It took Avaln a while to find refuge.
Thanks to his newly awoken seventh sense, he was able to traverse the forest while it was still dark, however he couldn’t quite understand how he was able to use it so early in his path. In fact, one’s seventh sense shouldn’t appear until entering the Tempered Essence realm…
Could it be that its appearance depended on one’s essence circulation instead? He disregarded it, albeit not entirely. If that was the case his seventh sense would be extremely powerful, yet his limit was a ten steps radius...
In the middle of his hazy consciousness, he decided it probably had to do with both, the essence refinement and the essence circulation. Having one more developed than the other allowed him to awaken it partially, but because of his meager refinement, its limits were quite clear.
He shook his head, trying to keep himself awake.
The rune he had drawn to heal himself was by no means without drawbacks, even if he had used the demon boar’s essence instead of his own. As he examined himself with his seventh sense, he could feel his essence circulating more slowly than before, which directly translated into a huge fatigue gradually taking over his body.
Of course, he was also tired from the fight, and even if his most serious injuries were almost healed, he was nowhere near fine, so he could only wait until having rested before drawing more conclusions.
Luckily, he didn’t encounter any more demon boars. What he did find were the aftermaths of a fight in the middle of a forest clearing, and the only corpses he could sense were humanoid. It was still dark, so he could not know their exact state, much less determine how long they’d been dead, but given he didn’t smell decay yet, but fresh blood, he surmised it couldn’t have been a day.
If it weren’t because he didn’t feel any danger, nor his seventh sense could pick up anything like the demon boar’s dark mass of essence, he wouldn’t have stayed to try and infer more about his location.
he didn’t find out much, though.
That being said, as he walked right beside a corpse resting against a tree, he kicked something that made a metallic sound. Upon hearing it, he stopped in his tracks and carefully examined the surrounding essence.
In the brief time he had used his seventh sense to find his way, and as a method to keep himself awake, he quickly began taking notes in his mind of the different sensations and what they belonged to. As such, he learnt to distinguish between a few of them: grass, for example, had a dark green stable essence, same as a tree, yet the latter’s was denser. Rock, on the other hand, had a brown-yellowish essence that was quite feeble, and could easily be overlooked among the grass.
The reason he had kicked something was because its essence was so weak he had actually missed it entirely. And even as he focused on it, he still couldn’t quite recognize what it was…
A sudden idea popped in his mind then.
Instead of trying to feel its essence, he probed the surrounding grass instead, drawing the object’s shape in his mind. After a few breaths, he finally understood what it was.
A weapon, and not only that.
It was a spear.
Avaln smiled, and after some consideration while sensing the nearby corpse, he bowed towards it to show his respect and picked the spear up. He felt bad for robbing the dead, but desperate times asked for desperate measures, and if a demon boar were to find him while searching for refuge, a weapon would be many times better than a rock or a stick.
But more than that, the fact it was a spear had been what made him smile.
He pondered if to try and find something else to bring with him, but soon realized it wouldn’t be wise. Not only was he in desperate need of rest, but also couldn’t carry many things with him, so after a nod, Avaln made a mental note of where that place was to inspect it later, preferably with some daylight.
And so, his search began once again. He couldn’t just stop to rest near a tree, for Avaln was painfully aware how completely outmatched he was against demon boars and their keen sense of smell. By the time they entered his senses, they’d probably be charging at him already.
On his way, he passed many places which caught his interest, but seeing as he could only feel their essence partially, he couldn’t know what they were exactly nor if they held any dangers, so his steps kept him walking forward instead.
As time passed, something resembling a map formed in his head.
And by the time he found a cave, a few rays of sunlight were already dispersing the darkness that had surrounded him for so long.
He shook his head, feeling a bit dizzy. It seemed his body was reaching its limit, so his seventh sense quickly swirled and probed ahead, in case there were any hidden dangers, as he ventured inside.
But he found a surprise instead.
In the inner depths of the cave, Avaln felt a humanoid presence who owned a blue colored essence, and whose circulation was in an O shape.
Many questions surged in his mind, but as his conscience was becoming a bit sluggish, he could only set them aside for now, together with his suspicions.
“Hello?” he called out, while slowly approaching the presence.
A girly voice replied, with a hint of hope, “Who is it? Is it you, Dan?”
Avaln smiled bitterly as he showed himself. Inside, there was a tiny fire behind a rock, drowning the light so that it couldn’t be seen from outside, but lightening the place enough for the girl to see him.
She was young, about sixteen years old, and her pale blue gaze quickly changed from hope to fear.
It took a breath for Avaln to realize why. He had never cared much about his appearance since he had been forced out of the orphanage, leaving his beard and hair unchecked, and in his fight with the demon boar he also had been covered by its blood, which indeed hadn’t really helped.
“Don’t worry, the blood belonged to a beast.” He explained, as gently as possible. He also left the spear in his hand against the wall and took a few steps forward.”I’m sorry if I scared you. I only came here seeking a place to rest.”
The girl was already wielding a sword in her hands, but remained seated. “You killed a demon boar?”
A thought pulled at Avaln’s brain when hearing her question, but he was too tired to form it in his mind, so nodding instead, he quickly examined the girl.
