman''s face. "You''re a monster, Jav." "You better move quickly, sire. Time is wasting. Of course, I should mention that our ship''s chef has taken the liberty of preparing your favorite roasted pork dish. If you aren''t on it in the next two minutes, he will throw all of it into the harbor." "Guh! Grrr, fine! I''ll go back for now!" The man yelled before sprinting off into the crowd. As he disappeared into their midst, he called back over his shoulder. "Hero! Come visit Karnam soon. When you do, we can finish this fight!" [Note to self, avoid Karnam.] "Please forgive my lord''s behavior." The elf said while bowing. "He is...a man of unusual appetites and behaviors. Although I''m sure that it is merely a pittance compared to your vast wealth, I''ve added a small trifle to your Guild account in order to compensate you for your troubles. Know that if you ever visit our home city, I will make sure to welcome you with the utmost hospitality, regardless of what my lord said." Mike took a moment to use Appraise on the man before speaking. ---------------- Jav''narlindal Yuvinhut Age: 249 Race: Sun Elf Class: Minister Title: Master Tactician ---------------- "Is he always like that?" The elf sighed. "Unfortunately. He has little patience for the vagaries of governmental rule, and would much rather spend his time in the thick of combat." "It''s funny, both of the other Tier 4s I''ve encountered were battle junkies too. I wonder if it is a common trait for our kind." Jav gave him a long hard stare before replying. "My lord once said that there are two types of individuals who succeed in becoming Aspirant Ascendants. First is those who work hard every day, growing stronger little by little and accumulating progress over the course of long lives. The second is those who risk everything by throwing themselves repeatedly into battle. There they are forged in the crucible of combat, becoming stronger in leaps and bounds, and eventually reaching Tier 4, assuming they survive the experience." He turned and surveyed the surrounding crowd, pitching his voice low enough that it would be difficult for anyone else to hear. "You, Lord Dragonknight, probably belong to the second category. Unless of course, there is another reason for your prodigious growth at such a young age." Mike shrugged, feeling that the man in front of him was much more threatening than his master, "What can I say? I''ve been blessed with good fortune." This earned him a chuckle from the minister. "Indeed. Then, if you will excuse me, I need to ensure that our trap has been effective. It would not be the first time my lord has pretended to be caught, only to slip out of our grasp at the last second. Good day." With that, he moved back into the crowd and vanished. The remaining onlookers all turned to stare at Mike with something approaching awe. Glancing around at them, and the devastation the brief fight had created, despite his best efforts, he decided that he had no desire to deal with the authorities at this point, and took to the air. Flying in the direction of the dungeon, he couldn''t help but feel that this was a very strange country. Chapter 319: The Horror of Lines Mike decided to press on to the dungeon without stopping by the Guild. Figuring that the few individuals that could actually offer him advice were probably long gone by this point, he decided to simply advance cautiously while relying on Morris''s notes for most things. As for the request itself, he could always accept it prior to turning in the required meat. Thus, he didn''t really have a reason to stop by and deal with that crowd of delinquents again. Thankfully, the Screaming Dark was pretty easy to find from the air. Honestly, it was hard to miss the perfectly circular, kilometer wide hole that seemed to descend into the very depths of the planet. Even in the approaching twilight, the vast expanse of impenetrable darkness was a distinct oddity when compared to it''s idyllic surroundings. There was a small concentration of lights along its eastern edge, the nearest point to the city, so he touched down a little ways from it and walked the rest of the way. He found a mid-sized compound surrounded by a stone wall that seemingly extended all the way to the edge of the pit in both directions. The cobblestone road that evidently connected the dungeon with the city ran up to a gate that was currently left open. Despite the rather late hour, there was still a fair amount of traffic, as merchants and adventurers waited in line to pass through a checkpoint set up at the gate. A trio of individuals dressed in white and blue robes stood behind a counter built into the wall, and were checking the various visitors in. Apart from them, the gate was also guarded by ten soldiers in chainmail, each of which wore a blue and white tabard emblazoned with a roaring lion''s head. [These must be the White Lions I''ve been hearing about.] Mike thought as he got into line behind a small group of dwarves who were pulling a cart full of barrels. Even at his current distance, he could tell that they were transporting some form of alcohol. One member of the group, a black-haired man whose beard was shot through with a few streaks of grey, noticed him and walked over, a jovial smile on his face. "You heading to the Screaming Dark as well? What am I saying? Of course you are. Why else would you be here?" Before he answered, Mike used Appraise. --------------------------- Berke Holdenult Age: 167 Race: Dwarf Class: Master Brewer Title: Brewmaster ---------------------------- [...How original.] Mike shrugged, "That''s the plan." The dwarf took another moment to look him over, and then stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Let me guess...you are some kind of entertainer? I know the inn was looking for someone to fill in for Evenlynn the Fair during her pregnancy, but I have to admit that I''m a little disappointed to see that they went with an average looking guy. Hopefully you play better than you dress." Mike could tell that the dwarf wasn''t intending on being offensive, but instead merely lacked an understanding of how his words might be interpreted. He''d encountered a few of these kinds of people in his old life, and he learned a long time ago that they didn''t mean any harm. So, he tried to maintain his cool. "I''m an adventurer, actually. Here to visit the dungeon." He replied calmly while mentally reviewing his appearance. [The tunic and pants aren''t my best work, but they turned out well enough to be considered armor by the system...Okay, they may be a bit tattered from that last fight, and there is a fair amount of blood I should really have cleaned up before coming here...and they may be made of the cheapest material I could get my hands on¡­] "Oh! Really?! I thought for sure you were some kind of jester, but you know, like one of those sad ones that you are supposed to mock for being so depressing. But an adventurer, and at your age, that''s pretty impressive. Do you come here often?" "No...first time here, actually." Mike replied woodenly, as he did his best to restrain his temper. Berke smiled innocently. "Well then, I should tell you a little bit about how this all works then. The White Lions up ahead are in charge of this whole thing. They have the final say on who can actually enter the dungeon, although sufficiently high ranking members of the Adventurer''s Guild are pretty much given leave to enter freely. I think you have to be at least Rank 5 though, which is a bit of a problem, but I''m sure that if you work hard you can get to that point eventually." "Actually, I''m Rank 6." He hissed through gritted teeth. "Really? That''s great! Then you should have no problem getting through. Just make sure to mention that to the clerks by the gate. They usually only let people with a pass like this in." The dwarf said while displaying a small wooden plaque carrying another lion head emblem. Curiosity momentarily overtaking his anger, Mike asked, "So what''s this place actually for, and why do they have such tight security? Couldn''t you just enter the dungeon from another part of the pit?" Berke laughed. "You could, but I''m fairly certain that none of those who''ve tried that in the past have actually managed to return to tell the tale. The White Lions maintain a monopoly over the only safe entrance to the dungeon. Only there can you climb down to the first floor. As for the rest, the compound built around the entrance has the usual amenities you''d expect from dungeon town. There''s shops, taverns, shrines to several gods, an inn, and even a branch office for the Adventurer''s Guild, although it''s based out of an old stable, so I can''t exactly say it''s luxurious." "And the Lions tax them all, I presume." The dwarf leaned in conspiratorially, "Don''t tell anyone I told you this, but all of the services inside are owned, at least in part, by the White Lions. They make a rather significant profit from upcharging visitors that are too lazy or too stupid to travel back to the city for their basic needs. Combined with the fees they assess for most business licenses, and this particular venture is quite the goldmine, especially with the number of delvers they''ve started getting recently." "That was actually bothering me. Everything I''ve heard about the Screaming Dark suggests that it is a difficult dungeon that would challenge all but the strongest parties. I can''t imagine all of these delvers are the equivalent of Rank 5 adventurers, or that Gildusi has so many powerful people willing to brave those dangers. What''s going on here?" Mike asked while tacitly examining the group that had fallen in behind him. Based on their equipment, titles, and classes, they appeared to be rookies with barely any experience. Honestly, he thought that even Morris could take them on by himself in a head-to-head fight and win without too much difficulty. "Oh? Haven''t you heard? They''ve recently discovered a secondary dungeon that branches off from the main path and has many of the same aspects as the Screaming Dark, with one notable exception. The monsters inside it are significantly weaker than in the main dungeon, but still drop several valuable materials. The Lions, wanting to revitalize their flagging business, have opened it to just about anyone willing to pay the entry fee." Berke was about to say something else when one of the other dwarves interrupted suddenly. "Oy! Boss! It''s our turn." "Whoops. I guess I better be going. If you have some time, swing by our tavern, The Copper Barrel. In honor of our newfound friendship, I give you a discount." The dwarven brewer announced while running back to his cart. "Bring your friends, if you have any!" [Yeah...probably going to pass on that. Not sure if my ego can take any more time in his company.] Mike thought to himself before stepping up to the checkpoint and displaying his guild crest. While the clerk was certainly surprised by his rank, he nevertheless allowed Mike to enter free of charge, and even gave him a small wooden tile that would get him a slight discount at most of the stores in the town. Apparently, it was part of a program designed to encourage high ranking adventurers to continue visiting the main dungeon despite its difficulty. It would also serve to expedite his entrance into the town when he came back. Within a few minutes, he was passing through the gate and down the paved street, which was quite crowded with groups of adventurers and mercenary-types. The sounds of raucous laughter and boisterous music filled the air as he passed several bars that appeared to be full to the bursting point. Following the general flow of traffic, he eventually reached the edge of the massive pit and got into yet another line to enter the dungeon itself. Surprisingly, there were dozens of delvers queued up in front of him. Even though the line was moving rather quickly, the sheer number of people seemed unusual. Curious, he turned to the man that was standing behind him in line, a sun elf dressed in leather armor and carrying a halberd. The rest of his party seemed to be falling in behind him. "This is a little crazy. Is it usually this crowded?" The man gave him a casual glance before answering. "The recently discovered section of the Screaming Dark has a unique trait. For some reason, it begins to spawn more difficult monsters. At the same time, however, the drops are a lot more valuable, making it a great place to make money for mid rank adventurers." "Ah, I see. Thanks." He replied with a smile. "Of course." The rest of Mike''s wait was uneventful, and he was soon standing in front of yet another clerk dressed in white and blue robes, who immediately demanded to see his ticket. Unsure of what he was talking about, Mike showed the discount tile he''d gotten from the gate. There was suddenly a small commotion from the people waiting in line behind him, but when he turned to look he couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary. After inspecting the tile for a few seconds and then asking to see his guild crest, the clerk eventually allowed Mike to pass through a nearby archway that stood at the top of a narrow, wooden staircase heading down into the pit. The descent would have been quite intimidating to the average person, with the rickety steps being the only thing separating a delver from a seemingly endless fall, but the knowledge that he could simply fly if it came down to it made the experience less terrifying. [Between my various defensive skills and my regeneration, I could probably even survive an impact at terminal velocity at this point, now that I think about it. Of course, that assumes that this particular bottomless pit actually ends at some point. Considering some of the weirdness I''ve already experienced in other dungeons, I wouldn''t be surprised if this was some kind of massive portal to a realm of neverending shadow or something.] After a few minutes of climbing, the stairs ended in front of a simple cave entrance. Inside, he found two passageways, one directly in front of him and another to his right. The latter of the two had a sign hung from the ceiling stating simply, "New Dungeon Route." Taking the former route, Mike walked through the tunnel for roughly twenty meters before it ended in a shimmering dungeon portal. "Well, lets see how this goes." He muttered to himself before stepping through. -------------------------------------------------- Hurit adjusted the halberd on his shoulder as he watched the youth enter the dungeon. He was still lost in thought when the rest of his team members finally caught up. "So what do you think?" Barin, the group''s mage asked. "Is he a good target?" The sun elf glanced back and shook his head. "Even though he''s dressed like that, he''s got a Rank 6 guild crest and enough confidence to challenge the main dungeon by himself. The way I see it, he''s either a fake or the real deal. If he''s a fake, then we won''t be seeing him again, and if he''s the real deal, I don''t want to mess with him. We''re better off finding someone else." [Of course, I didn''t even get a chance to slip him the anchor token, so it''s a rather moot point.] "Shame. It''s been awhile since I saw a solo diver." The mage replied while throwing his hands behind his head. "Oh well. In that case, I overheard a trio of newbies in line behind us. From the sounds of it, they are planning on clearing a few floors and heading back. Probably won''t spend more than a few hours inside. We could run the old ''helpful senior'' gamit. If we do it well enough, they may even invite us along willingly." "Newbies again?" Kolgrin, the dwarven warrior complained. "Don''t you ever get tired of picking on weaklings?" "Hey, it''s a steady income source. You really want to risk tangling with veterans?" "Of course not, but I think we can¡­" Hurit stopped listening to his party members while looking back at the dungeon entrance. Something about the kid had set him on edge. His instincts were telling him that it would be better to lay low and avoid attracting any attention for the time being. "We''ll do a straight run up to the fifth floor of the new dungeon and call it a night." He announced suddenly, killing the conversation. His statement was met with a chorus of groans, but no complaints. They knew better than to complain, since Hurit''s instincts had never steered them wrong in the past. Nevertheless, a night''s worth of hard work was hardly something to celebrate. He watched his group reluctantly trudge into the portal, before taking up the rear himself. [Best to play the good adventurer for the next few weeks.] He thought as the cold surface of the portal closed around him. Chapter 320: Playing on Easy Mode Stepping out of the dungeon portal, Mike found himself in a large cavern dimly lit by fluorescent moss. That being said, he was certain that without his ring, he would have a hard time making out any details in the poorly illuminated room. With the numerous stalactites and stalagmites, it appeared to be a naturally formed cave, and there were no less than five branching tunnels leading away from it. As he surveyed his surroundings, a breeze passed through the chamber, carrying with it the scent of decay and the roar of some massive creature, warped and distorted by the echoing passageways. So disturbing was the sound, that Mike, even with his numerous protections against fear, found his pulse quickening in response. "Well, that''s slightly horrifying." He muttered to Audra, who was poking her head out of his pocket and looking around curiously. "I guess that''s why they call it the Screaming Dark." He pulled out Morris''s notes and read through the section on the first floor. According to existing records, it contained nearly thirty rooms and dozens of tunnels that intertwined with one another in a maze-like fashion. While there are no recorded instances of traps, the monsters that inhabited the floor were known for laying ambushes and attacking when you least expected it. The most common enemies encountered here were Ebon Widows, a variety of giant spider famous for their lethal poison and near-invisible webs. Rarely, one could encounter an Animate Shadow, a type of monster completely made of semi-intangible darkness that was resistant to physical attacks, but had a weakness to Light Magic. [I''m beginning to see why they consider this to be a difficult dungeon. The monsters alone seem to be quite tricky for most people to deal with, and there are some fairly lethal traps that show up later on. If I wasn''t playing on easy mode, I''d probably skip this place too.] The last section of Morris''s notes indicated that the sound that could be heard periodically was believed to belong to the boss on the 20th floor. So far, there has only been one recorded instance of a delving group making it that far, and they were forced to retreat after several of their members ran afoul of a trap laid in front of the boss room. Deciding that there was nothing on this floor that should present too much of a challenge to him, Mike chose a direction at random and began walking. Almost immediately, he stepped into something sticky that clung to his boot. Looking down, he noticed that the floor was covered in black, vein-like lines that he realized were actually webs that blended in with stone of the cavern so well, that he could only barely see them when he looked directly at them while taking advantage of his night vision. A burst of sudden hostility from above gave him all the warning he needed as a trio of massive arachnids fell from the ceiling. They had long slender limbs and bulbous abdomens clad in black carapace that shined dimly in the ambient light. [Not sure if I''m lucky or unlucky, getting ambushed literally at the starting gate.] He thought to himself while summoning a wave of intense fire that charbroiled the spiders while they were in midair. The still flaming corpses began the process of disintegrating before they''d even hit the ground, and in a few short seconds all that remained of them were three orange mana cores. After bending down to pick them up, he fed one to his ravenous pocket dragon, stored the other two and resumed walking. The webs had ignited and burned with particular vigor, but thanks to his various resistances, the worst he suffered was some slightly scorched clothing. [Well, I suppose this particular outfit is beyond salvaging at this point. Better start working on a new set here soon. Maybe I can find some decent materials here.] Mike continued exploring for several minutes, being ambushed by the spiders every few dozen steps. He eventually encountered the floor boss, which was simply a much larger, but equally flammable, version of the spiders. By that point, he''d acquired close to twenty mana cores, a pair of spider venom sacs he could either sell or refine with Alchemy, and a bundle of dark colored webbing. Before heading down to the second floor, he took a moment to investigate the fortuitous drop with Appraise. ------------------------ Ebon Widow Silk Magic Material (Tier 2, Rank 4) Harvested from the Ebon Widow spiders native to the Screaming Dark, this rare thread can be incorporated into other fabrics in order to enhance both its durability and flexibility. It is frequently used in the creation of magic items related to stealth and darkness. ------------------------ "There we go. I knew my luck hadn''t failed me yet¡­" Mike muttered to himself before instantly regretting it. Now that he''d brought attention to the occurrence, it was likely the other aspect of his luck would come into play and he''d find himself fighting some kind of rare super monster that normally never appeared. With those thoughts in mind, he descended the stairs to the second floor fully on alert. Thankfully, the cave that he entered into appeared to be free of any obvious enemies. So, trusting in his ability to recognize an ambush before it befell him, he stepped forward to get a better look at his surroundings. Which caused him to activate the trap. The floor under his feet suddenly started to glow as a magic circle, roughly 3 meters in diameter, appeared below him. In an instant, he was prepared to leap out of the area of effect, but stopped himself when a thought occurred to him. [This must be the teleportation trap mentioned in Morris''s notes. It''s supposed to be quite rare, but it will take me directly down to one of the lower floors. I could avoid it, but this saves me some time.] After a second, the world around him shifted, and he found himself in a small room seemingly built with blocks of carved obsidian. There was only a single passageway leading out, and nothing else of interest. Skimming through Morris''s notes again, Mike determined that he was currently on the 17th or 18th floor, as these were the only two that featured the dark stone blocks. The higher levels were all natural caverns and seemingly manufactured tunnels, while the 19th floor was composed of a vast, open chamber full of debris suspended in mid-air on the interconnected webs of some colossal spider. While said monstrous arachnid had never been sighted before, he had a sneaking suspicion that he''d be the one lucky(unlucky) enough to run into it should he go down a level. [I could probably handle the thing if it came down to it, but this would probably be a good opportunity for the others to master the art of fighting significantly larger enemies. If I avoid fighting it in my current instance, I might be able to get another usage out of it for training purposes.] Figuring that he''d come far enough down for a scouting mission, he decided to start working his way back up, clearing the floors in reverse. Before moving, however, he took a moment to check up on what Morris said about the kinds of enemies he could expect to fight. Apparently, the last four levels of this dungeon were different from all previous ones, featuring a greater number of humanoid and intelligent monsters. The most common of these were the so-called Shadowfolk, evolved versions of the Animated Shadows seen on other floors which had gained a sort of sentience and taken on material form. They travelled in groups, worked together with basic strategies, and were even known to use weapons and armor. Aside from them, this particular section of the dungeon was home to two other types of enemies, the rare Crystal Ooze, a transparent creature that like to cling to the ceiling and drop on unsuspecting passersby, and the Umbral Centipedes, darkness shrouded horrors who emitted a miasma that dissolved living tissues. Besides the monsters, this layer was also home to a number of rather lethal traps. [Welp, there''s nothing too difficult sounding in this mix, so I suppose I should just go for it.] With that thought in mind he began simply moving forward, taking on challenges as they arose. Much like on the first floor, this section of the dungeon seemed littered with hidden dangers that would have spelled the end for any normal adventurers caught unaware. However, Mike wasn''t troubled. Between his heightened reflexes and sensory skills, he had no issue dealing with any ambushes, and the traps were easily noticed and avoided thanks to Aerosense and Appraise. As a result, he had a casual dungeon delving experience, soon reaching the stairs to the next floor without too much difficulty. On his way he encountered dozens of parties of Shadowfolk, who looked like humanoid silhouettes that moved and fought with near-human intelligence, a few of the Crystal Oozes, which were easy enough to deal with once he noticed them, and one of the Umbral Centipedes shortly before reaching the stairs. The creature was a bit striking, since the monstrous insect took up almost the entire passageway with its black, chitinous body, dark purple clouds of gas hissing from the edges of its armored body. The monster exploded out of a side passage with little to no warning, shooting towards him with the loud rustle of dozens of insectoid legs scratching against the dark stone of the corridor. Were it not for his enhanced Willpower, Mike might have been momentarily overwhelmed by the sight, instinctive revulsion driving any thoughts of offense from his mind. As it was, it took him a second to gather the requisite will and call forth a torrent of cleansing fire, channeling far more mana than was necessary and leaving the hallway a raging inferno that burned for several seconds and left the obsidian passageway steaming with heat. Looking over his handiwork, he couldn''t help but think that he might have gone a bit overboard. [That was...something. Surely the mana core is still intact, right?] Thankfully, the weird rules that govern dungeons kept the core, a mid-sized yellow, from being destroyed. Additionally, once the charred husk had vanished into motes of light, a section of carapace was left behind as another drop. --------------------------------------- Umbral Centipede Carapace Magic Material (Tier 2, Rank 3) Harvested from an Umbral Centipede, this chitinous bit of exoskeleton can be refined into a base for lightweight armor or shields. If used with Artifice or Alchemy, it has a high affinity for items that defend against poison. --------------------------------------- As Mike stored the large carapace section in his inventory, he wondered about what he would do with it. [I suppose I could make some poison resistance items for the others. Not everyone has the ability to train resistance skills as easily as I do. Speaking of which, I haven''t tried any alcohol since breaking through to Tier 4. If my Poison Resistance has also been enhanced...] Dispersing that depressing thought, he continued walking and headed up to the next floor, internally comforting himself with the thought that a fantasy world must have some form of liquor capable of effecting him. The other levels of the dungeon had nothing that really threatened him, so he found himself on the 15th floor in a relatively short period of time. This section once again resembled a cavern, save that it was littered with spiky crystalline outcrops that seemed to grow randomly from the walls and floor. Checking Morris''s notes one more time, he located the section on the monster he''d come to hunt. [Let''s see, the Tenebrous Phasianidae...ah, here it is.] According to the information his bard friend was able to scrounge up, the monster was known to resemble two-legged dinosaurs in terms of general appearance, but also had a pair of short wings instead of forelegs. Additionally, they were well regarded for the quality of the inky black feathers that covered their bodies, which were quite popular in the fashion industry. In combat, they would often release clouds of those self-same feathers in hails of razor-sharp projectiles, before attacking with their taloned legs. Finally, they also appeared to have the ability to control nearby shadows to a limited extent, allowing them to temporarily cloak themselves in darkness for brief periods of time. [Sounds like it would be a troublesome opponent for most delvers. Based on what I''ve seen on the other floors, it would likely require a well prepared group to deal with one of them.] Rounding the corner of the passageway while still lost in thought, Mike was surprised to find himself face to face with the target of his search. The dark, feathered monster turned to regard him with one beady yellow eye, before opening it''s beaked mouth and issuing a harsh, high-pitched screech as it readied itself for combat. Despite the obvious danger, Mike was having a hard time taking it seriously. [...Isn''t this basically a giant chicken?] Chapter 321: Gruesome Butchery The giant chicken, there was no other way to describe it, lunged forward while barraging him with dozens of fast moving projectiles that seemed to emerge from its outspread wings. It was easy enough for him to slide to the right, avoiding not only the ranged attack but forcing the large creature to redirect its momentum awkwardly. As it skidded by him, claws frantically working against the smooth stone floor in an effort to continue its assault, he took a moment to evaluate the creature. It stood nearly three meters tall, and was covered in midnight black feathers that extended from its grey colored talons to it''s dark grey beak. As he looked at it, he realized that, while it resembled a chicken in form, there were a couple differences that he hadn''t noticed at first glance. Most notable were the feathers of its tail, which extended much farther than would be seen in it''s domestic cousins, bringing to mind the exotic plumage of the male peacock when not on display. The creature would have more closely resembled a pheasant or some such similar animal if it weren''t for the pale gray waddle that framed it''s furious face. This combined with its overall posture and jerky motions created the impression that Mike was looking at an old, black and white animation of a chicken. Feeling slightly bemused by this realization, he nevertheless launched a trio of winds blades while dodging another, somewhat clumsy, charge. The first neatly separated the monster''s feet from the rest of the body, while the second and third caught it on each shoulder respectively, cutting its wings from the rest of its body. Mike was left with a disturbingly angry monster torso that continued to screech in an aggravated fashion as it flopped around on the floor like some kind of bloated fish. Needing to restrain it in order to properly harvest the meat, he channeled a bit of mana into the floor, causing the stone of the cavern to rise up and form an interlocking net of rocky bindings. Unfortunately, this only made the creature begin to thrash against its bonds with an almost maniacal energy. [Ugh...this is going to be a bit more challenging than I thought. Maybe I can stun it somehow?] Going through his options, he decided to try using Life Magic, figuring that, at the very least, he could practice other usages of the skill. Moving around to a side where the monster''s beak couldn''t reach him, he laid a hand on its quivering side and sent his will into its body. Initially, he tried to follow the path of its nervous system, leading up to it''s brain, but he quickly realized that there was something unusual about this creature. The monster''s body was strange in many ways, but the first thing that struck him was the lack of most major organs. While it obviously had a skeletal structure complete with the usual accompaniment of muscles and tendons, and seemed to still be equipped with a heart, lungs, brain, and the typical sensory organs, it was otherwise hollow. Or rather, all the rest of the space typically reserved for the other bodily systems was taken up by a large, bladder-like organ that didn''t seem to have any inherent purpose. He could vaguely tell that there was something inorganic inside of its membrane, but his senses couldn''t determine anything else about it. After some thinking, the answer came to him. [No way...these things have a literal treasure chest built into their bodies. I bet that''s where they keep their mana cores and other drops.] Shaking his head, he cleared the errant thoughts and concentrated on his mission. Knowing the bare bones nature of the monster, he figured that the simplest solution to his problem was to sever the nerves that controlled the creature''s motions while leaving the one governing its heart and lungs intact. Surprisingly, this proved to be pretty easy, and it wasn''t long before he was looking down at the limp form of the chicken monster that would have appeared to be dead if it wasn''t for the slow, shuddering gasps that issued forth from its beak. Overcoming a momentary bout of nausea at the weird barbarity of the whole situation, Mike began planning the next step. He would need to cut portions off of the creature''s meatier parts while making sure to keep it alive. After some deliberation, he settled on the solution of simply continually healing it with Life Magic while dissecting it with blades made from Dark Magic. Although he wasn''t sure if the creature was really capable of feeling pain, seeing how it was only vaguely mimicking the structure of a living being, he nevertheless tried to sever the actions of its spinal column that transmitted pain signals. Even though it was a monster that was trying to kill him earlier, he had no desire to torture it like this. After roughly a half hour of harvesting, he''d used up close to two thirds of his mana reserves, and decided to call it quits, finally putting the creature out of its misery with a well placed spike of darkness. Much as he anticipated, the main body of the monster dissolved into particles while leaving the severed chunks of meat unaffected. In their place appeared a large orange mana core, and a neat square of brownish-grey material that he used Appraise on with a sinking heart. ------------------------------------- Tenebrous Phasianidae Meat Material (Tier 1, Rank 3) Meat harvested from the Tenebrous Phasianidae. Well known for its savory flavor that compliments a large variety of dishes, this meat is often heralded as one of the most delicious in the Inland Sea Region. Can be refined through Alchemy or prepared using Cooking. In either case, this material holds an affinity for stealth and darkness related effects. -------------------------------------- Mike blinked and read over the description again. [This implies that people could potentially create dishes that enhance a person''s abilities or grant certain effects, like drinking a potion would...I really need to talk to Morris about this.] After packing up and storing his spoils, he quickly blazed his way through the rest of the floor, made use of the dungeon exit located near the stairs leading up to the previous level, and walked back out into the real world. He marched past the several delvers who were still hanging out in the little meeting area, ignoring their curious glances in his direction, and took off immediately once he left the cavern. Hurrying back to the hotel, he swept past the receptionist, who was staring at him in a bug-eyed fashion, and hurried up to his shared room, waking his bard friend up as soon as he arrived. "Is there a way to use Cooking to enhance someone?" Mike asked the groggy young man before he had a chance to really wake up. "Cooking?...What do you...Dear gods, Mike! What in the hells happened to you?!" "Huh?" He asked, looking down. Apparently in his excitement to explore this new option for crafting, he''d completely ignored the after effects of his rather gruesome harvesting method. He was coated nearly head to toe in a dark red, sticky fluid that could only be the monster''s blood. "Don''t worry. It isn''t mine." He replied while using Lifestyle Magic to begin cleaning himself. It was taking a surprisingly large amount of mana and time to remove the persistent goo. "How is that better?!" "And here I thought you were worried about me. It''s monster blood. I just got back from the dungeon." Morris shook his head, throwing back the covers he was still sitting under and standing up. "Let me guess, you just so happened to come all the way back here from the dungeon without even noticing that you looked like you''d just murdered a small army of people?" "Well, yeah." Mike replied a bit sheepishly. "I''m guessing my Physiological Resistance skill negated the discomfort caused by the stickiness, and I was otherwise too distracted by the possibility of exploring a whole new method of crafting." The bard screwed his face up in exasperation. "Physio...you know what, I''m not going to ask, and merely assume it''s something ridiculous and unique to you." He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, on the bright side, it''s already becoming a poorly kept secret that you''re some kind of bigshot from the central continent, so it''s unlikely that anyone would question you without some sort of reason. You just need to keep your head down from here on out and avoid doing anything too unusual." "That won''t be a pr¡­" Mike started, before having a realization. "Actually, I may or may not have gotten in a bit of a fight with one of the local Tier 4s. But before you get upset, it ended in a draw and we now have a standing invitation to visit their city." Morris began massaging his temples like a headache was coming on. "Okay...did it at least happen somewhere discreet? Or were you by any chance wearing a disguise at the time?" "Um, well, he kind of ambushed me, so I didn''t really have any time to prepare for it, and we ended up duking it out in the middle of a produce market." Mike shot back with a somewhat nervous laugh. "Really did a number on a cart full of cabbages." His friend was silent for a second, as if he was having a hard time processing the information. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, we can work with this. It''s a safe assumption that your identity is at least partially compromised. After all, there are only so many people capable of fighting with a Tier 4, and of those, I doubt many would match your description." "I see." "Fortunately, it''s basically an unspoken law that governments and large organizations will not openly recognize a Tier 4 travelling incognito, even if they do something ridiculous within their area of operations. So long as you don''t announce yourself somewhere and don''t do something to harm the interests of the city or region, we can depend on this to prevent undue interference with our business. That being said, you''ll probably need to start moving around using stealth or a disguise, lest you be mobbed by people looking to take advantage of you." Mike frowned. "You really think they''d risk making me angry that way." "Considering the possible benefits and the fact that you are largely seen as someone who can be easily manipulated, I believe that to be the case." "Easily manipulated? What the hell?" "Apparently your actions during the war, coupled with your accepting of a semi-imperial title from the future king of Almir, has led to you being internationally considered as someone gullible that can be easily pulled into factional struggles if presented with a suitably altruistic goal. It only gets worse when one considers your association with the Dragonknights." Mike opened his mouth to protest, but then took a moment to think about it. If he looked at it from an outsider''s perspective, it would almost seem like he''d intentionally gotten involved in a territorial squabble for presumably little actual gain. In modern-day Earth terms, it was a bit like someone who''d won the lottery and then gave away a good chunk of his earnings to the first stranger who told him a decent sob story. Something like that would only inspire others to follow suit. "Hmm...I see what you mean. What do you have in mind as a solution?" Morris turned and gazed out the window. "We''ll have to start a rumor saying that you are currently on a journey of self discovery following the events on the central continent, and you will respond negatively to any attempts to distract you from it. Perhaps even violently, if necessary. We can spin both the fight with other Tier 4 and the dust up at the Guild as examples of this. It won''t stop the most desperate, but it should dissuade the majority of favor seekers. Between that and you wearing a disguise when you go out, I think we can probably avoid getting too deeply involved in this city before we leave. That being said, I recommend keeping our stay as brief as possible." "Right, well, that shouldn''t be an issue." Mike replied with a nod. "But more importantly, what about my first question." The bard blinked at him for a second before shaking his head. "Right, you wanted to know about Cooking?" Chapter 322: Cooking with Conspiracy "The Cooking skill can be used to create enhancement items, and this is part of the reason that the culinary arts became such a big part of the culture of the Riverlands. Cooking also holds the distinction of being the only known method of improving skills through the use of an item." Morris started explaining in full on lecture mode. "What do you mean? Like you can raise your skill ranks just by eating?" "More or less, although only the most expensive materials can create that sort of effect, and even then the benefits are pretty minor. Quite frankly, unless you are stuck in a rut in your training, it is usually more cost effective to simply hire a trainer or pay for a dungeon guide." It made sense that the overall effect of Cooking couldn''t compare to legitimate training. After all, if someone could get stronger simply by eating the right kinds of expensive foods, then the wealthiest members of this world''s society should be taking full advantage of it. Since he''d never even heard of the possibility before arriving in Gildusi, it seemed likely that it wasn''t very commonly practiced outside of the Riverlands. That did beg another question, though. "If it''s so ineffective, why do the people here take it so seriously?" He asked. The bard sighed. "Beyond the benefits associated with improving their food culture, it''s a product of tradition more than anything else." He briefly looked over at a stack of books sitting on a nearby table. "According to local historians, the rulers of a few key city states originally invested in developing skilled chefs with the intention of using enhancement foods to give their followers an edge over their rivals." Morris stood up and walked over to the table selecting a slender volume with the title, Food Wars: The Origins of the Riverlands'' Cooking Obsession. Flipping it open to a section near the beginning, he explained. "The difference was pretty minor, of course, but it was enough to break the centuries-long deadlock which had been preventing territorial changes in this part of the world. Gradually, these cooks began to turn the tide of regional conflicts until their competitors started using similar methods. Eventually, all the other cities followed suit." [Ah, so it was basically a kind of arms race.] Mike thought, before asking, "I assume something changed?" "Yeah, they started running out of ingredients." "...What, like the whole country?" Morris nodded. "You see, out of all the edible products in this world, only a small percentage of them can be used to create enhancement foods. These products also tend to be difficult to procure or harvest, usually requiring a great deal of time and money. While some advancements in the field of Artifice have allowed for the artificial cultivation of a few materials, the vast majority of the ingredients typically used in this kind of cooking have to be collected from natural sources. After a few decades of heavy consumption, most of this region was depleted of said resources, and the cities were forced to rely on imports from other countries." "I''m guessing that was expensive?" "Of course. The rising costs of maintaining force parity started to bankrupt several city states, eventually leading to the establishment of the so-called Seasoning Compact, in which rules governing inter-city conflicts were finally established and all participants were bound to uphold them. The newfound era of peace allowed governments to cut back on their overinflated military budgets to something more manageable." Guessing what the bard was leading to, Mike tried to steal his thunder. "Which left the chefs adrift without sponsorship. This in turn led to the creation of the Mythril Chef concept, as well as the proliferation of these cooking contests as a means of maintaining their food culture without excessive cost. Isn''t that right?" Morris frowned. "Essentially, yes. There was a bit more nuance to...nevermind, it doesn''t really matter, I suppose. Anyway, to answer your original question, while you certainly could use Cooking to make foods capable of enhancing your skills, I doubt it would serve any purpose for someone like you." Nodding along with his friend, Mike nevertheless couldn''t help but feel that it was still a path worth pursuing, assuming he had the time. Perhaps if he reached a high enough level of skill, the benefits would begin to outweigh the costs? The older man sighed upon seeing his expression. "It doesn''t seem like you are going to take my word for it, so I guess you''ll just have to try it for yourself. I''ll see about tracking down some introductory manuals and some starting ingredients." Mike grinned. "Thanks, I appreciate it. For everything, I mean." "No problem. I''ve determined that my role in the party is to be well-informed and have access to useful information. If my efforts have proved helpful, then so much the better.??? Morris replied, a slightly forlorn note entering his otherwise warm words. "Well, alright then. I''ll let you get back to sleep." Mike replied with a wave, leaving the bard to his rest. [...I guess Sera''s not the only one who''s been feeling inadequate lately.] He thought to himself as he began considering how to spend the rest of the night. There were still several hours until sunrise, and even though the Guild likely operated all night long in some capacities, he was fairly certain that he''d need to wait for the Guildmaster to complete his request. [Can''t do anything too flashy, and I don''t want to open up the demi-realm this late while everyone''s asleep...I guess I can work on my less ostentatious skills.] He pulled a few items out of his inventory and set about working on his Alchemy, something he''d been largely neglecting lately. He''d hit a stumbling point in his development and had been having a hard time breaking through to the next tier of the skill. It was his hope that the newly acquired materials would give him an edge. After a few hours of work, they did the trick. ----------------------- Advanced Alchemy (Tier 2, Rank 1) Alchemy is the process of altering magic and mundane materials into finished products. Although the methods vary based on the particular recipe, all alchemical products bear some trace of magical influence. Allows users to create alchemical items, retain memories of recipes, and develop an intuitive understanding of the subtle aspects of the craft. Current mutation rate: 0.5%. Rank 1 Effect: Infusion - Infusion - Skilled alchemists inevitably develop a means of imbuing their consumable creations with a portion of their personal mana, allowing them to both enhance and subtly alter the effects of said creations. While the nature of these changes are limited by both a user''s mana reserves and skill level, it is nevertheless possible to radically reinvent an alchemical item. ------------------------ [This seems like it could be pretty useful.] Mike thought to himself as he began packing up his utensils. The red tinged light of dawn was already streaming in through the window, and he figured that the rest of his party would soon be awake. After breakfast, he planned on taking them all down to the Guild to turn in his request and then have them all registered and promoted. Things went smoothly for a change, and in a few short hours he was standing inside the guildmaster''s office with the others waiting outside, business more or less completed. Sera, Morris, and Lily had all been registered as Rank 3 adventurers, with the promise of quick promotions to follow. They would still have to complete a few requests, purely as a justification, but the Guildmaster could then use his authority to forcibly increase their Rank to 5. Since she was a fairly high ranking adventurer to begin with, Tal was simply promoted to Rank 6 after an aptitude test that she passed with flying colors. With nothing else to do, Mike began leading the group out. He was eager to begin their dungeon training. However, he was stopped by the Guildmaster. "Before you go, I did want to leave you with a word of warning." Mike sighed. He had a feeling this would be troublesome. "Yes?" "I''m sure you are aware that your presence in this city has largely been revealed, right? Well, there are a few groups that are taking a great interest in your actions here. I fear that assisting the Guild during this sensitive time might have made you a target." "If they are willing to incite the wrath of a Tier 4 mage, then I suspect there is little hope for them." He growled back, already sick of the intrigue that has been plaguing his life for the last few months. "Oh, I seriously doubt they''d move openly against you. Only fools would knowingly poke a sleeping dragon. However, I''ve been receiving reports to suggest a few of the major powers in the region are at least investigating you." Mike felt his jaw clench in annoyance. He knew he largely had himself to blame for the situation, but he couldn''t help but think that it was a pain in the ass. "Anything specific?" The Guildmaster replied with a secretive smile, as if hinting that even he couldn''t be fully trusted. "The White Lions have been poking around a bit, gathering information. By all accounts, it appears that they are merely trying to keep tabs on you. However, they are not known for their restraint, so I would caution you to avoid any direct interaction with them." Narrowing his gaze, Mike tried to determine if the other man was lying. It was painfully obvious from their previous interactions that the Guildmaster was an itinerant schemer who would have probably been quite comfortable in politics. "Am I supposed to believe this warning has nothing to do with the strained relationship between the Lions and the Guild?" The older man grinned. "You are welcome to think that way, if you like. I doubt I could convince you otherwise. I should also mention that they are not the only ones taking an interest in you. We''ve had several agents approaching us in an effort to investigate you. It seems that there are many who are curious as to your purpose in this city." "Are you aware of who these agents serve?" The old man hesitated for a second. "For the most part, no. I don''t have much authority or power outside of my role as Guildmaster, so it is difficult for me to stay informed about local powers. Most likely they are representatives of the more powerful merchants in the area, who probably want to use you for their economic interests. They won''t do much more than watch you for the time being, so it''s likely safe to ignore them." The Guildmaster opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a bottle filled with a clear liquid and two glasses. "In any event, I wanted to thank you for completing that request in such a timely manner. With your contributions, I think our representative has a fair chance of winning the competition. Before you go, would you perhaps be willing to join me in a drink to celebrate." Mike watched the man as he filled both glasses. Even as far away as he was, he could tell from the smell it was a potent alcoholic drink. A quick Appraise confirmed that it was a variety of locally sourced, distilled liquor. [This feels a bit forced. Does he have some other objective?] Trusting in his infuriatingly effective Poison Resistance to negate any harmful side effects, and trying not to think too hard about the fact that he was a teenager drinking alone with a middle-aged man, he accepted the glass and quickly threw it back after the other man had drunk his. Despite the expected burn, the alcohol was surprisingly smooth. While it didn''t have much of a flavor, it was drinkable enough that Mike would''ve had no problem drinking it regularly. [Would go pretty well with a nice salty snack.] "Thanks." He offered, raising his glass in a casual salute to the Guildmaster, who simply nodded in return, a knowing smile on his face. It was then that Mike noticed a small slip of paper stuck to the bottom of his glass. Sighing internally, he surreptitiously pocketed the message and returned the cup. "Well, I should be going. There''s a lot still to do today." "Of course, of course. I wouldn''t want to keep you. Please feel free to come back any time. My office is always open to accomplished adventurers such as yourself." Closing the