Chapter 50: Big Independent Adventurers That Don’t Need Constant Communication
When John, Aliyah, and Eufemia stepped out of the portal, they were overwhelmed with a bout of extreme nausea. Aliyah suffered the worst, staggering over to a nearby patch of grass to upheave whatever was in her stomach.
The stench of bile rose in the air, making John feel worse than he already did. The god had not brought him to his knees, but this did. He dropped to the ground, trying to steady the world that felt like it was spinning out of control. He felt like he was in two places at once, his mind splitting as if the hemispheres were really cracked.
“What you’re experiencing is portal sickness. When you travel far distances with a portal, your soul experiences the distance but your body does not. This disconnect is…uncomfortable. It will pass…like your lunch,” Redell said with a chuckle to himself.
They had never used a portal before. Hiring a portal user was far too expensive for ordinary people. Portal users were hired by other adventurers, administrators, clergy, businesses, governments, and society members. Their instantaneous transportation capabilities were in high demand, especially when combined with a dimensional inventory power. To an essence user, a portal power and an inventory power was the golden ticket to an easy life.
In a flash, Amara was beside Redell.
“What happened?” she demanded. “Why is her aura like that?”
“The gift of the gods,” Redell said simply.
Amara was angry, “She hardly needed that! I thought you kept that quiet.”
“Amara you know better than to accuse me. The gods know,” Redell said, “You cannot keep it from them. Can you take her to her room? I will settle our new guests.”
Amara nodded, and Nara was passed from Redell to her arms. John watched as the beautiful and intimidating woman walked slowly towards the main building. Nara had mentioned her briefly—she was her mentor. The god had not lied that these were people Nara knew. John felt a bit of relief despite his uncontrollable nausea.
John coughed a few times and tried to haul himself to his feet, but stumbled.
“Woah there,” Redell said, steadying him, “You’ve traveled a great distance.”
“The greater this distance the worse it is?”
“Right on.”
“Dimensional travel is going to be a right bender,” John said.
“You’ve experienced it once, haven’t you?” Redell offered, “As an outworlder and all. How did that feel, when you first awoke in this world?”
John recalled the unpleasant sensation where he felt very out-of-sorts. He was completely bald and completely naked. It didn’t help that he was in the middle of a summoning ritual and his summoners were very displeased with the failure of their ritual.
“I felt awful. Like I was spun around by my mates for far too long, going beyond fun and right into torture,” John sighed, sitting back down instead of standing, “Nara is going to be fine right? She looked something rough.”
Redell looked towards the main building, “I hope so.”
“You hope so? Aren’t you a priest of Healer?”
“Soul trauma isn’t that simple, John.”
“Soul trauma?”
“You haven’t learnt about that yet in your studies, I assume.”
“You sure know a lot about me.”
“Nara talks about you all at dinner. Despite her awkwardness about the whole situation, she’s excited to meet another outworlder and join a team with people she likes, but I digress. Soul trauma is…soul trauma is when the soul suffers damage,” Redell began to explain, “It can happen in many different ways. For adventurers, soul trauma is usually accompanied by a physical injury—an injury that almost killed them. Or actually killed them, if they are revived afterwards.”
Eufemia and Aliyah also stood on doughy feet, and the four unsteadily moved to one of the nearby outdoor pavilions. Redell continued his explanation.
Food and drinks suddenly appeared onto the table. John blinked. How had those gotten there?
Redell smiled at his surprise, picking up a biscuit and offering it to John, who accepted. “Soul trauma is not uncommon for adventurers, especially those who push their limits or risk their lives to save others. Most gold rankers usually have an experience of their own.”
“Do you?” Eufemia asked.
Redell unbuttoned his shirt. A large scar ran down the side of his torso to his stomach.
“What do you know about healing magic, John?” he asked, buttoning his shirt back up.
“That it shouldn’t leave scars,” John said. “It uses the magical matrix that every person has as a blueprint for healing. Normal people have a weak and undeveloped version of it, but it’s still there.”
“When essence users suffer trauma, if it was physical as well, it leaves a mark on body and soul. If it was only soul related, it will only show up on the soul. Like just now.”
“Gods gift is soul trauma?” Eufemia said with incredulity, “Some gift!”
“That’s an oversimplification,” Redell said.
“It’s true,” Eufemia shot back.
“It’s true,” Redell reluctantly admitted, “Their intention, however, is to strengthen the soul.”
“Like forbidden research,” Aliyah said, “The gods are doing that?”
“It isn’t research, not to them.”
“They can do it correctly? They can consistently create stronger auras?”
Redell was silent.
“They can’t,” Aliyah realized, “They can’t guarantee it.”
“They know the individuals they bestow their gift to are likely to withstand it.”
Aliyah just closed her eyes and leaned back, silent. “Some gift,” she said softly, mirroring Eufemia.
“What now?” Eufemia asked, “We just wait for her to wake up? See if she’s been mentally broken or not? What if she ends up some shattered mess, mumbling nonsense? After all this, this is how your way back ends up.”
“Eufemia, that’s not the point.”