She wore tightly strapped simple clothes and had shoulder-long hair which matched her eyes, but what caught Avaln’s attention was the bloodstain that covered her right thigh. Her shirt was also torn apart at certain places, showing white skin tarnished by bruises and cuts.
However, the girl’s expression turned cold when she noticed him looking at her body. “Don’t take one more step, or I swear I’ll… “
She stopped her threat, possibly because she realized she had no way to carry it out from where she stood. Avaln didn’t move despite realizing this, for that only spoke of how serious her injury was.
He actually found himself in a bit of a bind.
He needed to rest, and also wanted to comprehend the knowledge he had acquired from the blue book, as well as to draw some more, but such actions would leave him completely exposed.
As such, he had two options... He could either convince that girl that he didn’t mean any harm, or he could give up on the cave and try to find somewhere else to rest.
He couldn’t but shook his head at the latter, for not only was he reaching his limit, but Avaln could not even guarantee he’d find a refuge before encountering a demon boar or some other danger.
An idea popped in his mind, causing a grimace to threaten his expression.
He’d have to be the first to trust in this situation.
The girl was clearly scared and alone, and when he remembered the name she called out, the image of the corpses on that forest clearing crossed his mind.
She could be a survivor.
“I’m going to sit here, ok?” He warned her, at which she didn’t say a word and continued to stare coldly at him.
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Avaln nodded to himself, still standing.
“I can heal you.” He told her then, and clearly saw her eyes shine with hope, then darken with doubt. “I just fought a demon boar, yet I’m mostly unscathed. That’s because I can cast a healing spell.”
Her expression changed from astonishment to doubt again. “Then heal me first.”
Avaln’s mouth visibly thinned. “I can’t. Casting it is incredibly taxing, so if I don’t rest the consequences could be dangerous for both of us.”
Her grip on her sword tightened. “How can I trust you?”
“You can’t.” Avaln shrugged. “The question you should be asking yourself is, Do you have an option? The wound on your thigh looks quite serious. I had one just like it.”
He then pointed at his left leg, where a dry black bloodstain could be seen surrounding a tear in his pants, showing white healthy skin, and even took a few tiny jumps to show he didn’t feel any pain.
The hope in her gaze shone a bit brighter, and Avaln could see her connecting the dots in her head.
Nodding to himself once again, he finally sat down. “I’ll rest now. if you feel you can’t trust me, you are welcome to try to stab me with that sword of yours.” Avaln cast a final glance at her before closing his eyes. “Although I do hope you don’t.”
And so, he let go of his consciousness with the inevitability of one who loosens their grip over a feather while surrounded by a strong wind.
Alary could feel Gallathorn’s gaze on her.
“They went inside… and we haven’t received any news since then!” Finished the middle-age man in front of her.
“Are you satisfied!? They are dead now because you took so long!” Screamed an old man from behind, just a few steps before the crowd of villagers.
“Father, stop! I’m sorry my lady, it’s his grief speaking!”
Alary and her team had finally reached Gale that morning, but she didn’t expect the welcome they received.
“We’ll look for them as we make our way towards the temple. If we find anything, I swear I’ll track it down.” She told the middle-age man, who went by the name of Travis. She then turned to the three men behind her, and clearly saw how Gallathorn avoided her gaze. “We’ll depart as soon as Alice finishes examining the barrier.”
Having said this, she bowed to Travis and walked towards the spellcaster who was at one of the entrances to the village.
Alice, upon sensing her, turned around with a stern look. “This is bad. It has deteriorated more than I expected. I thought I could seal it from here provisionally… but now it seems going straight to the temple is our only option.”
Alary nodded, and lifted an eyebrow. “What do you think caused this?”
Her friend brought a hand to her chin, her robe gently defining her waist as she changed posture. “I doubt the demonic influence has anything to do with it. I can only speculate, but I believe we should remain alert from dangers aside from demon boars.”
Alary squinted her eyes, and a hint of guilt flashed across them. “What are their chances?”
Alice understood what she was asking about. “Not good. And it’s not your fault. From what I’ve heard, the youngsters departed a whole week ago. We didn’t even know the quest existed then.”
Alary was already shaking her head before her friend finished her sentence. “This is still partly my fault. As the guild chief’s daughter I should do my best to improve the guild’s management. This all happened because we lack the hands to process the quest we receive… and it has been an issue for a while now.”
“We both know that’s not the case. There are more variables than just bad management in there. Besides, if you were to choose logistics over adventure, you’d already be married to that brat from the capital.” Alice crossed her arms beneath her chest, and spoke matter-of-factly.
Alary reprimed a chuckle.
“Alary. We need to go straight to the temple.” Her friend said then, her voice with a serious tone she hardly ever heard. “If the situation continues to deteriorate, Gale won’t be the only village in danger.”
She nodded, yet she also hoped an opportunity presented itself.
A chance.
Anything.
In places like Gale, away from big cities and other sources of information, It was quite common for young people who had just advanced to the Nascent Essence second stage realm to rush and try to start refining their essence in order to become an adventurer, not listening to the warnings of those more experienced.
