Darian clung tightly to the dagger he had jammed inside the beast’s shoulder. He had been hunting this creature, a wolfoar, for a few days. The beast had been attacking smaller towns within the duchy, and while normally this would be beneath Darians’ notice; the creature had started purifying its’ bloodline. To attempt purification, rather than just evolving, could only mean one thing. This beast was sentient, and that made it Darians’ problem.
Cycling the mana within his body, Darian clamped one hand on the beast’s fur-lined spine, gripping the large ridge while maintaining his balance on the side of the creature. He kept his other hand’s grip on the dagger, and when the spell was constructed, he channeled his mana through the dagger. The dagger was made from one solid piece of metal, the edge curved to hook into joints more easily. A lilac glow encapsulated the metal, and though it wasn’t visible, Darian could sense his mana flowing from the tip of the blade.
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A notification from the system flashed across his vision but was willed away instantaneously by reflex. Nobody survived long if they allowed the system to have free reign of their vision during combat. His mana did its job, securing the blade to the shoulder joint of the wolfoar. Looking back, he confirmed that the other dagger was placed similarly, only in the back leg joint. Confirming their placement, he jumped from the side of the rampaging beast.
Landing in a roll, he continued the roll until he was a fair distance away from the creature. He came up quickly, using the fading momentum of the movement to aid him. Taking stock of the cavern he was in; he ran quickly to a wall marked with easy hand and foot holds. The yellowish stone held fast, allowing Darian a chance to scale the surface rapidly. Once he was sufficiently high enough, he withdrew another dagger from his inventory ring, along with a rope.
Squeezing a stalactite firmly between his knees, he wrapped the rope around his waist. Tying a knot to secure the cord, he then wove another string of mana. Funneling the energy through the dagger, unlike the previous instance where he wrapped the mana from the tip, he secured the entire dagger in the wrap. Then, lacing another string of mana, he fused the blade to the rope and slammed the dagger into the tough stone ceiling. One last wrap to secure the makeshift climbing equipment, and he was firmly secured.
Looking down from the top of the cave, he watched his prey intently. The beast was by no means the largest magical creature Darian had faced, but he was a dangerous animal, nonetheless. About five meters long, and three meters across, the beast was only a bit above average in terms of size for magical creatures. What set the creature apart was the primary feature of his species. As a wolfoar, he was tightly compacted muscle and tough leathery hide. In addition, he was spattered with random bits of chitin, likely a side effect of whatever godsforaken bloodline the creature had.
Watching the grey, leathery creature, Darian could only feel irritation. He was required to join the duke for his son’s confirmation today, but here he was dealing with a damned magical beast… again. What made it even worse was that: he didn’t want to go to the stupid event! The child was seventh in line for the duchy, and he had been to each blasted ceremony since he had become a captain of the Bödvar Bjarki.
He pulled items again from his inventory ring, this time grabbing four brown sacks he had filled with stones during the hunt. Attaching them to his person, he watched the beast carefully. The creature was livid at the attack on its personage, but its size did not lend well to movement through the tightened space of the cavern. Searching about, its eyes found no trace of Darian, the beast not even conceiving the idea he might be atop the stone canopy overhead.
With the additional weight, he was certain his plan would succeed. The beast had a tough exterior, and the added carapace that dotted its’ most vital areas made dealing with the creature a rough proposition. Luckily for Darian, the underside of the beast was still relatively lacking in terms of protection. His plan was simple, using the daggers embedded in the side of the beast as the fulcrum, he would use his momentum and increased weight to topple the beast over. From there, he would have free access to that soft, pliable belly.
Shifting to get a feel for the added weight on his person, he felt the moment was right. Detaching the thread holding him aloft, he fell like a meteor, crashing into the two embedded daggers in the side of the monster. The explosion of momentum and weight tested the weapons’ stability, but they remained intact. The beast was flipped sideways, and as the momentum carried it, Darian hugged himself close to the beast.
Cutting the weights wrapped to his person, he quickly scaled the creature, arriving at his underside rapidly. Pulling another dagger from his inventory, this one a straight single-edged blade, he drove it into the belly of the beast. Cutting from tail to head, a spray of green blood and yellow bile shot out, covering Darian and a good chunk of the surroundings. Still moving with the speed of a practiced hand, he dug his arm into the guts of the monster, routing around its foul-smelling innards.
Finally grasping onto a hard, glassy stone, he ripped out the core of the magical beast. The thrashing creature fell still instantaneously, the rapidly healing wound on its’ underside ceasing its regeneration. Pocketing the core into his inventory ring, he took stock of himself. No injuries, he thought to himself, but the clean-up is going to be a pain in the ass.
Before he got to the mess, he opened his system notifications, checking his hard-earned gains.
System Notifications
Darius Tailor used Mana Wrap… x7
Darius Tailor has slain 1x Partially Purified Wolfoar: Level 47
Darius Tailor has looted 1x Partially Purified Core of the Wolfoar: Bloodline of the Myrmecoleon
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Darian Tailor has gained 18,702 XP
His notifications were not a surprise to him, though he was unsure of the value or contents of the bloodline. Next, he opened his status screen, checking the XP he would need to reach his next level.
System Status
Name: Darian Tailor
Title: Captain of the Bödvar Bjarki
Ideal: Bloodied Warrior (Introspection)
Class: Threads of Conflict (Epic)
Profession: Journeyman Tailor (Uncommon)
Level: 49 (31,003 XP of 35,989)
He was so close to level fifty that he could taste it. Well, that and the guts of his fallen foe… He would need to clean up before the ceremony. Starting the monumental task of ridding himself of the filth he was encased in, he grumbled about the unfairness of life.
