Vin dreamed of his space every night without fail. He noticed time advancing slightly slower; maybe his brain was processing quicker after constant usage. Still, while he had more time to live in the memory version of the garden, the last place he'd seen on Earth, it wasn't enough to even begin an activity. Still, if his dream lasted longer, he'd be able to adapt to that world constantly, learning new things during the day and processing or training those concepts while asleep.
After a full night's rest, Vin woke up alone in the wooden fantasy-like chamber. Early daylight entered the window but it'd still been dim enough in the room to see the glowing text on the wall he marked the night before. The Carpenter, Chucky, had led him to believe it would only serve as a spell for simply marking measurements. However, it was so much more. It allowed someone to essentially become a walking crayon; they could mark up anything. This spell was bound to be beneficial in the future.
Removing the markings was just as easy as creating it, which was peculiar because Tristen said it took him months to learn the Center Gravity spell. Meanwhile, Vin had grasped two abilities on the first attempt. Was it as simple as Ravenours being genetically inept at magic, or was there more to it. He had to assume his unlocked mind was what made learning new things easier.
Whatever the case, Vin, too, still struggled with a specific kind of magic. The candle in the room had died out, so he tried to start a fire of his creation. No amount of concentration allowed the feat; those violet flames were certainly beyond his level, but he wondered if simply increasing his adventurer rank would remedy that.
If so, what milestone would he need to reach to fan fire around freely like a flamethrower? He revisited his Journal in search of clues.
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Mortal Realm: Adventuerer
1) Novice: 0 - 100
2) Expert: 101 - 300
3) Master: 301 - 700
4) Legend: 701+
Archival Dimension: Seeker
5) Ascendant: 1000 - 1500
6) Seer: 1501 - 2500
7) Sage: 2501 - 4000
8) Curator: 4001+
Astral Plane: Eternal
9) Apex: 10000 - 15000
10) Avatar: 15001 - 25000
11) ArcAngel: 25001 - 50000
12) God: 50001+
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After reading the page, a thought spurred. "Tristen mentioned Center Gravity was common magic, so assumably a Novice-rank spell."
Vin tapped the desk in reflection, then spoke to the Journal, this time not with a command but a question. If it was indeed always watching and evaluating him, it had to have some sentience, which meant it had to be capable of doing more than just flipping pages. "Question for you," he began.
The idea of talking to a book was unorthodox, yet there was no harm in trying. "You know I can convert regular fire into purple flames, right. Is that considered a spell? If so, what rank magic is it."
The Journal wasted no time dashing through pages until it landed on the [Spells] tab. A new entry was manually added underneath the Center Gravity spell, followed by an ominous notification.
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[Spells]
1) Center Gravity: Novice
2) Marking: Novice
3) Flame Conversion: Expert
[Your Journal Grows Stronger]
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Ink formed across the bottom of his notes, spelling, [Make Private?]
Vin removed his hands from the object and warily watched it. There weren't any noticeable changes in the following seconds, so he hoped its "growth" was only in efficacy. It seemed that asking the Journal to analyze and rank the magic really pushed its essential functions. Since it asked if he wanted to publically document his spell, it meant he was the first person on that planet to use what it called "Flame Conversion" magic.
With this, Vin confirmed that a Noice rank adventurer could use magic above their own grade. The issue with Flame Conversion was that the new fire had to be beyond his ability to control. Considering its capacity to burn for so long, it must have been Master or Legend rank. And, his current knowledge showed the highest level spell a Novice rank adventurer could use was Expert.
Vin followed by asking the Journal to save the magic that reanimated him. It began writing but froze. For far too long, before it, a book, physically shivered. As if afraid of its commission. After a minute, it'd finished its analysis and then updated.
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[Spells]
1) Center Gravity: Novice
2) Marking: Novice
3) Flame Conversion: Expert
4) Resurrection: God
[Your Journal Grows Stronger]
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[Make Private?]
A cold chill pinched every bit of his spine on the way down. Vin glared at the Journal, commanded it not to publicly document anything he'd discovered, and shut it. He didn't know what he'd expected. Maybe his head had been too jumbled to realize what'd been happening lately, but he was dying and resurrecting with no consequences. That should not have been summed up as a simple spell; it was an act of God.
A bang at the door shook him, and he jolted up and armed himself with the wooden chair. A moment later, Gideon walked in and glared at him as if he'd been a circus act. Vin exhaled, sat the furniture down, and then grumbled in Vulcan, "What do you want."
The tall Ravenour, with dark features, neat leather military attire, and consistently slick like Vin's image of a Jazz musician, withdrew a paper from his belongings and unfurled it, revealing a magic circle. "I have a job for you."
Vin grimaced at the savage. Jazzy absolutely knew the outsider would refuse to do any more favors, but he got his giant hands on something he knew the human would find worthwhile: another spell scroll. Even though Vin's experience with them was risky, human interest in the novelty of magic was unparalleled.