door behind him, Mike rejoined the others and led them back in the direction of the inn. There they would separate out into delving pairs. He had some idea of who should go with who, but he wanted to involve them in the decision. While they were walking, he carefully pulled out the slip of paper and glanced at it, keeping a close eye on his surroundings with all of his sensory skills. Written on it was a simple message. "You have gained the attention of the Court of the Undying." Folding the paper again, he slipped it back into his pocket, frowning. "Something the matter?" Morris asked from his side, obviously taking note of his friend''s expression. Before he answered, Mike froze in place. Just for a second, he''d felt a momentary flash of hostility from the very edges of his perception. Whipping around, he focused his attention on the area in question, scanning the location with Aerosense at maximum sensitivity. However, he couldn''t find anything out of the usual. "Mike?" The bard asked again, trying to follow his gaze. "There''s been a change of plans. We''re leaving the city. Now." Chapter 323: Spy Games "So, you''re saying that you lost him?" Kuyana asked quietly while trying her best to keep her tone level. She evidently failed, since all three of the men in front of her flinched noticeably. Bertrand, the squad leader for this scouting team, nodded. "That is the truth of it, ma''am. We have no excuse." One of the other two, a relatively new recruit whose name she''d never bothered to learn, spoke up suddenly. "That''s not right! How are we supposed to follow him when he summons a dragon and flies off?!" "Jural! Enough!" Betrand reprimanded him quickly. "If you speak out of turn again, I''ll have you busted back down to cadet." Kuyana sighed at the farcical display. Clearly the quality of the White Lions had declined over the years. "It''s alright, squad leader. What he''s saying is true. It would be a little too much to expect for you to manage this without outside assistance. However, I''m curious. Why did you not request other assets once you''d determined that this could be a possibility?" The three men remained silent, obviously unable to give a decent answer. "Feeling reticent? Then, let me answer for you. You knew that the target was capable of flight. That was clear from the reports I''ve gotten from the detachment guarding the Screaming Dark. My guess is that you believed he would not have a means of quickly transporting the rest of the party, and rather than splitting the credit for observing such an important target, you thought you could compensate by watching his companions for any major moves. Is that about it?" "That''s¡­" Betrand started, looking a great deal more unsure than when he started his report. She sighed again. "No need to answer. Report back to Captain Talmund and tell him that you are in need of retraining. Perhaps starting over from the basics will teach you the value of working with the goals of the Lions in mind. I''ll have another squad clean up after you. Dismissed." The trio saluted and left. One they were gone, Kuyana leaned back in her chair, causing the chain of her heavy silver necklace to clink, the lion''s head medallion signifying her rank as deputy commander of the White Lions resting on her chest. It was an uncomfortable way to wear the badge of her office, but her superior would not countenance changing it to something a bit more convenient. [Now, how am I going to handle this?] She pulled open a drawer on the right side of her desk, and removed all of the contents. This mainly consisted of a few personal items mixed with a handful of old documents and a couple spare writing utensils. Piling them unceremoniously on the floor, she then carefully removed the false bottom of the drawer, making sure to deactivate the rune carved into its reverse side. Next, she reached in and removed a shallow bowl formed from a dark obsidian-like material. With a simple chant, she filled it with water and then used her belt knife to prick the tip of one of her fingers, allowing a few drops to fall into the water. "My subordinates have lost contact with the target. He was last spotted flying north on the back of a dragon he managed to summon somehow, along with all of his party members. It is unclear whether he intends to return at this time." She murmured quietly into the bowl. For a few seconds, there was silence, and then the surface of the blood stained water rippled again and a distorted voice male emerged. "That is within predictions, but ensure that a team is on standby should he come back to the city. More importantly, what triggered his exodus?" "I''m not certain, but he left after speaking with the Guildmaster of the Adventurer''s Guild. It''s possible that he was alerted to the forces observing him. Namely that of our erstwhile competitors." A low growl was transmitted through the bowl. "It would not be surprising for those corpse-eaters to botch a simple information-gathering job. Do you have any evidence?" Kuyana resisted the urge to grimace at the racism, and took a moment to gather her thoughts. Her employer was all but outright stating that he intended to pass the message up the chain to his own superiors, and wanted to ensure that any claims he made against his political enemies would be verifiable. "None that I could provide to the august company you keep, but I am fairly certain. The Guildmaster is known to have connections with a few members of the Court. It seems plausible that these contacts would have given him a warning." "Hmm¡­" Came the distorted reply. "You may well be on to something. Thankfully, the target''s quick actions immediately following the meeting all but confirmed the source of the information. It seems earlier reports of his inexperience are not unfounded." "Of course, that does not rule out the possibility of him intentionally misleading us. His novitiate persona may well be an act designed specifically to make his opponents underestimate him." Kuyana shot back, hoping to keep the infuriatingly obtuse man from making an inconvenient conclusion. "Maybe, although I find that hard to believe given his age. Perhaps he''s a tool of one of the other factions, sent here to interfere with our plans now that we''ve reached this point?" "You believe them capable of bending a Tier 4 to their will without turning him?" The voice took on a smug tone. "For all of their power and ability, you mustn''t forget that a Tier 4 is still a mortal. With all of a mortal''s failings and temptations...Regardless, there is much to be done yet, so I am concluding this conversation here. Contact me again if there are any other major developments." With a hiss of escaping steam, the bloodied water evaporated, leaving no sign of its presence in the bowl. She returned the self-cleaning object to its hiding place and replaced the various items meant to disguise it. Office restored to its usual appearance, she turned and glanced out of the window, momentarily noting the recruits were in the middle of endurance training. The ragged line of humanoid forms fighting to maintain the brutal pace of their instructors as they ran laps around the courtyard seemed a particularly poignant metaphor for the events of this morning. After a few moments of contemplation, she stood and moved to leave her office, heading towards the top floor of the keep where her mortal superior kept his chambers. She would do her best to explain what was going on, even though she doubted he would understand, and then convince him that there was no reason to engage in some kind of pointless show of force. As the spoiled son of one of the more powerful members of the ruling council of Gildusi, the Commander of the White Lions was placed in his position more for politics than for merit. A fact that was adequately demonstrated by his complete lack of ability or sense and his efforts to ''bring the Lions into the modern era.'' It was almost all Kuyana could do to prevent the worst of his ''improvements'' from destroying the foundation of their organization too soon. [Just a little while longer, and I''ll be free.] She thought for the third time today, steeling herself for the idiocies that would surely be coming. --------------------------------------- Rodan glanced over his shoulder, confirming that the alley was clear before pulling open the cellar door and descending into the dingy room. He moved to the far wall, taking a moment to remember which of the hundreds of bricks he needed to press in order to open the passage, entering the hidden doorway once he did. His eyes adjusted quickly, and he made his way down another set of steps and into a corridor, once again enjoying the feel of the ancient stonework beneath the soles of his boots. Something about the High Elven craftsmanship, the way it maintained it''s sharp and distinctive texture despite the millenia, always gave him a sense of awe and wonderment. While it was likely something of an open secret amongst the ruling elite, not many of the ordinary Glidusan citizens knew about the ruins their city was built on. Ruins dating to the height of the Second Age. Before long, Rodan reached the place he was supposed to meet up with his contact, a small chamber branching off from the main corridor that must have once been some kind of kitchen. While there were still a few remnants of ceramic pottery and some implements whose original purpose remained something of a mystery, none of the foodstuffs had survived the long years spent entombed beneath the earth. "Oh? You''re a bit early." Pelonti announced cheerfully, still chewing a mouthful of something. "I''m still finishing up lunch. Would you care for some? I''ve got a nice, fresh one today. Only died earlier this morning. Bit on the chewy side, unfortunately." Rodan grunted and took a seat on one of the stone benches near the entrance. He glanced down on the pile of greying flesh that looked to have once been a male beastman of some kind. "I''ll pass. Never could develop a taste for their kind. Too gamey." "More for me, I suppose." The other ghoul shrugged. "Now then, what did you want to talk about? I''m sure your family didn''t send you here to discuss the finer points of dining." "Information exchange, obviously. I''m sure your side is aware of the current interests of those blood suckers uptown?" "You mean the fabled Hero of Almir that everyone is up in arms about? But of course." "Well," Rodan explained while pulling out his pipe and filling it, "my family felt it would be an ideal chance to beat them to the punch." Pelonti glanced over at him, a scrap of gristle dangling from his mouth. "Are we still talking about the Dragonknight?" "In part, but we would also seek to deprive our opponents of the¡­" He paused to grope for the right word, "fruit of their efforts of the last few years." That earned a chuckle. "Grand notions. Assuming you had the ability to back them up, I can imagine my people would be willing to partake." Rodan suppressed a grin. With this, he''d already accomplished his first goal for this conversation. "Do you have any eyes and ears among the clergy in this city?" The other ghoul gave him an amused glance. "Is it even worth investing any effort in watching those god botherers? I can understand doing so in other parts of the world, but here in Gildusi, the gods are oftentimes the furthest thing from the peoples'' minds." "Which is exactly how we planned it, but considering our history, my family has always sought to keep a close eye on the religiously minded, lest we be caught by surprise again." "The Purges...of course." Rodan nodded. "Thankfully, the churches of this city no longer have the power to conduct anything quite like that, but they have recently been involved in some rather interesting events." "Oh?" "It seems that there is a shakeup in the Church of Aminatrea. Apparently a cell of Anathema was discovered on the central continent, leading to an extensive investigation of the entire church hierarchy. The Ecclesiarch of our fair city was quite beside himself with worry." "I would imagine so. That kind of investigation has the tendency to turn up all sorts of dangerous information, such as funds he''s been slowly embezzling from the church''s public works budget." "Ah, so you do have a few listeners among the clergy." Pelonti shrugged before taking a bite out of a slightly hairy forearm. "I wouldn''t say we have a dedicated spy, but it never hurts to stay informed." "Then of course you must have realized that the Ecclesiarch was less upset about the possibility of his crime coming to light then about the impediment this investigation poses to his own plans." That caused the ghoul mouth to stop working for a moment, as he stared at Rodan in utter amazement. "You mean to suggest¡­" He grinned. "Oh, that is good! Anathema here?! In the same church that conducted the Purges a mere generation ago.?! How rich!" After a few seconds of gleeful exclamation, he frowned. "But where does the Hero of Almir fit into the picture?" Rodan grinned again. "Why, that''s the best part. His history shows that he''s prone to getting involved in problems of the people he meets, and yet wherever he goes he''s entropy itself. Throwing the plans of the powerful into chaos. Tearing apart their schemes and leaving them in a panic with his presence alone. Leaving them distracted." Pelonti''s eye''s lit up. "Leaving them...vulnerable." "Exactly." Chapter 324: Deceptively Easy "So, care to tell us what the emergency is?" Sera asked from her slightly precarious perch halfway down the dragon''s back. Thanks to a recently devised spell that created a bubble of calm air around them, she was able to do so without yelling over the sound of the wind. He was still fine tuning the specific elements, but he''d managed to keep it from suffocating it''s occupants. Which was a win in his book. "We''ve attracted the attention of some enemies I would rather not cross at the moment. Rather than risk dealing with their attacks or kidnapping attempts, I felt it was safer to beat a hasty retreat." He explained without looking back. [I''m not a hundred percent certain that this Undying Court is related to the vampire that tried to capture me near Wyrport, but I can''t take the risk of them ambushing our group. For the time being, it would be best to gather more information and plan accordingly.] With that in mind, he sent a quick mental message to Selene, directing her to find out whatever she could about this new potential enemy of theirs. She grumbled back at him, annoyed at having yet another line of investigation to pursue, but nevertheless acknowledged the order. "You should know, any hope of keeping your identity or presence secret in this region is pretty much impossible now." Morris chimed in, evidently having waited for an appropriate moment to make the observation. "While the informal rules of etiquette surrounding Tier 4s means that we should still be able to operate without too much direct interference from the powers that be, we''ll all definitely have to travel in disguise in order to avoid detection." At that, Mike couldn''t help but grin. "I''ve actually been working on that since we talked about it, and I''ve come up with a couple of solutions." He said while mentally telling the dragon to descend and land on a small hill in the middle of the grasslands. After helping his party members down, he reached into his inventory and drew out several items, laying them out on the ground. "First, I''ve managed to concoct this potion during a little alchemical experimentation." He held up five vials filled with a purplish liquid so dark that it was almost black. "Apparently, these are known as Chameleon Elixirs, which enhance a person''s stealth by allowing them to blend into their surroundings. They won''t help disguise you by themselves, but they''ll help if we need to sneak in somewhere. I haven''t tried using one yet, so I''m not sure how effective they might be, but they should help. If we head back to the Screaming Dark, I''ll try to pick up more of the base ingredients and make enough to last us the rest of the trip. In the meantime, I''d like each of you to hold onto one vial and make use of it when necessary." "Second, I have these scrolls." He said while pointing to a pile of nearly twenty strips of rolled up paper. "They contain a modified version of the Light Magic spell, Distortion. Originally, it was meant to blur the visual outline of a person and make it more difficult for them to be targeted at range, but I''ve managed to alter the distortion field so that it causes light to bend around the target." Mike took a moment to glance up at his party, quickly realizing that, with the possible exception of Morris who had a thoughtful look on his face, they had no idea what he was talking about. Scratching the back of his head, he explained more simply. "It will make you invisible." "What in the hells?!" Sera exclaimed. "Isn''t that supposed to be a high level Arcane spell?" Tal and William looked at the scrolls with obvious interest, or at least that was the case with the latter of the two. Lily, on the other hand, was still focused on the potion she was holding. He hoped she didn''t decide to drink it randomly out of curiosity. "Maybe? I''m not too familiar with that magic system, so I suppose it''s possible. However, I should mention that there are still a number of flaws to this spell. Someone paying close attention will see a distortion in the air as if they were looking through a poorly made window. Not to mention the fact that you''ll technically be blind while using it, since it prevents visible light from reaching your eyes." "Visible light?" Morris muttered quietly. "Eh? So we''d be invisible, but basically helpless?" She continued. He could see some of the enthusiasm of his party diminish. Evidently, the people of this world dreamed of invisibility as well. "Unfortunately, yes. It will definitely keep you hidden, should that be your primary goal, but it can''t do much more than that. Also, displacing that much light seems to be creating some rather unusual thermal effects. Using this spell in well lit conditions generates a lot of heat. Sometimes, especially when it''s very bright outside, it can even cause small fires." Morris, who had so far been listening carefully to the explanation, nodded. "Based on your description, I guess that it only operates in terms of visibility and does nothing to hide your presence from sensory skills, or prevent you from being detected by smell, sound, or touch. Is that right?" Mike gave him a smile. "That''s right. While it can certainly come in handy in certain circumstances, it is by no means an effective alternative to moving carefully. So, keep it''s flaws in mind when using them." "Got to say, I was hoping for a little bit more from one of the legendary spells." Sera grumbled while looking over the runes traced on one of the scrolls. "As I said, it''s something I''m still working on. True invisibility seems difficult to do with Light Magic alone, so I''ve been considering a few composite spells that might work better. When I have the time, I''ll experiment with them." [Yet another thing to work on. I really should start writing some of these down.] "So what else do you have?" Morris asked, gesturing at the last item, a small strip of black cloth. "I''m guessing this is more than just a scarf?" "Indeed!" Mike announced excitedly. "I''m actually quite proud of this. It''s something I came up with after we had our late night conversation. Using silk harvested from the spiders that inhabit the screaming dark, combined with my newly acquired Tailoring skill, I was able to stitch arcane runes into the scarf as a means of enchanting it with Artifice." He used Appraise to once again confirm the item''s effects. -------------------------------- Scarf of Obfuscation Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 2) When worn, this scarf creates a subtle magic effect on observers, causing their attention to slip elsewhere. This state can only be maintained so long as the wearer avoids doing anything that would otherwise expressly alert others to their presence. The effectiveness of this item is limited by the Willpower and Tier of the individuals viewing the wearer, with Tier 3s and higher being immune. -------------------------------- "This is still a prototype, of course, but it should allow you to conceal your presence while traveling. Think of it as a sort of passive stealth skill that makes it harder for others to notice you." He explained while holding it up for the others to see. "I only have one at the moment, but give me a day or so, and I should be able to make a few more." "Combined with more mundane efforts of disguise, I think that should do nicely to prevent recognition from here on out." Morris said after some thought. "That''s something I can help with." Sera broke in proudly. "My mother taught me the basics of making disguises while we were on the run. I think I might still have a few of my old tools somewhere¡­" She began digging through her belt pouches. "I believe I can assist Miss Seraphina in that regard." William added hesitantly. "I''ve been responsible for preparing my lady''s makeup for many years now, so I should be able to help." There was a strange reticence to his manner that Mike finally noticed. As if he were afraid of something. Perhaps he was feeling out of depth in this tense situation? In any event, it was about time for them to move on. He didn''t think there was much of a chance of someone following them from the city, but in this wide-open country, it would not take much effort for someone to notice their passage. A simple investigation would quickly lead any pursuers to this location. "Alright, then with that we''ll begin phase two of the plan I came up with on the way here." The others gave him a look, but did not interrupt as he continued. "For now, we''ll be moving on foot towards our next destination, the Seaside Citadel, which should be a few kilometers that way." He motioned to the east where the ocean could be seen on the horizon. "Before we arrive, however, I plan on building a temporary base of operations with Earth Magic." "If there are enemies searching for us, it would make sense to avoid inns." Morris commented. "They are the first place checked in these kinds of situations, although depending on the situation of the area surrounding the dungeon, we may need to get a room under an alias in order to avoid raising undue suspicion." "What enemies?" Tal asked, breaking the silence she''d been holding for their entire trip. "Ah, I didn''t explain, did I?" Mike realized. "The Guildmaster tipped me off to the fact that an organization known as the Undying Court has taken an interest in us. At roughly the same time, I detected a faint source of hostility in our immediate surroundings that disappeared quickly. I feared that meant we were being followed by an enemy with some kind of stealth ability that I would have a hard time countering." There was a few seconds of silence as they processed all that, before Morris spoke up. "The Undying Court is supposed to just be a myth, but if it actually exists, they could prove to be quite dangerous." "Aren''t they kind of like the bosses of the world''s vampires or something?" Sera asked, obviously hoping that the bard would explain further. "More like the shadowy rulers of all those varieties of undead that prey upon the living, of which vampires are only one of. While it''s origins remain a mystery to non-members, I recall it being theorized that the Court arose as a sort of regulating body that prevented the undead from overstepping their bounds and provoking the wrath of the living kingdoms." [So a bit like a game warden, I guess? Keeping the undead hunters from killing too many people and ruining the hunting grounds.] "Alright, that''s fair enough, but what would they want with us then?" Morris looked uncertain. "I don''t know enough to tell you. I''ve heard that the Court has factions which compete with one another for influence and power. It''s possible they are looking to involve us in one of their schemes, or maybe Mike''s presence is causing some kind of interference to their operations, or maybe they were just trying to keep an eye on a potentially disruptive element inside the city. I really can''t tell you." He lapsed into a regretful silence for a few seconds before glancing over at Mike. "Are you thinking this might have something to do with that attack outside Wyrport?" "I''m not sure, but I am operating with that as a possibility." "I see¡­" "Hey¡­" Sera started. "What happened outside of Wyrport?" Mike blinked for a second as his thoughts changed gears. "Ah, I suppose that was before I knew most of you. Do you remember the Day of Wrath?" She stared at him with something approaching disappointment on her face. "...Yeah¡­" "Well, that bolt of lightning was a product of me fighting off a vampire that tried to kidnap me." She opened her mouth as if to say something, paused, and then closed it. Finally after a few seconds she added quietly. "You know, it''s really my own fault for asking." Perhaps sensing that the conversation was taking a darker turn, Tal stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Sera''s shoulder, before speaking to the rest of the group. "Should get moving." "Right, let''s start walking. The sooner we get going, the safer we''ll be." Mike commented while gathering up the items he''d been showing off. [Why do I feel like I''m forgetting something?] "Um...if I may be so bold," William began tentatively, "what do you plan on doing with this terrifying..ahem...I mean majestic beast?" He glanced back at the green scaled dragon who''d been quietly and patiently waiting on them. "Ah...I forgot." Chapter 325: Getting Away ------------------------ Unnamed Age: 0 Race: Lesser Emerald Dragon Class: Lesser Emerald Dragon Title: Summoned Creature ------------------------ [Emerald? Like the gemstone? What the hell?] Mike had been so focused on getting his party members to safety, he''d barely noticed the oddity till now. Or rather, he''d been purposely ignoring it in favor of other things. "...Hey Morris...have you ever heard of an Emerald Dragon?" The bard looked at him blankly. "As in the gemstone? I don''t think so. As far as I''m aware, True Dragons are classified according to an individual element. There are a few rare varieties based on composite elements, and I think there are some legends of ones said to embody Light, Dark, and even Time and Space, but not gemstones. Are you sure it''s not some variety of...pseudo-dragon or maybe an unusual kind of wyvern?" Even Mike could tell that his friend was grasping to find an explanation. [Did I invent a new species? I thought that was supposed to be incredibly difficult given the nature of Conjuration and Creation magic.] "Well it''s class and race are both Lesser Emerald Dragon, so I don''t think so¡­" The group, with the exclusion of Lily who was still looking at her potion vial in a concerning manner, turned to stare at the green scaled dragon with curiosity. At first glance it was similar to Red in shape. However, something about it seemed more graceful, elegant even. The biggest difference was the coloration, but rather than a simple palette swap from red to green this dragon appeared to be clad in luminous sheets of the purest green which easily reflected the light of the setting sun. [Its scales seem to have an almost crystalline quality. Maybe that''s the reason for its species?] "Doesn''t it appear kind of...feminine?" Sera asked quietly. "Like how Audra would appear when she finally grows up." Once again the group turned to regard the dragon, who was still impassively watching them with a patience that belied its extremely young age. "Now that you mention it...yeah, I can see it." Mike muttered. He sent a quick mental message to the creature, questioning it about its identity. The telepathic voice that replied definitely had a feminine quality that he''d learned to recognize among his other familiars and summoned monsters. The contents, however, contained only pleasant befuddlement. Apparently, the dragon was unaware of any such concepts and was merely enjoying exploring the world in which she found herself. "Yep, definitely a she. Also much more laid back than Red. I think she and Reber would get along famously." "Aha! I knew it!" Sera exclaimed. "I could tell by her elegant demeanor." She glanced around at the other members of the party. "You know what this means, right?" They all stared at her quizzically until Audra, who''d seen fit to poke her head out of Mike''s pocket and looked around, made a small chirping noise when she noticed the larger dragon. The two reptilian creatures watched one another for a few seconds before the tiny Wyrm flew over to her bigger, but much younger, relative and landed on the Emerald Dragon''s head. Turning in place a few times, Audra gave a large yawn and then settled down into a crevice between two scales, quickly falling asleep. After recovering from the momentary burst of cuteness, Sera coughed. "Ahem...As I was saying, it means we need to have another naming competition for her. I can already think of a few." Despite feeling slightly betrayed at his familiar''s sudden abandonment, Mike noted that the energy of the conversation was flowing in the wrong direction, and he decided to intervene. "No time for that. We can take care of that decision later. For now, let''s concentrate on getting away from this position." He turned to the dragon. "Keep yourself out of sight for now. There are some forests to the north of here where you can hunt, just don''t go too far or else you might run into the elves. I''ll let you know when we need you again." Making sure to recover Audra, who complained about losing her new perch, Mike watched as the dragon flew off. He felt a bit uneasy about letting the summoned equivalent of a newborn wander freely in the wilderness, but he figured that there shouldn''t be much that could legitimately threaten her in this area. [I''m actually more concerned about the damage she could do to anyone she gets into a fight with...] They set off at a rapid pace, crossing the grassy terrain with a sort of loping jog used by experienced adventurers to best take advantage of System enhanced Endurance. This proved somewhat difficult for William, who required a steady stream of energizing Life Magic in order to maintain the pace. After a few hours of effort, Mike decided that they''d traveled far enough away to avoid detection, and selected one of the many small stands of trees that littered this section of the Riverlands before telling the rest of the party to take a break. While he was mentally planning how he would go about setting up this hideout, Sera asked, "Are we there already? The ocean still looks pretty far away." Before Mike had a chance to speak up, Morris answered for him. "That''s a bit of an optical illusion. The coastline in this area is well known for its sheer cliffs that can be deceptively close when travelling overland. You should have seen some of it when coming into Gildusi." "I suppose¡­" she muttered quietly while looking towards the horizon. "Still, I can barely see any hint of water." "There''s another kilometer or so before we really start hitting civilization again." Mike added thoughtfully while beginning to inject his mana into the ground. "Any closer and we would risk possible discovery by the locals." [The ground in this area is mostly composed of a relatively thin layer of soil on top of solid rock. Seems a bit strange based on what little I remember about geology, but I guess this is a fantasy world. Maybe they have magical erosion resistant soil or something.] It didn''t take much effort to carve out a few small rooms and a staircase lined with soil that had been hardened to a rock-like consistency. Once the entrance was in place, he used Life Magic to cause the surrounding brush and plant life to grow over it, disguising it from casual observers. "That should do it for the time being." He announced before descending the staircase and into the somewhat cramped space. As an afterthought, he conjured a small globe of light for the others to see. At the bottom of the stairs the full extent of the hideout was visible, consisting of a single main chamber with two small side chambers extending off from it. "Homey." Sera commented dryly once they had a chance to look things over. "I''ll be making some amenities next." He shot back defensively. "In the meantime, I figured the rest of you would prefer to spend your time in the demi-realm." Thoughts elsewhere, he quickly stuck the magic key into a nearby wall and summoned the portal. Obviously setting aside her complaints, she asked. "So we''re calling it a day then?" "Yeah, I''ll take the first pair of delvers to the dungeon tomorrow." "Wait, we are still doing that?" "Of course. The situation has changed a bit, but that doesn''t mean we can afford to let this opportunity pass. We''ll play it safe and escape at the first sign of trouble, but we still need to enhance everyone''s combat ability as our first priority." He replied with a confident grin. She grumbled for a few seconds, and then finally nodded. "I can''t really argue with that. If you are that concerned about someone attacking us, we definitely need to work on improving our strength." "Because we''d be operating within our own version of the dungeon, there would be little chance of them interfering with us while delving. Thus, so long as we are careful while entering or exiting, the actual dungeon would be relatively safe." Morris added thoughtfully before laughing. "That''s something I never thought I''d say. A dungeon, safe." "That''s settled then." Mike announced, wanting to move things along. "Why don''t you all head inside and rest up for now? By the time you wake up tomorrow, I''ll have this place looking downright luxurious." One by one, the rest of the party filtered into the portal until only Tal and him were left. She paused at the doorway and glanced at him, as if wanting to say something. "What is it?" "Are you alright?" She asked quietly in the ancient elven language. "Of course I''m alright. Why wouldn''t I be?" She stepped over to him, taking a moment to study his face. Despite her usual emotionless mask, he could somewhat sense that she was worried. "Back at the city, once you finished reading that note, you had a really frightening expression." "Ah...that. Sorry, I didn''t mean to worry you." He replied gently while rubbing the back of his head. "Do you wish to talk about it?" For a moment he almost said no, but decided that it might be better to get it off his chest. With a wave of his hand, he created a pair of chairs made of soil hardened into rock. "It''s a bit of a story, so why don''t we have a seat first. Sorry it''s not too comfortable for now. I''ll work on making some better furnishings soon." She sat without another word, and looked at him expectantly. Sighing, he started speaking. "After we met, but before we became a group, I took a request with another party of adventurers. Although it was only for a few days, traveling with them and seeing new and interesting things with them was pretty fun. At the time, I thought I could call them friends. But¡­" He paused for a second trying to find the right words. Tal continued to listen silently, not even a small hint of emotion in her expression. "But, when we were heading back to the city, we were ambushed by a Tier 4 vampire." There was a sharp intake of breath, but she made no comment. "I was...so much weaker than I am now. So weak in fact, that I was helpless to prevent him from beating me into the ground and killing one of the adventurers I was traveling with...I know it might sound a bit arrogant, but being that powerless was mortifying. Not only were those adventurers getting caught up in that mess because of me, but I didn''t even have the ability to protect them from the consequences." He stopped again, staring at the wall of the hideout and finding himself wishing that there was a fireplace or window. Something to distract his gaze. "Anyway, I managed to activate a Limit Break that somehow temporarily pushed me into a similar realm of power by hijacking parts of the System, something that shouldn''t have been possible. There''s a lot about that I still don''t understand, and I fear that I never will, but with that power I was able to defeat him and save the adventurers." After a few seconds of silence, Tal asked. "Are you afraid that something similar will happen now, and that this time the skill will not activate to save you and those you care about?" "Nothing so defined as that. I''m practically a different person now. I don''t need to rely on that unknown ability to protect my friends anymore...Still, when I read that note, I have to admit that I was worried. What if they were merely biding their time, waiting for me to let my guard down before striking again?" He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "In hindsight that seems unlikely, but it nonetheless showed me that I haven''t gotten over it yet." He sighed again, leaning forward and massaging his face with his hands. After spending weeks getting used to the calming effects of his enhanced Willpower, it was shocking to get hit by that sudden surge of anxiety. In retrospect, he might have overreacted. Maybe escaping like this would spook them into taking action. Commit to a hostile action they weren''t originally planning on. [Did I make another mistake?] As he was still bent over, elbows resting on his knees, he felt a pair of arms encircle his head and shoulders, Tal''s quiet voice whispering in his ears. "It will be alright." For a moment, he let himself be soothed, relaxing into the embrace and simply enjoying a moment of peace. Unfortunately, he soon became aware of another more primal emotion arising from the proximity, so he tapped her arm to let her know he was fine. "Thanks, I needed that." He replied once she''d stepped back. The barest hint of a smile touched her eyes. "Your welcome. Do not work too hard tonight. There will be plenty of time to deal with your worries tomorrow." Mike watched her vanish into the portal and felt a bit sad to see her go. [...Do I have a thing for older women?] Chapter 326: Castle by the Sea "And that leads us up to now." Mike finished before sitting back down in the simple wooden chair. He found his gaze still drawn to the scenic mountain view projected on the edge of the demi-realm, and couldn''t help but feel a bit moved by the starry sky rising over the jagged peaks. Even if it wasn''t real, it was still impressive to look at. "What neatly summarized exposition. Really helps me nail down my location in the narrative." Reber replied with a grin while reclining in his own chair. "Gildusi sounds like an interesting place, it''d be cool to visit and try some of those restaurants." "That''s not...wait, restaurants? Can you even eat?" "Of course. Just can''t really taste anything. No sense of smell, you know. Also, I don''t really need to eat, because photosynthesis. Still, I can enjoy the texture of food." "I...see. Well, I''ve been working on creating disguise items, and while I don''t think they are advanced enough to hide your...plantishness, give me some more time to work on them, and I see what I can do." "Appreciate it, brother, but do go to any trouble on my account. It''s nothing more than a passing impulse. Besides, the way I figure it, with all the other weird shit in this world, a walking, talking tree is not going to raise many eyebrows." "Now that you mention it, I think there was something¡­" He paused, digging through his storage and eventually pulling out a stack of notes he''d copied from a library book when he was back at the University. After a few moments of flipping through them, he announced. "Aha! Here it is. The Dryad, a rare type of tree monster found in very deep parts of Mirithian forests." "Still a monster, though." "They are classified that way, but they are also known for being friendly towards humanoids they encounter, or at the very least non-hostile. The author of the book suggested that the local elves might even have some kind of trade agreement with them, but admitted his assumption was based mainly on hearsay." "So, you think I could pass for one of these Dryads?" "Maybe. I''m not really sure what they look like, but I could do some research. Also, I don''t know how well they''d be received outside of Mirithia, or even if they are known for visiting settlements at all." Reber shrugged. "Oh well. Like I said, this is nothing more than an impulse of mine. If you find the time to work on the situation in the future, I would appreciate it, but make a big deal about it. I''ve still got plenty to keep me occupied around here." "I get that, but I would like for you to have the freedom to come and go from the demi-realm as you please. Only seems fair after being trapped here for so long." The treeman waved dismissively. "Besides the whole not having strong emotions thing, being a plant means I don''t really have any inclination to move far from where I''m planted, so to speak. I think my urge to explore is something of a holdover from my human life, but it''s not so strong that I can''t ignore it." "...Alright, but I''ll work on finding a solution to your situation when I can." [I''ll just add it to the list, I guess.] "Cool, appreciate it. Anyway, care for some roasted chestnuts?" "Sure." Mike agreed while taking a handful from the proffered bag and popping them into his mouth, still deep in thought about the pile of tasks he''d set for himself. "This is pretty good." "Thanks. Grew them myself." It took a moment for the words to sink in, and when they did, he felt slightly queasy. "...Huh? Wait, do you mean¡­" Reber laughed. "Relax. I didn''t use one of my own or anything. Your friends brought me a few tree seedlings the other day, and I''ve been subsidizing their growth with magic. Give me a few weeks, and I should be able to indefinitely sustain a moderate population of humanoids with locally grown food, assuming the soil holds out." Mike swallowed dryly, "That''s great. We aren''t exactly hurting on food at the moment, but it never hurts to have something to fall back on...Do you think you could do something similar with other, more magical plants?" "Hmm¡­" The treeman frowned in concentration, carefully considering the idea for nearly a minute before finally responding. "...No idea." "Right. That''s fair." He replied while resisting the urge to facepalm. "Anyway, I should gather up Morris and Sera. We''ll need to be heading out soon." "That the crew you''re taking this time round?" Reber asked while reclining a little further in his seat to bask in the artificial sun. "That''s the plan." "Cool. Cool." As Mike was walking away, he heard the druid add, " Have fun storming the dungeon!" ------------------------------------------------------ The Seaside Citadel turned out to be a massive, elegantly designed, and sprawling castle town built from pure white stone with light blue highlights on a narrow peninsula extending from the coast. Unlike much of the rest of the region, the outcropping of land was barely taller than the surrounding ocean, and in fact, portions of the city were submerged. Tall and imposing walls protected the town, and three slender towers of varying heights rose from the fortress at its center. A ring of some golden material, reminiscent of a halo, floated around the highest peak, rotating slowly. Like most dungeons, there was only a single entrance portal that actually led inside. Attempting to bypass the walls directly only allowed you to explore the empty streets and causeways of the town. Even then, there was no way into the central castle. According to Morris''s research, the Seaside Citadel had 12 floors laid out in three equal sections of four floors each. Delvers exploring the first section would find themselves passing through the remains of the ruined and partially submerged city that stood at the base of the castle, and could expect to fight a mix of Tier 1 avian and aquatic monsters. Because of the relative weakness of the enemies inhabiting this first section, the Citadel was a popular destination for inexperienced adventurers and newbie delvers looking to improve their skills. Unfortunately, the danger increased greatly after the fourth floor, when delvers entered the castle itself. Not only did the number and lethality of the traps increase, but the monster became much more difficult to deal with. It was to the point that the guild had issued a statement banning adventurers below Rank 3 from proceeding beyond the first section of the dungeon. Such a ban was more of a guideline than an actual law, due to the inherent difficulty of enforcing it, but it apparently helped to reduce the number of newbie disappearances in the Citadel. The final section could be found in the towers of the castle, and it was home to several types of dangerous airborne monsters culminating in the boss which was known to be a massive bird creature which used Ice Magic. While discussing the particulars of this information, the group stopped at the dungeon town, which rested on top of the cliffs overlooking the Citadel, and had the typical mix of services catered to delvers. At the moment, there was nothing they needed from the stores, so they checked in with the White Lions who were standing guard in front of the wooden staircase leading down to the peninsula. Thankfully, it seemed that their names hadn''t been passed around yet, so they were allowed past the checkpoint, and after descending towards the ocean, they were able to quickly enter into the dungeon portal, which stood in place of the citadel''s gates. They found themselves in some kind of barren store built along one of the main streets of the castle town. Initially, it seemed like they could easily leave the building through a window or one of the doorways leading deeper into the store, however, it quickly became apparent that walls of invisible force prevented them from doing anything besides leaving through the front. "How bizarre¡­" Morris muttered while feeling the barrier that kept him from moving behind the counter. "Now that I think about it, is this the first time you''ve been to a dungeon?" Mike asked. The bard glanced back at him. "Yes. Delving is not a common pastime among nobles, and after leaving my household I never had the resources to do it safely." "Safely? They aren''t that dangerous." The other two gave him a dirty look. "Maybe to you," The Oracle commented dryly, "but ordinary mortal beings have trouble confronting even the most basic dungeon monsters without adequate training and preparation. Why do you think the Adventurer''s Guild goes so far as to provide newbie adventurers with a guided dungeon trip when they first join up?" "I''m guessing from the context it has something to do with keeping casualties down?" Morris spoke up to explain. "Newbie adventurers have a tendency to overestimate their abilities simply due to the Guild''s ranking system. This is especially the case if they managed to achieve Rank 2 or 3 during their initial entry. However, they lack the experience needed to judge the extent of their strength, and frequently end up entering dungeons beyond their abilities. In order to combat that, the Guild decided to start showing newbies the dangers of dungeons in a controlled environment." "So instructor-lead tours. Got it." Mike nodded to show his understanding and hopefully prevent another lecture. "Anyway, let''s get going. If we move efficiently, we should be able to clear this dungeon by the end of the day." There was a pause as both of them watched him expectantly. Evidently he still needed to explain how things were going to work. "Just so you know, I''m not planning on doing anything unless you actually need help. This is supposed to be for your training." "I get that, but I''m not actually sure what to do in this case." Morris replied. "I have a decent understanding of the various party roles that a usual delving group has to fulfill, but we don''t really have anything that could be considered a vanguard or scout." [...Hm?] "Speaking of which, I''ve been meaning to ask you, why are we in these pairings?" Sera asked. "I''m sure you have your reasons, but I''d like to hear them." Mike scratched the back of his neck. "Well, from what I understand, the rearguard is usually in charge of directing the rest of the party since they have the least restricted view of what''s going on, right?" "That''s right." "So, in order to make this a decent training scenario, I need the rearguard to call the shots. The way I see it, both you and Tal are definitive back liners, but she has a distinct advantage in terms of experience. I thought it only fair to put her in the group that has to deal with the most unreliable element." There was a brief pause as all three of them pictured Lily in their minds. "I can''t fault that reasoning¡­" Morris murmured, "but I''m not really a front liner, so I don''t think I can serve as a decent vanguard." "What are you talking about? Aren''t you supposed to be a Bardic Knight or something? I''ve seen you fight on the front lines several times." "Well, that is my class, but bards, even with the knight appellation, are considered combat support. In an ideal delving party, I would be standing behind the front liners and using bard skills to enhance their combat ability. Engaging in melee myself should only be considered an act of last resort." "You''ve never done anything like that before, though?" Morris sighed. "Think back to our previous fights. When did I ever have the luxury of doing something besides fighting for my life?" [Ah...I suppose he has a point there.] "Alright, I get it. You''re basically saying that being a vanguard would be a misuse of your abilities and might negatively impact the value of this training exercise. Is that about right?" "More or less." Mike frowned in thought. He didn''t think it was right to take on the role himself, since it would impair their growth, but they couldn''t exactly add someone else to the group at this point. [Kinda wish Brenden was here...If only we could just make a front liner¡­Ah.] Digging through his inventory, he pulled out several scrolls. "Here you go. If you can''t be a vanguard, then why don''t you summon one?" Chapter 327: Splitting the Party Apparently, Morris''s summoning affinity followed along with his innate love of history and knowledge, leading to his summons embodying those traits. Unfortunately, such qualities didn''t lend themselves well to the role of a vanguard, so a little trial and error was necessary. His first two attempts yielded an animate book that was able to fight by throwing bits of paper folded into lethally sharp projectiles, and a spectral manifestation of a soldier from a historical battle. The first was helpful to some extent, but quickly disintegrated when it was skewered by one of the fishmen they encountered shortly after leaving the shop. As a result, Morris was forced to hurriedly step up to occupy the rest while Sera took them down from a distance. Initially, the second seemed like it was a bit more reliable. After all, it had appeared clad in ghostly armor and carrying a sword and shield. It was only after the group was ambushed by a school of housecat-sized flying fish that the weakness of the creature became apparent. Since it was a spectral creature without any real body, the soldier was unable to even touch the monsters and apparently could only help by raising the morale of its allies. "Perhaps we need to consider some other alternatives." Morris said with a sigh while Mike was healing his flying fish induced injuries. "Now, now. Just because the first two attempts failed, doesn''t mean this isn''t a decent option. You just need to make sure that you maintain a clear idea of what you want when you activate the scroll." There was a soft rush of air followed by a distant impact as Sera neatly dispatched the last of the fleeing monsters with a well-placed arrow. The bard stood up stiffly, "I understand that, it''s just...this isn''t exactly easy. When I''m using one of the scrolls, I''m trying to maintain the image of a vanguard and I can tell that the spell is working to compensate, but it feels odd." "Odd how?" "Well, it feels like it keeps...sliding, I guess? Like I try to get it to target one type of creature, but for whatever reason, it can''t latch on and instead ends up selecting something else entirely." [Weird. I''ve never had an experience like that before. Is it because he''s doing this without having the actual skill?] By this point, Sera had finished retrieving her arrows and had moved to join them while adding her own commentary. "I think you''re trying too hard. You need to relax a bit." Morris looked over at her. "Is that something you''ve foreseen?" "No, but I have a little bit of experience with difficult to use skills, and I can tell that you are trying to force it." She shot back sharply, and then added in a more gentle tone. "Just let it flow and it will work out." There was a few seconds of silence as Morris digested this advice, before he nodded and pulled out another scroll. "Alright, let''s try it again." He concentrated on the strip of paper, muttering under his breath as he did so. A magic circle formed on the sodden street, glowing particles eventually resolving into a solid form. Their first impression of the summoned creature was that of a tall and long-haired woman. However, her non-human nature quickly became apparent when one looked down to where her legs should have started. Rather than the usual humanoid lower half, she had a long and sinuous, snake-like body clad in tan colored scales that matched her sandy blonde hair. A closer examination of her face also revealed that her pale green eyes had vertical, slitted pupils. Her torso was encased in a light grey tunic of a silken material that hung loosely from her slender frame, and she was carrying a long bladed spear with a spiked crossguard in her hands. Judging from the ease with which she handled it, she was quite skilled in its use. While the three of them were staring at the new arrival, she fixed Morris with an intense gaze and, "....Hissss." [A forked tongue...no, I mean, she hisses?] "A lamia, huh?" Sera commented dryly. "So this is a true representation of your soul?" The bard glared at her. "For your information, lamias are well known for their academic pursuits, and their desert homeland is world renowned for their libraries. I''m sure that she is representative of my innate love of learning and pursuit of knowledge in all forms." "That could be the case." She shot back with a grin. "Or could it be that you have a preference for scaly women?" "That''s not-" Morris was cut off as the lamia suddenly moved forward and put herself protectively between him and Sera while glaring fiercely in the Oracle''s direction. "Aww, she likes you already. How nice." Morris looked stricken for a moment, but finally sighed. "Whatever¡­At least I managed to summon a decent vanguard." "Hmm? Are lamias really powerful or something?" Mike asked. The bard nodded. "While they are better known for their knowledge and command of magic, lamias are also famous for their martial prowess. Supposedly, a single lamia has the strength of five normal men and can move with the speed of a striking serpent. Combine this with their natural flexibility and durability, and they are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield." "Sounds promising. Let''s see what she can do before the summoning spell ends." With the lamia in the lead, the group resumed their exploration. They quickly encountered another group of fishmen in the remnants of an old market. The dozen or so monsters were seemingly gathered together in some kind of meeting, but quickly turned to attack once the party entered the ''room.'' While Sera was the first to act, putting arrows through the bulbous and staring eyes of the first two attackers, the lamia was quick to respond as well. With a flick of her snake-like lower half she practically flew across the room and began cutting her way through the monsters with graceful sweeping motions of her spear. In a handful of seconds, before Morris even had a chance to reach the enemy and Sera could do more than fire another shot, the fishmen were all slain, bodies dispersing into particles and leaving behind a handful of tiny red mana cores. Task complete, the lamia turned back to her summoner, bowed slightly, and vanished herself as the spell came to an end. While the bard was still staring thoughtfully at the spot she disappeared from, Mike stepped forward and slapped him on the back. "Well, I think we found the direction we need to go in from now on. That was a hell of a summon." "Very effective, yes." Morris replied distractedly. "She really lived up to the reputation...it''s just... does this seem right to you? Like does this outcome make sense?" "I don''t follow." He pulled out another of the summoning scrolls and held it up. "The spell encoded in these is supposedly one of the most basic, right?" "More or less. I did modify it a bit to increase the efficiency, but it should still be on par with a fundamental Conjuration effect." "Then, does it make sense that I was able to summon such a powerful creature using one?" Mike frowned. "I''m not sure. When I conjured up Red, I used a similar spell, but I think that was more a product of the amount of mana I invested. Given the energy stored in those scrolls, it''s actually a little hard to believe that something as powerful as a lamia showed up." "It should be impossible, unless...unless it was drawing from another...damn it!" "What''s the matter?" Morris sat down heavily with a weary sigh, and explained. "I just checked my [Status] and I found the cause. My class changed and I have the Summoning Magic skill now." Mike waited, but he didn''t seem to have any intention of going on. "Isn''t that supposed to be a good thing?" "Only if I wanted to be a mage." He shot back despondently. "Ah, I get it." Sera broke in. "He was trying to pursue a martial advancement track, but got pigeonholed into a magic user role." "Is that how it works?" She glared at him. "For NORMAL people, the number and type of skills they can get is dependent on their class. Based on the class they are born with, everyone has several potential classes they can advance into, depending on the skills they acquire over the course of their lives and the actions they take. As they advance, the benefits of one''s class increases, but they also lose some versatility as other paths of advancement are cut off." Mike muttered. "So, you basically become increasingly specialized when advancing down a particular path, sacrificing options for power. I''m guessing the System is the one assigning classes?" "That''s right, and there is not much you can do about it if it decides to go in a direction you don''t like. I think there are a few legends about individuals who managed to switch to an entirely separate path, but I don''t know much about it." "There''s not much to know." Morris broke in quietly. "A few obscure accounts suggest that it might be possible, but even then it usually required some degree of divine intervention to achieve. Which is why you are supposed to just learn to live with whatever path the System gives you. There really isn''t any other choice." The bard was looking depressed, as if he had yet to come to terms with his new situation. Mike had to wonder if it was really that shocking of a revelation. "I don''t suppose you''d mind explaining why this is such an issue for you?" Morris glared up at him, and for a second he almost felt as if his friend was planning on attacking, but eventually the bard sighed and leaned back against one of the buildings. "I''m sure you won''t be surprised to learn that it has to do with my father. Despite appearances to the contrary, the Count actually is actually a mage." "And you don''t want to follow in his footsteps, is that right?" Sera asked. "I don''t want to be anything like him!" Morris yelled while standing, taking a few steps towards the empty streets as if to walk off his anger before turning and yelling. "He always wanted me to be a mage! He even tried to trick me into following the same path when I was growing up, and I almost fell for it." He stopped for a second, deflating under the weight of his situation again. "Or at least, that''s the way it used to be. Part of the reason I became a bard was because it was the closest thing to a non-magic user I could become once I''d realized his plans. I knew there were still mage paths available, but I had hoped that my martial training would preclude me from falling into them. When I got the Bardic Knight class, I honestly thought I''d finally succeeded in avoiding the future he''d laid out for me...I guess I was just fooling myself in more ways than one." Mike rubbed the back of his head, feeling guilty. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have pushed you to use those scrolls." "It''s not your fault." Morris replied quietly. "You couldn''t have known. Besides, fool that I am, I had thought the danger of this happening had passed." Silence descended on the group as a gloomy mood enveloped them. Finally, Sera broke it with an angry growl. "Grr, whatever! Who cares if you''re a mage now?! Who cares if your father wanted you to be one?! Stop worrying about that bastard! Just because you''ve been forced onto this path by the System doesn''t mean you have to let it define you." "No you don''t understand-" Morris started to reply before she cut him off. "No! You are the one that doesn''t understand! You''ve been letting your father dictate your life this entire time!" "What do you know?! I''ve been doing everything I could to foil his plans! If not for what happened in Wyrport, I would still be free of him!" [Hm?] Sera poked him in the chest. "That''s just it! Whether you are obeying him or rebelling against him, you are still taking action because of him! Why don''t you try living for yourself for a change?!" The pair glared at each other for a few seconds, and Mike was concerned that they were about to come to blows. Finally, Morris''s shoulders slumped and he looked away. In a tired voice he muttered, "I need a break," before walking over to a nearby building and going through the door. "Fine!" Sera growled before going the opposite direction and entering a different building. Glancing back and forth between the two, Mike was torn. "Um, guys? You know we''re still in a dungeon right? Even if it''s an easy one, it''s kind of dangerous to go off on your own...Guys?" Chapter 328: Faintly Feathered Mike quickly summoned up a small air elemental and had it follow Sera with instructions to let him know if she got in trouble. Of the two other members of the group, he was more concerned about Morris, since the current Sera could probably handle most of this dungeon by herself. Thankfully, the bard had unintentionally entered a safe zone with only a single entrance, and was staring intensely at the slightly sodden walls, his body language showing that he was still deeply upset. Unsure of what precisely he should say, Mike walked over and joined him. They passed a few moments in silence before Morris finally spoke. "I know I''m acting foolishly, and I know I put myself in danger for no real reason, but I couldn''t...I was about to do or say something I would have regretted, so I had to get out of there." "I get it, man. Everyone loses their cool once in a while. Hell, if I had a gold piece for every time Sera broke down on me-" "You don''t need to try and console me." Morris cut him off. "It was cowardly and immature of me to react that way, and I should have known better." He looked down at his hands for a few seconds, clenching and unclenching them a few times. "She''s right, of course. As one would expect from an Oracle, she saw right through me..." Mike wasn''t sure what to say. Morris turned to face him. "By trying to reject him in everything I can, am I doing exactly what my father wants?" "...Honestly? I don''t know. He''s pretty devious, so I wouldn''t put it past him to try to manipulate your behavior with reverse psychology, but even if he is, so what?" The bard spun towards him and grabbed his collar. "So what?! I should just let him make me a pawn in his games?!" "This is exactly what Sera was talking about. So long as you continue to feel like this, you are already letting him control your life." With a roar, Morris pushed him away, walked over to the nearest wall and threw a heavy punch at it. "I know!...How could I not?!" Mike winced at the impact, knowing that it had likely done serious damage to his friend''s hand. "Then it seems like you should know what to do next." The bard glared at him. "You need to stop living for him and start living for yourself." "Easier said than done." Morris growled and continued to glare at him for several seconds before he finally sighing. He sagged against the wall, tension flowing out of him in a wave. "I''ve got a few issues, don''t I?" Mike gave him a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, but if it makes you feel any better, I think having issues with your father is pretty common." "Heh." Morris chuckled and then winced. "Ugh, I think I broke my hand." "Certainly looked like it. Need a heal?" "Thanks...By the way, is it alright to leave Sera alone?" Mike walked over and sent a burst of Life Magic into his friends hand, knitting a cracked metacarpal bone back together. "I have a summon watching over her. So far she''s only been venting her frustrations on the dungeon monsters...Got to give credit where credit is due, she''s gotten a lot more lethal since we started training together." "Quit your bragging already." Morris grumbled while testing his newly healed hand. "Shall we go join her?" Mike hesitated. Based on what he was hearing from his summon, it might be better to give her some space. "...Alright, but I recommend we walk slowly. I think she''s still got a bit of stress to work out." With that thought in mind, they leisurely worked on catching up to the Oracle. By the time they finally did, she''d already discovered the stairs to the next floor and was waiting for them with an impatient look on her face. "You two finally ready to do this, or should I just clear the rest of this place by myself?" She grumbled once they''d come into view. Mike was about to admonish her, but stopped when Morris patted his shoulder and stepped forward. "I''m ready." Sera looked him over once and then nodded. "Seems like it. Let''s go, then." "Before we do, I have something to say." Morris said hurriedly to keep her from ascending the stairs. "If you want to give me some long spiel about how I opened your eyes to something you''ve been hiding from, you can save it. I don''t want to hear it. If you really want to apologize for earlier, prove it by doing your job on the next floor. I want to clear this place by the end of the day." With that, she vanished up the stairs to the next level. Chuckling, Morris followed after her, muttering under his breath. "Thanks." Mike watched the exchange with a slight smile. It was nice to see problems resolving themselves without his direct involvement. Especially when it resulted in two of his friends getting along better. He enjoyed the experience for a few more moments before realizing that they''d left him behind again. ----------------------------------------------------------- The remainder of the first section of the dungeon was unremarkable. The monsters posed little challenge to the pair, and what few traps they encountered were easily avoided. With a summoned lamia forming the frontline, supported by Morris''s bardic skills and Sera''s archery, they quickly defeated every enemy they came across, including the boss of the fourth level, a giant squid that launched attacks from a pool of water in the center of the room. From the fifth level onwards, things did become slightly more difficult, but even the coordinated attacks of the better armed fishmen with shark-like jaws and multiple varieties of bird monsters couldn''t overcome the strength of their formation. So it wasn''t long before the group found themselves in front of the second boss room on the eighth floor. "According to adventurer accounts, we have a roughly 85% chance of encountering a Harpy Choir composed of four to eight harpies who are capable of using sonic attacks." Morris was explained. "But they aren''t any more durable than the other harpies we''ve run into up to this point, right?" Sera asked while examining her bow. "Right." "Then you just need to keep them busy for a few seconds and I''ll handle the rest." The bard shrugged. "Well, I''m honestly thinking that we''ll get the other, more dangerous, option despite it only coming up around 15% of the time.." She grimaced. "You have a point. Considering who we''re bringing along, we should definitely plan for the most difficult possible scenario." They both turned to look at Mike who was feeding Audra a handful of the low quality mana cores. When he noticed their attention, he frowned in confusion. "What? Sorry, I wasn''t listening." Laughing, Morris continued his explanation. "The other possible boss is an Ironfeather Griffon. Considering how easy it should be to handle the first situation, I believe it would be prudent to plan on dealing with the latter." "Works for me." Sera replied with her own grin. "What do I need to know about this thing?" With a slight straightening of his posture, Morris entered lecture mode. "The Ironfeather Griffon closely resembles its more common cousins, with one notable exception. Their bird halves are coated in metallic feathers which serve as both their primary means of defense and a method of attacking at range. Despite being light enough to allow flight, their plumage is as hard as steel, and can be thrown from their wings at high speeds, although doing so slowly degrades their ability to fly." "I should target its backside, then?" "That would be ideal, but probably more difficult than you''d expect. In addition to their natural abilities, Ironfeather Griffons are quite intelligent and are known to use advanced tactics in combat. It will actively work to frustrate your aim and protect its weak points. Our best bet is to hit hard right from the outset, keep it off balance and deliver the finishing blow before it has a chance to respond to our attacks. To that end, I''m planning on providing support as soon as the door is open, and buffing everyone''s agility. We''ll keep it pinned down with heavy attacks until we can flank it." As Mike had learned during the delve, bards had abilities that let them enhance allies by inspiring them with a performance of some kind. The exact method varied by the individual, but Morris would usually either recite an epic poem or describe an ancient act of heroism. What made them unique among other classes was that not only could they enhance any allies within earshot, but they could also maintain these effects indefinitely without any mana investment. Doing so required a great deal of concentration, so they couldn''t do much else while performing, but the benefits meant that they were often in demand among larger adventuring groups. Cracking her knuckles, Sera gave Morris another grin. "Sounds good. Let''s do this." The bard quickly intoned the summoning spell necessary to bring forth their vanguard, conjuring the same lamia warrior. Mike wasn''t sure if this was normal, but seeing how the others didn''t react to it, he kept quiet about it. Once they were fully prepared, Morris directed his summoned companion to open the door to the boss room and they entered. Inside was a vast circular chamber with a vaulted ceiling that extended dozens of meters into the air and was supported by close to a hundred columns along the edges of the room. Ornate glass windows lined the walls, giving them a glimpse of clear blue skies. Shortly after the group had entered, the door closed behind them, sealing them within. In a rush of wind, the Ironfeather Griffon arrived, slamming into the ground at the center of the room and challenging the group with a leonine roar, which seemed quite odd coming from its avian head. The monster stood roughly two and a half meters tall at the shoulder, and for all intents and purposes looked like a gray feathered bird of prey had somehow grown the back half of a tawney coated cat from the region it would normally keep its tail. Mike noted that the feathers of its forequarters glimmered dully in the light of the chamber, betraying their metallic nature. Morris started the fight by chanting some kind of war poem with an uplifting rhythm. Responding to his implicit command, the lamia blurred forward, spear striking out at the griffon. With a clang, the blow slid off the monster''s neck, leaving no obvious sign of injury. Rather than appearing disheartened, the snake woman merely redirected her momentum attempting to move around to its more vulnerable back half. At the same time, Sera was firing a steady stream of arrows towards the creature''s face while circling around to its other side. These attacks had little effect beyond keeping the creature''s attention, but that was largely part of the plan. For a second, it seemed as if the monster would be unable to respond to the sudden onslaught, and would be forced into defending itself until it was flanked and cut to pieces. Perhaps sensing or understanding this, it changed strategies. With a sweep of its wings the griffon fired a hail of blade-like feathers towards Sera before rounding on the lamia. The Oracle was forced to dive away from the attack and take shelter behind one of the columns. Despite her evasion, Mike could tell that a few of the projectiles had come close to their mark, and only her poem enhanced Agility had allowed her to avoid a serious injury. On the other side of the battle, the snake woman was having a hard time responding to the griffon''s barrage of attacks. Even with Morris''s buffs, she couldn''t keep up, and after a few exchanges was caught by a raking talon across her unscaled misection. This injury proved to be lethal, and before her limp form had even hit the ground, she was already dissolving into motes of light. As the monster turned to face the remaining two members of the party, Morris stopped his recitation, took cover behind one of the columns, and yelled. "It''s stronger than I anticipated. We need to change strategies." "What are you think-" Sera started before having to evade as the griffon leaped at her, shattering the column she''d been hiding behind. "Buy me some time! I have an idea!" Chapter 329: Great Minds Think Alike? Sera fired another arrow from the hero relic bow, once again felt slightly awestruck by the experience. In addition to the virtually unlimited supply of its mana generated ammunition and its tendency to subtly assist her aim when making difficult shots, it was also just a joy to use. Fighting with it felt so smooth and easy that she wondered if she''d ever again be able to look at another bow without disappointment. Unfortunately, she''d yet to unlock the weapon''s full potential, so its arrows lacked the killing power necessary to punch through the griffon''s armor-like feathers. Until she got the chance to hit it in one of its vulnerable spots, it would be difficult to do more than annoy it. While there were a few other things she could try against the boss, she decided to let Morris have the spotlight now. It was the least she could do after provoking him into facing his past traumas in such a blunt manner. Just thinking about how she''d been acting was enough to make her cringe mentally. [Argh! Why is it that anytime I say something it comes out as angry criticism?] She took a moment to glance over in the direction of the bard. He was currently taking cover near the door, mouth moving silently as he drew something on the floor. Although his actions had a ritualistic feeling to them, it looked to all the world like he was simply engaging in a piece of impromptu art. Even while she was distracted, her newly acquired defensive abilities activated as a flash of precognition drove her to slide behind another of the columns, avoiding another hail of razor sharp feather''s from the irate boss monster. She''d managed to blind one of its eyes using a close combat technique she''d developed in training, and it had been keeping its distance ever since. When the coast was clear, she leaned out again, drawing a bead on the creature''s head. With quick, practiced movements, she pulled the string of her bow back, mentally giving the command for it to generate another arrow. As soon as it was in place, she released and sprinted a few more steps, not even bothering to watch her shot. She''d already foreseen that it would glance off the creature''s beak, near it''s uninjured eye. [It''s starting to get better at dodging my shots.] She considered in an almost academic way as she took cover behind another column. For some reason, this life or death battle didn''t really feel all that dangerous. Mike''s presence near the back of the room, where he looked to be idly practicing Air Magic while watching the fight, might explain some of this feeling, but she had a suspicion that it was also due to her own confidence. For the first time in her life, she felt calm and in control in the face of danger. She fully believed in her abilities, which she knew would see her through this challenge. It was an intoxicating feeling, this confidence, and she was beginning to see why there were so many battle maniacs in the world. The sheer joy of putting your skills to the test in the heat of combat only to triumph over all adversaries was something she could definitely get used to. Her ruminations were interrupted when Morris finally got around to finishing whatever it is he was doing. There was a sudden burst of radiance which filled the room and forced Sera to squint against the glare. When the light receded, she opened her eyes to a changed environment. The chamber was now filled with dozens of spectral looking warriors dressed in ghostly armor and carrying ethereal weapons. They surrounded the griffon, causing it to glance around uncertainly. Responding to some unspoken order, the small army of spirits roared and charged, forcing the griffon to try and take to the skies to escape. For a brief moment, she made eye contact with Morris as he nodded breathlessly, indicating that the rest was up to her. He''d done his part in creating an opening, and it was now her job to make sure that the monster was taken down. Or so she assumed. It was kind of difficult to get much meaning from a knowing look, but she figured it wouldn''t hurt to make use of this opportunity. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her foresight and drew back the string of her bow. A rush of images and information slammed into her mind, forcing her to view hundreds possible futures. With an effort of will, she narrowed her perspective, subconsciously selecting the criteria that would allow her to eliminate unwanted outcomes and directly lead her to victory. Without betraying the fantastic amount of effort taking place behind her closed eyelids, Sera took aim at a spot slightly above the griffon''s left shoulder and released. The magically created arrow swiftly crossed the distance between them, slamming home into the ribcage of the monster''s leonine half just as a surge of it''s wingbeats pushed it up into the path of the projectile. It neatly slipped into the gap between the monster''s ribs, punching through to impale the it''s heart. With a strangled cry of anguish, the boss lost all strength and fell from the sky, crashing onto the stone floor before disintegrating into mana particles. It left behind a mid-sized yellow mana core that was quickly scooped up and added to their dungeon spoils. "Alright! Well done!" Mike called from his side of the room. At some point in the intervening time he''d created a chair with Earth Magic and was eating from a bag of snacks as if their struggles were some form of entertainment. Choosing to ignore her tactless party leader, Sera walked over to Morris wanting to congratulate him on a job well done. What came out of her mouth was, "If you could summon an army this whole time, why have we been fighting so hard?" [*mental facepalm*] The bard laughed nonetheless. "Well, truth be told, I only came up with this idea on the spur of the moment, but besides that, it wouldn''t really work as anything other than a distraction. I was only able to summon so many spectral warriors because I used the Ode of Falingra as a focus for a ritual to enhance my summoning spell." Even though he was explaining with his usual passion for lecturing, Sera could tell by his tone and body posture that he wasn''t completely comfortable with the nature of the topic they were discussing. "You''ll have to explain what you mean by that." Mike interrupted, sauntering over to stand next to them. "I didn''t even know that was possible." "Most mages wouldn''t bother, since Ritual Magic is not often considered a valid tactic in the heat of battle due to the difficulties involved in its use. The biggest of which is that it requires both a much greater casting time to complete and the use of a mana core serving as a catalyst. It would be a lot easier to simply add a second or third caster using group magic, but seeing as how that wasn''t an option in this case, I resorted to this." "...And is Ritual Magic¡­" "Something I learned from my father?" Morris finished the question left hanging in the air. "Yeah. When I was growing up, he would frequently have my tutors include ritual diagrams in my lesson plans. It was a skill that he''d long ago mastered in an effort to compensate for his naturally limited mana supply. I guess he assumed that as his son, I would be similarly limited and I would need to find a workaround if I were to be a mage." "Who cares where the knowledge came from?" Sera grumbled, wanting to prevent him from going down that particular rabbit hole again. "All that matters is that it worked. With this kind of tactic in hand, the rest of the dungeon should be easy." The bard gave her a sheepish grin. "Umm, well...it would be a little...wasteful to do so unless we were in serious danger." She gave him a long, hard look. "Why?" "Remember when I said that I had to use a mana core as a catalyst? Well, truthfully, I am not very adept at Ritual Magic, so my energy conversion ratio is rather poor." Sera could tell where this was going, and found herself rubbing her forehead in expectation of the news. "How many of them did you use?" "Uh...about half of what we''ve picked up so far." She did a quick mental calculation, and found her heart sinking. "So, you used roughly eight hundred gold worth of mana cores to create a temporary distraction?" "As I said, it was a bit wasteful, but it seemed like a good idea at the time." "Look, I''m not going to argue that it wasn''t effective, but this is a bit like using a cannon to kill a rat. There were other options. If you had talked to me beforehand, we could have come up with something else." Sera scolded him before rounding on Mike. "And you! You let him do it. He would have had to get the cores from you in the first place. Don''t think I''m not holding you partially responsible for this situation." The infuriating man had the audacity to shrug, as if it wasn''t a big deal. "It''s less than a thousand gold...there is plenty more where that came from." He frowned for a second, briefly lost in thought. "You know, I think I''ve lost touch with the value of money..." She wanted to be angry at him, but he honestly had a point. Even though he''d essentially facilitated the waste materials worth the annual income of a small village, it wasn''t like this was really hurting their wallets. In fact, she hadn''t really been taking the economic benefits of this dungeon run all that seriously in the first place, since whatever they picked up didn''t seem to be all that significant given their current wealth. Nevertheless, the complete lack of common sense displayed by the pair of men was deeply annoying. This was especially true in the case of Morris, who should have at least understood what he was doing. Mike, at least had the excuse of being somewhat unused to the monetary system of this world. Finally, she shook her head. "Gah, whatever! Let''s just keep moving." She led the way to the next floor, hoping that neither of her party members would notice her inner turmoil. Despite her best efforts, she kept falling into the role of the scolding and shrewish woman who could not stop lecturing those closest to her. It was almost as if she had changed at all over the last few months. [Why do I keep doing this? Why can''t I just calmly explain the problem, and work with them towards a solution? I mean it''s partially their fault for always being so hellishly infuriating, but I also need to do better, right?] What she wouldn''t give to have the calm patience of Tal, or even the blind indifference of Lily in this situation. Alas, she was stuck in her predefined social role, locked into a never ending spiral of criticism and complaints. ------------------------------------------- [Let''s see, a meal with a decent ale costs a few silver depending on where you get it from, and you can stay at a relatively high quality inn for about a gold a week. Which means we used several years worth of daily expenses for a brief distraction...hmmm, it seems like a lot when I put it that way...and yet I can''t really get upset about it.] Mike thought to himself while grappling with his distorted sense of money. It was hard to take the amount seriously when practically everything he''d done since arriving to this world had led him to vast amounts of wealth. Basically, he''d reached the point that even if he actively tried to spend it, he would need years to effectively get rid of it all. [I wonder if having all this money hoarded could be having an impact on the regional economy. Although, now that I think about it, most of my wealth is tied up in the Adventurer''s Guild in the form of promissory notes. Could it be that they are actually working as some kind of rudimentary bank?...Shouldn''t I be making interest on it?] He continued in his deep thoughts, oblivious to Sera''s own internal struggles as they marched onto the ninth floor, which consisted of a series of circular chambers seemingly located within the citadel''s three central towers. Windows, balconies, and even a few skylights gave them bird''s eye views on the rest of the dungeon, as well as the golden ring that was floating around the tower. So focused was he on his sudden realization of his economic indifference, he didn''t notice that Audra was peeking her head out of his pocket and had her gaze fixed out the window. She was staring at the halo-like object with an intensity that she typically reserved for her favorite meals. As they entered another long corridor without any external windows, she reluctantly ducked back into her hiding place, but not before licking her chops with obvious anticipation. Chapter 330: Gildusi Noir On a street corner on the third level of Gildusi, two individuals were meeting. To the casual observer they might seem to be merely a fruit seller and a customer, but there was something far more sinister going on. For you see, the customer was an agent meeting up with his handler, passing off information and receiving his next mission. "Wait a minute, all that guy did was buy a few apples and pay for them. How did you get all that from a two minute exchange?" Julia asked dryly, interrupting Dorn''s narrative. She was lazily sipping from her mug of Chalis Tea while reclining in the chair of the cafe they were currently sitting in. With her tall, stocky body forged by a childhood spent on a farm and her round, plain featured face, it would have been hard to call her a beauty. Nevertheless, she had a cheerful and pleasant personality that had made her fairly popular, and by extension had given her bakery a decent measure of success. The man sitting across from her could not have been more different. Short, skinny, and sickly looking, he had the pale skin and ink-stained fingers of a scribe. Were it not for the obvious caking of dirt on his cheaply made clothes, one could easily think him some low level functionary in a guild or counting house. And that would not be far from the truth. If not for a recent career change, the man would have likely still been working in candlelit depths of the Merchant''s Guild. Dorn scowled and looked over at his old friend. "That''s exactly what they want you to think. Obviously, they''ve developed a series of coded phrases to better disguise their messages. Like if the agent asks if the Fulinti Pears are ripe this season, he really means something like, are the authorities on to me? Then the handler will respond yes or no depending on the situation." "I could see that working for simple things, I suppose, but how is the agent supposed to pass along his intelligence, then? Are you telling me they have different phrases memorized for all eventualities? Seems like it would be pretty hard to keep them straight." Carefully setting down his quill so that it wouldn''t stain his meticulously kept notes, he growled back in response. "Of course they wouldn''t use code words for everything. That would be ridiculous." "...Oh, THAT''S ridiculous." She murmured in response, but he chose to ignore it. "The real information would get passed along in ciphered letters that the agent gives to the handler along with the money he''s using to buy the fruit. Maybe they would even go so far as to etch the message onto the coins themselves. The only way to know for sure would be to drag them in for questioning." Dorn stared at the fruit seller as if willing the man to give himself up, but the only thing the merchant did was sit back down on his stool and return to casually watching for his next customer. "I still don''t see why the White Lions won''t take my investigation seriously. Surely they of all people should be concerned about the nefarious presence worming its way into the fabric of our society." Julia snickered softly, but maintained a straight face when he turned to glare at her again. "I''m being serious here. There is a very real threat to our city, and the powers that be are willfully ignoring it!" "Yes, yes. You are Gildusi''s last bastion of resistance against the horrors of...what was it again?" Dorn stood suddenly, almost overturning the flimsy wooden table they were sitting at. "The Shadow Council! Or so I''ve taken to calling them, anyway. Those nefarious fiends are seeking to destroy this city!." Julia nodded along, she knew that she probably shouldn''t be humoring his delusions, but she couldn''t think of a better way to handle them. "Right, right. That''s the one. Out of curiosity, how much longer are you planning on watching this fruit seller? I have to be back at the store pretty soon." "While I would gladly spend all day to uncover their evil plots," He started before gradually deflating, "I''ll need to head to the garrison soon as well." "Are they still having you dig latrines?" She asked, a hint of sympathy entering her voice. He nodded, the volume of his voice falling. "For now, but any day...any day now the Lions will surely¡­" Julia patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Well, who knows? If you keep working at it, and don''t complain, maybe they''ll reconsider the assignment and put you to work doing something more in line with your skills." "Yeah." He agreed hesitantly. Clearly he didn''t fully believe her. "Just give it some more time." "Yeah¡­" He mumbled lamely. "If only I could get a lead on this spy ring. Maybe then they would take me seriously." She doubted it, since the Lions were famous for their prejudice towards anyone without a combat related class, but she didn''t think it was time to shake him of his delusions just yet. A part of her was afraid of what might happen to him when he finally realized that his dreams were impossible. Considering his personality, Dorn could very well collapse. [Maybe I should try to get him to go back to his old job?] "You know, I bet the guild would still take you-" "My gods! It''s really starting!" He exclaimed while standing, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "What? What is it?" She asked, alarmed by the intensity of the emotions that were playing out across his face. "The war! The battle for the soul of the city! It''s finally starting!" He yelled excitedly, although no amount of bravado could hide the tremor running through his limbs. One shaking hand was thrown out to point in the direction of the fruit seller. For a moment, Julia thought he must have finally started hallucinating, but then she realized that the man was slumped over in a very unnatural position and a large amount of what looked like blood was pouring down his chest from his slit throat. "When...when did that happen?" She whispered absently, the full horror of the situation not quite taking hold of her yet. "Just now. A hooded figure slipped past him, just barely brushing his neck with a blade, before moving on calmly and without any hurry." He replied earnestly. Something about his manner of speech made him sound awed, almost respectful of the murderer, but she hoped that was merely her imagination. "Guards...we need to call the...Guards!" She raised her voice, drawing attention to herself from the few passersby that were still out during the heat of the day. "Murder! There''s been a murder!" The cry was quickly taken up by others, and Julia saw a few people running in the direction of the nearest White Lion guardhouse. "Good thinking. With this we can establish ourselves as witnesses and eliminate the chance of being considered in league with the perpetrator. Now we can take a look at the crime scene and not have to worry about being treated like criminals when the guards show up." Dorn said cheerfully before waving for her to follow. "Come on. I''d like to get my hands on the handler''s secret messages if I can." She looked at him like he was crazy, and had every intention of telling him as much, but felt the words die in her throat as she saw just how livly he looked. How intense the passion displayed in his features. Could she really hold him back from this? Even if it was dangerous, she realized, he would charge into this situation headfirst without any fear. Besides, a small part of her was beginning to worry that his delusions might not be far fetched after all. [No, that can''t be the case. Surely it''s something unrelated. A jealous husband or former business rival that wanted to have him killed...in broad daylight...in front of several witnesses.] "Are you sure that''s a good idea? Shouldn''t we let the Lions do the investigation?" She asked, suddenly terrified of getting involved. Reflexively, she grabbed onto his sleeve as if attempting to hold him in place. He scoffed. "They don''t have anyone that could break a cipher, let alone one devised by such a nefarious group. No, they need the assistance of a trained scholar like myself if they ever hope to head off the coming devastation. And yet, in their pride, they would never accept my help until it is too late." "But¡­" "Julia, I need to go." Came his quiet, but emphatic, reply. He pulled away from her flimsy grasp and was halfway across the street before she mustered up the courage to follow. When she reached the cart, she did her best to look away from the corpse of the fruit seller. This was the first time she''d seen the body of another human, and every instinct was yelling at her to run away or vomit or both. "No...no...come on. It''s got to be¡­" Dorn was muttering as he dug through the miscellaneous materials stored within the cart. Swallowing hard to suppress the bile in her throat, Julia thought to ask, "Would a spy handler keep his codebook with him? Wouldn''t he try to hide it somewhere else?" [Somewhere there isn''t a dead body staring at me with lifeless eyes, hopefully.] "That would make sense. A good spy would probably have a number of safe locations where they could stash their materials." He murmured while moving over to check the fruit seller''s pockets. "However, if they are as close to accomplishing their mission as I believe them to be, then they''ll want to be ready to act as soon as the message arrives...Ah ha!" He pulled a small, leather bound book out of the dead man''s apron, briefly examining its contents. Julia could just barely see the tiny handwritten symbols, in neat rows that seemed to fill the pages. Dorn quickly pocketed the book and began searching the body again. "Now I just need to find the message and we''ll be good to go." She didn''t respond, since she was unable to speak as the scent of feces suddenly entered her nose, and it took all of her willpower not to begin gagging. Evidently, her distress was apparent enough that it caused him to look back at her. After a few seconds of curious staring he nodded in realization. "Ah. Sorry, I should have warned you. It''s not uncommon for people to release their bowels on death. The smell can be quite overpowering." "*Cough*....Oh gods...How are you alright with this?! Ah, my eyes are watering!" He went back to searching while he explained. "If you recall, I was apprenticed at the Healer''s Guild for a time. Apparently I managed to offend my sponsor there, since I was assigned to the morgue shortly after my arrival. I spent about a year dealing with dead bodies before I''d decided I''d had enough, and left to join the Merchant''s Guild. While it is not a very productive period of my life, it did leave me a bit desensitized to corpses, so I guess there is an upside." "Hurk...haaa¡­" Julia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, feeling relieved that nothing had leaked out. "You told me that you left when you got tired of dealing with terrible patients and didn''t think you could tolerate working as a healer." He shrugged. "I didn''t want you to worry. Besides, it wasn''t a complete lie. My patients were the worst part of my job there. They just also happened to be dead." A commotion down the street got her attention, and she saw the glint of armored figures approaching at a jog. The Lions seemed to have sprung into action a lot faster than they normally did. "Dorn! The guards are coming! We should probably stop hanging around the site of a recent murder." "Just another...got it!" He announced excitedly, holding up a small roll of parchment. "Can you believe he was hiding this in a secret compartment in his boot? It''s downright impressive how he managed to slip it in there-" Knowing that he would probably continue in this line for a while, Julia decided to take matters into her own hands. Literally in this case. Picking up her friend bodily, she slung him over one shoulder, and while ignoring his protests began quickly walking away from the crime scene. She only looked back after a few blocks, and then only to confirm that they''d escaped notice. Nevertheless, she didn''t put Dorn down until she''d reached the safety of her shop. ------------------------------------------------- A hooded man watched the strange couple leave, taking note of their faces. He slipped back into the alley he was hiding in as the Lions finally showed up and began cordoning off the area. The intruders had complicated what should have been a simple situation. Local law enforcement should have recovered the fruit seller''s code book, which in turn would have led them to the spy ring operating in this city. Unfortunately, the intervention of the pair had made such a scenario unlikely. Now he would need to use another way to spark the chaos he needed. As he walked through the shadowed alleys, the light from the afternoon sun briefly penetrated the gloom of his hood, revealing the mangled horror of his face and its weeping, permanent smile. The sight went unnoticed and the figure himself soon vanished into a dilapidated doorway. Chapter 331: Earthy Matters "Alright, this is the final boss room. According to the records provided by previous delvers, these stairs should lead to an open observation platform built on the highest peak of the tallest tower in the citadel." Morris was explaining as he climbed up a circular staircase ascending towards the top of the dungeon. "The boss is a large bird-type monster that uses Ice Magic, right?" Sera asked from slightly behind him. "Yes. Supposedly, it''s called a Glacial Dovekie, and it will descend from the skies as soon as we reach the center of the platform. It is believed to be a mid-Tier 3 monster in terms of raw power and abilities, but it has a few fatal weaknesses that lower strength parties can take advantage of. The big one is that it''s vulnerable to flame. As an elementally charged creature, it naturally cannot tolerate an opposing element. Unfortunately, we can''t really take advantage of this trait unless I get really lucky with my Summoning Magic." "Then, let''s not depend too much on it. What was the other one?" Morris glanced back at her with a wry grin. "Despite its reliance on Ice Magic as its primary means of offense, it''s known to have a comparatively limited mana supply that can be quickly exhausted in the midst of heavy combat. There have been a few recorded instances of parties of delvers simply hunkering down and weathering the assault until it was out of mana, and then killing it when it descended to fight with talon and beak." "I hope you aren''t thinking about trying that method. Neither of us have any powerful defensive skills, and I doubt we could simply dodge everything." "While I did consider that strategy, I think our best bet is to try something else." He stopped in front of a large door that likely led out on the rooftop boss room. "In truth, when I was researching the enemies of this dungeon initially, I''d concluded that we would not be able to handle this fight without Mike''s assistance." Sera frowned at him, but waited for him to continue. "A fast, flying enemy capable of raining down a barrage of lethal magic is pretty much my natural enemy. I would be completely unable to contribute until it saw fit to descend. Even if I factored in your foresight enhanced archery, I couldn''t see us killing it without a great deal of difficulty, and we certainly couldn''t survive long enough to deplete its reserves. We would need some powerful ranged attacks to force it into a corner, figuratively speaking." He explained while looking back at Mike, who was trailing behind the pair. "I take it something has changed, then?" The Oracle asked. "Yes." He replied, a little hesitantly. "For better or worse, my combat options have expanded dramatically with the acquisition of magic skills, and now I can see a path forward." Sera watched him for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright, what''s the plan?" "I''ve been experimenting a bit with Summoning Magic over the last couple fights, and I believe I can summon a few monsters capable of taking the fight to the boss. Between your arrows and my creatures, I think we can force it down onto the platform, at which point I have a Bard skill that should hopefully give you an opening for the kill shot." "You think we can take it down with one good hit?" "Despite its dangerous elements, the Glacial Dovekie is also fairly weak when it comes to defense. So long as you hit in a vital area, it will either kill the boss outright, or cripple it enough that we can finish it off in other ways." "Sounds like a plan. You ready?" Morris grinned, feeling strangely exuberant. "Let''s do this." With that he opened the door and began advancing out onto the rooftop. -------------------------------------------------------- Sera lagged behind for a few seconds, just long enough to shoot Mike a look. "Do you think he''s realized that he took over the party leader role yet?" "He''s got a problem with tunnel vision when focused on a task, so probably not. If it makes you feel any better, he probably didn''t intend on taking charge, but just fell into it naturally." She shrugged. "I don''t really mind. He''s better suited for it anyway. I don''t have the patience for strategizing. After training with you, I''ve learned that I do best when I just focus on playing to my strengths." "Personally, I think you have what it takes to be a decent party leader, but you would need to mellow out a bit to really be successful." One of her elbows found his ribs in what would have been a painful manner if she had the strength to really injure him at this point. Without another word, she followed after Morris, leaving Mike to scratch the back of his head amusedly before doing the same. They stepped out into the light of a mid-day sun, which once again brought home the fact that they were inside the strange dungeon realm, since it should already be late in the evening outside. With the exception of the sheltered entrance to the staircase, the rest of the rooftop was a bare expanse of white stone. Roughly on level with their eyeline was the golden ring, which was slowly spinning around the tower. This close to the strange structure, Mike noticed that there were intricate markings covering its surface. Curious, he infused a little mana into his eyes to enhance his perception. It quickly became obvious to him that they were arcane runes of some kind, similar in form and function to the ones coating the control pillar of his demi-realm. However, the complexity and sheer volume of the runes was on another level entirely. It almost felt as if he were looking at the contents of an entire library condensed into a single object. He tried to make sense of the writing, but it was beyond him in a way that he''d never experienced before. With some effort, he could use his Communication Magic to make out bits and pieces of the underlying logic, but they were largely nonsensical to him, and he could only vaguely conclude that they were involved in something related to Space and Time. [Could this be the means by which dungeons are formed and maintained?] He was about to fly over and take a closer look when Sera''s shout alerted him to the beginning of the boss fight. "It''s coming! Get ready!" She yelled before firing a pair of arrows in rapid succession. Mike followed the path of the projectiles and was just in time to see them fly harmlessly by the boss as it gracefully leaned to the side to avoid them, the tip of its left wing passing close enough to brush one of the arrow''s mana-generated fletching. The Glacial Dovekie looked like a small seabird that had grown to monstrous proportions. It''s wingspan was at least twenty meters, and it''s oval shaped head had a beak that would have put many swords to shame in terms of length alone. It was primarily coated in greyish-white plumage that resembled hardened ice, although this transitioned into the soft white of newly fallen snow in the area covering its belly. As it swept past the party, barely bothering to glance in the direction of the archer who''d been lobbing shots in its direction, a hail of ice shards rained down on the rooftop, forcing Morris and Sera to evade to the best of their ability. [Seems like they might have a bit of trouble with this one.] Mike thought casually while summoning an air shield to deflect the few icy projectiles that strayed close to him. [I should probably wait until after it''s dealt with to check out the ring.] Summoning another chair with Earth Magic, he settled down to watch the fight, but was slightly distracted by how uncomfortable the seat was. In the past, he''d merely dealt with the discomfort without much concern, but now he was starting to feel a bit annoyed by it. [I should really work on creating something softer. Maybe with Minor Creation?] He began to experiment with a few materials, quickly finding that the ideal foam padding was difficult to reproduce. Something he suspected was due to the artificial and composite nature of its components. However, he had more luck with cotton, and was able to create a decent sized cushion that could be affixed to his chair without too much difficulty. [It seems like natural products are easier, but I''m not really sure why. With Conjuration Magic I can recreate things from my old world, albeit with a massive mana requirement, but that means the methodology to make something like synthetic polymers should be available to the System in some manner. Does this mean that two separate components of the System draw upon different sources of information in some manner? Or is it due to my Earth Magic not being advanced enough yet?] While experimenting a bit more with the two variations of bringing materials into existence, he absently took note of the yells of his party members who were still fighting the Glacial Dovekie. A small part of his mind was tracking that Morris had managed to summon a small cloud of papers folded into vaguely bird-like shapes, and was directing them to harass the boss. For reasons that weren''t immediately apparent, these origami creatures had a tendency to explode when they came in contact with the monster. Meanwhile, Sera was carefully picking her shots, obviously aiming for the creature''s most vulnerable areas, and repeatedly forcing the boss to use its Ice Magic to create defensive barriers. Even distracted as he was, Mike could tell that they had the fight well in hand, and only a major upset would prevent their eventual victory. With that in mind, he concentrated more fully on the task at hand. [Alright, I can create something similar to stainless steel with both methods, but the Earth Magic version requires less than a tenth of the mana. Therefore, I can reasonably assume that Minor Creation allows me to convert mana directly into the substance I have in mind so long as it is reasonably simple in construction. Meanwhile, Calling will allow me to create just about anything I can imagine, but a lot of power is lost in the process.] He wondered if one of the other varieties of magic had some similar method of spontaneously creating matter. It seemed probable that they would. Satisfied that this phase of investigation had reached a decent conclusion, he moved on to the next logical step, and began experimenting with just how far he could push his Earth Magic when it came to creating complex and artificial substances. [Let''s see. I think electronics are probably still a bit too advanced, but I bet I could make a relatively primitive mechanical item. Something like¡­] He concentrated his mana, willing it to take the required shape, only to feel a resistance, as if his efforts were straining against some kind of in-built limitation. It was a sensation reminiscent of the time he broke through to Tier 4. He was certain this meant he was on the right track. While he focused his will on pushing through the immaterial barrier, this did not mean he was not at least partially aware of what was going on around him, and a small part of his mind noticed that the boss was intentionally avoiding involving him in the fight. Apparently, the boss had enough intelligence and perception to realize that provoking him would end badly for it. [Really makes me curious on how these artificially created lifeforms function.] He had time to think before an element of his spell forced him to direct his full attention at the item he was creating. In spite of the sheer volume of mana he''d poured into the effort, the barrier was holding firm and the energy involved was threatening to go out of control. While he''d been distractedly pushing his way through, the creation spell had morphed into something unstable. A glowing ball of coruscating energy had formed in the air in front of him, and judging from the way it was crackling and vibrating, he guessed that it might explode at any moment. [It seems raw mana isn''t the solution in this case. Perhaps it needs to be channeled in some manner?] Suspecting the problem might be related to the way he was trying to cast the spell, he tried rerouting the frustrated energy through his Earth Magic, hoping that would stabilize it. Suddenly, he found himself buried in immoveable dirt and rock that pressed in on him from all sides. The experience should have been terrifying, but it was strangely soothing, as if he were connected with the earth around him, and by extension the world itself. For a brief moment, he thought he could sense the full extent of the planet, but then he was back in his body again, eyes full of his handiwork. The ball of energy had transformed, taking on the shape he''d intended. While it didn''t quite look the way he''d imagined, it should serve his purposes nicely. "Alright! I did it!." He cheered, rising to his feet for the first time since the boss fight began. Evidently, this was taken as a hostile action by the Dovekie, who released a panicked-sounding squawk in response. The large bird monster had already descended onto the rooftop, and had been fighting with Morris and his summoned creatures in a deadly exchange of close range attacks. However, Mike''s cry had shaken it, causing it to hop back reflexively. This in turn was apparently the moment Sera was waiting for, since no sooner had the Dovekie focused it''s gaze on Mike than an arrow appeared in it''s right eye. It reeled back on its taloned feet, jerking and squeaking in an agonized fashion, before collapsing onto the rooftop and lying still. Chapter 332: Saw this Coming - Terakath - You have achieved a true connection with the Elemental Source of Earth. Whether accomplished at a moment of breakthrough or by channeling a pure elemental force, you are now forever marked by this connection. You are favored both by earth itself, and earth elementals of all kinds. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Earth Elemental Magic and charisma when interacting with earth elementals. Allows the title holder to move through earth and stone as easily as water, without leaving any trace of his or her passage. --------------------------------------- [...Huh.] Mike took a moment to consider the implications. This was the third elementally oriented title he''d received since reincarnating in this world. In both other instances, he''d only managed to get said titles when he was in the middle of a life or death struggle. He''d kind of assumed that was necessary to form this kind of connection. Evidently he was wrong. [So, I simply have to establish a strong enough connection to the elemental source. Or does it have something to do with what I was trying to accomplish while using Earth Magic? This calls for further experimentation.] He was in the midst of considering possible methods of unlocking the fire related title in order to get a complete set, when Morris interrupted him by waving a hand in front of his face. "Hey, you in there?" Focusing his gaze on the man, Mike gave him a slight nod. "Ah, yeah. Sorry, I was lost in thought." "Don''t tell me you didn''t see the climactic finish?" "...Would you hate me if I said no?" His friend sighed in disappointment, but nevertheless started explaining in an energetic voice. "There I was, holding the line and keeping the boss preoccupied while Sera communed with her Oracle ancestors, petitioning them to assist her in guiding her aim." "Wait, you can do that?" He asked the girl, who was staring off into the distance. She glanced over at him. "I don''t know. I connected to...something this time. When I did, the voices of long dead Oracles flowed into me, helping me to understand what I had to do." "I see, that seems pretty useful, but I take it from your mood that there is more to it. Maybe you can tell me what''s bothering you?" Morris blinked and looked back at Sera, as if suddenly realizing that something was strange about her. "It''s¡­" She started before swallowing. "It''s just, I recognized one of the voices¡­" Trailing off, she looked down on her hands which were tightly clasping her bow. Mike saw her shoulders shiver briefly, and he guessed what the problem should be. "Sera, I''m sorry. It must have been hard to find out this way." She swallowed again before answering. "It''s alright. It''s not like I didn''t already know that she was...gone. It just caught me by surprise." "Are you going to be alright?" "Yeah, just give me a few minutes." He nodded, even though she couldn''t see him, and looked back at Morris. "Sorry, you were saying?" The bard grimaced. "Ah, well. Long story short, Sera shot the boss through the eye, killing it instantly. I couldn''t have asked for a better follow up." "Sounds pretty exciting. I''m sorry I missed it. Anyway, have you checked out the loot yet?" Morris shook his head. "Not yet. I wanted you to look over the chest just in case it''s trapped." The indicated treasure box was sitting next to the boss''s corpse, by all appearances having materialized at some point while they were talking. Like other dungeon drops, it was a nondescript, simple chest without any sign of lock, but previous experiences had taught Mike that things weren''t always what they seemed. Walking over to it, he used a combination of Appraise and Aerosense to check for anything out of the ordinary. Thankfully, it appeared that there weren''t any traps, or at least none that were visible from the outside. Unlike chests in the real world, where he could at least get a vague idea of the contents depending on how air-tight they were, this one was a perfect enigma. He could only guess that dungeon generated chests were somehow perfectly sealed prior to being opened. "Looks safe enough. Do you want to do the honors?" Morris glanced back at Sera again, and hesitated for a second. Then, perhaps thinking better of it, he stepped forward and pulled open the chest. Inside were two items, a scarf made of a pale blue material and a small statue of a bird, seemingly carved from a block of ice. Mike quickly used Appraise on the first one. ------------------------- Glacial Scarf Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 3) Woven from silken fibers harvested from Tundra Worms, this scarf provides its wearer with a measure of protection against the cold. Moderate resistance to the harmful effects of low temperatures. -------------------------- [That''s pretty straightforward, but enhancing defense is never a bad thing.] He thought before moving onto the statue. -------------------------- Frozen Raven Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 2) Carved from enchanted ice in the shape of one of the arctic ravens of lore, this statue can be brought to life by the command word "blonold." Once animated, it follows the commands of its owner for up to three days, at the end of which it returns to its inanimate shape and cannot be animated again for seven days. During this time period, it can be used to carry one spoken message of up to thirty words to the person of your choice. The recipient has the option of giving it a reply, but whether or not they do, the statue will return to you upon completion of its task. -------------------------- "Well, what did we get?" Morris asked after a while. Mike explained the items and their effects. "Not exactly a great haul, but I suppose I can''t complain too much. This isn''t exactly considered a difficult dungeon." The bard grumbled. "True. You''ll probably have better luck in the next one. While the monsters are somewhat terrifying, I can guarantee that they drop better gear." "You aren''t exactly making me feel better about it. This time around was dangerous enough." Mike slapped him on the back. "With as much as the two of you have improved, you''ll be just fine. Besides I''ll be right there in the event you get overwhelmed." "Hopefully you won''t be distracted when we need you." "Hey...ok, fair point. That does remind me, though¡­" He said while glancing up at the rotating golden ring. "There is something I want to check out. Do you two mind heading out before me?" Morris followed his gaze and frowned. "Are you planning on doing something dangerous?" "Hopefully not, but better safe than sorry. I just feel a lot more at ease knowing that you two aren''t wrapped up in it." The bard stared at him for a few seconds before finally nodding. "Alright, just be careful. Dungeons aren''t exactly well understood, and several aspects of their existence hint at powerful forces at work that are beyond the understanding of mortal minds." "I promise." Mike replied lightly. He waited until Morris had grabbed the still absentminded Sera and taken her out through the exit portal before turning his full attention towards the ring. Rising into the air, he floated towards it cautiously, senses fully trained for any hint of danger. This continued until he was roughly five meters away, when he suddenly collided with an invisible barrier. Rubbing his nose, he flew around the boss room trying to see if there was a way past the wall, and after a few minutes of experimentation, he was able to determine that the invisible barrier extended outward from the top of the tower in a dome-like manner, measuring roughly five meters laterally and twenty meters vertically from the surface of the observation platform. Based purely on his limited knowledge of how dungeons operated, he was forced to conclude that this was another one of those ''edge of the traversable map'' lines that he''d seen before. [Whoever made these things definitely borrowed too much from video games, but I guess this means my investigation is done.] He thought resignedly, wondering how much Morris would tease him for wasting his time like this. Before he had the chance to descend, however, Audra burst out of his pocket and took to the air. She circled him once, and then flew in the direction of the barrier, somehow managing to cling to it with her claws. "Hey, come on now. There''s nothing here. Let''s get back to the others." He tried to reach for her but drew his hand back when he noticed her intense gaze. "What''s the matter? Do you feel some-" He started to say, but stopped when the little dragon turned back to the barrier, leaned forward and bit down on it. He heard an audible crunch, and was shocked to see a portion of the dungeon''s blue sky vanish into his familiar''s mouth. [I knew she had a strange diet, but this is ridiculous.] A few more bites later, and Audra had created a sizable hole, behind which he could see an impenetrable black void. She glanced back at him and gave a short gurgle, before slipping through. By the time he''d realized her intentions, the little dragon had already vanished into the space beyond the barrier. "Crap, crap, crap!" He groaned, leaning down to look through the hole, but was unable to see anything. "Audra! Come back! We don''t know how dangerous it is!" Out of desperation, he grabbed the edge of the hole in the barrier and pulled. With a crack, another section of the sky broke off in his hand. He took a moment to examine the shard, noting the strange sight of a fluffy cloud gently drifting in the piece he held, before dropping it and repeating the process. In a matter of seconds, he''d created a crack big enough for him to slip through. Feeling a slight trepidation at the thought of what he was doing, he nevertheless pushed forward. There was a brief sensation of almost impossible cold washing over his skin, mixed with a sort of electrifying tingling, but it passed in less than a second once he''d left the darkness. He found himself in a vast, dark chamber that reminded him of the dimension he''d ended up in after dying. It even featured the seemingly unending horizon with a barely discernible contrast between ground and sky. There was one large difference however. Floating in the air behind him was a large, complex structure, roughly five meters in height, that was incredibly confusing at first glance. It looked a lot like someone had built a model tower with translucent walls and ceilings, allowing viewers to get a bird''s eye view of the entire building. As he watched, he noticed that there were tiny figures moving through the hallways, and he leaned forward to investigate. In one section, near the bottom floor, a tiny group of humans was in the midst of fighting a larger group of fishmen. He was marvelling at the life-like movements for a few seconds before he realized that this must be some kind of representation of the dungeon, or maybe the dungeon itself, somehow. [Alright, this is pretty trippy.] He thought, before shaking his head. The mysterious dimensional model could wait. Right now, he needed to concentrate on his familiar. Looking around again, he quickly spotted the little dragon perched atop a red glowing orb the size of a beach ball. The unusual object was in turn resting on an intricately carved pedestal that was surrounded by meters upon meters of complex arcane runes. Based on what he could tell from the bits his Communication Magic could make sense of, these two objects formed the center of the dungeon realm, and were somehow involved in maintaining it. Using Appraise would probably give him more information, but he didn''t have a chance. This realization struck home about the time he saw Audra open her mouth with the intention of biting down on the orb. A sudden premonition of danger had him using every ounce of his Tier 4 speed to launch himself at the little dragon in a desperate attempt to stop her. Moving faster than he even thought possible, he barely managed to grab his familiar and pull her away from the orb as he blazed past the pedestal, sliding to a halt several meters away. He was just about to sigh in relief when he noticed the glowing orb wobbling. For the briefest of moments, he saw it balance on the very edge of its perch, and then it fell, crashing into the stone-like floor with a loud crack. Wincing, he waited for the thing to explode or shatter or cause the world to implode, but nothing apparently happened. He glanced down at the orb, noting that a large crack had appeared along its length, and that its glow was beginning to fade. "Maybe we should get out of here before anything else-" He started to mutter before he was thrown off his feet by a massive shockwave. The dark realm he was in was shaking violently. Even the air itself seemed to be shuddering uncontrollably in the wake of the disastrous calamity. A mechanical sounding voice rang out, seemingly emerging from the pedestal itself. "CRITICAL CORE DAMAGE DETECTED. INITIATING DUNGEON PURGE. EVACUATING ALL USERS." "Time''s up, let''s go!" He shouted while exploding into motion. He didn''t completely understand what was going on, but he knew enough about these kinds of scenarios to make an educated guess. Their best chance of survival lay in quickly re-entering the dungeon and hopefully catching a ride on this evacuation the voice mentioned. Before he''d even crossed half of the distance to it, however, the tower-like construct shattered into millions of specks of light that slowly disappeared as the realm continued to collapse. Chapter 333: Saved by the Orb Mike channeled mana to enhance his willpower and concentrated intensely to use every scrap of his mental processing in order to find a solution to his current dilemma. [Let''s see. To review, I am trapped inside a collapsing realm. I have no idea what will happen to me after the fact, but I suspect that standing inside a world that''s on the verge of imploding can''t be good for my health. I need to escape, but that presents its own problems.] He scanned his surroundings again, hoping against hope to find something that he could use to get out of this situation. Unfortunately, nothing stood out to him. It was possible that some of the arcane runes carved into the floor of the realm could help, but he lacked the skill to make sense of them, and he certainly didn''t have the time to research them. As he watched, another ripple passed through the realm, stronger than any of the previous ones. In its wake, he saw glowing cracks taking shape in the very fabric of reality. Clearly, he didn''t have long to get out. [I''m no expert, but I think those are openings into interdimensional space. Based on what I''ve been told about it, I doubt I''d survive long, even if I didn''t get mobbed by Invaders the second I entered it.] Idly, he scooped up the broken orb, suspecting that if he managed to survive the next few minutes, it would prove valuable. On the off chance that it could assist him despite its damaged state, he used Appraise. --------------------- Dungeon Core Divine Item (Tier 5, Rank 1) Created by [REDACTED] to be the foundation of an individual dungeon realm. When placed within a dungeon control pedestal, this crystal will manage and power all functions of a dungeon autonomously. This includes the creation of dungeon-specific monsters, treasure, and traps. Note: This item is currently broken, rendering it non-functional and reducing it''s rank from 5 to 1. ---------------------- Mike blinked. The results were about what he expected, but he was a little surprised to see how high rank the item was, even given it''s broken condition. He could only imagine the amount of power still stored within. Not to mention its status as a ''Divine'' item. [No wonder Audra wanted to eat it. It doesn''t really help me at this moment, though.] He thought before storing it. Another ripple passed through the realm, causing the cracks to grow bigger. In one of the larger ones, he thought he saw something that looked like an eye pass by in a blur. Feeling the time crunch, he considered trying to use Space Magic to propel him back in the direction of Ea. He''d yet to develop the ability to travel between realms, so it would be an act of desperation to even attempt it. More than likely, he would simply jump into interdimensional space under his own initiative. "Crap¡­" He muttered while looking down at Audra. The little dragon was curled up within his pocket shivering with obvious fear. A large part of his hesitation was because of her. Between his resistances, regeneration, and inbuilt resilience he might be able to survive a brief stint in the space between dimensions, but he doubted that she could do the same. "This is your fault, you know." He grumbled bitterly, knowing that she wouldn''t really understand him. "If you hadn''t tried to eat that orb it wouldn''t have ended up cracked¡­" He sighed. "Of course, knowing my luck, things would have still ended up this way." He glanced in the direction of the pedestal again as another ripple passed through the realm. The resulting distortion caused the stone-like structure to crack and disintegrate as if to accentuate the hopelessness of his situation. "I wish that orb could do something for me, like create an interdimensional portal or teleport me. That should be¡­" He trailed off as a distant memory snagged at the edge of his consciousness. For some reason, the idea of a cracked orb involved in dimensional travel was familiar. With a start, he recalled the item he''d confiscated from Wendel''s airship. Feeling a surge of hope, he quickly pulled out his extradimensional sack and began rummaging through its contents. With a victorious cry, his hand closed on his intended target. Withdrawing it, he quickly used Appraise to remind himself of its functions. ----------------- Orb of Translocation (Cracked) Magic Item (Tier 4, Rank 2) One of the legendary orbs said to date back to the Second Age. Created by the High Elves through a method now lost, these orbs formed the keystones of their interdimensional portals. Although meant to be one small part of a larger device, they can be used individually to momentarily translocate two points in space. The effective range is determined by the amount of mana given to the orb as part of its activation. It is possible to travel to other realms with a sufficient amount of mana. Note: This particular item is damaged, lowering its Rank from 5 to 2. Due to the damage, the destination cannot be set and will instead be randomized. ----------------- "Aha! This is it! I feel like it''s been years since I''ve even thought about this thing, but I''m glad I held onto it." His celebrations were interrupted by yet another reality quake, this time accompanied by a horrendous shrieking that seemed to emanate from everywhere at once. He was clearly out of time. [Not sure where I''m going to end up, but it can''t be worse than here.] He thought while pouring mana into the orb. It began to glow with a blue aura that quickly expanded to surround him, filling the air with a low pitched hum. The field rotated and spun faster and faster. which in turn caused the noise to increase in intensity. For a brief moment, he was witness to the realm cracking open like an eggshell, and a wave of amorphous horrors with hungry maws pouring in, and then he was gone. ------------------------- Blinking, Mike looked around. He was standing in a long, empty corridor with vaulted ceilings that seemed to extend into infinity. The air was strangely heavy, and as he exhaled the breath he''d been holding, the sound echoed oddly. While he was thankful that he''d managed to avoid becoming a snack for Invaders, it was clear that he hadn''t made it back to Ea just yet. He glanced down at the orb in his hand, wondering if he should try using it again, but hesitated when he noticed that the crack which marred its surface had grown larger. Apparently, using it in its damaged state had done some real harm to the item. If he was lucky, he might be able to get another use or two out of it before it broke completely. Resignedly, he put it into his storage. Once he''d determined the nature of the realm he''d found himself in, he could reconsider trying to escape again. He was just in the process of considering which direction to start walking in, when he heard footsteps approaching from a nearby passage. Based on the sound alone, he guessed that the other party was a humanoid of roughly average size moving with a steady, measured pace. While a part of him wanted to hide in the darkest corner he could find, his gut told him that it would be a waste of time. Trusting his instincts, he chose to simply wait. After a few long seconds, a tall man with a slender frame came into view. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, and had a head full of dark brown hair turning gray at the temples. A neatly trimmed beard framed his calm face, and complemented his refined hairstyle. He was wearing a simple, yet immaculately maintained suit that brought to mind some of the more fanciful representations of butlers Mike had seen in his previous life. Nevertheless, the man''s appearance had all the hallmarks of a member of the highest class, coupled with a strange humility. The two aspects should have been contradictory, but in his case, they seemed complementary instead. Out of habit, Mike used Appraise. ------------------------------------- SYSTEM REQUEST INVALID ACCESS RESTRICTED ------------------------------------- [...That''s...disconcerting.] They stared at one another for a few seconds, before the man finally broke the silence. "I apologize for the lack of a proper welcome. Your arrival was earlier than expected. If you''ll follow me, I have taken the liberty of preparing refreshments." "Uhh...thanks?" "Right this way, please." The man replied with a bow before turning and walking back the way he came. Mike hurried to follow. "So, do you mind if I ask, where we are currently?" "I do not mind at all. We are currently located in one of the outer passages of the House of Convergence." He replied simply, waited a few moments, and then continued. "I assume from your lack of response that you are unfamiliar with the name." "Unfortunately, yes." "That is understandable. Few besides the gods are aware of it. You can think of it as a sort of meeting place for the Creators, formed at the point where all of their realms converge." Mike stopped walking in shock, but quickly snapped out of it and hurried after the man. "Ah, I don''t mean to sound disrespectful, but does that mean you are one of them?" The man glanced at him in surprise and after a few seconds burst into hearty laughter. "My apologies, I did not expect that question. You may relax, I am not one of the Creators." Mike sighed in relief. The man continued. "I am known as Barth, the Ascended bearing the aspects of Loyal Service, Professionalism, and Order. Additionally, I have been given the title of Custodian of the House of Convergence." Mike''s sigh transformed into a cough. "Hah-hem...um, So that means you are a...god?" "Indeed." "...Huh." "You do not seem all that surprised." Shrugging, Mike grimaced. "To be honest, I was kind of expecting this outcome. Besides, you are technically the second god that I''ve met¡­" He paused for a second, remembering the strange robotic whale thing that had been involved in his reincarnation. "...or third maybe, depending on your definition." "Still, you are handling yourself better than most mortals. Our presence usually has a rather intense effect upon them." "I don''t know what to tell you. This is all kind of new to me." "In any event, we have arrived. Please have a seat." Barth announced while opening a door and motioning Mike to enter. Inside was a simple parlor, complete with a pair of couches and a coffee table. On the table was a single cup of rich colored tea and a plate full of small pastries that resembled madeleines. Although he was a little hesitant to be treated so cordially by an actual god, Mike didn''t really want to offend him by refusing his hospitality. So, he took a seat. "Please, help yourself. My apologies, but the preparations for your departure will take some time, so I would like to request that you remain here until they are complete. Unfortunately, in order to avoid alerting the Creators to your presence, I am unable to provide anything more inspired than a commonly available tea and pastry set. Although they may prove inadequate, I hope that they will serve to temporarily assuage you." "No, no. That''s really alright. I''m already honored that you''ve done so much as it is." Mike wanted to ask several questions, but felt that any delay might be insulting. After taking a quick look with Appraise to determine if the tea or pastries were harmful in some fashion, he dug in. He started with one of the pseudo-madeleines, eating one in a single bite. While he admittedly had high expectations considering its source, he was nevertheless pleasantly surprised by its light and refreshing taste. It managed to find the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and buttery flavors to create a satisfying and energizing snack. The tea, on the other hand, was rich and soothing. An earthy, roasted flavor served as the base, but was lightened by a layer of floral infusion which was in turn enhanced by a small amount of added sugar to mellow the otherwise harsh undertones. Not only was it delicious, but it was somehow served at the perfect temperature, remaining just on the cusp of being too hot to drink. "This is really good." He said, honestly stating his opinion. "Might very well be the best tea I''ve ever had, and the pastries are to die for." "I''m grateful for your praise." Barth replied humbly with a bow. "Now that you''ve settled in, I imagine you have several questions. While I may not be able to answer them all for several reasons, I will satisfy your curiosity to the best of my ability." With a supreme effort of will, Mike put down the third pseudo-madeleine and began asking. Chapter 334: On the Nature of Wormholes "So, how exactly did I end up here? I don''t think this is the kind of place you can just end up accidentally, right?" Mike asked. Barth gave a slight smile as he answered. "On the contrary, the High Elven relic you made use of is fully capable of sending a person directly into a divine realm unless the god that governs it decides to bar them access. As the Hall of Convergence has no such governor, it was indeed possible for you to end up here with it alone." "Judging from your phrasing, I take it that there was more to it than that." The god nodded. "You were on course for one of the less pleasant realms that neighbors Ea. While you might have managed to escape on your own, I deemed it worthwhile to intervene." Mike frowned unintentionally for a second before straightening his face. The implications of that statement were rather troubling. Noticing his disquiet, Barth gave him a reassuring smile. "Please, don''t concern yourself. You need not fear the attention of other deities. Your status as a Fatetouched ensures that. I was only able to locate you due to a very specific intersection of circumstances related to my role as the god of Order. A brief moment in which I caught but a passing glimpse of your activities. Any other god, to include the Creators themselves, would only be able to detect you by the effects of your presence." "I''m not sure I follow." The god calmly took a seat across from him and held up his hand. An image of a clear body of water appeared in the air above it as he explained. "Imagine that the destiny of Ea is a lake, and all mortal beings are leaves that rest upon its surface." A plethora of leaves in different shapes and sizes appeared on the lake. "Now, the leaves float along with the currents, moving through their mortal lives until they reach their eventual and immutable end. At times, they will brush other leaves and send them along in different directions, but such events are brief and largely inconsequential in the greater scheme of things. Occasionally, however, a leaf will be big enough or move fast enough to seriously interfere with the currents that have been laid out for others. Such individuals have powerful destinies that may be capable of altering the events the gods proscribed." A large maple leaf obligingly demonstrated the principle by gently pushing a handful of its peers away from the edge of the lake. "So you are saying that I am such a leaf?" Mike asked. Barth shook his head. "Not at all. A powerful destiny is very visible to the Creators, if they care to pay attention, and they will usually either guide such an individual towards their own desired ends or destroy them to prevent any further harm to their plans. As a Fatetouched, you are more like a fish moving underwater. You have the freedom to come and go as you please within the confines of the lake and the Creators can only tell where you have been based on the ripples on the surface. This is most obvious when you come in contact with others and alter their destinies." Several of the leaves vanished under the surface, leaving only a series of spreading ripples that briefly disturbed their neighbors. "I would imagine that such a person would be viewed as dangerous by the Creators." Mike offered, trying to ignore the chill running down his spine at the implications of the information he was getting. "Most definitely. Although, I would say that they are especially interested in you since you''ve managed to acquire the Hero title and the force of destiny that accompanies it. Combined with your status as a Fatetouched, this means you represent an existential threat to the very foundations of the current world order." "...I see." Mike replied after a few moments. If he was public enemy number one for the gods of this world, that complicated things. Expression softening slightly, Barth continued. "At the moment, the Creators are still undecided on what to do about you. A few of them believe that your destruction is the only safe way forward, while the others believe you could very well be the solution to a problem that has been weighing upon them for many millennia. The Ascended on the other hand are mostly in favor of leaving you alone." "...Ok, I''ll bite. Why is that?" "Simple. In the current projections, this world will end within ten years and there is nothing the gods can do to stop it." Barth explained casually as if discussing the weather. "Would you allow me to freshen up your tea? It seems to have gone cold." "Please...wait no, what do you mean the world is going to end?! I only reincarnated here a little while ago, relatively speaking! Damn that firefly goddess, sending me to a world destined for destruction!" "I doubt Selenica is even aware of the problem. She always did care more about pursuing her hobbies than doing her job." The god replied with a sigh. "Which is why we have so many problems with Reincarnators. However, I should point out that even though the world is set to end, there is one factor that may be its salvation." Mike stared at him for a second before the point sunk home. "You are talking about me, aren''t you?" "I am. Being a Fatetouched means that you exist outside of the confines of this world''s destiny, and can have a great impact on the course of events here. Some among the Ascended believe that simply allowing you to roam freely might lead Ea down a different path. What that path may be is unclear, but any alternative is better than annihilation." "So that''s why you helped me? You think I am going to save the world?" The god grinned, looking truly amused for the first time since they''d met. "In part. Although, I must confess that a greater part of my decision to intercede on your behalf stems from something else entirely." He stood, moving to a cart that Mike hadn''t noticed before. The divine being gracefully picked up a teapot from among the many accoutrements lying on it and turned to pour him a fresh cup of tea. While he was doing so, he continued his explanation. "Many of my peers are dissatisfied with the world and the manner in which it is governed. While their actions are heavily restricted by the System, they have nevertheless been working for centuries to overturn the status quo. These Dissidents, for lack of a better term, view you as the spark that will ignite the flame of change and bring an end to the way things are at present." He finished and smoothly replaced the teapot without stopping his monologue. "I am of a similar opinion, even though I do not hold the same level of disappointment with the Creators that they do. It is my simple hope that your continued presence in this world will bring a bit of chaos into the stagnant waters of this lake." "But aren''t you the god of Order?" That earned him a slight chuckle. "I can see that you are unfamiliar with the nature of Ascended. That is not too surprising considering how difficult it is for people to achieve Tier 5 in the modern age. While a member of the Ascended carries certain Aspects that determine what areas of Ea they are in charge of, that does not mean that they are required to embody those Aspects. For instance, Hulfinigas, the Ascended governing tragic love stories and doomed romanticism is actually much more interested in comedy. Unfortunately for those he manages to persuade into listening to him, he is quite terrible at it." Sensing that the topic of this conversation was heading in an unproductive direction, Mike took a sip of the freshly poured tea without commenting. He savored the wonderful flavor for a moment before asking. "Can you tell me how this world is supposed to end, and what I can do to prevent it?" "My deepest apologies, but I am unable to share that with you." Barth replied while bowing. "As I explained earlier, there are topics that the merest mention of would draw the attention of the Creators. Since I do not think you wish to become the focus of their machinations just yet, I will have to refrain from speaking further." "Ah, yes. I appreciate that. Is there any information at all you can give me that might point me in the right direction, at least?" The god raised an eyebrow. "All I can say is that you should consult your allies once you return. There is at least one individual among them that might be able to give you special insight into the nature of the future." [Right, Oracle, of course.] "I''ll do that." "If you have any other questions that are pressing upon you, I would recommend asking them soon. We have a few minutes left before preparations for your departure are complete. Delaying your return to Ea beyond that point might have some unfortunate consequences." "Truthfully, there are a multitude of things I would like to ask about, but I''m not sure if I can narrow it down to just a few minutes worth." Barth nodded. "I understand, and I can only offer my regrets that the hospitality of my realm is so lacking. If it is any consolation, I did foresee this eventuality and took the liberty of preparing for it." He removed a small silver bell from the pocket of his jacket and held it to Mike while explaining. "When rung, this item will briefly conjure a spirit from my household to assist you. I have given them leave to consult with me on topics of investigation so as to offer you the answers to your questions in absentia. Unfortunately, there will be limitations both in terms of the type of information you desire and the amount, lest the spirit draw undue attention to itself. I anticipate that you will have the ability to ask approximately three questions before it is forced to return to my realm." Out of curiosity, Mike tried to use Appraise on the bell only to find that it didn''t appear to even be registered as a possible target. Perhaps guessing at what he was doing, Barth continued. "That bell exists outside of the System, making it largely invisible to other gods. I made it using techniques that have long fallen into disuse. I would explain further, but we must leave now or risk missing your ride." Mike stood and followed the god out of the room and down another series of strange corridors. "Um, what do you mean by ride? Am I not going through a portal or teleporting back to Ea?" "I''m afraid such simple methods would not be possible given the nature of this place. I was able to bring you here due to the Hall of Convergence standing upon the axis of all things, but leaving this realm by normal means will alert the Creators. Which is why I requested the assistance of a longtime friend of mine." They stopped at a seemingly arbitrary point in the hallway, and Mike was about to ask for more details when the space in front of them warped and tore. A gargantuan, triangular mouth with three segmented jaws, at least ten meters in width, ripped through the fabric of reality, briefly passing through the hallway before tearing into the space of the next wall. Following the many-toothed maw was a long, chitinous body that moved with wormlike undulations at an incredible speed. Mike thought it was a bit like standing next to a subway platform and watching a train speed by without stopping. "You should grab on soon." Barth commented mildly. "The Kultyrinthir will not spend long in this realm. It dislikes the taste of divine space. I''ve asked it to pass through the region of Ea where you entered the dungeon realm, so you should be able to rejoin your comrades. That being said, it is not exactly precise in its navigations, so please bear that in mind." "Wait, wait. You want me to ride this thing?" "Of course. This is one of the best ways to travel between realms." The god replied with a reassuring smile before gently pushing him in the direction of the speeding chitinous creature. "Now you must go, or risk being stranded here." [Ah, to hell with it.] Mike thought before leaping forward and grasping onto the side of the beast. In less than a heartbeat he was drawn through the ragged hole in reality. ---------------------------------------- Barth watched the tail of the massive worm-like creature vanish into the dimensional tear, it''s mucosal secretions already causing the rift to heal. Within a few seconds all traces of the ancient creature and its erstwhile rider were gone. He turned and began heading back towards the conference room where he already sensed the Creators gathering, no doubt interested in discussing the destruction of the seaside dungeon. Such a thing had not happened since the fall of the Second Age, and they would likely want to examine the impact it would have on the stability of the other dungeon realms. This was especially true since, for all intents and purposes, they would be unable to ascertain the cause of the destruction thanks to the Fatetouched nature of the person who did it. He assumed that they would eventually conclude that the dungeon realm collapsed of its own accord, which could indicate that the realms were finally beginning to show their age. [Then it will only be a matter of time before they decide to unlock the Aspect of Dungeons. After all, they cannot risk the destabilization further collapses will bring so soon before the arrival of the apocalypse.] He allowed himself a small laugh. Yes, things were all going according to plan. Chapter 335: Aeronatutical Endeavors [Note to self: Do not believe it when a god tells you that an interdimensional worm is the best means of travel.] Mike thought while desperately clinging to the slimy hide of the creature in question. They were currently streaming through the air in a realm that appeared to be entirely composed of ice and snow. To make matters worse, he''d evidently attracted the attention of some of the inhabitants of this world, beings of animate cold air, who seemed bound and determined to drain him of his heat. So far, Fire Magic had been sufficient to keep them at bay, but he was beginning to wonder how much more time they would be spending here. Something like a shudder passed through the worm and suddenly Mike was being forced to cling tighter to the creature''s skin as a wave of unseen energy tried to strip him from his perch. He''d experienced this a few times before, and knew that it meant they were passing through another interdimensional rift. For a brief moment, the world seemed to vanish and a massive pressure squeezed him against his erstwhile mount. Then they were through and he could breathe once more. Glancing over his shoulder, he ruefully noted that they were still not in his intended destination. Instead, it looked like they were taking a detour through some kind of hell dimension. The ground in this realm was composed of torn and broken obsidian mingled with free flowing streams of lava. Mike could see twisted and horrendous creatures cavorting amongst the desolation. It was as if he were looking at a caricature of what Hell would look like if all elements of civilization were completely removed from it. Thankfully, they did not spend long in this disturbing place, and with another intense shudder the worm was once again moving through interdimensional space. Once they were through the momentary rift, Mike saw an orange-red sunset over the ocean and he assumed that he was finally back in Ea. "Thanks for the ride!" He yelled over the sound of the wind before letting go. As he was falling towards the distant waters, he distinctly heard a low-toned rumble from the direction of the creature, making him think that it not only heard and understood him, but was capable of reciprocating the sentiment in some fashion. The sound was cut short as it punched another hole in reality and disappeared into it. Mulling over the unusual nature of the beings that inhabited this realm, Mike tried to orient himself to his surroundings. From the looks of it, he was currently over an ocean, but he didn''t know which one it might be. He hoped that the worm had brought him close to his original location, but he could just as easily be on the other side of the planet. Thankfully, he could at least determine which direction he should be traveling in due to his familiar connection with Selene, who should still be in Gildusi at this moment. [Now that I think about it, I wonder what sort of aftereffects the collapse of a dungeon might have on the surrounding area. Hopefully, the others didn''t get dragged into it.] After a few seconds of falling, he began flying towards a point on the horizon while the sun was off to his left. This meant that he was probably heading generally north. He tried to recall what was south of Gildusi, but honestly couldn''t remember. Finally, after spending roughly a half hour speeding over the ocean, he decided to check, and pulled a map of the Inland Sea Region from his storage. "Alright, based on what I can determine we should be somewhere¡­" He started to explain to Audra, who''d curiously poked her head out of his pocket, "south of here." He was pointing to a location that was called simply The Mire, a large stretch of apparently uninhabited land to the west of Dovistan. Seeing as there wasn''t any water visible in that part of the map, he could only assume he was somewhere outside of the Inland Sea Region. Which in turn put him somewhere to the west of the legendary homeland of the giants For a moment, he considered flying over in that direction, at least until he found land. It would give him a point of reference and a place to rest should this flight take longer than he anticipated. However, he eventually gave up on the idea. There was no telling how far away it was, and there was a very real possibility that he could miss the continent completely and simply sail on to other parts of the world without knowing it. Besides, something about that direction gave him a weird vibe. It seemed like his instincts were telling him to avoid that area. Which actually made him even more curious about what he would find, but eventually he decided to pursue the course of action with the lowest chance of failure. Resigning himself to a lengthy flight, he began considering what he should do to pass the time. Practicing Space Magic, something that had moved higher up on his list of priorities since being trapped in a collapsing dimension, would be fairly impossible to do while moving given his current level of skill. He also didn''t want to do anything too mana intensive in case he needed to take action suddenly. Finally, he settled on summoning a small lizard and once again experimenting on possible applications of Life Magic. Up until this point, he''d determined that he could repair and enhance tissues, but he was having some difficulty overcoming some inbuilt limitations. The solution he''d come up with once discussing the issue with Reber was to try directly augment a creature''s anatomical makeup rather than simply relying on higher levels of mana to produce greater results. To that effect, he was trying to see if he could alter the nature of the lizard''s body without causing too much harm. Judging from the pained squeals his attempts caused, he was failing in that regard. However, after a fair amount of effort, he was able to change the pigment of the animal''s skin, turning it from a dull green color to a dark black. It was something of a success, since it proved that the idea was sound, but he still had a lot of trial and error to go through before he was ready to try it on any of his party members. "I guess I''ll call this a proof of concept for now." Mike muttered to himself while looking down at the lizard cradled in his hands. It was regarded mournfully until he allowed the spell to end. Frankly, he didn''t have the heart to put it through any more suffering. Glancing around at the seemingly unchanging stretch of ocean, he grumbled. "Alright, that''s one task in the bag, but still no land in sight. Just how much longer is this going to go on." He was traveling at a good pace, and he estimated that it had been close to an hour since he''d returned to Ea. The fact that he''d not only not made it back to Gildusi, but hadn''t even encountered dry land during this time was starting to concern him. [While I may not be a match for anything with a jet engine, I''m not exactly taking it easy either.] Using some rough estimations based on the speed of his shadow sliding across the surface of the water, he figured he was going at least 300 km/h. This was nowhere near his top flight speed, but was instead a pace he could maintain for long periods of time without using too much mana. [I could pick up the pace, I suppose. This ocean can''t be never ending.] He sighed. With his titles and abilities, he could probably comfortably float in the water for a while to rest and recover his mana, if necessary. However, he was reluctant to get too close to the sea. Something about the fact that he''d yet to see any signs of life was starting to unnerve him. It would not be surprising at all if there were some kind of horrendous monster watching him from below the surface. "Maybe there is just something wrong with the wat-" He was trying to convince himself when a panicked mental message interrupted his musings. From the very beginning, he could tell it was coming from Selene, but the contents were garbled and incoherent. Try as he might, he couldn''t make out what she was trying to say. The emotional side of the message, though, couldn''t have been clearer. Something was happening, something that terrified her on an instinctual level, and she was doing all she could to reach out to the one person she knew could help her. Only that person was half the world away. He tried to talk to her, get more details of what was going on, but the connection suddenly dropped and he could no longer even sense where she was. "Shit." He growled in frustration, already cursing himself for not taking the appropriate precautions. Realigning himself with the as of yet unnamed dragon that was apparently still hanging out in the forest to the north of the city, he began planning on how to increase his speed. [Space Magic is unreliable, and the Orb can''t be controlled. Limit Break is still on cooldown, and even if it wasn''t, there is no guarantee that it would work either. I can brute force it by simply pushing more mana into my flight, but I don''t know how much further it is and what I''ll be getting into once I''m there. I need something