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A knock on the door went unnoticed by Cato Secondat, his head buried deep in his notes. He had been up for three days monitoring the manometer. He had dark circles under his light blue eyes, that looked all the starker on his horridly pallid frame. The quill in his hand scratched furiously as he noted the various observations he had made throughout his research.
He had devised a device that would allow him to measure the mass of mana. By creating a hollow sphere of mana-stone, he created an enclosed base to fill with mana. Creating a scale and counterbalancing it with a clear anti-mana crystal, a very rare and exceedingly expensive material, he was able to create an equilibrium that would not be influenced by the mana outside the intended parameters… he hoped.
The scale was made from that same anti-mana crystal, dubbed Antite, with a hollowed-out tube going from the base to the tip holding the mana-stone. Attached to the underside of the tube was another tube purely made of antite, going under the base the scale was stood on, and snaking its way down to stand at chest level with Cato. Over the top of the plate on which the scale sat, was a dome made of the same material, its’ clear surface allowing easy monitoring for the experiment.
Using a siphon and mana-stones he had on hand, he was able to create a seal within the contraption, removing all mana from within the clear dome. From prior experiments, he knew that mana had trouble moving around when constrained under antite, and would often move as quickly as it could into any surface that might protect against the crystal. This meant that when he funneled mana back into the device, the only place it would move to would be the crystal.
By creating this controlled environment, he was subsequently able to prove that mana had inherent mass! While he was funneling mana into the stone, the weight shifted, and the scale dropped at what could only be an added increase in weight on the mana-stone. He had performed the test several dozen times and was now notating the findings in his journal.
This was far from the end of his experimentations, but he was giddy, nonetheless. He was so enraptured with his notations, that he did not hear when his assistant pounded on the door. He also didn’t seem to hear when his assistant sighed, opened the door, or noisily walked up behind him. This all culminated with his absolute shock when his assistant smacked him on the head with his wand.
“Hey, you idiot!” Daniel, his assistant, shouted at him.
“Ow! Why on earth would you do that you imbecile?!” Cato responded, rubbing the growing lump on the back of his skull. He turned to glare at his assistant, who held no mercy in his eyes.
“Dumbass, you have to be at the confirmation ceremony for the duke’s son today!” Daniel said, his tone sharp. “I know you don’t care, but you are the Tower Magister, and are required to be there. I came here, nice guy that I am, to escort you; only to find you knee-deep in garbage. You aren’t dressed, you look like you haven’t eaten or slept in days, and you smell like the last dregs of a public bath stewed in the sun.”
Slapping his palm to his forehead, Cato realized his mistake and panicked. He also had to agree with the prior statement put forth by Daniel, catching a whiff of himself with the movement. He had completely forgotten about the ceremony, too wrapped up in his experiments to even keep track of time.
“Oh goodness… Daniel, what should I do?!” Cato said, his voice harried with anxiety.
“Go wash up and put these on,” Daniel said, tossing Cato a pair of robes and a hat. “When you are clean, I will put some makeup on you to hide the travesty that is your face, and we will head to the mansion. Now, move!”
Cato did as he was told, responding to the familiar barking of his best friend, and assistant. Closing his notes, he started to ponder on how best to move forward with his experiment, until another smack from Daniel cleared his head again. Right, Cato mused, The ceremony…
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Edward looked himself over in the mirror. The robes covering his body were a brilliant white, so crisp and clean that they were almost difficult to look at. Embroidered on the chest was the symbol of house Aternia, a vibrant purple orchid, wreathed in emerald vines. The vines surrounding the orchid also made their appearance on the hem of the garment, their elegance enlivened by the stark white.
The servants that helped to dress him moved quickly with practiced ease, their professionalism and grace expressed in every movement. Edward was not a noble; his house had not yet achieved that rank within imperial society. This was something he would rectify in his lifetime; he had sworn this to himself. His entire existence was dedicated to this goal. He attended every event, wore the same clothes, and ate the same foods. He and his household maintained the air of nobility, even if they lacked the title.
Edward was a Mana-smith, a craftsman who could create items, weapons, armor, and even jewelry, from mana. This was a rare field, as working with mana was a notoriously dangerous profession. What made Edward special, what made him so confident he could achieve nobility, however, was something else. Edward Aternia could Emblazon, the act of inscribing mana into premade objects. This was a talent of his house that had been thought long lost, but it had been rekindled in himself.
With his abilities, Edward had brought his house from the brink of ruin, back to the forefront of the Castellane duchies economy. With their fortunes on the rise, he had invested heavily in his family’s business. He brought as many aspects as he could under his own banner, whether it was gathering raw materials, refining them, marketing them, or even distributing them, it was all done in-house. This brought his family from a few stores and a smithy to a full-blown merchant organization.
Utilizing his talent, he had completely changed his fortunes and prospects. Now, he was even attending an event at the duke’s estate! This was an unprecedented opportunity to network with the biggest and brightest of local nobility, possibly even the Castellane family themselves. He thanked his servants for their assistance, wishing them well for the evening.
Walking through the opulent garden that was the entrance to his manor, he took time to inhale the sweet perfume of the flowers surrounding him. A smile teased at his lips, threatening to turn into a childish grin at any moment. He could not help but feel pride in his efforts bearing fruit, but he could also not afford to make a fool of himself. Restraint, he remembered his father saying, restraint and consideration, this is the way to success.