Like most requests, Vin had to accompany the Ravenour somewhere. Vin found it unusual to see Gideon without his partner glued to him. The young man disclosed that Maeve was meeting with the town elites at some counsel to discuss how to handle the black Phoenix's child. He'd usually be the one to accompany Maeve since Tristen despised conferences. However, he'd used another bribery to convince the antsy fellow to take his place. By the flavor of the situation, Vin knew Gideon was acting alone.
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From the castle, they ventured East into rows of structures where Vin faced the locals who either bowed in praise or stared in scorn. Gideon made covert twists and turns down various alleyways, often watching over his shoulder to ensure they weren't being followed. They landed in a shadier part of town where the wooden structures were off-color from decay, broken down, and abandoned. The paths were eerily silent, roamed only by small rat-like creatures and the occasional shady character. Gideon cut down another narrow path that led to a wide, shabby brick building, and they arrived at their destination.
He knocked on a metal door that was far too sturdy and pristine to have been as old as the rest of the structure. Vin could sense life on the other side of that entrance, one of which answered the call with a firm, "State your business."
Gideon replied in what sounded like code, and the door creaked open, allowing them both entry. They were greeted by a long, dimly lit corridor stretching to the central chamber, which betrayed everything they'd seen thus far. Lit solely by torches, the large room was neatly organized, and an intricate layout of tables, weapons counters, and other supplies filled the space. The thick, mysterious air smelled of damp earth, oil, and, faintly, blood.
Eyes of the thirty or so Ravenours in attendance hammered into them when they entered. All of the horned brutes were tagged with purple badges and other secondary fittings. One of whom dropped the barrel of tools they'd carried, causing a chorus of metallic rage. Hughton's familiar squabbling broke the stun of the crowd as he shouted for the Ravenour to clean his mess.
Vin scanned the man who'd been his warden and then the room. That explained why he hadn't been around lately.
Hughton rose to the head of the gang and then bowed to Vin. The remainder of the brutes also dropped, enunciating what translated to "Hail the Eternal Flame." Gideon, who'd known Vin as simply the nude human in the wilderness, hadn't matched the vibe, which triggered prompt aggression among the others.
Several of the Ravenours grew infuriated and began an onslaught of insults at Gideon, though, judging by their demeanor, if Vin hadn't been there, the confrontation would be more likely to have become physical. It became evident that they despised the guard, and the more they ridiculed him, the more Vin understood why. None of them had positions next to the elite; in fact, Vin would wager most of the soldiers had gripes with the current rule, hence why they met in secret. Then, there was Gideon and Tristen. From what little he knew of them, the princess adopted them as her guard at a young age. For warriors, acclimating status without achievement must have been akin to a sin.
Gideon held his head high above the Ravenours, who'd been much larger than himself. That superiority irked Vin, a human, so those people of the same race must have truly loathed him. Still, the young man haughtily proudly exclaimed his reasoning for visiting, "Your antics are causing her Highness trouble. From now on, you'll stop working in secrecy and act on Princess Maeve's orders."
A furious shadow blasted forward toward Gideon, fully intent on harm, but Jazzy, also a warrior, raised his fist. The two clashed with pure strength alone, neither bothering to block the first strike. The attacking Ravenour, a heavy individual with a clenched expression and crooked nose as if recently broken, merely jostled once struck; however, Gideon came off his feet and smashed flat onto his back with a trickle of blood.
"You think you can march in here and make demands of us!?"
"Stand up, guard, strike me again!" the Ravenour shouted, his dragon wings fully outstretched to look wider. Gideon wiped the crimson stain from his mouth, stood, charged the challenger, and landed his most ferocious hit square of the man's jaw. This brute hadn't budged an inch but frowned in disappointment before erupting with a barbaric war cry that shook the air. "You are weak!"
"You are unworthy of your role! It's a blessing the princess is still alive! Are you not ashamed that your strength pales compared to the one you're sworn to protect!?"
Gideon's face intensified. He clenched his fist and blasted a right hook across the man's face. Again, the effects were negligible.
"You think you can do a better job!?" Gideon shouted, blasting another punch toward the savage. He misdirected his punch through his fury and struck the dark scales along the man's jaw, which absorbed all the damage. Before Gideon could take another rage-felt swing, Vin hooked his arm around the guard's elbow and yanked him back.
Vin had planned to do as hired and merely be a presence to sway their opinion; however, he was getting irked. Gideon snapped his head at Vin, who peered at him and spoke with a faint yet harsh tone, "Stop embarrassing yourself."