else. Something like¡­] Glancing down at his hands, he muttered. "I can mimic the compression cone with hardened air, and there is no need for fuel when you can summon fire at will, so it is just a matter of whether or not I can withstand the forces involved." He pulled Audra from his pocket and encased her in a sphere of compressed air that should allow her to survive for an hour or so, and then dropped her into his inventory before she had a chance to complain. Based on his previous experiments, she should then be isolated from anything that occurred outside of the inventory space. Feeling a small amount of trepidation, he began forming the large conical structure in the air beneath him, making sure to anchor himself to it to the best of his ability. After adding in a rudimentary windscreen in the hopes of reducing the inevitable wind pressure, he injected high intensity flame into it. As the acceleration started to take hold, he found himself hoping that he didn''t end up doing serious damage, either to himself or wherever he ended up. After that, there was no room for anything else but to hold on for his life. ------------------------------------------------- Julia sighed as she watched Dorn squint out of the tiny window. "What are you doing?" "Something is up. There are far too many people out on the street. I can only assume the Shadow Council is making their move." He muttered without taking his eyes off of the smoky glass. "You''ve been saying that all afternoon. How much longer are you planning on hiding up here?" She demanded, glancing around at the dingy attic of an abandoned store they''d taken refuge in after witnessing the murder. Dorn turned back to her, a look of impatience on his face. "I''ve sent word to a few individuals I can trust. Should they have leave to do so, they will meet us here. We will need all the help we can get." He grimaced and looked back at the window. "That is, if we aren''t too late already." Sighing again, she walked over to stand next to him. "I don''t know what you''re...actually, that does look pretty strange." As she was watching, she saw a man round the corner at a sprint, a group of pursuers just behind him. He was about to make it through to the next street, but one of the men chasing him suddenly leapt into the air, crossing a half dozen meters in a single bound, and came crashing down on the poor fellow. It was hard to tell through the old window, but it looked like the pursuer was biting him on the neck. This impression was horribly confirmed when the other men ran up, bent over him and began visibly tearing at him with their fingers and teeth. She could barely hear his strangled screams which seemed to continue long after he''d stopped moving. It took her a few seconds to realize that the screaming was coming from other parts of the city, and it wasn''t just one or two voices making the sound. "...I don''t think your friends are going to be able to make it." She whispered. "No, I don''t think they will." He replied, whispering as well. "We should stay here until it''s safe to go out. Thankfully, they should not be aware...do you hear that?" Julia tried to reply, but her words were lost in a wave of increasingly loud noise that caused the building to shake and quiver. The sound, like a non-stop explosion that just seemed to get closer and closer, grew to the point she felt the need to clutch her ears. The windows shattered under its force, and the small part of her mind that could still process what was going on wondered if this might be the end of the world. Just as quickly as it arrived the sound stopped, fading into silence in a heartbeat. After a few moments to collect herself, she stood up and looked around. Dorn was crouched nearby in a similarly stunned state. "Are you alright?" She asked, noting with some alarm that her hearing was muffled so that it sounded like she was talking through a pillow. Dorn looked up at her in alarm. With a start, she realized that she was shouting unintentionally. She shot a glance back down at the street, only to meet the cold-eyed gaze of one of the killers down below, his mouth still trailing the gory remnant of his last victim. Chapter 336: Night of the Living Semi-Dead For a few moments, the only thing Mike could think about was how much everything hurt. He couldn''t really move, but it seemed like he''d managed to break practically every bone in his body. Honestly, considering the speed he was moving at when he finally slammed home into the hilltop, it was something of a miracle that he''d survived. Or it would have been if he wasn''t some kind of semi-divine being by this point. Thankfully, the pain receded quickly as his regeneration began to piece him back together, and he was soon able to add his own Life Magic to the mix to speed the process up. Within a few minutes of his impromptu landing he was well enough to pull himself out of the crater and have a look around. His method for supersonic flight had left much to be desired in several key areas. The most pressing of these was the complete lack of braking or landing methods, but a close second was the difficulty he had in steering the air construct once he''d gotten going. So, it was not surprising in the slightest that he''d missed his mark and landed somewhere away from the city. Judging by the relative location of the ocean, which he could still barely see on the horizon, he figured he must have overshot his target by a large enough margin that Giludisi was not even visible to him. He took a moment to reevaluate the situation while waiting for the bones of his limbs to finish returning to their normal positions. [I couldn''t see much when I blew past, but I did notice a lot more smoke than should be present at this time of night. It seems likely that there is something going on¡­] For the dozenth time in as many minutes, he cursed his lack of information gathering. He thought he''d improved since the last time he''d been taken by surprise, but clearly he''d gotten complacent again. [Maybe I''ve been too lenient with my enemies. What''s the point of having all this power if I don''t make use of it?] He found himself thinking as the last traces of pain vanished leaving only a cold anger. He lifted off the ground and started flying towards the city, thoughts turning darker as he went. If he had been a little less distracted he might have noticed the faint laughter echoing up from the depths of his soul. ------------------------------------------------------- "Hold! Hold, damn you!" The White Lion commander was yelling as the next wave of hostiles slammed into the shield wall and started clawing at the faces of the horrified soldiers. Their fear was understandable, as the gaunt, hollow-eyed creatures with pale grey skin, long claws of hardened bone, and mouths full of razor-sharp teeth were enough to render even veteran soldiers unnerved. Especially since it was clear to these Lions that the enemy was composed of former citizens who''d undergone some kind of transformation. Kuyana could tell with a glance that the line was moments away from collapsing. For all that the Lions were effective as a police force, they lacked real combat experience. Suddenly being pulled into fighting these monsters was taking a real toll on them. They would soon break. "Pull the reserves from the third level and have them set up a defensive perimeter at the stairs." She told her adjutant, Barlon, who promptly commanded one of the riders following in their wake to deliver the message. "In the meantime, let''s help them out a bit. What do you say, men?" She yelled over her shoulder to the small company of cavalry that were acting as her escort. A ragged cheer arose from them, but they were clearly not at all excited to wade into that mess. Kuyana could hardly blame them. None of their training had prepared them for facing the horde of ghoul thralls which were currently sweeping through the city. [Gods damn them! What in the hells are those fool corpse-eaters thinking?!] She had time to think before she was in the thick of the fighting. As the wave of enemies receded under the onslaught of a cavalry charge, one of the thralls, a former barmaid by the looks of her clothes, lept up at her. With a practiced move, Kuyana''s sword flicked out of her scabbard and neatly decapitated the monster. It''s corpse fell limply to the ground as her horse pushed through. The next few minutes were a blur of hacking and slashing at angry faces with fang-filled mouths. She fell into a haze of bloodshed and violence as the number of enemies seemed to increase without end. A small, more sensible part of her began considering how best to extricate her unit from this mess. Thankfully, her adjutant had maintained his cool better than she expected. When her escort was on the verge of being overwhelmed, he issued a few short commands, skillfully getting the group to break contact and slide back into the relative safety of the infantry''s ranks. Catching her breath, Kuyana took a moment to survey the situation again. Her brief foray into the thick of battle had bought some time for the rest of the Lions to reform their lines, but it did not solve the original problem. Watching another young soldier go down screaming under the claws of the ghoul thralls, she understood that they would need to fall back to a more defensible location to have any hope of containing this threat. However, she also knew that any retreat attempted by the unseasoned troops would quickly turn into a rout. They were effectively trapped in their current predicament and no amount of heroics on her part could turn this around. It was time for her to go her own way. "Alright, men." She spoke loudly enough to gather the attention of the escort as well as those few members of the infantry that weren''t actively engaged. "Strong work back there, but it will take a lot more than that to drive these monsters back. We need to cut the head off of this snake, and we can''t do that by staying here." Kuyana paused for a second to let her meaning sink in before driving the point home. "I will lead a team to find the source of these fiends and put a stop to them once and for all. This will be a truly dangerous mission, so I won''t order you to follow me, but if you choose to stand beside me in this last desperate effort, know that you will earn yourself a place of honor in the memory of this city and its people." Then without bothering to wait for them to decide, she turned her horse and began riding. To their credit, most of her escort chose to continue their explicit mission of guarding her without complaint. She was left with nine experienced soldiers following in her wake, including her adjutant. Barlon pulled up alongside her, not so subtly asking for further instruction. Without turning her head, she murmured quietly enough that only he could hear. "Once we get out of earshot, have the Stalkers take care of them. I can''t have any eyes on me at this juncture." The taciturn man nodded, but said nothing else. If he felt any trepidation about betraying his subordinates, he didn''t show it. Of course, much like her, the veteran warrior had long ago sold his loyalties for the promise of immortality. The two of them had already done much worse in service to their undying masters. They were now passing through an alley strangely devoid of the monstrous attackers. Kuyana could hear her men shifting uneasily on their mounts, barely audible over the ringing sound of horseshoes striking the cobblestone roadway. While they clearly were unsettled by the course of events, they trusted her leadership and judgement. For a moment, she had a passing pang of guilt, and wondered if there might not have been a better way to separate herself from the escort, but she quickly quashed it. [It would have been suspicious if I went on my own into dangerous territory. Even more so if I simply disappeared in the midst of a major crisis. No, I needed to have witnesses who observed me taking action on behalf of the city. Assuming we manage to deal with this situation, it will be important for me to have justification for my absence over the next few hours.] By the time the Stalkers struck, she''d managed to harden her heart once more. It only took a few seconds for the expert killers to complete their task and vanish back into the night. [I''ll need to come up with a plausible story for what happened here...Damn, I should have let the Stalkers take their time and make a battle of it. Now, I''ll need to explain how Barlon and I escaped the ambush that killed everyone else before they had a chance to even draw their weapons.] She lamented to herself without looking back at the slaughter. "Where to?" Barlon asked quietly, a slight tightening of the only sign that he was anything other than his usual calm self. "If anyone is to blame for this nonsense it''s that disfigured priest. I don''t know how he got the corpse eaters to move this quickly, but clearly he''s got his own goals in mind." "Has there been any word from the Court?" Out of habit, she glanced down at the ring on her right hand. It was still dark, indicating that none of her vampiric masters had seen fit to reach out to her. "Nothing yet. I assume that our esteemed leaders are probably taking their usual course of action, and waiting to see how things play out." "Should we be interfering then?'' "I''ve spent the better part of a decade putting myself in a position of authority inside the Lions, all for the purpose of preparing the city for our takeover, and I''ll be damned if I let that go to waste simply because some Annhilite bastard decided it was time to kick the hornet''s nest." She grumbled in response. Sensibly, Barlon let the matter go after that, and the two continued in the direction of the entrance to the undercity where they would have the best chance of finding their target. Neither one of them looked back at the massacre they were leaving behind. ---------------------------------------------- "Run!" Julia yelled, pulling on Dorn''s arm as she did so. The smaller man was gasping for air, barely able to do more than put one foot in front of the other. While debating on simply picking him up and carrying him, she nearly tripped over the broken remains of a barrel that had evidently come from a nearby cooper''s shop. A shattered front window was a clear indication of its origin. From the sounds of it, there were still a few of the cannibalistic madmen fighting with the storekeeper inside. With a start, she realized that she''d been unintentionally slowing down while she was staring at the store and quickly sped up again. Dorn gave a pained whimper between gasps, but did his best to increase his pace as well. Unfortunately, it didn''t matter. A group of slavering madmen suddenly burst from an alley in front of them, forcing Julia to slide to a halt. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw that their other pursuers were just a little ways away. "...Dorn...I think we''re trapped." She muttered as the hungry looking monsters slowly began to surround them. Frantically glancing around, she tried and failed to find some path to salvation. "Julia...(gasp)...my dear¡­(gasp)...it''s been an honor." He mumbled between agonal breaths. They were forced to watch the fanged, hollow-eyed creatures grow closer and closer. Soon they would surely move in for the kill. Julia remembered the dead they''d already come across, especially the way their faces had all been twisted in howls of anguish, and felt her legs go numb. A man fell out of the sky in front of them. There was no other way to describe it. He landed gently on the ground, a tattered cloak billowing around him as he did so. The monsters hesitated, suddenly unsure of themselves. Julia saw a few near the back of the group begin to slowly retreat. However, they never had the chance. The man raised a hand and swept it horizontally in a harsh, cutting motion, causing a strange eddy of wind to spin around them. For a moment, it didn''t seem like anything had happened, but then the leading members of the surrounding monsters toppled forward, collapsing into pieces as they did so. The rest soon followed, and in a matter of seconds the three of them were the only things moving in the street. While Julia was still trying to process all this, the man, who was surprisingly young she now realized, turned and regarded them with his golden eyes. "Would you care to tell me what''s going on here?" She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Dorn. "I''d be happy to. You see, this is all the work of the Shadow Council¡­" Julia suppressed a groan. Chapter 337: When All You Have is a Hammer... Mike listened to the small man''s incoherent explanation for a few minutes before finally holding up a hand and interrupting him. "Alright, let me get this straight. You witnessed some kind of assasination on a random stall worker, found a mysterious code book, and then got caught up in a seemingly random zombie apocalypse scenario, and this led you to believe this is all the work of some malign organization called the Shadow Council. Is that about right?" The man, who called himself Dorn, pushed his glasses back up his nose and frowned. "I''m not certain if you could really classify these creatures as zombies in the traditional sense. They appear to be closer to ghouls or something similar, but lack the intelligence associated with their kind. My best guess is that they are some artificially created variant the Shadow Council developed for their nefarious purposes. Also, apocalypse might be a bit of an overstatement. I doubt they''ve traveled far outside the city yet." Mike glanced down at the remains of the zombie-like things he''d killed a few minutes ago. They were all dressed in the kind of simple, roughspun clothing he''d seen thousands of times on the people of this city. If he were to ignore the bone claws, the wicked fangs filling elongated jaws, and the unnaturally sunken eyes, they looked just like regular townspeople. A quick Appraise confirmed his suspicion. ------------------------------------ Unnamed Ghoul Thrall Corpse Corpse (Tier 1, Rank 1) The deceased remains of a Ghoul Thrall, a type undead that arises from those infected with Cannibal Fever. ------------------------------------ [So, a zombie apocalypse was not too far off. Guess I''ll just have to RPD my way through this mess until I find Selene.] A small part of him felt like he was forgetting something about the creatures. Something he should be doing, but he pushed those thoughts aside. For the time being he needed to concentrate on getting to the bottom of this strange situation. "This code book you found, have you been able to get any information from it?" He asked. Dorn hesitated, seeming uncertain. "Truthfully, no. I was hoping to meet up with a friend that specialized in codes, but that proved difficult in the current circumstances." "Do you have any leads to go on at all?" Mike asked, mentally preparing himself to simply leave and start randomly moving about the city in a haze of destruction until something changed. "Well...if you put it like that¡­" The other man started to sputter. "So nothing I can use." He replied, gritting his teeth in frustration. For a moment, he had the urge to simply cut the foolish man down for wasting his time, but decided that wouldn''t do anything to help his current mission. "Wait...the old city." The woman named Julia suddenly chimed in. "If there is anywhere in the city an evil organization could operate out of, it would be the ruins of the old city." "And where would that be?" "Allow me to expla-" Dorn started, but Mike had had enough of his long-winded speeches. "You," He pointed at the midget, "stop talking. You," He pointed at the tall woman, "explain." Julia hesitated for a second, glancing over at her friend? Lover? It was hard to tell. Then after a few seconds, she began speaking. "Gildusi''s big, but it doesn''t have much space for underground dealings unless you''re talking about the actual underground. Part of living on the side of a cliff. They built the city on top of old High Elven ruins, and there are entrances all over. I know the big wigs up in city hall have been trying to seal them all up for years, but I''m willing to bet there are still a bunch they don''t know about." "Hm, it''s not much of a lead, but it will have to do." Julia looked around. "If I recall, there should be one somewhere in this district¡­" "No need." Mike replied while squatting down on his heels and placing a hand on the ground. With an intense burst of will, he sent a wave of mana through the earth and stone underneath him, and used the distorted echoes created by subterranean structures to get a rough idea of what the so-called old city looked like. [Glad that worked out like I thought it would, or I would have looked pretty ridiculous.] "There are two entrances nearby. It seems like only one of them is actively sealed. The other is open and is...currently being used by a small party." "Ah, well that works too¡­" Julia offered lamely. "I guess you''ll be-" "Brilliant work, sir! Let us be off then." Dorn interrupted her suddenly. He looked like he was going to continue that thought, but was suddenly cut off when Julia''s arm wrapped around his head. She gave Mike an awkward smile, muttering. "Just a moment, please." The large woman then proceeded to drag her unfortunate companion back several meters and started whispering loudly in his ear. "What in the hells do you think you are doing?! We can''t go with him!" Briefly gasping for air once the obstructing arm was removed, Dorn gave her a reassuring smile. "Julia, my dear, I''ve been on the trail of the Shadow Council for nearly three years now. If I do not see this thing through now, at the moment the city needs me the most, then I will have lived my life in vain." Sighing in exasperation, she replied. "But what good do you think you''ll be able to do? You couldn''t even handle one of those creatures, let alone an army of them. You''ll just get in this guy''s way!" "Nevertheless, if there is even the slightest chance that my contributions are necessary, then I am willing to bet my life on making sure that Gildusi did not meet its end due to my cowardice." Julia made a pained expression, likely torn by a desire to stop him from doing something foolish, but simultaneously full of admiration for the selfless spirit of his actions. Mike for his part, just felt awkward. [Do they really not know I can hear every word of this conversation?] Clearing his throat, he interrupted the melodramatic scene. "Listen, I''m kind of in a hurry. I don''t care if you want to tag along, but I can''t make any promises about your safety. So, make sure this is really what you want to do before you make a decision. I''ll give you a couple of minutes to decide. If you are coming, then meet me on the other side of that building." He motioned in the direction of a large guildhouse set back against the cliff wall. Based on his earlier analysis, the entrance to the ruins was hidden near the rear of that building, but before he went any further, he had to ensure that the way was clear. Without giving the couple another word he began running towards the ruin entrance, barely taking notice of the ghoul thralls, who emerged from their hiding places just long enough to lay eyes on him, and then fled at top speed. [I guess they can somehow sense the difference in strength? Maybe they are more intelligent than they look.] He idly thought while sweeping into a seemingly dead-end alley between the guildhouse and something that looked like it might be a form of tenement housing. Without slowing his pace, he channeled mana into his fist and slammed it into the cliff face near the end of the alley. There was a titanic impact and a section of the rock formation collapsed and shattered, crashing into some of the nearby buildings. Mike was forced to use a bit of Earth Magic to keep the opening he''d created from being buried in the resulting rubble, but once the dust cleared, he was left with a visible tunnel that extended deeper into the darkness. Stomping his foot on the ground, he once more sent a wave of mana into the earth, confirming that this was the place he was looking for. He also took note of the handful of creatures taking shelter a little deeper into the tunnel complex. While it was difficult to tell using this method, it seemed like they were trying to lie in wait for him. There was a slight buzzing at the edge of his hearing, a droning, unpleasant noise that made his head hurt, but he didn''t have the time to focus on it, instead concentrating on the task at hand. "Why do they have to make it difficult?" He complained under his breath while sending a wash of fresh air infused with his mana into the tunnels. The wind quickly passed through the twisting and partially collapsed corridors, seeking out each of the seven humanoid figures who were hiding nearby. Once he had a solid location for them, he flexed his will, causing the air currents to suddenly harden and wrap around them. Making a violent pulling motion with one hand, he ripped the ambushers from their hiding places and dragged them up to the surface. They came flying out, obviously battered by their passage through the tunnels. As soon as they had passed over his head, he whipped them into the ground, creating seven human shaped craters in the cobblestone alleyway. A quick Appraise confirmed his suspicions. All seven of their entries had the word Ghoul in their race description. It seemed like these were just the people he needed to talk to, but he had six too many. Selecting the least injured of the group, a young looking man who was suffering from two broken legs and several cracked ribs, he channeled his Water Magic and invested his will into the circulatory systems of the other six. He raised his hand into the air, lifting his chosen victims off the ground in the process. A few of them whimpered in pain, but were unable to do more than that as their bodies refused to respond to even the most basic of their commands. Once they were at eye level, Mike focused his will and began applying pressure outwards in all directions. For a moment, nothing appeared to be happening, and the chosen survivor looked around in uncertainty as his fellows were suspended in the air trembling silently, a hint of growing panic in their eyes the only sign that they were even aware of what was going on. Then one by one, they popped, exploding in a rain of blood and viscera that showered down onto the seventh ghoul. Once he was done, Mike walked forward, careful to not dirty his boots on the pools of blood that now filled the alleyway. "Now that we''ve gotten that out of the way, I was hoping that you could answer a few questions for me." He commented nonchalantly, as if he were having a casual conversation in a tavern rather than interrogating a prisoner who was covered in the guts of his comrades. "Tarin, is it?" He asked after a quick Appraise. Once he got his confirmation in the form of the youth''s mute horror. "Let''s you and I have ourselves a good long chat." -------------------------------------------- "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Julia asked again as they passed in front of the Brewer''s Guildhouse. "I''m not sure if I trust that guy. He didn''t even tell us his name yet." [Not to mention the fact that he just wantonly destroyed a section of the city.] She added mentally. Something about the strange young man was setting off warning bells in her heart, although she couldn''t place exactly what about him unnerved her so much. This feeling seemingly even bothered the ghouls that were stalking them, since they were still refusing to come out into the open despite the fact the man was no longer with them. "Come now," Dorn replied jauntily, "surely we can trust the one who saved our lives. Besides, he is clearly an enemy of the Shadow Council, and we can definitely use all the help we can get in taking on those monsters." Julia was about to reply, pointing out that just because he saved them once did not mean that he had done so out of benevolence. More likely, he protected them simply because he was in need of information and assumed this was the best way to gain their assistance. However, those words died in her throat as they rounded the corner and turned into the alleyway next to the guildhouse. The narrow street looked like a warzone. Parts of the cobblestone pavement were cratered and torn, whole sections of the neighboring buildings have been caved in by flying debris, and at the other end, a large gaping hole in the side of the cliff continued into the darkness like some kind of wound on the city itself. In front of this tunnel stood the golden-eyed man, his back to them. Despite that, as soon as they came into view he called over his shoulder. "I see you''ve made your decision. Very well, let''s get started. I''ve learned a few things from the guards stationed here. We can discuss it on the way, but I suggest we press on before any reinforcements decide to show up. I''d hate to make another mess." Dorn, ignoring all the obvious warning signs, moved up to join him, already giddy at the possibility of intelligence gleaned from a real life member of his elusive target. "I do hope you took notes. We''ll likely need to pour over the results carefully. The Shadow Council is quite adept at deception, and we cannot afford to be taken in by false information." The man''s reply was too quiet for Julia to hear as they began walking into the dark tunnel. She followed after them with some trepidation. Glancing around at the alley that she could only describe as war torn, she only had one question. [What happened to the guards he mentioned?] Chapter 338: That Trope Again Tal calmly took a sip of her tea, savoring the way the warmth of this particular brew drove away the slight chill that had crept into the hideout once the sun had fallen. While it may very well have been a decent place to take refuge, Mike had not had time to fashion much in the way of creature comforts. Such things rarely mattered in the grand scheme of things, but it might be beneficial to remind him that his party mainly consisted of young women, two of which hail from noble backgrounds, and it would not be a bad idea to take that into account when planning future bases of operation. "I suppose Sir Mike and the others should be returning soon." William offered, interrupting the silence that had sprung up between the two of them for nearly a half hour. "Perhaps I shall retire to the kitchens and ensure we have something warm to welcome them with." "Is fine." She replied, indicating that she thought it was a good idea. The butler was sitting nearby, having successfully guided Lily into her room and set her to a simple course of study in regards to regional history. Tal suspected that his efforts were likely futile, since the obtuse woman had an almost pathological inability to remember anything that didn''t relate to her interests, but she had to give the man credit nonetheless. He put forth every effort to do his job as her de facto tutor and guardian. While he was getting up to start the lengthy process of starting a fire in the hideout''s makeshift stove, Tal caught the faint sound of hoofbeats in the distance. She paused to listen for a few seconds and confirmed that they were growing closer. "Someone coming. Prepare Lily." She told William, before stepping outside to get a better vantage point. A whispered request to Akiriti, and her mind was soon riding along with the bird-like Air Spirit as it breezed over the tops of the trees. She took a brief moment to enjoy the sensation of flight, the caress of the wind against her companion''s semi-corporeal wings, before focusing on the situation at hand. Scanning the nearby region with her borrowed senses, she quickly located the interlopers, a pair of riders moving at a dangerously fast pace. When she had drawn close enough to identify them, she felt her heart sink. Releasing her connection with Akiriti, she walked back into the hideout and spoke to Lily and William. "False alarm. Sera and Morris." The butler blinked. "It is good that they aren''t enemies, but why are they returning on horseback and without Sir Mike?" "Unknown. Must wait." She replied, indicating that all would be explained once their friends had joined them. Thankfully, it was a short wait. In a matter of minutes, a slightly breathless Sera burst into the room, demanding. "Did Mike come here?!" Tal shook her head. "Not seen." The Oracle bit her lip in frustration, walked over to one of the stonework chairs and sat down. Morris, evidently having dealt with the pair''s horses, stumbled in next to provide a bit more context. "We were hoping that he might have headed here instead." He offered, a bit listlessly. "What happened?" He scratched his neck. "Truthfully, I am not fully certain. We had just finished fighting the final boss and were in the process of taking the portal back down to the entrance. Mike said he wanted to check something out and told us to go on ahead. Not long after we left the dungeon, the whole Seaside Citadel started shaking, and dozens of parties of delvers were forcefully ejected from the main portal. And then the whole thing just...collapsed in on itself." "I''m afraid I don''t follow." William asked. "I mean, it looked like the entire citadel was just sucked up into a tiny pinprick of light that simply vanished immediately afterwards, leaving a massive hole in the ground that quickly filled up with sea water." Morris explained wearily while rubbing his face and collapsing into another chair. "But surely Sir Mike was ejected with the rest of the delvers." The bard glanced away, expression uncertain, but eventually shook his head in a firm denial. "He vanished." Sera offered before grimacing. "He probably did something foolish again. I just hope didn''t get himself killed doing it, because I have every intention of strangling the man the next time I see him for making me worried like this!" Tal examined her friends sadly. They had clearly worn themselves out coming here as quickly as they could, exhausting themselves for the small possibility that Mike had shown up here first without letting them know. They definitely need a few words of encouragement. "Will be fine. Have faith." Morris nodded in agreement and gave a big sigh without saying anything. Sera on the other hand only seemed to be getting more agitated. "If he got sucked into interdimensional space or became trapped in a collapsing reality, then even he might have difficulty surviving. How can I¡­" She trailed off with a glazed look in her eyes, mouth hanging open slightly as she stared off into space. With the ease of someone long practiced in it, Tal gently led the Oracle to a chair and had her sit down before returning to her own seat to wait for whatever insight her friend managed to glean from her vision. This behavior earned a few questioning glances from Morris and William, but they held their tongues. After a few seconds, Sera gasped and rubbed her forehead, obviously coming out of her trance. "What news?" Tal asked once she''d regained some degree of her composure. The Oracle glanced over at her, face unreadable. "Well, on the bright side, I think we can stop worrying about whether or not Mike made it out of the dungeon realm. I just had a vision of him in Gildusi." "Then why don''t you sound relieved?" Morris asked. She stared blankly into space again for a few seconds before answering. "I don''t know what was happening, but in my vision he was...killing everyone and burning the city to the ground in a storm of magical death. There was something off about him, though. Like he was just going through the motions without feeling it, even when¡­" She swallowed, "...even when his victims were children." Silence descended on the group for a few moments, before Morris eventually broke it with a question. "Could he have been affected by his ordeals in that dungeon realm? Maybe he''s suffering from some kind of temporary insanity?" Sera shook her head. "I don''t know. He looked physically fine, but it''s hard to tell with visions. Oftentimes their contents are more allegorical than literal, and even then they only represent a possible future. Mike, in particular, is bad about altering the course of events in a manner that is completely outside of my expectations." "Perhaps it means that Master Mike is taking a dangerous course of action in the city which might endanger the lives of the citizens." William offered hopefully. Tal stood up and began packing up her belongings. When she was confronted by three curious stares she offered a simple explanation. "Go there. Find out. Change things?" That served as an impetus for the group to spring into action, and in a matter of minutes they were pressing on through the grasslands towards Gildusi. Conversation between the five was strained, in part due to the need to keep an eye out for monsters prowling the region at night, but mostly due to the fear and uncertainty that had arisen with the absence of the group''s central figure. For her part Tal was feeling conflicted. While nothing remained certain, she suspected that Mike''s experiences in another realm had less to do with his change in mental state than the entity that was currently occupying a piece of his soul. If that was the case, he should be more than capable of treating himself in the short term, so long as the entity''s malign influence hadn''t extended too far yet. However, if he had unconsciously allowed it to burrow deep into his psyche, she feared that he might not be capable of realizing the tainted nature of his own thoughts. If the worst had come to pass, their only hope was to try to get through to him and warn him before it was too late. Lost in thought, she almost missed it when a quartet of leaves passed in front of her, carried by the wind. They caught a brief eddy and swirled in a lazy fashion before continuing on their way. It might have appeared a bit odd to the casual observer, but the unusual path of the leaves would be quickly forgotten by any not versed in the ways of Spirit Magic. Tal felt her heart lighten. It seemed that help was on the way. Now they just needed to hold out until it arrived. ---------------------------------------- Julia swallowed trying to wet her dry throat, but nothing seemed to relieve her discomfort. A palpable tension filled the air, smothering her with unseen pressure until it took all of her focus to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Dorn, for all of his earlier eagerness, appeared to be feeling it as well, and his energetic chatter had slowly trickled away into silence while they followed the stranger as he cut his way deeper into the ruins through a veritable army of ghouls. As they progressed, he began to kill these enemies with more and more violent methods until he had reached the point where he was simply causing them to spontaneously burst into flame as soon as he laid eyes on them. They had been at it for nearly a half hour when he finally turned back towards them, a cold look in his eyes. "This is taking too long. Do you have any information that will lead us to the ritual site faster?" He asked. Julia was confused for a moment, but then remembered the snatches of his and Dorn''s conversation from earlier. Apparently the attack of the monsters on the surface was both a distraction and a component of some ritual the ghouls were attempting to complete. Dorn spoke up. "The guard you interrogated mentioned that it was located at the deepest portion of the ruins, in a chamber that dwarfs even the largest of cathedrals. Are you not able to use your abilities to suss out such a location?" The man grimaced. "I''ve tried, but the materials used to create much of these ruins are resistant to Earth Magic. I can still determine a rough outline of underground structures, but I have no way of knowing what is what down here." "Then perhaps it''s time to question another guard. Surely anyone this deep must have some knowledge of the layout of the ruins." For a moment, the man stared at him in surprise, like the thought hadn''t occurred to him. Finally he muttered under his breath. "Why didn''t I...Why am I¡­" He shook his head as if trying to clear it of intrusive ideas, before finally concentrating on the pair of them. "Alright, I''ll capture the next guard and make him take us to the ritual site." "On that note," Dorn added before the man stalked off to find another victim, "do you know what the purpose of this ritual is? If we have an idea of what the Shadow Council intends on doing, it will better arm us against their future wiles." "Hm? Didn''t I tell you?" He asked over his shoulder. "They are trying to free their god from a several millennia long imprisonment, or something like that. You know, typical cult nonsense." Despite his nonchalance, Julia definitely didn''t feel any better about the situation after hearing that answer. Chapter 339: Two Wrongs and No Right It took a little bit of doing, but Mike was able to encourage the next ghoul they ran across to provide them with more information. He also made sure to keep this one alive in case there were any other questions he needed to ask while they were on the way to the ritual site. Strangely enough this seemed to bother the two following him more than simply killing the creature. There was a brief moment where this caused him some consternation, but a deeper part of him quickly pushed aside his doubts and refocused him on the task at hand. He needed to locate the leadership of this particular ghoul cult and put an end to their machinations. Sensing that his prisoner was starting to black out from blood loss again, Mike sent another burst of Life Magic into the creature, causing it to strain against the half dozen stone spears pinning it to the block of stone he was dragging. "Please...let me die." The monster moaned in a pained whisper. "Not yet. I may still have a few questions for you." He replied, annoyed that he had to waste concentration on processing the foolish creature''s request. "What more do you want to...know? I have...told you everything." Mike glanced back at it, momentarily taking note of the pair of humans that had taken to following him at a cautious distance. They both winced as his gaze swept past them. [Perhaps it''s time to cut them loose¡­] He thought for a moment, before a voice from the depths of his mind reminded him that he didn''t know what circumstances he was walking into, and it never hurt to have another couple pawns to put into play. Turning his gaze back towards the ghoul, he explained coldly. "You may have told me where the ritual is being held, but you''ve not answered any of my other questions." "I know nothing...of the vampire girl. While others of my...clan may have more information...I can assure you she is not...being kept here." For a second, Mike found himself wondering why he was here, but the doubt quickly passed. Surely the words of a flesh eating monster were not to be taken seriously. Even if it was telling the truth, that could just mean that it was unaware of Selene''s presence. Clearly, his best option was to go down and put a stop to the ritual. [Shouldn''t I hurry then? Why am I dragging this guy around?] An errant thought briefly occurred to him before his reason reasserted itself. According to the information he''d already gathered, the ritual will be nearing completion in the next thirty minutes. If he waited until the very last moment, the ghouls will be too distracted by nearing completion of their desires to resist an attack. It would give him an ideal opportunity to swoop in and deal with the whole situation at once. [Wait, does that make sense? They have to know I''m down here already. Would they really let their guard down at the last second?] He thought again, feet coming to a halt as the conundrum left him confused. This hazy state lasted for a few seconds before a part of his mind noted that the ghoul was in the process of dying again, so he directed his attention over to his prisoner and invested enough mana to keep it alive for the foreseeable future. [Now what was I thinking about? Ah, right. I have to get down to the ritual site and put an end to their efforts.] With that thought in mind, he began moving once more. He was finally starting to make progress on his mission here. Now if he could only get that annoying hum to stop. ---------------------------------------- "He''s not even paying attention to us anymore. Now''s our chance to escape." Julia whispered, unable to take her eyes off of the horrible torture device the terrifying mage had created out of thin air. The suffering ghoul was pinned by nearly a dozen spears and left to slowly and repeatedly bleed to death before being healed again at the last second. It hadn''t taken long for the poor creature to begin begging for death. Watching him torture his latest victim had finally been enough for Dorn to recognize the folly of their current situation, and once he''d slowly drifted behind the mage and begun walking beside her, they were able to discuss possible solutions. "We could do that, but I fear we would have trouble making our way back to the surface at this point." Dorn added quietly. "It seems I owe you an apology, my dear. I did not intend to get us trapped in the ruins with a madman." "No, don''t apologize. I could have tried harder to hold us back." She gave a sour chuckle. "Besides, with what''s going on back on the surface, I doubt we would have lasted long anyway." "Indeed. For better or worse, this man has served as our protector up to this moment. Even if he is unhinged in some manner, our only viable option at this point is to remain in his wake and hope that we somehow survive these events." Julia grimaced. The idea of escaping while the mage was distracted still made sense to her. Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to run screaming from these ruins, but long years of working in the service industry had taught her that such an obvious display would only anger the man. Even slipping away quietly could potentially lead to him taking offense and tracking them down later. "You have the right of it." She eventually whispered back. "I hope that following him doesn''t end up being a mistake." They fell silent after that, each locked in their own thoughts as they continued on after the mage in his slow and deliberate pace. After an unknowable amount of time, the seemingly never-ending passages opened up into a large room, signalling that they had finally reached their destination. For a brief moment, Julia was under the impression that they had stepped back outside. There was a bright orange light shining down from above and bathing her surroundings in a warm, pleasant glow. It took her a few seconds to realize that the distant glow was originating from a massive crystal built into the ceiling, dozens of meters above them. It was centered over a raised platform in the middle of the vast chamber upon which rested a slab of pure, white marble. Four obelisks made of a similar material stood on each corner of the square platform, making an invisible but very perceptible barrier between the slab and the rest of the room. Looking around, she initially thought that the floor and walls were dirty, since it seemed like dark lines of grime covered every available surface. However, after a few seconds of careful observation, she realized that they were actually incredibly complex symbols carved into the very stone of the room. Her mind boggled at just how much time and effort must have gone into making this chamber. While Julia was still trying to comprehend what she was seeing, the golden-eyed man suddenly stopped and dropped the ghoul in his makeshift torture litter, causing him to groan in fresh agony. "This is where the ritual is supposed to take place, right?" He demanded coldly while surveying the room. "...Yes¡­" "Then where is everyone? Why is this chamber deserted?" The ghoul hesitated, clearly uncertain about how to respond. Finally, he whispered weakly, "I don''t know¡­" The man frowned down at the creature for a few seconds before nodding. "Very well, then you are no longer of any use to me." Before Julia had even finished registering his words, several more spears of stone lanced up from the stone slab, impaling the ghoul in a violent and lethal manner. Without a second glance, he calmly proceeded towards the center of the room, stopping just outside of the area enclosed in the four obelisks. After exchanging a confused glance, Dorn and Julia followed after him, making sure to step around the bloody remains of the ghoul and leave a fair amount of distance between themselves and the killer. "There is a barrier here...a powerful one." The man muttered to himself, apparently forgetting that he was not the only one in the room. "It''s...fluctuating? But what...no, there is a connection. I just need to follow it..." "How are you holding up, my dear?" Dorn whispered, distracting Julia. "We are trapped in the deepest chamber of a ghoul infested, ruined city along with an emotionally unstable mage who probably has the power to level this place and everyone in it should he feel so inclined. How do you think I''m holding up?" She replied sardonically. His face twisted at that. "I am sorry, for what it is worth." She sighed and offered him a strained smile. "Like I said before, don''t apologize. I am here because of my own choices, and nothing else." An answering smile appeared on his face, equally strained. However, any feeling of camaraderie was quickly interrupted when the golden-eyed man suddenly turned and faced them. "Alright, I''ve figured it out." "Ah...yes? What is happening?" Dorn asked hesitantly. "The ritual to break this barrier is taking place somewhere else, apparently. As far as I can tell this," he gestured towards the stone slab surrounded by monoliths, "is only the focal point of the sealing magic. The actual control node for the channeled mana is several floors above us." "I see...I take it that means we must resume our explorations." The man blinked, and then suddenly laughed. "Hahahaha, no, no we''ve gotten to where we need to be. Stopping this ritual is easy from here. We just need to break the barrier before they finish." Silence fell for a few seconds while they digested this latest revelation. Finally, Julia mustered up the courage to ask. "Um, wouldn''t that be exactly what the ghouls want?" "You''d think so, wouldn''t you?" The man replied, a slightly manic glint entering his expression, "However, this barrier is a lot more complex than I''ve been giving it credit for. It is designed to both seal and weaken its prisoner, keeping whoever or whatever is trapped here from escaping easily. You see, it should be incredibly difficult to completely imprison a being of god-like power with this sort of barrier. Quite frankly, it''s far too weak to accomplish that kind of thing." Julia glanced around the room again, trying to imagine how something this complicated, not to mention produced by the magically advanced High Elves, could possibly be considered weak. "However, the people that made this chamber were quite clever." He continued jovially. "They managed to tie components of the barrier to pieces of the trapped being''s soul, ensuring that any damage sustained by the seal would have a correspondingly devastating effect on the being''s power and essence. That is why the ghouls are going through the trouble of using this convoluted ritual to free their god." "Um¡­" Julia tried to speak, but found it hard to come up with the right words. "Essentially, my dear, he''s saying that simply breaking out of this trap would not be difficult for the trapped being, but doing so would cause him or her irreparable damage. Thus, it is allowing its imprisonment voluntarily, likely biding its time until something changes." Dorn offered. "I get that, but I am curious as to why your plan is to simply break the thing out. It''s supposed to be some kind of god, right? Wouldn''t it still be pretty dangerous, even if it was weakened? Wouldn''t it make more sense to go deal with the ghouls directly and prevent it from escaping in the first place?" "No that''s¡­" The man started before trailing off, a confused look on his face. "That would¡­" He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "No time for that. The ritual is reaching its conclusion, so we need to stop it soon if we want to bring this to an end." Satisfied, he turned back to the table and began to concentrate, obviously beginning whatever internal preparations he needed to break the barrier. While he was doing so, Julia found herself wondering who he was trying to fool. [If time was such a factor, then why did we take so long to get here?] Chapter 340: Countdown to Destruction Kuyana watched yet another team of ghouls move down to the lower levels in a vain attempt to protect the ritual site from the intruder. Brave as the effort might be, at this point it was clear that they were doing little more than slowing the mage down. Of course, that might be what they were aiming for. It was clear from the brief reports she''d overheard that the individual laying siege to the ruins was powerful and dangerous, at least comparable to a high Tier 3. Considering that a confrontation between Tier 4s had taken place in the middle of Gildusi just a little while ago, it seemed probable that one of the participants was responsible. If that was the case, then stopping him would require the deployment of the highest ranking members of the Beneface of Unyielding Hunger. Although she was somewhat familiar with the way the ghouls established their rank structure, and could infer a great deal based on her experience with her vampiric masters, it was obvious to her that the corpse eating half of the Undying Court was simply sending their commoner members to their deaths. She glanced back at the elders who were overseeing the completion of the unsealing ritual and resisted the urge to sigh. The fools really believed that releasing this tomb''s prisoner would bring them power and glory. Assuming of course, they could successfully bypass the wards that had confounded the best and brightest of the Court for thousands of years. The method the Annhilite priest had given them seemed to be working, but it would still be some time before it concluded. "Should we not do something?" Barlon asked quietly, although the careless manner in which he did so indicated that he was well aware that their every word was being listened to by their escort. The burly, evolved ghoul in question was currently in the process of cleaning its talons with a knife, but Kuyana could easily tell by the way his ears twitched every time they spoke that he was paying attention. "There is not much we can do at this juncture." She responded offhandedly while making sure to shoot her aide a meaningful look before sliding her gaze over to the nearest exit. After tapping her arm three times, she continued. "The best we can do is wait." Barlon nodded, careful to keep his eyes fixed on her. "I suppose that is the case." Any further discussion was postponed as a group of high ranking ghouls approached them. The leader of the bunch, a ghoul matriarch named Griselda who held an advisor position in the court of the ghoul Duke, began speaking as they approached. "My apologies for taking so long to greet you. As you can see, we have a few minor distractions to take care of. Now, how can we help our cousins in the Duchy of Unquenching Thirst?" Kuyana allowed the implied insult to pass. "It is of no concern. Our business is with the Annhilite. If you could point us in his direction, we would be most grateful." "Oh my, how unfortunate. Our esteemed guest has already taken his leave of us. I believe he said something about seeing to his flock." The matriarch replied with a small smile. Resisting the urge to grimace at the woman''s condescension, Kuyana continued. "Do you perhaps know where he might be going?" [Surely they can''t be so foolish as to let him leave before the ritual''s conclusion.] There was a momentary flicker in Griselda''s eyes that hinted at her unease. "I''m afraid he left in a hurry. Didn''t even take the time to bid us farewell." For a moment, Kuyana said nothing, taking a moment to digest the implications of the matriarch''s words. [...It seems he hasn''t been disposed of, so I can only assume he somehow slipped through their fingers. If that is the case, then why are they still following this stupid course of action?] "I see." She eventually responded, making sure to keep her tone polite. "That is indeed unfortunate. I am surprised that he did not want to stay and oversee the successful completion of the ritual. It would be quite the shame if he did not get to celebrate the revival of our glorious patron. Is there no way to delay things until his return?" Griselda''s eyes narrowed at the subtextual insult, but maintained her civility nonetheless. "Regrettably, this is a delicate operation. Stopping or even slowing would be quite detrimental. I''m afraid that our guest will have to be rewarded for his efforts at a later time." [Hmph, they can''t stop the ritual without ruining their chances for future attempts, so they would rather risk a potentially catastrophic outcome in the hopes of achieving their goals than cut their losses here.] "I believe I am beginning to understand your difficulties." Kuyana offered diplomatically. "Perhaps you would be willing to allow us to help?" This earned a snort of disdain from the woman, which had to be intentional since ghouls did not need to breathe. "I fear that this situation may be a bit beyond your capabilities, Retainer." [You are so close to losing everything and you still cannot look past factional differences. This is exactly why your kind is in danger of going extinct while your blood sucking cousins are ruling half the planet.] Kuyana thought acidly before ruefully admitting. [Not that the vampires are necessarily less close minded and stubborn, but they have the benefit of wise leadership at the very least. Something that cannot be said for the ghouls.] She was still in the midst of formulating a reply to the elder when a gasp arose from the crowd observing the ritual. Griselda instantly lost interest in the two humans and began striding over to the group, her voice booming. "What is happening?" An observer answered, voice wavering in distress. "The mages, t-they are losing control of the ritual." Finding this answer unsatisfactory, the court advisor walked to the edge of the platform looking down at the ritual circle and roared, "What is the meaning of this?" Kuyana could not see what was going on from her vantage point, but she could clearly hear the alarmed answer from one of the ghoul mages. "Something''s wrong in the barrier chamber! I think...I think someone is forcefully breaking the barrier on our Lord." "What?!" Griselda shrieked before rounding on a male ghoul. He was dressed in the uniform of the Crypt Guard, the premier military force of the Beneface of Unyielding Hunger, although there was an almost excessive amount of ostentation added to the otherwise spartan vermillion attire. "Did you not, just minutes ago tell me that the barrier chamber was secure?!" She demanded, enunciating every word as she strode forward to stand within inches of the shrinking man. "Yes, ma''am. We had close to 100 teams of guards manning the passages leading to the chamber. Although we''ve lost quite a few of our men to the intruder, we''ve so far been able to lead him down a decoy path¡­" The man trailed off as another ghoul in uniform ran up and whispered into his ear. The commanding officer nodded a few times, gradually turning pale, before dismissing the messenger and turning back to face Griselda. "Ahem...I regret to report that the intruder has punched through our lines and entered the sealing chamber. It seemed he managed to extract it''s location from one of the guards he''d captured." The court advisor stared at the man for a full second then, with a movement too fast for the human eye to see, she whipped her hand at neck level, neatly beheading him. As the officer''s body fell to the floor, she howled to the onlookers. "Get down there and stop him! We''ve come too far to let it end in tragedy-" The rest of her indignant statement was drowned out by a titanic rumble that set the ruins shaking and knocked several of the ghouls off their feet. Only long years of training in marine combat allowed Kuyana to keep herself upright. After a few minutes the vibration stopped, but any momentary relief felt by the group was quickly quashed as the ghoul mages began yelling in panic. A droning hum of energy began to fill the air, accompanied by a harsh glow of bluish light that grew increasingly bright. Instincts screaming, Kuyana shouted a warning to her adjutant and was just starting to turn towards the exit, fully intent on running at full speed, when the explosion ripped through the room. She had a brief sensation of floating as the blast picked her up and hurled her at the wall, and then she knew no more. ----------------------------------------- "Hmm, maybe it''s just nonsense designed to distract us from the true information?" Dorn suggested, more to himself than anything. "Could there have been another message on the victim? Surely I would have noticed¡­" Julia watched him work for a few seconds before returning her gaze to the mage. For the last ten minutes or so, he''d been simply staring at the barrier surrounding the strange stone slab. It honestly didn''t look like he was actually doing anything, but the occasional burst of force that reverberated around the room suggested otherwise. "Are you sure this is the best time to try and decode that thing?" She asked, trying to distract herself from the seemingly apocalyptic scenario they were forced to witness. "Admittedly, no. However, I am well aware that the current predicament is something well beyond my power to contest at this time. It is a scant hope, but this message may contain information capable of changing that." He replied quietly, a faint note of despair coloring his words. Their conversation was momentarily halted by another wave of power coming off the barrier that seemed to vibrate through them in an extremely unpleasant manner. Julia shook her head to dispel the disquieting feeling before continuing. "Alright, I can understand that. Is there something I can do to help?" "My dear, I would be honored to have your assistance," He answered with a slight smile while offering the codebook to her, "but unless you have some hereto unmentioned expertise in the art of cryptology, I fear that we are truly outmatched by this cipher." She took the book and flipped through its contents finding the neat rows of symbols and numbers to be completely insensible to her. Turning it upside down to ensure that she was looking at it properly, she asked, "What exactly are you looking for here?" "If my deduction is correct, then this book should contain the key necessary to decipher this message." He held up a scrap of paper with a long string of symbols. "I am fairly certain that the numbers, since they do not appear in the code itself, are meant to allow operatives to serve as some kind of reference for the decryption process, but I cannot make heads or tails of it. Trust the Shadow Council to encode not only their messages, but the means to read those messages as well." Frowning in thought, Julia started to turn the book back to its original orientation, but stopped halfway, noticing a pattern. "...If you hold it like this, don''t the numbers kind of make a shape?" Dorn started and quickly took the codebook back. "What are you...of course! A Linglasian cyclical cipher! No wonder I couldn''t understand the key. You have to read each page from another sequential direction otherwise it would become nonsense. Julia, you are a genius!" "Umm...thanks? I guess?" She offered while he went to work, furiously flipping through the pages of the codebook and jotting down whatever information he could glean from them. After several minutes of this, he finally finished, quill hovering over the scrap of paper until it dropped a large blot of ink that obscured the last word. "I''ve figured it out." He murmured dazedly. "Well, what does it say?" Julia asked, unable to contain her curiosity. "It-" Dorn started, before the mother of all energy waves cut him off and blasted the pair of them to the ground. They took a few seconds to regain their senses, but as soon as the spinning stopped, the small man was up on his feet, desperation in his eyes. "We have to stop him!" "Wait, what? Why?" "Because, it''s a trap!" Chapter 341: Exquisite Timing, as Always Mike felt a rush of success as the barrier finally gave way in a titanic surge of ancient mana that rippled through the ruins. So great was his satisfaction that he only barely noticed the vibrations of a secondary explosion taking place somewhere far above him. A part of his mind analyzed the source of this disturbance and quickly discarded it as unnecessary for his attention. Instead, he needed to focus intently on the task at hand. Unfortunately, that was proving somewhat difficult due to the screaming of the two lesser beings who had been trailing in his wake ever since his descent into the tunnels. [Lesser beings? When did I¡­] They were shouting something, the sound of their buzzing proving distracting enough that he momentarily contemplated removing them from his presence. However, before the thought even began to take shape, it was just as quickly dismissed. The two humans would be necessary in the near future. Destroying them now would be wasteful. Thus, he reluctantly decided to spare a modicum of his mental faculties to decipher their whining. [Wait? Wasteful?] "Stop! It''s a trap! Don''t do it!" The shorter one was yelling. Frowning Mike spared a glance over his shoulder and noted that both of them were a few meters away, struggling to approach him. It took him a few seconds to realize that they were pressing against the force of mana emanating from the stone slab at the center of the room. The thought of such a paltry amount of energy being enough to drive them away brought a sneer to his lips as he replied, "What are you on about? Things are going exactly as I desire." "No, you don''t understand! This is all a setup. The ghouls are being played for fools! This ritual is meant to fail. When it does, the resulting backlash will destroy what''s left of the city and tear a hole in the fabric of reality. The Shadow Council, or whoever they really are, have been planning this for years. It''s meant to be, and I quote, ''the beginning of a new age of darkness.''" The small man yelled back through gritted teeth. Mike frowned again. "Then by destroying this barrier, I''ve stopped all that. You should be thanking me." "That''s just it. According to this note," he held up a scrap of paper that was waving furiously in the gusts of wind moving through the room, "they were expecting someone to try and stop the ritual. While they don''t explicitly state as much, I infer that they have countermeasures included in the process to ensure their plans come to fruition. If you directly disrupt the barrier at this stage, I can only assume the consequences will be dire. For us and the world." For the briefest of moments, Mike felt a sense of dissonance. As if his perceptions of reality were somehow warped. Everything seemed wrong and he couldn''t understand how he''d come to be here or why he''d made the choices he had. Any growing unease was quickly crushed by an overwhelming affirmation from the deepest parts of his mind. Things were going according to plan. Clearly the man was delusional. It would be best to ignore him. "Clearly you are delusional. It would be best to ignore you." Mike muttered before turning his attention back to the stone slab. He could sense that the barrier''s prisoner was nearly free. It would soon be time to face the powerful being. He needed to be ready to claim his reward. [Reward? What the hell is going on?] This time, before the strange thoughts buried in his unconsciousness could suppress the feeling, he latched onto his uncertainty and fought the sensation. He briefly felt something loosen its grip on his thoughts, and in that moment the full horror of his situation became clear. He sensed the entity which had been controlling him gather itself in an effort to regain its dominance over his mind, and had to use every ounce of his willpower to resist the tidal wave of mental pressure. Using what small amount of his will he had left, he quickly released a surge of Life Magic into his head, trying to tear away the tendrils of foregin thoughts. This elicited a harrowing mental scream as the entity retreated from the sudden interference. Any relief he felt was cut short when he felt himself pulled down into the depths of his mind after the being. Mike found himself standing in a familiar mist shrouded chamber, a seemingly bottomless pool of water in front of him. It felt like a lifetime ago since he''d made use of the Meditation skill to enter this place and speak with the entity that had taken up residence in his soul, but he nevertheless recognized his surroundings. Things had changed however, no longer was the place quiet and tranquil. Instead, the mist swirled with unseen disturbances which were perhaps related to the strange noises that could be heard from beyond his range of sight. The sounds of breathing, scratching, and low-pitched growling could be heard, echoing weirdly in the mists and bringing mind the image of hungry beasts slowly circling. Waiting for him to drop his guard. The pool itself had also changed, becoming dark and inky, with an oily film spreading across its surface. Tendrils of corruption seemed to be slowly sinking into the earth around the pool''s edges, eroding the ground and giving off a sickening, chemical stench. "You''re too late." A harsh voice emerged from the polluted water. Mike couldn''t see the speaker, but he knew that this was likely the source of his current unnatural state. "What are you trying to accomplish?" He asked, trying to maintain his calm. A sharp, piercing laugh, reminiscent of two bits of rusty metal being scrapped against each other filled the air. "Come now. There is no need to play this out. We both know what the point of all this is." As the creature spoke, yet more corrupting tendrils emerged from the water before burying themselves around the pool, expanding the circle of polluted earth. Mike took a moment to send another burst of Life Magic through himself, causing his surroundings to briefly flash with golden light that seemed to halt, but not reverse, the spread of corruption. "It is futile." The being in the pool said. "I have gained too much ground within your mind. You cannot be rid of me that way, not without losing a great deal in the process." "And yet you seem to find the process unpleasant, which makes it worthwhile for me." "Now, now, child. There is no need to be so petty. I have much to offer you, should you be willing to accept it." Mike scoffed. "When we first spoke, you demanded that I yield my body to you. Now, after influencing my thoughts and trying to control my mind, you want to give me something? No, I don''t believe it. I should simply burn you out of me regardless of the cost." The being laughed again. "Well, that would be one solution, but you lack the precision and skill necessary to do so without causing a great deal of...well, let''s call it collateral damage. That is a term the people of your world use, right? I wonder what your comrades will think once they finally reunite with the drooling idiot you will make out of yourself." Gritting his teeth, Mike resisted the urge to simply blast the pool with as much mana as he could manage and test that statement. "Regardless, it does not change the fact that you are a cancer. One that I mean to have removed at the first opportunity." There was a brief moment of silence before the voice spoke again. "You know, I have been watching you since we came in contact. And although I must admit I''ve learned a few things from your memories, I can say with complete honesty that you are a fool. A blind, ignorant, simpleton who has only survived this long thanks to his luck. Someone who, despite having all the power he could possibly desire at his fingertips, has failed to live up to even a small fraction of his potential." For the first time since the start of the conversation, the surface of the pool flickered, displaying a series of images that Mike recognized from his memories. "I have seen you make the same mistakes. Over and over and over again. Each time vowing to become better. To do better. And yet..." The nature of the images changed, now focusing on his companions when they were at their weakest and most vulnerable. "And yet, you''ve failed to recognize your biggest mistake of all. Relying on these insects." A brief flash of Brenden lying beaten and bloody, face twisted in regret, quickly morphed into the tear-streaked face of Sara as she kneeled on the ground, clenching her fists in frustration. Tal, unconscious and maimed, lay helpless as a circle of enemies drew ever closer. Lily stared off into the distance, blood-covered face blank and emotionless, as the sword plunged into her chest. With a ripple, the images disappeared as the voice resumed. "You could be so much more if you simply let go of your attachment to these mortals. Let me show you how." For a long moment, Mike stared at the pool coldly. Finally, he whispered. "What are you offering?" The laugh returned. "We have been at odds, you and I, since we first became one. Initially, I was the weaker of the two. Little more than a faint echo of a shadow, forced to bury myself deep to avoid destruction. However, I bided my time, expanding my domain little by little, and now I control almost as much of your mind as you do. Quite simply, I now stand as your equal." "Get to the point." He growled. Mike could almost hear the voice smiling at his impatience. "As we are equals, perhaps it is time to change the nature of our relationship. I am offering you a contract. In exchange for my continued presence in your body, I will give you power, knowledge, and guidance. With my assistance, you can become truly unstoppable. Even the gods themselves will learn to fear your might." "You haven''t been watching me very closely if you think I will take you at face value. Besides, I''m already one of the most powerful beings in this world, with virtually limitless potential ahead of me. I don''t think I need you at all." The harsh laughter sounded again, louder than before. So loud in fact, that it caused ripples of disturbance in the oily surface of the pool. "You overestimate yourself. No matter. When the corpse eaters'' god finally frees himself from his prison, and you realize your own weakness, you will know where to find me." "...This was your plan from the beginning, wasn''t it?" "Hmm...it is telling that you ascribe such foresight to me, but I am merely seizing an opportunity that has presented itself. I do not know who has played the ghouls for fools, nor what they intend to do by unleashing a god, no matter how weakened, upon the world. But how could I pass up a chance to reap the benefits for myself?" "And the two civilians? Why did you bring them here?" There was another pause as the pool rippled for a few moments. "The answer to that should be obvious, but I suppose I can illuminate you. Tell me, what separates ghouls and vampires from the rest of the undead?" "I''m not playing your games." Mike growled. Seemingly amused, the voice continued. "Many would point out the fact that they alone amongst the ranks of the undead can appear as living members of their former races, and use that quality to blend into society. However, there is something more basic that unites the two races, something they''ve inherited from their shared god." "...Hunger." Mike whispered, suddenly feeling sick. "Indeed. Among all the various types of undead, these two alone have the tendency to feed upon mortals. The vampires consume blood, while the ghouls devour flesh and bone. In the past, their hunger drove them to prey upon mortals wherever they could be found. That, however, has clearly changed. Based on your encounters with them, they have succeeded in blunting that instinctual drive, allowing them to survive on the fringes of living society. I doubt that holds true for the Ascendant who embodies that hunger, especially considering how long he''s been imprisoned." "You intended to feed them to it." He murmured, his question coming out as a statement. "As a means of currying favor, yes." The pool bubbled carelessly in response. "They are, after all, mere humans who would have died in a few decades anyway. What''s the harm?" Mike turned and began walking away from the corrupted water. He''d heard enough. "Done already?" The voice echoed through the mists, growing softer as he pulled away. "We''ll have to continue this next time, then." With a snap, Mike was once more standing in front of the stone slab. It seemed that very little time had passed while he was in the middle of his internal confrontation, but the waves of mana had nevertheless subsided, leaving the room as calm as he''d found it. Partially out of spite and partially out of a belief that it was his only option at this point, he sent another wave of Life Magic through his head, enjoying a brief feeling of satisfaction in the way his thoughts cleared as a result. [That creature''s influence is still there, so I will need to be cautious of it trying to take control again. Right now, however, I have bigger problems to worry about.] Thinking quickly, he scanned the barrier formation, hoping against hope that there was something he could do to prevent its destruction. Unfortunately, it was simply disintegrating, falling to pieces as if some central pillar of support had been removed. Sighing in resignation, he turned back to the two humans who were now watching him warily from a short distance, "I appreciate the warning, but I''m afraid it''s a little too late." Dorn hesitated for a few seconds, and then seemed to collapse internally. "No...no, that cannot be...if only I''d realized it sooner¡­" Julia moved to comfort the man, but Mike held up his hand. "We don''t have time for all that. You need to leave. Now. I don''t know when-" The stone slab exploded upwards, shattering into dozens of pieces as it did so. As the fragments rained down on the three of them, Mike took note of the pale, long-finger hand wrapping around the lip of the space the slab was covering. Clearly, it really was too late. Chapter 342: Anticlimactic Meeting Mike absentmindedly used a bit of air magic to redirect the rubble in a safer direction, making sure to shield the two behind him, all the while focusing his attention on the being emerging from the hole in the floo. He concentrated as much mana as he could hold in one hand, preparing to unleash a storm of magic at the first sign of hostility. He wasn''t sure if he could actually take on a god, weakened or not, but he figured a strong first strike would help even the odds. Initially, all he could see was a pale white hand with long, delicate fingers ending in nails that had been sharpened into points. Then the being rose, seemingly levitating into a standing position like in the old vampire movies Mike had seen in his previous life, until he was upright on the lip of the tomb-like hole. The god, if that was what he really was, had skin so pale that it was practically translucent, shoulder length, wavy hair the color of freshly fallen snow, and eyes that seemingly held no pigmentation at all. The only blemish on his appearance being two small pinpricks of darkness that must be the god''s pupils. However, to reduce this being''s appearance to a mere color would be to ignore the unearthly beauty and charm that radiated from his countenance. His face resembled chiseled marble, carved with high cheekbones, a narrow jaw, and a patrician nose as if he was the product of a master Renaissance sculptor looking to immortalize the classical interpretation of male beauty. His body, which was on full display at this point, was slender and lithe, but evoked a sense of power and presence. The pinprick eyes focused on Mike and a rich, velvety voice emerged from the god''s mouth. "Are you the one that awoke me?" The words were slightly distorted at first, in a manner that Mike had come to recognize as a sign that the other party was using a language he''d not been exposed to before. After a few seconds, the distortion passed as his Communication Magic came into play. Feeling a bit surprised that the other party wanted to talk, Mike answered. "Uh, yes. I suppose you can say that" He tried to use Appraise, just on the off chance it had an effect, but he only got static in response. The god lifted and examined his hands with an expressionless gaze. "Much of me has been lost. The emancipation ritual must have been flawed. Still, I offer my thanks, mortal. You have aided me when few others would." [This is the bloodthirsty monster my inner demon wanted to make use of?] "It is unfortunate you are not one of my kin, or I would grant you my blessing¡­" He paused, staring at Mike a bit harder. "...Although it appears that you bear a small vestige of my bloodline despite being a human. Strange¡­" Mike thought back to how he acquired his Vampiric Regeneration, Lesser skill and decided to keep quiet about its origin. He was fairly certain that the last thing he wanted to do in front of the god of vampire and ghouls was talk about how he''d killed one of its descendants and stole one of its racial skills. "Ah yes, that. It''s something of a long story, and one I won''t bore you with now. Just let me assure you that I am human, plain and simple." "As you wish. Tell me, how long have I been imprisoned? I sense that the High Elven magics that once bound me to this place have weakened significantly. Has the citadel of Tarosh Inshana been laid low? Did my kinsman finally topple the tyrant Meltorni?" "...Well, you were supposed to have been sealed during the height of the Second Age, which came to an end thousands of years ago. As to your other questions, I honestly have no idea, since I''ve never heard either of the names." The god stared at him blankly for a few seconds and then turned his gaze to the ceiling. As he did so, Mike saw a flash of intense grief that vanished so quickly he almost thought he imagined it. There were a few seconds of silence as he waited for the newly risen god to speak when a feeble cough caused the attention of everyone in the room to shift to Dorn who was on his hands and knees, trembling fiercely. "...If I may...uh...humbly...uh, contribute? Divine one...I don''t know what you are saying, but I heard the words Tarosh Inshana. Could it be that you were inquiring about the ancient capital of the High Elves that vanished beneath the sea during the fall of the Second Age?" The god looked at Mike again. "With a few exceptions, I do not understand this man''s words. It seems he speaks a dialect that I am unfamiliar with." "He says that the Tarosh place you were asking about was swallowed by the ocean thousands of years ago. I feel that I should also mention that the High Elves have basically gone extinct by this point, although there are a few descendant races that still live in this region." "Truly? Then, pray tell, who rules this world? Have humans become the dominant lifeform?" "...Well, humans do control a fair amount of the region we are currently in, but I would hardly call them the dominant life forms. I mean, there are a bunch of other races which are basically stronger. Just look at dragons...oh my god, I forgot about Audra!" "Audra?" The god asked, sounding slightly confused, although Mike was not really paying any attention. Opening his inventory, he quickly withdrew the sphere of hardened air that he''d sealed the little dragon inside of, dispelling it and spilling her out onto his hands. At first, Audra was quiet and unmoving, and he feared the worst, but after a few moments she opened an eye and gave him a baleful glare before collapsing back into unconsciousness. Apologizing in his heart, Mike channeled enough Life Magic in her to make sure she was alright before finally returning her to her usual pocket. It seemed like she had suffered any long term effects from her time trapped in an airless void, but he would keep an eye on her going forward to make sure that was the case. [I''ll have to get her something good to apologize¡­] As the familiar weight settled into his clothes, he found himself feeling a bit more stable and reassured. Somehow, Audra''s mere presence seemed to drive back the dark whispers trying to infiltrate the corners of his mind. "Ahem." He feigned a cough once he remembered that he was still standing in front of an ancient god-like being, "Sorry about that. It''s been a rough day. Now what were we talking about...actually, I don''t think I caught your name." A faint smile formed on the entity''s lips. "Like the rest of the gods, I have been called many things by many different peoples. For someone like yourself, an Ascendant Aspirant who has not only freed me from my prison, but has proved themself worthy of the favor of a Wyrm, you can use my mortal name. Call me Aberth." [Yeah, I''m really not seeing what the big deal is. This guy seems pretty cool.] Further conversation was interrupted by another distant explosion far above them. This time it was significant enough that streams of dust began falling from the ceiling. "Shit. I forgot about that part too." Mike muttered under his breath. "The feedback loop is starting!" Dorn exclaimed breathlessly while trying to struggle to his feet. "This is what the Shadow Council was hoping for when they tricked the ghouls into starting the ritual. I suspect this means that your efforts to prematurely destroy the barrier have proven unsuccessful in-" Another explosion rocked the ruins, this time shaking hard enough that cracks began to form in the walls. Fearing an imminent collapse, Mike sent a wave of Earth Magic through the chamber, reinforcing the compromised stonework. He could tell that the patch would hold for a while, but several of the more load bearing portions of the ruins were in the process of disintegrating under the force of the chain explosions. "I''m containing it for the moment, but we''ll need to move quickly to avoid being trapped under tons of rock. You two, start running." He stated while motioning the two humans to the exit before glancing back at the god. Aberth was standing idly glancing up at the ceiling, arms hanging slack at his sides. "Are you coming?" Mike asked. The god turned his white-rimmed gaze at him. "I am not sure if I should." "What do you mean?" Another faint smile formed on his pale lips. "Do you know why I was sealed in this chamber?" "No, but is this really the time to be talking about it?" "I bear the Aspect of Hunger and my kinsmen, the beings you know of as vampires and ghouls, have acquired a sort of resonance with it as a result. I fear that my return to the world will exacerbate their existing instinctual urges." Mike frowned in thought, barely even paying attention to the next wave of vibrations that shook the ruins from another explosion. "And you are sure that will happen? Could it be happening already?" Aberth blinked, something that Mike hadn''t seen him do yet, and replied. "I am uncertain. The effect may only be minimal. Even at the height of my power, the Aspect''s influence was fairly subtle. Since my divinity has been greatly diminished by my imprisonment and the method you used to free me, it is very well possible that there is no danger." "Ah...sorry about that." "Pay it no mind. Not many among the gods could have correctly disabled that trap, let alone a mortal. Nonetheless, without verifying what effect I might have on my descendants, I fear it might be unwise for me to be free in this world." "Just to clarify, is this something that will happen just because you are awake now, or is it more of a proximity thing?" Aberth paused to consider his answer, once again emphasizing how little he seemed to care about being potentially trapped in a collapsing mountain. Finally, he replied. "In the past it was something that affected all of my kin, but those nearest to me were more deeply influenced by their hunger. I suspect, weak as I am, if I avoid getting close to them, my kinsmen will retain their sentience. Perhaps remaining buried here is the best solution." Another explosion rocked the ruins, this time creating a series of cracks in the ceiling. Mike realized he would need to move soon or risk having to dig himself out of the resulting rubble. Not to mention the devastation the collapse would visit on the city itself. He needed to figure out a solution to this problem sooner rather than later. His instincts told him that leaving Aberth alone would be a mistake, but he couldn''t really force him to come along either, especially since the god had a very good reason for wanting to isolate himself. Taking a more violent approach was also off the table. Even if Mike got the jump on him, there was no telling what abilities he had or how long it would take to bring him down. Besides, he had only spoken to Aberth for a few minutes, but he found himself sympathizing with the quiet god. If he had the option, he would prefer to solve this peacefully. [If only I could just store him somewhere safe until the current crisis is over¡­wait...] "Hey, Aberth, do you have to breathe?" --------------------------------------------- A hooded figure stalked through the streets of Gildusi, ignoring the panicked populace who were beset with the twin disasters of a ghoul thrall uprising and the precursor tremors of some cataclysmic event. His work here was done. Now all that remained was to make his escape. He clutched the satchel containing the ancient stone sphere he''d received from the ghoul court as payment for his services, scarcely believing that the deluded simpletons had simply given him the relic, even if they thought it was worthless. It appeared to be made of dull, grey granite and, with the exception of its shape and surprising durability, was unremarkable. As such, it had long been treated as some kind of toy or decorative item, it''s owners never knowing the powerful secret it held. The ghouls were so ecstatic to finally have a means of returning to their prophesied golden age, which likely never existed, they''d never thought to ask themselves why he was interested in the old, but apparently useless artifact. Or why he was even aware of it in the first place. [Fools. They deserve their destruction.] The man thought, dryly running his tongue the exposed teeth of his perpetual grin as he slipped into an alleyway to avoid a battered group of White Lions who were frantically making for the stairs to the next level. Another earthquake, causing a few buildings to collapse on a street nearby, rippled through the city. It seems the ritual had failed faster than he''d anticipated, or perhaps an outsider had interfered and triggered the built-in trap. Either way, it was time to leave. He was soon slipping aboard one of the many ships that were trying to escape. A few members of his cult had secured him passage, but that had largely been forgotten in the night full of tragedies. Nevertheless, a few threats was all it took to secure him a cabin and ensure that he would not be disturbed during the course of the trip. It would take a few weeks to reach Dovistan, and he needed to focus on implementing the next phase of the plan. He couldn''t afford any interruptions when preparing for the end of the world. Chapter 343: A Strong Foundation Kuyana awoke in agony. A searing heat seemed to have burned her throat and lungs, while choking smoke and dust blinded her and made it impossible to breathe. She tried to claw at her face out of instinct, but quickly found that her limbs were trapped in rubble. Doing her best to calm herself, she forced her eyes open and looked around. A flickering light that emanated from somewhere nearby allowed her to see a little of her surroundings. She was more or less buried from the middle of the chest down. From the feel of it, her arms and legs were still attached, and she could even wiggle her left foot a bit, but she was unable to move. The air was filled with a dusty haze, the source of her breathing problems. Nevertheless, she could vaguely see some shapes moving through the smoke nearby, and tried to call out for help. Unfortunately, the best she could manage was a quiet croak which probably couldn''t be heard over the screams of the other survivors which were now filling her ears. Distantly, she heard the voice of Griselda issuing orders. It seemed like the court advisor had survived, and from the sounds of it, was attempting to lead a group to safety. The mere thought of them leaving her behind was enough to send a spike of fear through Kuyana''s mind, but she did her best to control it. Just when it seemed her situation couldn''t get any worse, another rumbling explosion shook the ruins, which caused the debris around her to shift and start to painfully crush her ribs. At first it was merely annoying, but then she quickly realized she could no longer breathe at all. Panic set in. Raw animal panic that demanded action, even if it was fruitless. Every muscle in her body seemed to spasm all at once as her lungs expelled what little air they had left in a primal scream of rage and terror. One that she immediately regretted as the rubble shifted again, crushing down on her more intensely than before. [I didn''t deserve this!] She had time to think before the darkness of her narrowing vision closed in on her and she knew no more. ---------------------------------------------- Mike took a deep breath of fresh air for the first time in what felt like weeks, savoring the slight chill of the night that seeped into his lungs. A small part of him recognized this as entirely psychological. The quality of air he''d been breathing had been maintained by one of his titles for the duration of his sojourn underground, which he chose to ignore in favor of enjoying the moment. He glanced at the two people he''d had to essentially drag with him on the escape. They seemed to be a little worse for wear, but should survive. Nevertheless, he surreptitiously passed a little Life Magic to them to restore their stamina and heal the few injuries they''d sustained. That taken care of, he turned his attention to the much more pressing issue of the burgeoning collapse of the city. He sent his will into the earth below his feet and tried to get a sense for what was happening. It quickly became apparent that the explosion had done an immense amount of damage. The cliffside that Gildusi was built into was in danger of falling off into the ocean, and only the continued endurance of a few load bearing formations in the city''s bedrock had prevented the worst from happening. However, those would only hold out for a little while longer. [Hmm, what to do?] "Um, sir mage? What''s going on?" The female member of the pair that had gotten tangled up with him asked. Her friend/partner/lover was still gasping for breath on the ground. He glanced at her, taking note of the way she flinched as his gaze moved in her direction. Clearly, the experience of tailing him through the ruins had left a strong impression. A part of him sympathized, since it would have been difficult for even stalwart veterans to keep their cool in the presence of an overwhelmingly powerful person who was slowly losing their mind, let alone a civilian. Another part of him found it annoying and tedious. [I didn''t force them to follow me. Hell, I even saved their lives in the first place. If anything, they should be quietly grateful for my presence. Without it, they would have been dead a long time ago. Maybe I should remind them-] Mike sent another wave of Life Magic through his body, and felt the creeping presence of the entity within him recede back into the depths of his mind. Disturbingly, he noticed that it seemed to be a bit closer to the surface than it was just a few minutes previously. He could almost hear the entity''s triumphant laughter even as it was being driven back again. [Going to need to deal with that sooner rather than later.] Putting his possession problems aside, he focused on the woman, who was called Julia he recalled, and tried to explain gently. "That''s a bit complicated, but I suppose the short answer is that I disrupted the ghoul''s ritual prior to its completion, which minimized the resulting explosions, so rather than vaporizing the city, it merely damaged the bedrock that supports it." "Um...isn''t that still pretty bad? Do we need to start evacuating?" She asked while looking around. Their immediate vicinity didn''t appear to be in danger of imminent collapse, but there were still a few corpses lying where they''d been slain by the horde of ghoul thralls. A reminder that there were still other deadly problems to be worried about. "Nah...well, probably not...look, I''m going to try to do something about it for the time being." He replied, not exactly confident in his answer. "You two should just sit tight for a moment. If everything goes well with this, I''ll even escort you both to a safe location. It''s the least I can do for the help down there." Julia blinked, a bit taken aback, but didn''t say anything further. [Well, that''s alright I suppose. I''m not trying to win any popularity contests here.] He thought to himself before once more turning his attention to the collapsing city. A brief surge of Earth Magic served to reinforce the key structural points, but he could tell that this was only a temporary fix. He would need to more comprehensively repair the cliff in order to avoid the worst. [The problem is that there is now a big hole where the ruins used to be. Even if I reinforce what''s left, it would still collapse in time. Replacing the lost rock might work, but I''m not sure if I have enough mana to do that with free casting. I suppose I could try coming up with a spell on the fly, but where to start¡­] For the first time in what felt like ages, Mike pulled out one of his notebooks with information he''d copied from library books back at the University. In it was a list of Tier 1 and 2 Earth Magic spell chants as well as a description of what they were meant to do. He took a moment to flip through the contents before frowning in thought. While a few of the entries did something similar to what he was looking for, most were intended for a much smaller scale than he wanted. So, he would need to piece a few of them together, modify some of the resulting chant''s syntax, and hope for the best. Mike began to unconsciously mutter under his breath as he worked through the issue. "Let''s see...if I use the word for huge here, it should increase the area of effect...I think. Maybe something like enormous would fit better? How am I supposed to determine the objective values created by applying subjective adjectives? Ugh, I feel like I''m in philosophy class again." He was so wrapped up in the task that he didn''t notice as Julia and Dorn began to whisper between themselves. -------------------------------------- "I don''t know, he still seems crazy. I mean, he''s even talking to himself now." Julia muttered while watching the mage. "A trait that I have often exhibited when in the midst of deep concentration. Beyond that, however, he has apparently undergone an extensive personality change, no doubt brought upon him by his interaction with the god who even now must be having some kind of influence on him." Dorn shot back while tapping a finger on his mouth thoughtfully. "...So, I''ll say it again. He''s crazy. Do we really want to stick around with a crazy mage? Especially considering how powerful he is?" The small man frowned. "I am not certain. Given the unusual nature of our current circumstances, I suspect that there is more to his condition than meets the eye. Perhaps he was afflicted with some manner of madness curse which was removed by the god as a reward for freeing him? Or maybe he was forced into this quest as some form of geass, and only by accomplishing his tasks did he restore his usual mental faculties. Whatever the case may be, I sense that he is no longer overtly hostile to us. While we should still be on our guard, there should be no immediate harm in listening to what he says and staying put for the time being." Julia sighed, but found herself agreeing with him. The mage was different now. Calmer and more approachable. Clearly something had changed for the better, but she couldn''t help worrying that he would go back to the angry madman they''d followed through the ruins. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Didn''t he say he was looking for someone the ghouls were holding captive? Do you think he meant that god?" "No, my dear. Based on the way he questioned his captives, I am led to believe the individual in question was something like a subordinate of his. While it certainly appears that he''s forgotten the matter, he may very well be putting it aside for the time being." "Hmm...I don''t know¡­" "Perhaps it will be helpful to remind him, once he''s finished here. In any case, I still believe it is in our best interest to remain with him for the time being." Julia looked over at the mage who was currently in the process of writing something in his notebook and frowned again. "Alright, but I vote we get away from him at the first real opportunity." "Agreed." ---------------------------------------- "...And that should do it." Mike announced to himself, feeling pleased. The chant he''d built was complicated, but he believed it would solve the issue without too much difficulty. The hard part would be adjusting the output to ensure that he didn''t accidentally blow up part of the city in the process. This was a bit of a concern for him since this was also the first time he attempted a multi-part chant that was designed to create two distinct effects, one after the other while still being part of the same spell. "Alright, you two, I''m about to begin. I''d like to tell you to find somewhere safe to hide out until I''m finished, but frankly, if I mess up, it won''t matter where you are in the city. That being said, I recommend laying down and covering your head at the very least." Without giving them time to complain or question him, Mike kneeled down and placed his hands on the cobblestone pavement, sending his will deep into the earth. Once he felt his consciousness suffuse the entirety of the land under Gildusi, he opened his mouth and began chanting. "Gather that which has been scattered upon the four winds and five currents, thy unspent children lost in the echoes of ancient calamity. Return to yon primal source, unchanged and unchallenged. Blend with wellspring, swift current of life, and fill the void of your absence¡­" At this point Mike had to pause the chant while maintaining his connection to the spell as the first segment took place. He felt mana surge through him as the mud he summoned took shape and began filling the various cavities left behind by the destruction of the ruins. He''d chosen this method for the simple reason that the created mud could seep into narrow spaces and cracks, which would be helpful for the next step. Unfortunately, he was fairly certain that it came with the side effect of smothering any still in the ruins at this point. [While I''m not completely positive, the only ones that should still be down there are ghouls anyway. So, there shouldn''t be much in the way of collateral damage, right?] He dismissed the momentary disquiet and ignored the distant laughter of his own personal demon and concentrated on the next phase. Now that mud had filled the cracks and crevices of the region under Giludsi, it was time to reinforce it in a manner that would prevent collapse. "Thy freedom is no more. Cease thy flow and stand fast with thy siblings. Unity is demanded. Structure is required. With rigid confluence of precision, I command thee to take form. [Foundation Repair]" Now he was attempting to solidify the mud, converting it into a sort of rudimentary, quick-drying cement. This was the tricky part, since simply removing water from the mixture would leave the remainder brittle. While it might have been possible to feed in additional creation magic during the spell''s activation to enhance the resulting product''s durability, he figured that would be a bit too difficult for him to manage at his current skill level. So, he decided to just use crystallization instead. [Alright, the silica is in place, now I just need to get it to take the shape I want.] He thought while urging the mud to solidify. Slowly, inexorably, he willed the material to settle and harden, gradually turning the ground under Gildusi into a massive quartz deposit. On a few occasions, the magic got away from him, creating crystal formations that erupted from the earth in various parts of the city and caused havoc. A part of him felt a bit guilty about that, but he decided that it was a small price to pay to save the city. Finally, after several minutes of this, he sensed the task had been completed. Chapter 344: Pantry Problems Mike sighed, struggling to hold himself upright as he was hit by a wave of mana fatigue. It passed quickly as his mana regeneration kicked in. "Well, that should just about do it. Let''s get you two somewhere safe for the time being, and then I''ll see about dealing with the whole ghoul apocalypse situation." He announced to Dorn and Julia, who had started to stand up and dust themselves off. "What...what did you do?" The woman asked, staring incredulously at a spike of crystal that had erupted from the street nearby, neatly impaling a meat vendor''s cart and suspending it several meters in the air. "Came up with a radical new business idea for the home improvement industry." He replied with a smile. "...What?" "Nevermind. Basically, I filled the damaged portions of the bedrock with liquid quartz and then hardened it until it crystallized. Now the city should no longer be in danger of falling into the ocean." He replied cheerfully before glancing at the spike she was staring at. "Of course there are a few side effects. Small price to pay, though." "Sir Mage, though it may be improper, I feel it is my duty as a seeker of truth to ask, who are you, really?" Dorn suddenly broke in, a thoughtful look on his face. For a moment, Mike considered simply telling him the truth. After all, he wasn''t exactly in disguise, and his actions in this city had been anything but subtle. It wouldn''t be long before his identity got out. [Better play it safe anyways.] "I would rather remain unnamed at this point. No doubt you''ll discover who I am in time, but for now, I cannot answer your question." [Alright, that should be sufficiently mysterious.] Contrary to his expectations, the small man gave him a serious stare. "I understand, sir. We will carry the details of your actions here to the grave." Mike felt that he might be getting the wrong idea, but decided that it shouldn''t matter too much. He had every intention of leaving this city as soon as possible and never coming back. Just as soon as he finished what he was doing here...hmm. [Shit.] Thinking quickly, he said. "On that note, I really need to get back to my search. Clearly the person I was looking for was not with the ghouls. Not sure why I thought that in the first place." "Ah, yes, we were planning on bringing that up-" Dorn started, but Mike didn''t have time to listen fully. "Nevermind that now. I promised to get you to safety, but I really need to concentrate, so I''ll be creating some guards for you for the time being." He announced quickly before issuing a short chant. A trio of magic circles appeared on the ground surrounding the two, and a few seconds later the resulting motes of light resolved into three vaguely humanoid figures composed of animate soil and rock. Each of them stood roughly two meters in height, and had thick, heavy looking limbs. They didn''t appear to be particularly quick, but Mike assumed they''d be imposing enough to ward off most attacks.. "These earth elementals will guard you until you reach a safe location. I don''t know this city very well, so I''ll let you lead them." Julia looked fearfully up at the creatures surrounding them, but Dorn seemed to accept his words at face value. He offered Mike a deep bow. "You have my eternal gratitude, sir mage. Should we ever chance to meet again, I pray you grant me the opportunity to repay the favor you have shown us." [You''ve been more helpful than you realize.] Once they had begun moving, Mike focused on the problem at hand. In spite of all of his actions up to this point, he was no closer to finding Selene than he was when he started. And now he was confronted with the seemingly impossible challenge of tracking down one individual in the chaotic city, which was still under attack by a horde of zombie-like ghoul thralls. [I''ve really been relying too heavily on mental bonds for this kind of thing. I''ll need to come up with something to serve as a backup if this ever happens again. In the meantime, how am I supposed to deal with this?] He sorted through a few potential ideas, discarding each in turn as being either impractical or taking too much time. Finally, he came to the conclusion that, without some kind of link to serve as the basis for investigative magic, there was not much he could do right now. [I guess it''s time to move on to my last resort.] He thought while summoning the portal to his inventory and making it roughly a meter in diameter. He stuck his head through the shimmering distortion in the air, momentarily suppressing a shiver of disquiet. Everything he''d read about these kinds of portals said that being inside one when they closed was a very bad thing, so he wanted to make this particular venture as short as possible. The manuals had also recommended against a mage entering his own inventory fully. It was apparently alright for them to partially go inside, but leaving the origin point entirely could destabilize the skill, leading to the pocket realm being stranded in interdimensional space. So, with those disquieting facts in mind, he opened his eyes on the other side of the portal and had a look around. Initially he assumed it would be something like a formless void. What he was not expecting was a copy of the walk-in pantry at his parents'' house that he''d seen thousands of times while growing up in his previous life. After a few seconds of dumbfounded staring, he realized that the scale was off. The pantry had been modest in his past life, barely giving enough room for his heavy set father to walk in without getting stuck. It had also only extended a few meters back, creating a short, narrow space that Mike had to repeatedly navigate when helping his family with cooking. This version, however, was several times larger. The shelves seemed to reach into the sky, and he could barely see the other side of the vast, echoing chamber. "This doesn''t seem right¡­" Mike muttered while looking around. As far as he could recall, the size of a mage''s inventory was directly related to his or her level in the Space Magic skill. At his current level of proficiency, it should only be a few meters square at best. That wasn''t even taking into account the unusual layout. [Could this be a side effect of one of my titles? But that doesn''t explain why it looks like my pantry. Is it something to do with being from another world?] He was about to start going down this tangent, but managed to remind himself of the reason he started this in the first place when he caught sight of his target. "Hey, Aberth!" He called. "I have a question for you." The god was currently in the middle of examining a few of the items stored on the giant-sized pantry''s shelves. In particular, he seemed focused on the damaged dungeon core which had been placed next to a pile of unidentified meat that he didn''t remember storing. A pair of pale white eyes turned his direction accompanied by the powerful being''s calm and measured voice. "In my time, it was considered a major sin to destroy the core of a dungeon. Have things changed so much since then?" "AHEM, well, I don''t know about that. I''ve never heard of anyone doing anything like it before." Mike answered quickly, feeling a little awkward. He tried to move over to the god, but only managed to somehow spin in place, his disembodied head rotating slowly like some kind of horrible carnival ride. With a little bit of effort, he was able to stop himself, but gave up on moving. Wanting to head off any further conversation about the dungeon core, he decided to press on with his question. "Do you, by any chance, have any abilities that would let you track down individual members of your kin? I''m looking for someone, and she just so happens to be a vampire." Aberth turned a thoughtful gaze in his direction, and finally answered after a few moments of silence. "Although I have been greatly reduced, that should still be something I am capable of." "Excellent! Now, I know that you can''t really leave this space without causing some serious side effects, so I''m thinking-" The god held up a hand to stop him. "Please let me finish. It is something I can do, but I am not certain if it is something I should do." "What do you mean?" "Without even considering the effects of my presence on my kin in the city, however brief and truncated it may be, establishing a connection with one of them in particular may lead to a great tragedy." Noting that Mike had questions, Aberth continued. "As I have said before, my mere existence in this world will have the side effect of enhancing the predatory urges of my kin. You must understand that this is the bare minimum of what will happen while I am actively attempting to suppress my aspect''s abilities. In order to do what you have asked of me, I would need to temporarily release my control, and then build a bridge between myself and my target." "That would be bad, I''m guessing." "Indeed. Not only would I drive the targeted individual into a blood frenzy by the briefest contact, but the resulting interference would be strong enough to affect any other members of my kin who happen to be in proximity." Mike frowned. "Considering the timing, it seems likely that whoever captured her was related to your kin. Which could be rough if any powerful vampires or ghouls just so happened to be nearby." "There is one other problem with this method." "Hm?" A brief flicker of emotion passed over the god''s face, a momentary hardening of his features that could have only been intense anger. "If I do this, I will be announcing my presence to the entirety of this world. My enemies will be aware that I am free, and will begin moving against me and those they perceive as my allies. In my weakened state, I will not be able to do much to resist them." "I see...I suppose it is a bit much to ask. Can you think of any other way to find her?" "There are a few other methods, however, they have all the same risks with a much higher chance of failing." "Hmm..." Aberth''s lip twitched upward in the hint of a smile. "Ultimately, my destiny will not change regardless of the path we take now. As such, I will leave the decision up to you." [Some help you are...ugh, I have a bad feeling about this, but I can''t think of any other way to track her down in the short term.] After a bit of internal debate, he finally sighed. "Alright, let''s do it." "Very well, then let us begin discussion of my payment." For a few seconds Mike stared at him, slack jawed. He''d been completely taken by surprise. "What the hell? Didn''t you say you owed me for freeing you from your prison?" "I did indeed, and I have benevolently rewarded you for your efforts. This however, is a separate matter that will cost me a great deal. As such, I feel it is only fair that I am adequately compensated." "Rewarded? What reward?" "I have enhanced the portion of your power that stems from my kin. You will understand if you check your [Status]." With mixed feelings, Mike did just that and found two new entries. -------------------------------- - (BC) Vampiric Regeneration, Standard (Tier 3) - (Acquired through Blood Collector) You have inherited the legendary regenerative powers of a true vampire, allowing you to heal from virtually any non-fatal injury. By utilizing a requisite amount of mana, this skill can regenerate lost body parts. Users of this skill can even briefly store their consciousness in their bodily fluids, allowing them to regenerate from conditions where life would otherwise be impossible. Large increase to the healing speed of all ordinary injuries. Exposure to fire will slow or halt this process. - (BC?) Vampiric Constitution, Standard (Tier 3) - (Acquired through Blood Collector?) You have inherited the legendary resilience of a vampire, allowing you to resist a wide range of afflictions and injuries. Minor increase to Defense against all attacks, mental effects, and curses. Moderate increase to resistance against the negative effects of cold temperatures. Large increase to resistance against disease and poison. -------------------------------- "Well, shit. That''s awesome, but I am bothered by the fact that you did it without my permission." [And my awareness.] "My apologies. I meant no offense. When I granted you that power, I was under the assumption that I would never see you again. Because we had limited time at that moment, I chose to omit an explanation. If you are concerned about me tampering with your abilities in the future, please rest assured, I can only manipulate the skills that are related to my aspects. Even then, I can only improve them. Any attempt to deprive you of power will trigger your soul''s self defense process, preventing the change." "I see¡­I suppose that''s fair, but from here on out, I don''t want to have any more surprises like this." "Of course." Aberth replied with a slight nod. "Now, should we discuss my fee?" Chapter 345: Hunger Pains Selene groggily opened her eyes, her gaze eventually fixing on the same stone ceiling she''d seen several times before. It seemed that she was still imprisoned. A few moments after she regained consciousness, the familiar resignation settled in. [If I am awake again, that means they''ll be starting the interrogation again soon. Ah...the boss is going to be pissed about this.] It was a distant concern. A large part of her realized that the chances of Mike finding her now were slim. Her captors had seen to that by taking her to this secluded hideout once they''d severed her familiar bond, something she had not thought possible. More as a formality than anything else, she once again tried to strain at the chains binding her, but they remained securely fastened. After a few seconds of effort, she collapsed back, her vision narrowing for a moment as the exertion left her lightheaded. She still wasn''t exactly certain what her captors had done to her that had made her so weak, but she felt like a decrepit old woman. [Really, just how lousy is my luck. First I get turned into a monster and abandoned by all of my friends, then I get picked up by the boss and forced to run myself ragged over the whole world to look for information he usually ends up ignoring. Finally, I get captured by these bastards right when I was about to find out something big. It feels like I''m stuck on a miserable path with no hope of escape. Did I piss off a god in a past life or something?] Her ruminations on her fate were interrupted by the door to the small chamber banging open. A trio of guards in dark full plate stomped in and took up their now familiar positions around the room. After a few moments, the scarred man walked in, a smile plastered on the horror of his face. The figure that stood in the doorway was whip thin, nearly skeletal. His dark robes hung off of him like a sheet on a clothesline. This time his hood had been drawn back to reveal his nausea inducing face and head. If Selene had to describe him, she would be forced to say that he resembled a poorly assembled puzzle made of leather scraps. By all appearances, the man had been flayed alive at some point and had the resulting strips of skin sewn back together haphazardly. How he could have survived something like that was a mystery, but the resulting scar tissue had twisted his face into a mockery of a person. The wrenched mouth opened into a gap-toothed grin, a bit of spittle flowing from the corner, and emitted a hoarse whisper. "Now, my dear. Have you had quite enough rest? Are you ready to continue?" Selene mustered up enough energy to glare at him angrily, but didn''t bother to respond. "Haha," The interrogator chortled. "Still feisty, are we? Excellent. I had hoped you wouldn''t make this easy. There are still a few techniques I''ve yet to employ. It would be quite the shame to let them go to waste." A chill ran down her spine. Surely he wasn''t planning on¡­ The scarred man leaned in close, whispering a little more quietly. "I''m sure you are familiar with the process by now, so I will begin with the usual question. Who do you work for?" As much as her bindings would allow, she turned her head away from the horror of the man''s face as well as the accompanying scent of rot that came with each raspy word. "Well, well, no sassy comebacks? No insults? No half-hearted attempts to mind control us with your voice? We really are making progress. A few more days of this, and we''ll be ready to welcome you back into the fold." Selene gritted her teeth to ensure that she didn''t let out an inadvertent whimper. As terrified as she was, she didn''t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. "However, seeing as you have not yet realized the futility of your continued resistance, I believe it is time to move on to one of our more effective methods of persuasion." The interrogator motioned to one of the guards, who promptly wheeled in a little cart carrying a wide variety of implements. After a quick glance, Selene chose to focus on the ceiling again. She really didn''t want to see what was coming. Unfortunately, this only seemed to spur the scarred man further, as he held a jagged hook in front of her while explaining with obvious pride. "This is one of my personal favorites. It may look crude and brutal, but there are a wealth of ways you can put it to use. You see I treasure versatility¡­" His words began to fade out as something began building in the depths of Selene''s mind. It felt a bit like the connection she had with Mike, a mental bond that had the back of her head tingling with the presence of another person. Only this time, it felt...different. Her boss''s mind was fairly calm and unobtrusive. Even when he was mentally messaging her, his impact on her thoughts was minimal. If she had to describe it, his connection was a bit like drinking lukewarm water. It''s taste was plain enough that one would quickly forget anything about it once they were done. In contrast, this new connection was like throwing back a shot of distilled liquor. It burned, and she could feel her consciousness quivering under the effects of the intrusion. It was clear that someone was trying to reach her, but even in her terrible situation, something about this new person terrified her. She sensed a sort of depth to the mind on the other side of the mental connection that hinted at something beyond her comprehension. So concerning was this potential threat that she honestly considered shielding herself from it to the best of her ability in the hopes of avoiding it, even though it might very well be her only option for deliverance from her current circumstances. However, her memories of the last few hours won out in the end. She didn''t think she could tolerate another round of questioning, and feared that her sanity would start to crack. Since madness apparently was the outcome of either option, she decided to go for the one that at least had a chance of saving her from further suffering. So, Selene embraced the connection. -------------------------------------------- "Does she still refuse to answer?" The Marquis asked distractedly. He was focused on the latest reports concerning the situation in Gildusi, a much more serious threat to the Court''s interests. It didn''t take much effort for Pithke to realize that he was not really interested in the interrogation of potential spies. Indeed it was quite common for said spies to simply be executed once they were discovered, but in this particular case, the woman they found had some unusual traits. Some of which were only known to occur among Vargulfs. The highest levels of the Court decided to uncover the secret of her existence and ordered a complete investigation. Which was why Marquis Montiffiat was overseeing the questioning, something that was ordinarily well beneath him. It was clear that this menial task was wearing on the man''s ego, and Pithke expected an outburst or tantrum sometime in the near future. "Not as yet, my lord, but you know that Naristan''s methods take time. Surely by tomorrow, we can expect more favorable news." Pithke answered from his position kneeling on the floor. He couldn''t see the Marquis''s face, but he was quite certain the ancient vampire''s mouth had pulled back in a snarl of disgust. "That twisted monstrosity thinks too highly of himself, and I will not tolerate his inefficient methods for long. Go tell him that he has until sunset tomorrow to break the woman, or I will find someone else who can." Pithke suppressed a sigh. This is why he hated working for one of the ancients. They had an intense hostility towards the unfamiliar or unusual. Any plan that didn''t rely on techniques long honed by one''s predecessors was sure to earn their disparagement. "I will, my lord, but I feel I must remind you that Naristan was given his post by the Queen. Any attempt to interfere in his duties may be considered tre-" With a crash, the Marquis''s fist slammed into the stone wall of the chamber, cratering it despite the fact that this particular section of the hideout was carved from the bedrock, and therefore should be amongst the most sturdy in the entire complex. "I don''t need you to remind me of anything! Tell that wretch what I said, and make sure he gets the job done!" For a brief moment, Pithke felt a surge of anger at the ancient, and it took nearly all of his willpower to resist the urge to throw himself across the table and attempt to throttle the man. This of course would have quickly resulted in his death, since there was little he could do against one of the most powerful vampires as a pitiful, mortal human. Suppressing his rage by relying on his long years of experience serving the Court, he managed to school his emotions long enough to say, "Very well, my lord. I will see to it." "Good, now get out of my sight-" Something washed through the room, an imperceptible surge of an intangible energy that passed over them without any warning. The sensation was so strange that Pithke momentarily hallucinated the image of a tidal wave flowing in the chamber and smothering them both. Before he had a chance to be distrubed by that however, he was hit by intense hunger pains. Hunger was no stranger to the old man. He could recall nearly being pushed to the brink of madness on a few occasions when he was growing up on the streets, but this was somehow fundamentally different. For a brief moment, it seemed that nothing could ever fill the void that had become his stomach, but the sensation soon passed. After a few seconds, he felt well enough to speak, and raised his head to ask the Marquis. "Do you know what that was, my lord?" Mere moments after the words had left his lips, he realized that the vampire noble was not acting in his usual manner. The man was bent over, face clenched in his hands, a grimace of pain or anger peeking out from between his fingers. However, as soon as Pithke spoke, the Marquis''s head snapped up, revealing a beastial snarl. The ancient vampire''s eye''s had changed color, with the normal white sclera being colored with a dark, bloody red. His fangs had protruded, filling his mouth with serrated, hook-shaped horrors that were the trademark of the lamprey-like Vilusi clan. A trail of drool spilled from his lips as he rose and began slowly climbing over the desk, his bloody gaze fixed on the prey in front of him. Fear overwhelmed Pithke, an unremitting tide of it that shut out all other thoughts and feelings. He wanted nothing more than to run screaming from the room, but some long forgotten survival instinct told him that as soon as he turned away, the predator stalking him would pounce. Trapped in a hellish prison of indecision, he was forced to wait as the dangerous creature grew ever closer to the point that he could feel it''s warm breath on his face. Just when he began to think that this couldn''t go on any longer, that he must do something, anything, the wall to the office exploded. A massive, brown furred creature smashed into the room, showering both of its occupants with debris. It took a few moments for Pithke to recognize the hulking monstrosity as a Vargulf, and by then the two vampires were squaring off, hissing at each other like cats. Before he had the chance to slip away in the resulting confusion, the two beasts threw themselves at each other, ripping and tearing at each other''s flesh in an orgy of bloodshed and violence. Unfortunately for Pithke, he was still in the line of fire, and the last thing he saw was one brown-furred tree trunk of a leg swinging in at his face. Chapter 346: The Vargulfening "I have made the connection." Aberth murmured. "After a few minutes I should be able to¡­hmm." "What''s the matter?" Mike asked, disembodied head slowly floating in a lazy orbit around the fallen god. "You did not tell me that the one you are looking for was a Vargulf." "She''s not. Well, I should say that she isn''t one anymore." Aberth glanced at him. "Please explain. To my knowledge, there is no means of returning one of them to their original state." "Honestly? I don''t know, really. When I encountered her originally, I noticed that she had some unusual abilities. Out of curiosity, I attempted to cure her affliction with Healing Magic. While it was a difficult process for both of us, I eventually succeeded." "That shouldn''t be possible. The transformation into a Vargulf is not an affliction so much as a metamorphosis. The system does not recognize it as an abnormal condition, and therefore it should not be possible to ''cure'' it, regardless of the method you employed. There should be more to the story." Mike frowned in thought. "Well, the only other thing I can think of is the fact that she ended up as my familiar in the process." "¡­You made a sentient humanoid into a familiar?" Aberth asked incredulously. "Not intentionally." He shot back defensively. "Still, that should also be impossible, at least with the original version of the skill. Perhaps if there was a strong enough link between the two of you¡­no, even then there would need to be an incredible difference in soul density." The god spoke, almost to himself, as he gracefully paced along the shelves of the inventory/pantry. "Tell me, are you by any chance a fallen deity or some kind of divine being from another realm?" Mike shook his head. He considered explaining his situation as a Reincarnator, but wasn''t sure if he could trust Aberth yet. For all that he appeared to be sane and reasonable, there was no telling how a millennia old divinity would react to that piece of information. "Then I can only assume it was some fluke of circumstance. Nevertheless, if she is truly your familiar, then there should be no need for my involvement." "Normally that would be the case, but several hours ago the connection was severed. I don''t know how, but I do know that the process was immensely painful for her." Aberth rested a finger along his right cheek in an unconscious gesture of concentration, a surprisingly human affectation. After a few moments he said, "There are a few ways to break that kind of bond. Most require the master''s permission, or, at the very least, presence. To my knowledge, there is only one that can be used in this manner. Her abductors would have needed to remove or destroy the portion of her soul that was bound to you. Something that would not only have been immensely painful, but left her weak and vulnerable until she healed." "What would something like that take? How would they even do that?" "There are some magics in this world that can even affect the soul. Typically, such things are only available to practitioners of Divine Magic, but Arcane mages can learn a few tricks. I suspect that you, with your Elemental Healing Magic, are also capable of such a feat. No doubt that played a role in causing her change of form to begin with. However, of the various options, I suspect that the perpetrator used a ritual based on Divine Magic. It would simply be the most straightforward option given their resources." "I see¡­I''ll have to apologize for getting her into this mess when I finally find her. Speaking of which, have you narrowed down her location." Aberth shook his head. "I am still working on it. There are some complications which have increased the difficulty of the task." "What complications?" Mike asked, feeling slightly apprehensive. "Her identity as a Vargulf has changed things. They are creatures of intense hunger, even in comparison to other vampires. Quite simply put, my connection with her has driven her into a frenzy, and attempting to determine something as complex as her precise location based on her sensory input is challenging to say the least. I am attempting to use others of my kin in the same location to learn more, but unfortunately, your former familiar is making that difficult as well." "But she''s no longer a Vargulf, right?" "It seems you are under a false impression." Aberth replied with a sad smile. "As I said before, the transformation into a Vargulf is irreversible by anything short of divine intervention. I believe that your familiar bond, coupled with your mastery of Healing Magic allowed you to force her into a temporary reversion. Once that bond was severed, it was only a matter of time before she returned to her natural state. My involvement only hastened the process." "I see¡­" Mike had to digest this for a moment. Truth be told, he''d never questioned the miraculous transformation before, assuming that his innate luck had made it possible. It never occurred to him that he was only temporarily changing her form. For some reason, the idea bothered him. It felt like a bond of obligation that was tying him down. After some further introspection, he determined the origin of the sensation. [I never did plan on staying in this world forever, did I? As soon as I discovered there were ways to travel to other dimensions, a part of me had always planned on leaving. And yet, I understand that in doing so I would have to give up on the things left in this world to some extent. I would need to leave behind the people here. To be reminded of the fact that my departure might cause those closest to me to suffer, is¡­unsettling.] His musings were interrupted by a soft exclamation from Aberth. "Ah¡­I found her. She is being held in the city, under a mansion on the uppermost layer. There appears to be an extensive hideout carved from the cliff face, and a large number of my kin are present. Hold still for a moment." The god walked over to Mike''s floating head, reached out, and pushed one finger against the bridge of his nose. He was about to ask what the ancient being was doing when an image popped into his head. He saw an ornate mansion painted in a mixture of light green and white. A strong iron fence enclosed the surrounding gardens, while a small army prowled the grounds. "This is where your companion is." "¡­Thank you. I''ll be going then." Mike replied hastily, already preparing to pull his head back out of the portal. "Just remember my payment." Came the quiet reply as the opening to his inventory closed. [How could I forget?] Mike thought to himself. It wasn''t something he could fulfill at the moment. With time and effort, however, it should be possible, and Aberth was content to wait. That just left the little matter of surviving the process, which was a little questionable at the moment. As he prepared to lift off into the air, he noticed a circle of ghoul thralls surrounding him at a respectful distance. Contrary to their bestial natures, they seemed to have enough intelligence to recognize him as a dangerous being, something that made them more capable than several normal humans he''d met in the past. Thinking back on his conversation with Aberth, he found himself wondering if these people might not be similar to Selene with her Vargulf problem. The change appeared to be just as irreversible, but maybe he had the skills necessary to fix them. After all, if Healing Magic could temporarily revert his familiar, maybe Life Magic could do so permanently. The thought came to him with a mixture of annoyance and guilt. Annoyance because he was once again feeling obligated to help a group of people that he had no other connection with, simply because he had the power to do so. Guilt because he''d done nothing besides kill the thralls so far, essentially ensuring that there would be some casualties regardless of whatever miracle he proved capable of. [I am beginning to see why so many of the gods avoid getting involved in mortal affairs. Once you accept any degree of responsibility for your power, it is an endless quagmire of situations you bear the blame for simply due to your inaction. The philosophical implications alone would be maddening.] He knew these feelings would only get worse as he grew stronger and more capable. If he wanted to avoid going insane, he would need to establish some kind of defining limitation to his behavior. Perhaps a set of guidelines for where and how he would get involved. [For the time being, however, I am going to focus on those close to me. The rest of the world can take care of itself.] With that decision in mind, he took off in the direction of the vampire hideout, leaving the milling ghoul thralls to disperse and continue their rampage. It took less than a minute to arrive, but by the time he did, the mansion was in an uproar. As he flew closer, he saw a few windows explode as dark humanoid shapes launched themselves into the gardens. There, the presumably human guards were treated like prey animals and hunted by the blood crazed vampires who apparently were still feeling the effects of Aberth''s brief connection. Watching the animalistic way the finely dressed men and women chased the mortals down and tore them to pieces, he found himself feeling slightly disturbed. Steeling himself against any possible sense of guilt by reminding himself that these were essentially vampire cultists who''d thrown their lot in with the undead and therefore deserved their fate, he landed and advanced inside, dealing with the occasional attacker with periodic bursts of Fire Magic. He used Appraise on several of the vampires present, finding that they were almost universally quite young, with the oldest being a mere hundred and twenty. Thanks to his studies, he knew that, with few exceptions, the strength of a vampire was directly proportional to their age, with the most ancient members of their race being the most powerful. [So they put cannon fodder on the first floor. Were they expecting to be raided?] Using minimal effort, he pushed through the disorganized mob and entered the mansion. He sent his mana into the ground, finding it a bit difficult to do. Apparently this method worked better with stone structures. Nevertheless, he was able to develop a reasonable approximation of the building in his head, and used this information to locate the hidden entrance to the basement below. Not bothering to determine what sort of hidden mechanism opened the section of wall that concealed the stairs leading down, Mike simply created a bar of superheated Fire Magic and cut himself a path. After that, he embedded his fist in the slab of the dissected wall and hurled it over his shoulder. Beyond the opening, he could see stone stairs leading down. While descending, he tried to mentally compare the information he''d gathered previously with what was now available to him through Aerosense. The result was a mental picture of a sprawling network of tunnels and chambers which riddled the land under the mansion. To make matters worse, there were several escape paths he could identify. If he gave his enemies time to evacuate, then he might risk losing Selene''s trail again. With that in mind he hurried towards the largest group of moving creatures. If he was lucky, he could find someone with enough rationality left to question. After running through the tunnels for a few minutes, he eventually arrived in a large room. A quick glance suggested that it was some kind of gathering or meeting place, and could have even been some kind of chapel, but the rampant destruction it had suffered from left the matter in doubt. All throughout the room, a series of small-scale battles were taking place, with hunger-crazed vampires attacking one another in an orgy of blood shed. Dozens of scattered corpses suggested that there had already been extensive casualties, but the hostile creatures showed no signs of backing down. Slightly overwhelmed by the savagery he was witnessing, Mike came to a halt at the doorway and simply scanned the chamber for a few seconds, letting the spectacle sink in. His attention was arrested, however, at a particularly vicious confrontation taking place near the opposite wall. There a large and fast-moving creature was fending off several attackers through a combination of superior strength and a carnal brutality that seemed to shock even the maddened vampires into hesitating. With a sinking heart, he used Appraise on the Vargulf. He didn''t need to read the resulting message to know he''d found Selene. Chapter 347: A Transformative Experience [Alright, you''ve done this before, surely you can do so again.] Mike thought as he considered how to go about correcting Selene''s transformation. He tried to recall exactly how he did it last time, but the only thing that came back to him was a vague impression of just throwing mana at the situation to see if it worked. He would need to approach this in a more methodical manner this time, but first he would need to subdue the angry mass of brown-furred muscle. Walking forward, he began dealing lethal attacks to any of the milling combatants that got too close. As he approached, he realized what had been bugging him about the situation since he''d arrived. [Now that I think about it, isn''t she bigger than last time?] The vargulf was now towering over the other vampires. While he remembered her being fairly large, like others of her kind, she now stood nearly three meters in height and appeared to have gained a good amount of muscle as well. In fact, if it wasn''t for her obvious bat-like features, he could have easily mistaken her for a bear standing on its hind legs. [Aberth did say that he would have a larger effect on her than others in the vicinity, but I didn''t think it would have a physical effect.] Dismissing the thought, he channelled his mana and dispatched most of Selene''s attackers with a few well-placed fireballs. The survivors turned on him and charged, evidently too blood-crazed to realize that doing so was suicidal, and not just because they were attacking a far superior opponent. The vargulf took advantage of this distraction by snagging one of the running vampires with a twisted wing-like foreleg. The victim, an elegantly dressed man, struggled to break out of Selene''s grip, but could only snarl helplessly as he was dragged up to her mouth. With a sickening crunch, the vargulf bit down on the vampire''s head before wrenching her neck to one side, messily decapitating him. Snarling, she spit out the offending appendage and allowed the rest of her victim''s body to collapse bonelessly. Mike watched the grisly sight while dispatching the other attackers. Soon he was left facing the enraged crazed vargulf alone. "I don''t know if you are still in there, but I''ve come to help." He told the beast in as reassuring a voice as he could manage. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to help as he quickly found himself dodging backwards to avoid her snapping jaws. "Come on! You remember me, don''t you?" He tried again, hoping to see some sign of intelligence in the vargulf''s dark red eyes. "It''s me, Mike. I know I''m a little late, but I''m here to save you." This time he had to slide to the right in response to her full-bodied tackling attempt. "Alright, I tried doing this the nice way, so don''t blame me if this hurts." He grumbled while channeling his mana. As the vargulf turned to launch another attack, tendrils of muddy water began wrapping themselves around her, binding her movements. At first, she was able to break free of the restraints, but Mike just kept adding more mud until she was trapped in a dark brown sphere nearly four meters in diameter. So large in fact that her head, which he intentionally left outside of the makeshift prison, was nearly scraping against the ceiling. He used a bit of his focus to solidify the mud, creating a cement-like prison around the vargulf. After spending a few moments watching the angry creature try to break free again, he finally relaxed. [This is definitely going in my bag of tricks.] He thought to himself before turning his thoughts to the task at hand. Flying up to the vargulf''s head, he carefully laid one hand on the back of her neck, as far away from the angrily snapping teeth as he could manage. Once he''d firmly established a connection, he began channeling Life Magic into the trapped creature. He felt the wave of mana snag slightly with something in her head, and the vargulf''s frantic thrashing quieted down. Based on her reaction, he assumed that he''d managed to remove the condition that was causing her to go berserk. However, the magic continued to flow through her with no other obvious effect. [What the hell? Why is it so different from last time?] Mike recalled that the vargulf''s body had actively resisted the Healing Magic, which had given him the means of forcing the issue. Now however, it was like he couldn''t gain any traction. The mana was there, surging through her body, but he couldn''t find any abnormality to fix. [Does this mean that I can''t do it with Life Magic? Do I need to try and make another familiar bond?] Redoubling his efforts, he tried investing his mana into her tissues directly, searching for a means of returning her to her original form. With that deep of a connection, he could tell that forcing her to change shape was technically possible, but the mana requirements would be incredibly steep. Even then, it would be difficult to control the process. So difficult in fact, that he was convinced it would be beyond his current abilities to achieve. [This doesn''t quite seem like the same method I used the first time. I''m fairly certain the System was involved in correcting the process, making it possible at all. The fact that her race changed according to Appraise was an indicator of that. On the other hand, this method seems to be more direct. In fact, I think this would be a bit like extensive plastic surgery. She would likely regain her sanity and general human shape, but her race would remain the same in the eyes of the System. I wonder if that wouldn''t cause some kind of error.] He considered a few potential long term effects for using this method, before ultimately foregoing it. There were simply too many potential complications. It would be like trying to turn a gorilla into a human by rebuilding it from a cellular level while leaving its DNA unaffected. He didn''t know what that would mean for Selene after the transformation, but he assumed that it wouldn''t be good. What he really needed to do was figure out how he managed to form a familiar bond with her in the first place. Working off a hunch, he decided to try focusing on the vargulf''s soul with Life Magic. He relied on his limited experience in dealing with his inner demon to make the connection work. It took some effort, and a great deal more mana than he would like, but he was able to grasp the condition of Selene''s spirit. As the information trickled into his mind, he began to get a mental picture of an amorphous mass of a silvery material. It pulsed and swayed to some rhythm that he couldn''t hear, taking on different shapes. The movement could almost be mistaken for a kind of dancing, if it wasn''t for the obvious injury it had sustained. A gaping hole had formed near its center, jagged edges surrounding the resulting space. Small threads of the silvery material were gradually separating from the wound, floating away and dispersing into minute particles before disappearing entirely. Mike felt a pang of guilt as he explored the extent of the damage. He wasn''t sure what a soul injury would be like, but he could imagine the kind of pain she must have suffered to leave this large of a wound. [Let''s see, according to the description for Life Magic, I should be able to heal this somehow. Do I just inject mana until she''s fixed?] Lacking any better idea, he tried doing just that. At first it didn''t seem like he was making any progress, but after a few seconds, he thought he felt the injury shrink a bit. Redoubling his efforts, he infused even more mana in the vargulf''s soul. Although it took more of his reserves than he would have liked, he nevertheless succeeded in repairing the damage, leaving Selene''s spirit intact. Once he was certain of the result, he took a moment to relax, releasing a breath he didn''t know he was holding. Not wasting any time, he immediately set about trying to reestablish the familiar bond. While operating mostly by instinct, Mike attempted to simply connect his soul with the vargulf in a manner that felt vaguely similar to the bond he currently had with Audra. Surprisingly, the process proved relatively easy, with a nebulous cord of immaterial soul-stuff affixing to the recently healed portion of Selene''s spirit. A wave of thoughts pulsed forth from the connection, flooding his mind with primal hunger and fear. It was annoying, but he managed to clamp down on the feelings and concentrated on the most delicate part of the whole process. Leveraging his reforged bond, he set about altering the vargulf on a fundamental level. His captive screeched in agony as the Life Magic seized her and began warping her form. Mike had to concentrate to keep the sheer complexity of the task from overwhelming him, but after several minutes of intense labor, he felt the change take hold. There was a flash of light as excess mana was released between the two of them. Once his vision had recovered from the sudden brightness, he saw a familiar face. "Boss?" Selene asked, exhaustion dripping from her voice. "Where...what''s going¡­what''s all this?...Why am I trapped in a giant ball?" Mike shattered her stone bindings and helped guide her to a sitting position on the floor. "It''s alright. There''s a lot that I have to-" Responding to a sudden burst of hostility, he managed to barely dodge a crackling line of energy that sliced through the air with lethal intent. Operating entirely off instinct, he summoned a cloud of steam, grabbed hold of Selene, and used a combination of Earth and Air Magic to hurriedly fling the both of them to the other side of the room. The movement was just in time, as the section of the chamber they were previously standing in became a beehive as deadly energy rained on the location. Activating his stealth skill, he slid further into the shadows, hoping to avoid detection while he determined the origin of the attack. Thankfully, he didn''t have to wait long. "Ha! You missed! So much for your fabled accuracy." A girl''s voice called out from somewhere above them. An annoyed man''s voice answered. "As I said previously, Tier 4s require more than a casual ambush to defeat. They usually have some detection skills that make my task difficult. Based on his responses, his version seems to function off killing intent or something similar." "Whatever, you are just trying to make excuses." The girl shot back, amusement clear in her voice. "The truth of the matter is that you missed despite waiting until he''d nearly exhausted his mana. What was it? ''He''ll be most vulnerable at the cusp of victory.'' Right?" Mike tried to use the sound of their voices to pinpoint their locations, but they echoed strangely in the steam filled chamber. To make matters worse, it seemed his Aerosense couldn''t detect them for some reason. Deciding that his low mana reserves, the presence of a greatly weakened Selene, and his complete lack of information meant he was at a serious disadvantage in the current circumstances, he planned on making a getaway at the first opportunity. However, he couldn''t risk making any big moves until he knew where the pair were. While this meant he needed to bide his time, he nevertheless used it to make a few preparations. "Under normal circumstances, that initial burst would have been enough to render him temporarily immobile. He''d heal quickly, but we would have had a chance to take him down while he was helpless. However, I did not plan for intent based detection skills. They are frankly rare, even among Tier 4s." The girl snickered. "Excuses. Well, that means it''s my turn, right? Let''s see how he handles this." For a moment, there was silence, and then Mike sensed something small descending from above. He could tell that the object was cylindrical in shape, and quite heavy based on the way that it completely resisted the subtle air currents in the room. Despite the oddities, it seemed somewhat familiar to him, triggering a memory deep within him. It almost felt like a bom¡­ With less than a second to spare, he threw his mana into the stone around them, pulling it into a shielding wall as the world turned white. Chapter 348: SLG Woes Mike shook his head to clear the fog that had settled in it after the explosion. Using some of his remaining mana, he sent a wave of Life Magic through Selene, waking her up and healing the multitude of injuries she''d suffered in the aftermath of the bomb. He''d managed to protect them from the main force of the blast, but the concussive wave still did a number on them, and only their supernatural, System-enhanced toughness had kept them from being liquified. Once his familiar was well enough to move, he turned his attention to the room outside the blasted stone hemisphere. There were sufficient holes in his creation that he was able to detect a slight disturbance in the air currents, suggesting that something was moving around on the other side of the conjured wall. However, that was the full extent of what he could see. [Alright, screw this. Time to get out of here.] Sending his mana into the stones around him again, he quietly created a pathway directly behind them, angled up towards the surface. He grabbed Selene and began flying. As they moved, beams of crackling energy started punching through his wall. Mike didn''t wait to find out anything more, and flew faster while summoning additional walls to block off the passage behind them. Distantly he heard the girl yell, "Hey! They''re getting away!" Her exclamation was followed by several loud crashes as their pursuers began destroying their way through the walls he''d erected. Based on the sound alone, he could tell they would catch up to him slightly outside of the tunnel. Without looking down at the woman that had shaken off her confusion and was clinging on to his cloak as they travelled, he said, "Selene, we''ve got enemies at our backs. It looks like they''ll be on us soon. Are you well enough to fight?" The vampire grimaced. "I''ve definitely been in a better condition, but I should be able to hold my own." She paused for a moment to clench one hand into a fist. "Rather, I think I might be stronger than before¡­" There was a second of silence as Mike digested this information, considered what it might mean, and ultimately decided that it wasn''t important at the moment. "Good, we''ll turn on them as soon as we get to the surface." She nodded. "Do you know what we are up against?" "Two that I know of. By the sounds of it, there is a young girl and an adult man, although considering they are probably vampires, that doesn''t mean much. The man seems to have the ability to produce high intensity energy beams, but that''s the extent of what I know about what they can do. So, be prepared for anything." "Great. Nothing I like better than tangling with an unknown number of potentially powerful enemies while I''m suffering from what I can only call a soul hangover." Mike''s lips twitched at the sarcasm, but he was too focused on the task at hand to enjoy the banter. "We''re near the surface. Get ready." She responded by wordlessly bracing herself. They erupted through the tunnel opening and he quickly angled their path down and to the right in the hopes of avoiding any kind of ambush. Thankfully, it looks like their enemies hadn''t managed to get ahead of them. As Mike set down near a patch of scrub brush, he took a quick look around. They were still inside Gildusi, but had ended up in the band of empty grassland that extended between the city walls and the district on the top layer. By all appearances it seemed to serve as a staging ground for convoys, as the ground had been repeatedly torn up by beasts of burden. [We could continue running, but I don''t know if they have a means of tracking us. If I exhaust my mana fleeing and they catch up, we will be in a much worse shape. Better to just turn and face them now.] "This is not the best battlefield, but it''s better than trying to take them on in the middle of the city. I''ll put down a few traps while we have the time, do you need a weapon or anything?" Mike asked while preparing his mana. Selene was still clenching and unclenching her fist distractedly, but answered after a brief delay. "...If you have something like a quarterstaff, preferably made as solid as they come, I think I can help." Diverting a bit of his focus, Mike channeled mana into the ground, causing a patch of dirt to elongate into a staff-like shape, and then harden until it had a metal-like sheen. "It''s a bit on the heavy side, but here you go." He watched her take a few practice swings before continuing. "I don''t know how strong those two are, but we should plan for the worst possibilities. When they show up, I''m going to try to talk with them first. If they attack, I''ll have a few surprises for them. Once they are on the back foot, I need you to engage the sniper and keep him from interfering while I take on the girl and any other members they might have brought along. In the event they prove too powerful, I''ll hold them off while you make a break for it and then follow you when I have the chance." "Whatever you say, boss." She replied lightly while shouldering the staff, a relaxed smile on her face. For a moment, he found himself captivated by the sight of her standing in the moonlight, hair waving in the gentle breeze. At least he did until he realized that there was something else that he''d been too distracted to notice up till now. "Ah...crap. I completely forgot. I''ll make you some clothes now." "I was wondering when you''d get there." She shot back calmly while taking the simple shirt and pants Mike whipped up in a flurry of activity. "Thanks, boss." Sighing, he returned to his preparations, putting the finishing touches on his traps. [Now I just have to hope that they won''t just hide at maximum range and attempt to snipe us into submission. If they do that, I''ll have to take drastic action.] He was hoping to minimize the damage to the city, but if it came down to it, he was prepared to unleash wide area attacks to fight back. Thankfully, the opponents were apparently interested in a more direct confrontation. A final cataclysmic crash sounded from the tunnel, and a cloud of dust billowed out, obscuring much of their surroundings. "Ah! There they are! Looks like they were waiting for us. How thoughtful." The girl''s voice emanated from the cloud, and soon a pair of figures could be seen moving through it. The first was a broadly built man dressed in a long overcoat and wearing a tricorn-like hat that gave him a slightly nautical air. In fact he vaguely looked like a character torn from a pirate movie, complete with a full beard and several tattoos on the portions of his skin that were visible. He was carrying a long rifle made of a dark grey metal that seemed to bear some runic markings, although it was difficult to tell at this distance. The second was a young girl, who looked to be around ten at the most. She was wearing a simple sundress, with her dirty blonde hair left to flow in the wind. Her empty hands were swinging freely as she calmly walked in their direction, looking to all the world as if she were on her way to a picnic rather than a fight. Mike frowned. Not only did he not detect any hint of hostility coming from them, but the information his Aerosense was providing was confused. Almost as if there were some kind of interference. Thankfully, at least Appraise was working correctly. ------------------------------- Noah Age: 587 Race: Elder Vampire Class: Magic