That had been exactly what happened a week ago. Because of the barrier, Gale had never had contact with demon boars for various generations, which made the youths subestimate the dangers lurking within…
Demon boars were not easy opponents. A Nascent Essence second stage would die nine out of ten times against one because of their viciousness and superior strength. They were also very rarely encountered alone.
Even if a group of seven were to fight one, they might not be able to kill it before a pack of them arrives.
Alary shook her head. She could only move forward, and worry about their fates later.
She gave her word.
“Squad leader, we are ready.” Harold announced, shield and maze in hand.
Alary nodded. “Let’s go.”
And so, the Greenleaf squad and one spellcaster disappeared inside the thick forest, leaving a grieving village behind.
When Avaln opened his eyes once again, he had to make a summary of what he had discovered.
First, he was still inside the cave, but a few rays of daylight could be seen coming from the entrance, bright as a mid-day Sun, and even though he looked everywhere, he didn’t see any sword sticking out of his body.
He had slept for about half a day, and he hadn’t been stabbed. That could be considered an earning in itself.
Next, he also found out he could access his Tower of Babylon and comprehend the knowledge he had asked of the book even while asleep, with no major repercussion in the quality of his rest, as he didn’t feel as fatigued as last night.
In fact, it amazed him how relative time could be inside that place. It wasn’t as if time passed slower or a breath was equivalent to ten in there, but rather like when one is bored and every moment becomes painfully long, or when one manages to do so many things in one day that by the end they can’t but wonder how they achieved it.
The best way he had to describe it was that time there was as flexible as water.
Once Avaln found himself in the middle of his Tower of Babylon, he went straight towards the blue book, trying to not look at any of the shelves to avoid feeling dizzy. The place itself was quite unorthodox, and Avaln felt like swimming in the middle of a stormy ocean every time his legs took a step, with the foreboding of a sleeping beast breathing down his neck.
He just couldn’t handle its might. Yet.
As he placed his hand over the blue book’s surface, Avaln tried not to panic when the thought of his body being completely vulnerable outside crossed his mind. In there, he didn’t feel the fatigue that had muddied his consciousness before, and it became painfully obvious to him how rushed his decision had been.
Then again, given his impression of the girl, there was a 70% chance of her trusting him or not doing anything at least.
And about the other 30%...
He soon dismissed it as inevitable. If he died there because of such circumstances, it would only mean his luck wasn’t good enough. And without luck, death would find him before reaching Sgithe anyway.
That was what his instincts told him.
However, he did make a note of coming up with more countermeasures just in case. Luck was not something one should rely on.
And so, he closed his eyes, connecting himself to the blue book.
Aside from the rune language for spellcasting his hands had drawn already, he was in dire need of other two pieces of basic knowledge.
First, an art to refine his essence. Many guilds had secret arts for this, as it would directly affect the quality of its members. Small guilds could have one, while bigger guilds, like Greenleaf, could possess five or ten which they would distribute depending on the talent and background of their adventurers.
Alary, as the guild chief’s daughter, probably had access to the best refining art they had, and even if her high essence refining level was in great part due to her excellent aptitude, the other was undoubtedly thanks to her refining art and a small dose of luck and opportunities.
So, given Sgithe profound means, Avaln had great hope of finding something that fit his needs, albeit such a decision would be made by the blue book, as he had no previous knowledge to base his own wish on.
The second thing he needed was also quite crucial for his future growth.
In the world he lived in, strength was everything. It decided not only who lived and who died, but also who was right or wrong.
He had also seen too many times the differences between those with a background and those without it, and among the reasons for such crevice laid the training a person such as Alary or Roland Hallen would receive since they were young.
Essence refining.
Physical training.
And more important, martial arts. With weapons or without them.
Swordsmanship, Spearmanship, Bowmanship... These practices belonged to the Domain of War.
And for those with a rare aptitude towards essence, there was the Domain of Magic. There were multiple disciplines under it, but Avaln was ignorant to them aside from spellcasting.
But most importantly, due to his non-existent background or support besides the one Arthur and Ran could give him as the only family he had, which unfortunately in such a world wasn’t much, he had never trained himself in any of them.
If Avaln wanted to catch up to his saviour, a person who had been able to design such a legend-defying artefact as the blue book under his hand, a strong and versatile discipline was needed, something that could become his core.
He was already behind, and hard work could only take him so far.
However, he wasn’t clueless. When his thoughts reached the blue book, they weren’t the ones of a child, full of wishes but no methods.
No. He already had an idea of what he wanted.
The image of such a dance had been burned in his mind with awe and desire, ten years ago.
And so, the ink flowed from undetermined shelves, forming a black web that soon wrapped itself around him.
A mischievous feeling curled his lips as the knowledge appeared in his mind as if it had always been there.
He could only immediately grasp its basics, but such a thing was already a huge leap forward.
Inspiring.
Exhilarating.
He could feel his soul avatar pulsing.
And so,without wasting a breath, he closed his eyes and began comprehending everything he had just obtained, savouring the words that escaped him.
“Dún Scáith.” The spear arts that were developed to mastery by Sgithe.