The dark-haired Ravenour locked into the human's violent gaze, finding something unexpectedly menacing. Vin had lost many battles in that world, including the decaying slug, the various predatory plants, the General, and even the Ravenour, who had killed him two nights before in jail; however, he didn't feel he'd sacrificed his pride. That quality was instilled in him from birth and one he expected Gideon, of all people, to prioritize. For some reason, seeing the oh-so-superior Gideon lose himself and strike an unguarded man clearly toying with him was infuriating.
Vin scowled at the antagonizing brute and angrily lectured, "Pick up your fist if you're going to fight."
The man's eyes widened, clearly forgetting he'd been in the attendance of their God's chosen. He dropped to his knees, praying for forgiveness for his conduct. The fight was over. Gideon gritted his teeth, then stormed out of the base. Vin glanced at Hughton, who simply said, "This is how things are."
Whatever. Vin had no intention of changing how they operated; he didn't even know that long-fingers was going there to demand that they cease their operations. Anyhow, Vin had done his part and exited. Gideon was outside the hideout smashing crates, so Vin told him to straighten up; he wasn't a child. Throwing a temper tantrum would only cause him to lose more face.
Jazzy rushed over, yanked his shirt, and shouted, "I don't need you to save me! I'm a warrior, too! I'm stronger than all of them!"
Vin met his rageful eyes, tightened his brow, and scolded, "Why do you need to convince yourself that?"
"Strength is knowing your..."
Vin quickly withdrew his notes and restarted, "Strength is knowing your limits and then passing them. Who cares if you're weak now; all that matters is where you end up."
"Dead!" Gideon shouted, "I ended up dead! Did you forget? I was murdered where no one could hear me scream, dead before I could see Her Highness become ruler!"
The half-dragon man shoved Vin back, verging on tears, "Do you have any idea what it's like to lose the one thing you've come to love in your terrible existence!?"
"What would someone blessed by a God know of hardship!?"
Vin felt their emotions wrap around him. It was true that he'd lived a steady life on Earth, avoiding anything that caused issues. Vin's family had money, and he was a skating prodigy; everything was easygoing until his life was ruined by the soul of Auroraan. Still, while Vin couldn't relate, he could empathize, sending him the same sentiment he felt after he'd revived after three years. "Forget about me. What do you want to do differently with this life..."
For a moment, a very brief one, Gideon's sense of supremacy over the human dropped. His voice cracked upon his first sound but then steeled as he firmly answered. "I want to repay Maeve for everything she did for me and Tristen. I want to be by her side when she becomes the next ruler and lead us into a new era where commoners aren't forced into war or killed for failing to meet the King's standards."
"Then do that," Vin scowled. Those people were so confusing. At times, he hated them and saw them as nothing but merciless savages. Then, in moments like that, when they showed emotion, he thought they were not that different...
"Clean your face," commanded another Ravenour standing before the hideout. Vin and the guard had been too caught up to notice the man who challenged Gideon, and several of the warriors from the base had stepped out upon hearing their commotion. The man with the crooked nose who beat Gideon approached him, struck his own chest, then added, "We understand."
The man didn't make it clear what they comprehended. If they'd heard the tail end of that spat, perhaps it was Gideon's goal they related with, a society without the death of innocents. After all, they wouldn't be meeting secretly if they'd been on board with the current King. Regardless, the overall result was that the small battalion, which Vin later learned was hunting members of the Scarlet Order, would halt.
A calm, proactive voice sounded from the opposite end of the alleyway, saying, "I appreciate your cooperation."
Gideon briskly turned to see Maeve and Tristen walking their way and exclaimed, "What about the gathering!?"
By the time she approached, all the Ravenours were bowing in respect. She raised a hand, signaling them to stand at ease, and then responded, "It didn't happen. Shortly after our arrival, two members were reported killed en route."
Gideon flinched at the news. Still, that would have been a recent event. How did she find them so soon? Jazzy had suspicions and observed their surroundings but found nothing. Maeve caught on to his intention and then uttered, "Show yourself Casty."
A shadowy figure stood up from behind a rooftop and waved down to the cohort. Gideon, familiar with the woman named Casty, frowned. Even with his best effort to be discreet, he had no idea they were followed by one of Maeve's retainers, which further proved his ineptitude as a guard.
Maeve walked by and thanked Gideon for his service. Upon seeing his disheartened and bruised face, she encouraged him to seek her aid next time instead of sneaking off while she was occupied. Jazzy seemed more worried about how much of his previous rant she'd heard. Maeve claimed they'd just arrived, however a cheeky grin on Tristen's face hinted otherwise.
Someone from the secret army interrupted to ask if it was true that two more members of the Violet Order had been killed, and Maeve confirmed it. With followers of the red Phoenix becoming more overt in their attacks, she welcomed this new force into her ranks. She'd need them if she planned to settle the matter without causing a civil war.
Vin stepped back and read his Journal while the group conversed. To think, years ago, around that time, he'd be in class learning about something straightforward like rocks.