Gunner Title: Hand of the Court -------------------------------- [That''s probably our sniper. He''s old and has an advanced race, but can''t compare to Brutus, at the very least. I was a little worried this guy was of a similar level of power.] He turned his attention to the girl next. ------------------------------- Esmerelda Age: 1243 Race: Elder Vampire (Demon) Class: Blood Witch Title: Lady of Chains -------------------------------- [...That''s....huh. I guess they''re going with the ''terrifying little girl who''s actually thousands of years old'' trope here. Truthfully though, all of that is a bit scary. I wouldn''t be surprised if she was a Tier 4.] He whispered out of the side of his mouth to Selene. "Hey, have you ever heard of someone called the Lady of Chains?" She sucked in a breath. "Only rumors, but she''s supposed to be some big player in vampire society. Outranks pretty much everyone besides the queen and can be considered to be a peer of individuals like the Lord of War...Please tell me that''s not her over there." "Then I won''t tell you." He muttered back before taking a few steps forward and yelling. "That''s far enough." Surprisingly, the pair came to a halt about ten meters from them with Esmerelda standing a little bit in front. With a cocky grin she called. "Done running away already?" "We thought it might be best to address the issue in a civilized manner." He replied. "Or does the Undying Court no longer respect proper conduct." "Ha! Only if you consider back-biting politics to be proper. But I suppose I can humor a little diplomacy. Alright, you give us what we want and I will spare your lives." Mike allowed a trickle of mana to enter his voice. "You seem to be under the impression that I am afraid of you. I suggest you amend that thought process before you come to regret it." "That''s a neat trick, but you are underestimating us and our intelligence networks. We''ve been aware of your movements ever since you crash landed to the north of the city. We know all about your actions leading up to the destruction of the Divine Seal in this city''s ruins. Even as a Tier 4 mage, you are definitely on the last of your mana reserves. Additionally, you appear separated from your other allies, to include your famed mount, and have been acting erratically, suggesting that you are not in your best condition. All that together suggests you are bluffing." "It seems like you''re the one underestimating me. I''ve killed a lot more dangerous opponents with a lot less mana in a lot worse circumstances. However, in the interests of negotiation, perhaps you should explain what it is that you want." He shot back, trying to present as strong of a front as possible. While he was fairly confident in his ability to take the pair normally, he was a little concerned about having to deal with them and his mental intruder at the same time. Esmerelda gave him another cocky grin, no doubt assuming that he was negotiating as a result of her previous comments striking home. "Fair enough. We know that you interrupted the ghoul''s ritual and preemptively shattered the Divine Seal, releasing Aculyan the Devourer. Somehow, you subsequently managed to hide him in a manner that is blocking our divining methods. As such, our demands are simple. Give us our god back. Or don''t, and we will simply force his location out of you." Her eyes took on a predatory look as a spike of intense hostility pierced his awareness, nearly catching him by surprise. With the grin still in place, although it had become much more feral, she continued. "Personally, I would like you to resist. Young mages like you are quite delectable. Something about the quality of the mana in your blood." Mike took a moment to gather his thoughts. Under ideal circumstances, he would like to ask Aberth or Aculyan for his opinion. Based on the way he''d been acting up to this point, though, he felt certain the god would want to avoid dealing with the Court of the Undying. At least, he should want to avoid contaminating their personalities with his hunger-inducing influence. Add to that the debt Mike now owed him for his assistance with Selene''s rescue, and it was clear he had to turn them down. "I''m afraid I have no intention of sharing that information with you." He replied finally, before intentionally activating his Communication Magic and infusing his voice with mana once again. "So, I''ll give you one last warning. If you attack us, know that I will use every means at my disposal to crush you utterly." Noah took an involuntary step back at the declaration, but Esmerelda stood her ground, still smiling. "Perfect." She whispered. "I wouldn''t have it any other way." Chapter 349: Curses, Curses Acting quickly, Mike released the mana he''d been holding, infusing his mind and enhancing his willpower. With the resulting clarity, he did three things simultaneously, straining his concentration to the utmost to do so. First, he sent a quick mental impulse to Selene, indicating that she should begin her own attack. Second, he activated the magical traps he''d placed in the vicinity of the tunnel entrance, causing the area to erupt in a virtual hellstorm of fire. The twelve runic symbols he''d carved into the ground and charged with his mana each created fireballs that exploded with the force of an anti-tank missile. Finally, since he knew that those traps probably wouldn''t do any lasting damage to the vampires, he took two steps back and conjured a sword with Earth Magic. It was good that he did, since a claw-like hand encased in a red, glowing aura swept through the space he''d been occupying mere heartbeats ago. Esmerelda''s face followed soon after, mouth twisted in another grin. Mike could see a few burned patches of her skin regenerating even as she moved closer, arm held threateningly. He wasn''t sure what kind of attack that might be, but he quickly decided that he wanted no part of it. Falling into a Flowing River stance, he swept his created blade under the girl''s arm, deflecting it away while carving into a section of her torso in a spray of blood. Unsurprisingly, the ancient vampire was unphased by the injury, and continued attacking with her other arm. As she did so, she started laughing. "HAHAHA! That''s more like it! I heard you were a warrior as well as a mage! It''s been so long since I''ve had a good fight. Try not to disappoint me!" [Why do all of my enemies want to banter in the middle of fights?] He thought while infusing Water Magic into his sword style. A swirling nimbus of clear liquid surrounded the blade of his sword as he stepped into the vampire''s range. With a slow and effortless movement, he slipped past his enemy. A metallic ring filled the air as he did so. For a moment there did not appear to be any cause for such a sound, but soon Esmerelda''s left arm fell to the ground neatly severed at the shoulder. The vampire looked down at it for a second, still grinning and muttered. "It''s been awhile since I''ve seen someone use Almiran swordsmanship. Not bad, but I hope you don''t think that will be enough to stop me." Tendrils of blood extended from the stump of her arm and attached themselves to the rest of her limb, before quickly retracting with a slurping noise that was the most disturbing part of the entire process. Sighing, he raised his sword again, preparing for the next attack. "I assumed that it would have little effect on you, but I was interested in testing the limits of your regeneration. Tell me, did you simply reattach your arm as a means of more fully demonstrating your healing capacity to demoralize me, or are the mana requirements for a complete regrowth too draining for you to use it while still playing around?" For the first time since the start of the fight, the girl showed a flicker of disconcertion, little more than a momentary tightening of the eyes, but Mike had been watching for it. [Alright, that confirms it. Her regeneration works like mine. She can heal from pretty much anything so long as she has the mana for it, but once that''s exhausted¡­] Meanwhile, Selene was chasing the other vampire who was retreating while firing his rifle. The former Vargulf had so far managed to dodge the worst of these volleys, and deflect the rest with her staff, but Mike could see a few grazes had left their mark. She was taking a dangerous course of action, but he suspected that she had no other choice. [I''m not sure how strong she is, but I doubt she''s going to be able to do much more than buy time against an enemy like that.] "Clever, but don''t think that will be enough to beat me." Esmerelda replied, stealing back Mike''s attention. "I''ve read the reports on your fights up to this point. Hells, I''ve even seen a few of them, and you''ve never faced anyone as powerful as me. As soon as I get serious, this little match of ours will be over." [She seems a bit unstable. Almost as if her physical immaturity was having an effect on her personality...Or maybe she just has a screw loose after living for more than a thousand years. Either way, I can use this to my advantage. I don''t have the mana to get into a battle of attrition, so I need to kick this into high gear.] Mike gave her a level look. "I''ve only known you for a few minutes, and I can already tell that you are a certain type of person." The vampire narrowed her eyes in displeasure. "Oh?" "In my homeland, we would call you a poser." "Poser? Is that supposed to be an insult?" He smirked. "Only if you think being called a jumped-up weakling with no real skill to back up your claims is an insult." Esmerelda''s face became emotionless as a wave of unseen pressure filled the area. So intense was her sudden presence, that it even caused the other two combatants to stagger, briefly bringing a halt to the dangerous game of cat and mouse they''d been engaging in. A dark and ominous red aura surrounded the girl, and she raised one hand in his direction before growling. "I was planning on taking my time with you, but I think I''m going to kill you now." As soon as she''d finished speaking, the aura surged forward and attempted to latch onto him. Feeling a deep sense of foreboding about the whole thing, he quickly leapt back while creating a mana shield. The tendril of dark energy passed through the wall of mana like it wasn''t there, and continued chasing him, forcing him to continuously evade. "That won''t help you." The vampire announced while he was still moving around quickly. "Once my ability has been activated, you cannot escape it. So long as I retain my consciousness, it will continue to seek you out until it has reached you." [Some kind of sure-kill technique? But that seems contrary to the nature of the System. For every method of attack, there is at least some means of defending yourself from it. Maybe this ability has some kind of activation requirement?] Deciding that offense was the best defense, Mike dodged the tendril one last time before launching himself in Esmerelda''s direction, sword clad in a sheet of flames. He trailed the tip of the blade along the ground and, once he got close, swept it up diagonally to both sever her outstretched arm and cleave into her torso. At first, it looked like he''d succeeded in cutting her in half, and he felt a cautious optimism. However, it was quickly dashed when he saw a smile on the vampire''s lips. A sudden chill swept through him as a dark red aura began crawling up his body. It took a moment to realize that her ability must have activated. He leapt back to create some distance, and as he was doing so, he noticed that Esmerelda''s left hand, which had been originally hanging at her side was raised, a similar dark aura surrounding it. [Shit. I fell for it.] With the same kind of blood-like tendrils as before, she reconnected the two halves of her body, and in less than a second was standing whole and undamaged. Glancing down at the shredded remains of her dress, she frowned for a moment, and then the bloodied rags began sewing themselves back together, albeit in a much rougher form than they were previously. "I liked this dress, but I suppose it is a small price to pay to lure you into letting your guard down. Now that my ability has activated, any chance you had of surviving this fight has come to an end." Mike tried using Appraise on the aura, just in case it had some effect, but unfortunately it wasn''t recognized as a legitimate target. That being said, besides the visual aspect, there didn''t appear to be any actual effects. "So, is this supposed to be some kind of delayed death curse, or something?" He asked nonchalantly. The vampire tilted her head slightly. "Hm, you don''t seem to be worried yet. Very well, let me demonstrate." She raised one hand and without any further explanation, stabbed herself in the stomach. Almost immediately afterwards, Mike felt an intense pain in his abdomen, like someone had impaled him with a red-hot poker. Looking down he saw a fist-sized hole had appeared just above his navel. Caught by surprise, he staggered and nearly fell to one knee at the sudden agony. "HAHAHA! How''s that for a poser?!" Esmerelda mocked while pulling her hand free. "Do you see now how it is all hopeless?" Spitting a bit of blood out, he took a ragged breath and replied. "So your ability is basically linking our injuries? And because you can heal so easily, that means you can inflict whatever kind of damage you want on your enemy without them having any chance to defend themselves. Is that it?" "That''s right, and because I have the power of vampiric regeneration on my side, I can recover from practically any injury. Can you say the same for yourself?" [What the hell? Why do I feel like I''m going to be sued for copyright infringement?] Mike straightened and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Well, to be honest. I can." To prove his point, he lifted his shirt and showed her the site of his previous wound. Clean, freshly healed skin was the only thing left to see. "Wha¡­How?" She started, before repeating the process with a stab to her heart. This time Mike did go down to one knee for a few seconds, but quickly stood up once his healing had finished. "Eh?" A few more holes were made, to little effect. [Looks like Aberth''s gift was pretty effective. I''m healing roughly three times as quickly as before, and there is virtually no burden on my mana. So long as I am not forced to regenerate any body parts, I could conceivably keep this going indefinitely.] "No way!" Esmerelda exclaimed as she continued to stab vital locations as she talked. "How in the hells are you doing this? My ability is in effect, but you aren''t dying. There''s no magic activation, no skill usage, no mana absorption. You aren''t borrowing the lifeforce of nearby living beings, nor using a scapegoat substitute to avoid the injuries in the first place. And I can tell by the smell of your blood, you are just a human, so how?" Gritting his teeth against the unpleasant wave of injuries, Mike did his best to appear unfazed by the assault. Based on what he knew about the magic systems of this world, he had to assume that her ability must be consuming mana in some capacity. It was unclear exactly how much, but he figured that it''s ability to essentially overwrite reality must be very draining. As such, the longer he kept this going, the better. However, he also didn''t really have the luxury of waiting on her to gradually run out of power. Selene was holding off the other one for now, but there was no guarantee that she could continue to do so for long. Not to mention the fact that there was a very real possibility that they had allies that could come reinforce them at some point. So, he decided he needed to egg her on further. Or at least that was what he was planning. "Ahhh, this sucks!" The vampire suddenly exclaimed. "This is the best way to kill someone. It''s so satisfying to see their faces once the realization of their own hopelessness sets in. Now I have to deal with this freak who doesn''t even have the decency to be actually scared...Hmm. Now that I think about it, I bet you don''t have a means of reattaching your head if you get decapitated, do you?" [...Eh?] Esmerelda evidently noticed his consternation before he had a chance to school his features, because she immediately gave a satisfied grin while placing one hand against her own neck. "Shit." Mike grunted while trying to launch himself forward in an effort to stop her before she made her move. However, he could clearly tell that he wasn''t going to make it. For one brief moment, he thought for sure that he was done for, but then he felt the old familiar sensation of one of his skills leveling up. As it did so, the aura surrounding him wavered and then disappeared, leaving him standing awkwardly a few paces away from his enemy. They stared at each other for a full second while both parties tried to figure out what just happened. Finally, Mike took a moment to investigate and learned the truth. "Ah...my Curse Resistance leveled up." Chapter 350: Curses! Selene ducked under another beam of concentrated energy, crouching down with one hand on the ground as she did so. Harnessing as much of her recently enhanced strength as she could, she launched herself forward while making sure to stay low. She''d learned from previous attempts that it was important to be able to change directions in a split second when her opponent managed to line up another shot. It had taken her a few minutes of effort, but she managed to get a feel for her new power. For some reason, she was much stronger and more agile than she''d been previously. Although the exact cause escaped her at the moment, she figured it had to do with the time she''d lost between being interrogated and waking up next to the boss. The male vampire landed again, once more taking a shooting stance and letting loose with a pair of shots before resuming his retreat. Selene was able to dodge the first and block the second, but she had to slow herself to do so, and as a result the distance between them increased again. [Gah! This guy is so frustrating.] She thought to herself. Not only was he intentionally fighting in a way that kept her from doing anything, but she could clearly tell from his expression and the way he was carrying himself that he wasn''t taking this situation seriously. When this cycle had repeated itself for the eighth time, she finally snapped. "By the gods! Why won''t you just sit still and let me hit you?!" The sniper stopped for a moment, lowering his rifle slightly while raising an eyebrow as if the two were somehow balanced. "I am intentionally buying time until Esmerelda is done with the Dragonknight. She would be upset if I finished you off before she had a chance to play." "Grrr. And you call yourself a man?! Just stand and fight!" She yelled while leaping into another charge, only to be forced to slide to the right to avoid a beam of energy that would have split her head in two. "Why should I do that?" He replied calmly, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Why sacrifice my advantages and fight you on your own terms?" "Because it''s cowardly! It''s dishonorable! That''s why!" She yelled while throwing herself to the side again to dodge another burst of fire. "There is no such thing as honor in a fight. There are only winners and losers, and while I don''t think I''ll be beaten even if I took you on in close combat, there is no reason to risk it when I have the ability to defeat you from a distance. It''s just a matter of waiting until you''ve expended your stamina." Selene took cover behind a bush, only to be forced to move again as her hiding spot was lanced with several blasts. Gritting her teeth, she muttered to herself. "I understand all that. Ain''t nothing special about honor when it comes right down to it. Which is why I''m going to do this." She opened her mouth and made use of her unique skill. It was unlikely to succeed against a powerful undead opponent, but she only needed him to be affected a little. A low tonal hum spread throughout the area, resonating strangely in the open air. The male vampire hesitated for the first time since they''d started fighting. His arms slackened and the barrel of his weapon dipped towards the ground. "Chance!" She shouted while moving as quickly as possible, shortening the distance as much as possible before his distraction ended, readying her newly made staff as she did. The vampire snapped his head back up with a start, muttering, "What¡­" His legs tightened in preparation for jumping back, but by that point it was already too late. "Gotcha!" Selene yelled while swinging her weapon with all of her might. It looked like she was about to cave the irritating man''s head, but his form suddenly blurred and shifted, briefly disappearing and reappearing some distance away. "Well, well. Looks like you''ve got a few tricks yourself." He griped while examining the damage that was done to his rifle in the brief exchange. While Selene wasn''t able to actually injure him, she had succeeded in rendering his weapon unusable. After dropping the bent remnants of his gun, the vampire drew a knife, held it in a reverse grip and took a combat stance. "Alright, I guess I can take you on." The aura he exuded changed, taking on a far more hostile air. Feeling his killing intent, she began to suspect that she might have made a mistake. [Ah...I think I made him upset.] --------------------------------------- "Curse Resistance? Are you kidding me?" Esmerelda muttered in disbelief. "I''ve used this ability on all kinds of people, including a High Priest of the sun goddess, and never had any issue. Also did you really just rank up a skill in the middle of battle? I thought that shit only happened in the stories. Maybe I should have paid more attention to these." She reached into her clothes and pulled out a small packet of paper. Concerned that she might be trying to activate some kind of scroll, Mike concentrated mana in his eyes, momentarily enhancing his eyesight. With it, he was able to just barely make out the contents of the cover page. A slightly distorted woodcut image depicted an obscenely muscular man laying on the ground, covered by several wounds and gritting his teeth as if he were in pain. Looming over him was a grinning skeleton wreathed in evil energy. The caption at the very bottom read, "This curse will stop my heart if I don''t do something! My only hope is to break through to the next level!" Feeling a strange sense of emotional detachment, his gaze slid over to the title, which was boldly emblazoned at the top of the page in large gothic letters. "The Deadly Undead Menace: The Dragonknight confronts his most dangerous enemy yet, a lich''s death curse!" "I figured you''d have some resistance." Esmerelda continued while flipping through the packet of papers. "But I''ve faced enemies with skills like yours before, and never has there been an instance where they could comprehensively free themselves from my ability like this. I''m starting to wonder if you might just be as amazing as these stories suggest." "I am completely unrelated to those trashy accounts, and I recommend that you don''t take them seriously." Mike shot back calmly, even though he was currently experiencing a deep depression. "Are you sure?" She asked, seemingly surprised. "I''ve heard from a few reliable sources that these are pretty accurate. If one ignores the minor theatrical embellishments, that is." Mike gritted his teeth in mild frustration before answering. "While they might be based on my activities, I can promise you that they are wildly inaccurate. Those poorly written trash fiction books in no way reflect what actually happened." She frowned. "Hey! They may be trashy, but at least you come out looking like a hero. You don''t want to know what kinds of things they''ve written about me. ''Blood Maiden of the Darkest Night,'' what kind of disgusting title is that? Honestly, if I didn''t find the whole thing a little flattering, I would have burnt the printers to the ground a long time ago. Besides, these aren''t too bad, all things considered. They could be a lot worse." "Let me tell you...no, why the hell are we arguing about crappy fanfics in the middle of a fight?" "I was just waiting for my mana to regenerate," She replied with a smile, "which I''m assuming is the same for you. Hopefully, you can make use of some more interesting tactics in this round. I plan on going quite heavy from the start, so you best be prepared. I want to enjoy this fight before the boring people start showing up and we put an end to you." Mike felt a chill run down his spine. "What do you mean by that?" Her smile took on a sadistic cast as she explained, "Well, you broke the god of vampires out of his prison, did you think that the most powerful members of the world''s only truly immortal race would simply let that slide. Poor boy, you''ve become a target for every single one of my kind, we just happened to be closest." He swore mentally, kicking himself for not coming to that conclusion earlier. Something about the entire experience of meeting a god in the flesh had seemed so surreal that he hadn''t thought through the implications. Looking at it objectively, if there was a being capable of driving an entire race insane merely by existing, it would make sense that they would do anything to try to bring him under their control. Considering the nature of their subtle continent spanning organization, one could even argue that they were facing an existential threat. If Aberth simply steps out into the world, it could, in one fell swoop, end up destroying everything tried to build in the millennia since his imprisonment. His mind echoed with distant laughter from the dark being residing inside, but he silenced it with a brief rush of Life Magic. [Alright, I need to think of mitigation methods. They''ve been targeting me ever since Wyrport, if Brutus is anything to go by...But they haven''t done anything else up to this point, have they? Judging by little miss terrible literary taste here, that wasn''t because they lacked sufficiently powerful members to take me on. What could be the reason for that? A change in strategy? Factional disagreement? Was Brutus acting against his orders? No, that didn''t seem like the case.] "Phew. That''s a fairly impressive burst of mental activity you just had there." Esmerelda interrupted his thoughts with an arrogant smirk on her face. "I don''t know exactly what you''re thinking, but I can probably guess." Not wanting to wait on her to get to the point, he asked. "Who rules the Court of the Undying?" "That would be the Queen." "How would I meet her?" The vampire''s eyes sharpened, turning almost feral. Suddenly, he could feel a wash of intense hostility rising from her. It was a level of bloodlust that nearly overwhelmed his senses with its intensity. "Livestock meeting with the Queen? You must be joking. You aren''t good enough to grovel at her feet, let alone speak with her. It seems I need to teach you your place." A dark and ominous energy began emanating from her. Mike leapt back a few meters to avoid being wrapped up in it. As he prepared himself for the second round of fighting, he had time to think, [So the Queen is treated as sacrosanct. Since she also nominally rules the Court of the Undying, she probably has a high level of authority over the rest of the vampires. If I can make a deal with her, then I might just be able to avoid the worst case scenario of being hunted by Tier 4 bloodsuckers for the rest of my life.] "Is that what you think?" He shouted back while preparing his own mana. "Then it must really piss you off to know that you need me. Without me there is no way of finding your god. So, before figuring out which of us is stronger, maybe you should reconsider negotiation." "I don''t negotiate with insects!" She screamed before unleashing a wave of dark energy in his direction. Suspecting that this was yet another curse, Mike immediately flew up into the air while chanting the spell for a fireball. As a low difficulty chant with little mana invested, he didn''t expect it to do much to the already quasi immortal being, but he hoped that it would prove sufficiently distracting to prevent her from doing whatever she was planning. Unfortunately, her intentions proved harder to read than he realized. The wave of dark energy followed him in a manner similar to the way her previous ability had, washing over him before he had a chance to do anything to stop it. At first, it didn''t look like the spell had done anything, but then he noticed a thin line of black smoke that seemed to stretch from his abdomen to the cloud of debris surrounding Esmerelda. He was already beginning to suspect the nature of this new spell when the vampire burst out of the dust and began charging at him through the air. "Now there is no escape for you!" She yelled triumphantly as she rose towards him, arms outstretched. Chapter 351: Subjective Reasoning Mike tried to fly backwards to buy himself time to counter Esmerelda''s charge, but he found himself unable to. The dark line that was connecting them was somehow keeping him from moving in any direction but forward. "Confused?" The vampire called. "That is the Curse of Attraction. So long as it remains in place, you cannot escape me." Dark energy began accumulating around her hands. "Now, let''s see how you handle curses inflicted directly on your body!" [This must be a higher level curse if my resistance hasn''t freed me from it yet. Based on the effect, though, it is designed to force someone into a direct melee confrontation. For now, let''s go with the flow.] Mike thought before charging his limbs with Fire Magic. A fiery aura surrounded him, dyeing the night orange. Readying his sword, he looked down at the vampire girl coldly. If what she had said was true, he didn''t have time to play around. He needed to finish this fight quickly and slip away before his enemies could trap them. With that thought in mind, he flew forward. Esmerelda laughed. "Yes! That''s the way! Your only option is to-" The rest of her mocking statement was cut off as Mike altered the mana coursing through his body. With the resounding and distinctive crackling of thunder, his aura changed into one of coursing electricity. However, there was little opportunity to observe this before he seemingly vanished into a vague blur of motion, too fast for the eye to see. He swung his sword dozens of times in less than a heartbeat, each blow containing enough power to shatter boulders or stave in brick walls. At some point during the exchange, the vampire lost control of her curse, causing the line of dark energy to vanish. Once she''d been reduced to little more than a pile of shredded meat, he concentrated his mana in one hand and summoned an intense white-hot fire. With a yell he unleashed a torrent of superheated flame that engulfed her remnants. The blazing light was so bright that those observing from a distance momentarily thought the sun had risen only to be left in confusion once the light faded a few seconds later. Mike scanned the carbonized dust that remained after his attack, looking for any sign that the vampire had survived, but there was nothing. [That was...surprisingly easy. Although, I feel like I just ripped off another franchise.] Looking over at Selene, he saw that she was currently engaged in a fierce melee fight with the gun toting vampire, Noah. They appeared somewhat evenly matched at first glance, but he could tell that she was slowly being cornered. While his familiar had an advantage in raw strength, the gunman was obviously more dextrous and agile. He was using his greater speed to push her into a corner. It appeared that there was not only a difference in their base abilities, but their combat experience as well. So, with every intention of ending that fight before it got any further out of hand, Mike started flying in that direction. However, he pulled up short when he felt a new burst of hostility emanating from nearby. "That was pretty impressive, I have to admit. There aren''t many who could push me to that point." Esmerelda said casually while walking into view. At first it almost looked like she hadn''t suffered any damage from his attack, but then he noticed that she was dressed in a slightly different outfit. Somehow, she had not only survived, but found the time to change. Evidently, his disbelief was visible on his face, since she grinned up at him arrogantly, "What? Confused again? Did you really think you could kill me with a little fancy swordplay and some Fire Magic?" "I definitely felt my blows land, and I doubt that even your regeneration would allow you to return to a whole state so quickly." He replied as calmly as he could manage. [Was it some kind of illusion? Or maybe she has a method of making clones of herself...Or some kind of astral projection or possession technique? I don''t know enough about her abilities to make a decent guess, but unless she''s a master of illusion as well as curses, I can reasonably assume that the number of times she can use this trick should be limited.] "Well, I could hardly call myself a true immortal if that was all it took to end my life." She shot back smugly. Another dark aura began forming around her. "Now, where were we?" Mike was about to start channeling his mana in preparation for his next attack, this time planning on trying Light Magic to see if it had any extra effect on his undead opponent, but an explosion taking place in another part of the city stole both of their attention. Esmerelda grunted in annoyance, "Hmph, I thought I would have more time to take care of things here. Oh well, looks like our play time is up." [What does she¡­] Mike started to think before his Aerosense, which he''d left on in the background of his mind, began feeding him information. At his current skill level, he could get detailed information from his nearby surroundings. This was more or less a passive ability that detected air currents within a roughly 50 meter radius. However, he could also get some idea of what was going on even kilometers away if he concentrated on that area, albeit in a fragmentary and inconsistent manner. Which was why the pieces of information that he was picking up from the skill were confusing initially. At first, he thought that the number of ghoul thralls had dramatically increased all of a sudden, and that they were laying waste to the makeshift defenses of the city''s remaining shelters. That idea changed when he caught a brief exchange between two of the attackers, who were, by all appearances, picking over the bodies of a small knot of slain White Lions. "That''s the last of them here. Stop feeding and get back to it! There are still plenty of mortals left to kill before the sun is up." One voice was yelling, presumably at his peers in the vicinity. "But don''t the nobles have that all covered? Why do we need to work ourselves to the bone when they''re going to be taking care of everything before we even get there?" A second voice asked. "They''ve got their own mission, although I''m not sure what it is. It''s been left up to us to eliminate the human witnesses." The commanding voice replied. "Ugh, does that mean we have to fight all the soldiers and adventurers in the city too? What if there are some strong ones?" "We have forces in place to respond if that happens, now quit your bitching and get back to work. I don''t want the Count on my ass because we let a few slip by us. This is supposed to be a total annihilation campaign. No survivors." "You''d think they had something to hide¡­" The winds changed and Mike could no longer hear the conversation. His mind raced, thinking of what steps he should take. Clearly, an army from the vampire portion of the Court of the Undying had arrived in Gildusi in strength and was trying to silence all potential witnesses. They even seemed to be destroying the ghoul thralls they encountered, showing that they had no intention of even sparing the other side of their organization. With a start, he realized that he was still in the midst of a battle, and glanced down at Esmerelda. For whatever reason, she was apparently content to merely watch him. Noticing his attention, she gave him a small grin. "Don''t mind me. I''m sure you''ve got other problems to think about. I''ll just hang out here for a bit and wait for the rest of the nobles to arrive. They should be here any minute now." Based on what he knew about vampire ecology, which wasn''t as much as he would have liked, he figured the concept of nobility in vampire society was closer to a biologically enforced caste system. Unlike with humans, where there was only some correlation between personal power and social rank, vampire nobles were basically a different species when compared to the rest of their kin. They almost universally tended to be at least high Tier 2s, with a significant portion of them falling into the low to mid ranks of Tier 3. Aerosense, as unreliable as it was in these circumstances, was telling him that hundreds of vampires were streaming towards him through the city. If the conversation he overheard was anything to go by, then the ones aiming for him should be almost exclusively members of the nobility. [While I think I might be able to take on an army of Tier 3s, so long as I could make it a battle of attrition, it''s going to lead to a lot of collateral damage. Can I take them out all at once?] He needed to figure out how to deal with the powerful enemies in front of him, crush the wave of potential attackers with an accurate and precise method, secure or safeguard a means of escaping the city with Selene, and, if possible, put a stop to the wholesale slaughter of civilians. This last bit was mostly to help provide some leverage in future negotiations with the vampires by having the truth of this night spread, but he would be lying if he said he wasn''t interested in saving those within his reach. [It''s too much. I''m not sure if I can take care of it on my own.] A cruel voice echoed up from the depths of his mind. "Are you ready to accept my help yet, mortal?" [I don''t need you. Besides, what could you even do to change this situation? You''re basically powerless on your own.] The entity laughed. "Ah, I forget how ignorant the people of your world are. You are faced with an army, and seem to be interested in defeating it without destroying the city, am I correct?" [...While I am not going to play the hero here, I would prefer to avoid killing or sacrificing innocents.] "If that is what you want, then it is a simple matter. I could solve your problem very easily." Mike tried to push his thoughts away from the idea. There had to be a better way to deal with this situation. However, curiosity was getting the better of him. After all, what was the harm in at least hearing out the thing''s offer? [How would you do that?] The entity chuckled again. "Though I may be little more than a fragment of my former self, I still have power over others of my kind." An image began forming in his head. He saw Gildusi as if from a bird''s perspective. The knots of vampiric attackers were clear as they moved ever deeper into the heart of the five districts. He felt his gut twist as he was forced to witness them slaughtering small groups of fleeing civilians. He could barely hear their screams, as if they were coming from a great distance. "You face an army. What better way to confront it than with one of your own?" The image changed suddenly. Glowing red tears in the fabric of reality appeared all over the city and began vomiting forth a horde of misshapen beings and terrible monstrosities. A quick glance was all it took to recognize the demonic origins of the newcomers. "With my legion at your back, the feeble bloodsuckers would be helpless to stop you, and you could save this city, if that was your desire." The image changed again, this time focusing on a confrontation on the ground, where a swarm of demons was overrunning a group of pale-skinned humanoids in ornate armor. He could see the faces of the vampires twisting in fear as the horde, his horde, slowly encircled them and wiped them out. "For this, I would only ask for one small boon." Mike couldn''t help himself, he had to ask. [What do you want?] "Oh, nothing important. I would simply want you to answer one question. If you can promise me a truthful answer with no attempt to hide or deceive me, then my power will be yours." For a long while he hesitated, taking his time to scan the battlefield once more. Esemerelda still seemed content to wait, and Selene was still wrapped up in the middle of her fight. The approaching vampires were growing ever closer, and there were only minutes left until he would be surrounded by powerful opponents. He frantically considered all of his options. Fighting was probably unrealistic, since he lacked the mana resources to do anything too flashy at this point. Some kind of delaying action might be possible, but he didn''t think it would help all that much. There probably wasn''t anyone coming to save them, and the enemy would only grow stronger the longer they had to consolidate their forces. It was also possible to simply grab his familiar and make a break for it. With his limited command of Space Magic, he felt reasonably confident of putting some distance between him and his pursuers. After rendezvousing with the rest of his companions, he could formulate a plan to stay ahead of the undead and eventually turn the tables on them. From there, it would only be a matter of tracking down the vampire queen and negotiating some kind of truce. All he would need to do was abandon this city and everyone in it. With trepidation in his heart, he thought [Before I make any decisions, tell me, what is your question?] The entity laughed again, echoing up from the depths of the pool it was trapped in. "My my, it looks like you are interested after all." Chapter 352: Half and Half [What the hell do you want to know?] "Now, now. I know you are a bit rushed, so I''ll keep this basic." The entity replied with a hint of amusement. "My question for you is this. Were you born in this body or was it created for you?" [...That''s it?] "I think we both know that you are not what you appear to be. The unusual shape of your soul is proof enough of that." Mike thought for a moment, the question itself seemed serious. Especially since the entity clearly suspected his status as an otherworlder. He didn''t know what the creature''s origin was, beyond it''s obvious demonic nature, but he could assume that such a being would have knowledge about the existence of other worlds and how individuals from those worlds ended up in Ea. [Could I really agree to it? This is the definition of making a deal with the devil. But if all it really wants is that piece of information, couldn''t I take advantage of this?] He knew that a seemingly immortal being likely took a long view on things like this, and he''d read enough stories about temptation to know that this was likely an attempt to get him to rely on the creature''s power in exchange for seemingly innocuous payments that got progressively more costly. However, so long as he maintained awareness of that principle, he could, in theory, make use of the entity once and then never again succumb to its wiles. It would be dangerous, especially if there is another factor at play that he wasn''t aware of, but he felt confident that it was something he could manage. "You are running out of time, mortal." The entity interrupted. "It is of no concern to me, but did you not want to resolve this issue before the whole of vampire society arrives to crush you?" Before he even had a chance to respond, he sensed a brief surge of pain and fear from Selene through their mental bond. Looking over he saw that her opponent had managed to disarm her, in more ways than one. Her right arm was missing just above the elbow, and he could see it laying a few meters away from her with her staff still clutched in its grasp. The enemy vampire, knife at the ready, was advancing on her carefully while she retreated a few steps. If something didn''t change soon, it was clear that she was going to be defeated. As he moved to assist her, he was forced to dodge another wave of dark energy from Esemerelda. The vampire shouted up at him merrily. "It''s fine if you want to wait around, but I''m not going to let you get in Noah''s way." He fired a few quick fireballs in her direction before rushing towards his embattled familiar. Unlike last time however, she showed no signs of even being phased by the attack and simply moved up to intercept him with greyish-black mist oozing from her hands. [I can''t help like this.] Mike thought while trading blows with Esmerelda. While he was distracted, he could only watch as the male vampire surged forward to deliver a death blow. Fortunately, Selene was able to block with her other forearm and began dodging away from his continued assault. However, it was clear that she couldn''t keep it up for long. [Alright, you win! I wasn''t born in this body. It was created for me.] "Is that so?" The entity asked, obviously amused. "I take it that this is Selenica''s work then? No need to answer. Very well, I shall lend you my assistance. Let me come to the fore, so that I might call my legion." [...That wasn''t part of the deal.] "I suppose I could have mentioned it, but what do you expect me to do while I am trapped in this place? If you want me to help, I''ll need to be sharing enough of your body to make use of my power. Since it clearly concerns you, I swear on my existence that I shall return to this prison once our business in this city is concluded." [Once we''ve driven the vampires out, you''ll go back?] There was a slight hesitation in the creature''s response, which somehow seemed to carry a hint of disappointment in his clarification of the vague terms of their deal. "Yes. I am bound by a contract once it has been struck, a limitation imposed by my nature." Mike knew about the relationship between demons and contracts. In a similar manner to the literary figures of his old world, it appeared that these beings from another realm were bound by the power of contracts to a supernatural extent. However, he could only assume that the demons of this world would also seek to twist any arrangement to their favor. Clearly, the entity planned on getting more from him than the answer to a question, and he suspected that what it wanted was related to the act of allowing it out of its current prison. He thought back to the time where he''d allowed it to influence his thoughts, remembering how easily it was able to distract him and direct him towards its unknowable goal. If it could influence him like that, even when trapped within his inner self in a manner that he did not completely understand, then he could only imagine the effect of letting it free would have. And yet, he did not have the tools at hand to deal with the situation he found himself in. At least not in a manner that could lead to a satisfactory conclusion. While it would be one thing if his Limit Break wasn''t on cooldown, he feared that even if he managed to win against the overwhelming odds, he''d regret the loss that would come with it. It was a foolish choice, but he came to the conclusion that he could only take the demon''s deal and do his best to mitigate the outcome. He would enhance his willpower as much as possible and trust in his resistance skills, which had improved dramatically over the course of the night. He also had an idea for a method of protecting himself, if those failed. [No other option, I guess.] As soon as he''d made his decision, he found himself standing in front of the corrupted pool of his meditation vision. The encroaching tendrils that seemed to represent the entity''s influence were still present, but they showed no sign of expanding further. Channeling his mana and using it to enhance his willpower to the utmost limit of his ability, he focused on the pool. Moving by instinct, he kneeled down at its edge and stretched out his left hand to touch its surface. He hesitated just before coming in contact with the inky, black fluid that had seemingly replaced the water. Did he really want to do this? While he was still building up the resolve to continue, the surface of the pool rippled. A sense of foreboding overtook Mike and he tried to pull his arm away, but before he could a taloned hand dripping in black sludge surged forward and caught him by the wrist. As soon as contact was made, the dark corruption began to spread up his arm. He tried to use Life Magic to reverse the process, but something was interfering with his channeling. Ordinarily, he would have begun to panic, but his willpower enhancement was still in place, leaving him coldly rational in the face of his situation. Using this detached state of mind, he quickly laid out a course of action to take. It didn''t take much time since he''d somewhat expected this outcome from the start and had already established some contingencies. Recalling his experiences of solving Reber''s problems, he manipulated the structure of his soul, compressing its outermost layer into a kind of barrier that would keep it separated from the entity. Perhaps because it had not expanded its influence that far, he was able to do so without any problems.. As the dark tendrils of sludge began creeping up his face, seemingly aiming for his left eye he could hear chilling laughter echoing up from the pool. The entity apparently believed that it had succeeded. Although the next few minutes would be a little rough, his would-be possessor was in for a surprise. -------------------------------- Esmerelda stretched her neck a little without taking her eyes off the Dragonknight who was hanging motionless in the air. It would require a few days to get used to the newly cloned body. Luckily, she had a spare one prepared. [As much as I hate to admit it, Noah was right to make me bring one. If not for his advice, I would have had to go back to my real body until I could create another clone.] Still, it wasn''t as if she were really satisfied with the way things turned out. Objectively, it could be called her loss. Even though she hadn''t been fighting seriously, the Dragonknight had succeeded in destroying her previous body to a point that her vampiric regeneration couldn''t repair the damage. As a result, she was forced to occupy the spare clone, which she hadn''t had time to fully adjust to. [Ah, I messed up. The others are never going to let me live this down. Why do I always insist on playing with my prey?] She felt another mental fluctuation from her opponent, and once again focused her senses on the dangerous mage. As far as she could tell, he was still engrossed in some kind of internal debate. Was he trying to figure out what to do? It would have almost been cute if she wasn''t aware of his capacity for mass destruction. [Let''s just hope that the civilians are enough to keep him from simply laying waste to his surroundings. I''m not sure how much of the nobility has arrived by now, but I can imagine they''d be a little adverse to fighting in a meteor shower.] She was still considering what to say when the others had arrived when he suddenly changed. It happened faster than she could track with her eyes alone. One moment he looked like a perfectly normal human, and then the left half of his body caught fire, or at least that''s how it appeared. The skin of the left half of his face and left arm was covered in bloody red lines that brought to mind cracked and drying earth, but were glowing like molten rock. A single, slightly curving horn erupted from the left side of his forehead. It was pitch black near the base, but gradually lightened into a pale grey near its tip. Most striking was his left eye, which had become a solid orb of the purest crimson, seemingly bulging from its socket in a manner that left the rest of that half of his face strangely warped. The strange amalgamation being grinned lopsidedly and muttered with a deep, gravelly voice. "Yes! Finally, the fool let his guard down. Now this body is...wait, what is this? WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!" Suddenly the right side of his face grinned as well, "I figured you would try something like this, which is why I came up with a countermeasure. Still, it didn''t work quite as well as I''d hoped. At least I can control this arm." To prove his point, he promptly proceeded to wave his right arm in the air. "How?! This shouldn''t be possib-" The demon half started to say before being interrupted by the human side''s hand poking him in the eye. "Whoops, sorry about that. Still trying to get used to the mechanics of all this." The Dragonrider''s original voice explained apologetically. "ARRGGHH!" "Now, now. No need to get hostile. Especially since you haven''t fulfilled your side of the bargain yet. Speaking of which, shouldn''t you be working on that?" The demon half grimaced and raised its arm into the air. "...As I have given my word, I have no choice. But know this! I will not rest until I possess you in your entirety." "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Finally tired of feeling lost, Esmerelda yelled to get their attention. "Hey! What are you trying to do?" Glancing down at her like he''d forgotten about her, the human half shrugged. "Well, since it''s probably too late for you to do anything about it, I guess I can explain." The air over the city began to scream as dozens, no hundreds, of glowing rifts were torn into the fabric of reality. From them began pouring all manner of demonic horrors. "Correction," the man continued, "it''s definitely too late for you to do anything about it." "What...what have you done?" She asked a little breathlessly, already thinking about the kind of devastation such a horde would wreak. He shrugged again. "Since you all decided to bring an army, I thought it was only fair to do the same."