“I’ve seen it before, John, in Nekroz. The wrong side of that gamble. Those fanatical researchers make their homes in Nekroz. They use people, then dispose of them. And we’re all left to see the dirty remnants on the streets treated like they’re trash.”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“There’s not much more I can say,” said Redell. “She will likely wake up soon. We will see her condition then.”
“Soon? You really think that?”
“She’s suffered worse. Unfortunately.” Redell said. “If she could recover from soul annihilation, she can recover from a bit of divine molding.”
*****
Nara awoke to a Guide notification window in her vision. She felt weak, vulnerable. Her aura still felt unstable and sensitive, like skin rubbed raw or a muscle overwrought with exertion.
-------
Title: [Godless Prophet]
Your aura has been damaged by the direct, concerted focus of multiple transcendent-level entities.
The process of damage and recovery has refined the strength of your aura, increasing its suppressive force and resistance to suppression from higher-ranked auras.
Your aura signature has changed. An echo of transcendent power can be detected if your aura is examined by an aura sensing power or when projecting your aura.
------
“Nara, are you alright?”
She turned her head. Amara and Redell, along with John, Eufemia, and Aliyah sat to the side of her bed at the retreat.
“Wow, you make it look like I’m on my deathbed or something.”
“That’s a tasteless joke,” Aliyah scolded, “Are you aware of what happened?”
“Yep. I’m very aware of what having my soul squeezed feels like,” Nara said, “I had hoped I would never feel anything like that again.”
She looked around the room. It was very familiar, the room she slept in almost every night.
“This is…”
“The retreat.”
“How did I get here? I thought you couldn’t take unconscious people through portals?”
“There are exceptions, like trust,” Redell said.
“Guess that means I trust you.”
“Enough to go through a portal,” Redell concurred.
“How long has it been?”
“Just a few hours. How are you feeling?”
“A little upset, but I’m fine. I don’t like my soul being touched much. Am I in the clear to get back to training?” Nara moved to get out from under the covers of the bed. It was her soul that was injured, not her body.
“Give it a few days,” Redell said. “Take a break. You’re not the one training to pass the Adventure Society examination anymore.”
“Okay,” Nara said reluctantly, “I’ll do that. Are you sending the others back to Sanshi?”
“Laius will do that for me once his portal cooldown ends. For the meantime, why don’t you all join us for dinner?”
The indoor dining table was too small for the expanded group, so Laius set up dinner in an outdoor dining pavilion. Dinner was a little earlier than usual, the sun still casting its light on this part of the planet.
“Maybe I should tell Encio where I am,” Nara said, rising from her seat.
Redell pulled her shoulder down, pushing her gently into her seat, “Take it easy.”
“You keep saying that,” Nara said, “I’m just going to astral jump over to Sanshi its no biggie.”
“He’s not your mother. He’ll survive without knowing where you are for a day,” Eufemia said gesturing with her fork.
“I like to know where my kids are,” John said, “I would be worried.”
“You’re a father, you’re supposed to worry. Nara and Encio are big, independent adventurers and don’t need constant communication. Being worried for a day might knock him down a peg. Now all of you stop fidgeting and eat.”
“So, these are your other team members? It’s great to meet you all,” Amara said, trying to break the awkward tension around the table. Nobody was in a very talkative mood, but Amara didn’t let reluctance stop her.
“We’re missing just two, Sen Arlang and Enciodes Aciano,” Aliyah said.
“That all went down at his home. I wonder if anybody noticed?” Nara said.
Aliyah was staring at Amara, enchanted. Chelsea shot eye-daggers at her, causing Aliyah to awkwardly look away.
“What’s up with you?” Nara asked.
“No…I admire Amara Edea. She is a famous adventurer inventor. I can’t believe I’m eating dinner with her in these strange circumstances. It’s an odd way to fulfill a wish.”
“You want to be an adventurer inventor too?”
“Adventurer-researcher is closer to my specialty, but it’s an accurate observation.”
“Do you need to adventure for research? I was wondering about that.”
“It is not required but adventuring has its benefits—earning money for personal research and experiments, accessing ruins, first-hand experience with many magical phenomena not available in just one small part of this world. Most Magic Society researchers don’t travel to other branches.”
“Adventuring expands your research horizons.”
“That and more. The personal power and prestige you gain from adventuring holds weight. The connections you form over your life as an adventurer are often with powerful people or people that will become powerful. Sometimes, those with high positions hoard the most desirable research topics from those without backing nor power, giving their relatives or friends first access to magical phenomena, who botch it for the rest of us, or inadvertently contaminate the findings. As an experienced adventurer, you can largely bypass these internal politics, and your connections hold additional sway. An adventurer is usually the first on scene for any magical phenomena, and cannot simply be expelled from access by a Magic Society researcher, especially not if they are a researcher themselves.”
It seems nepotism was unavoidable in any world, but personal power and achievement served to bypass the incompetent. Protecting the populace from monsters as an adventurer garnered significant societal power.
“That’s part of why I do things my way too,” Amara said. “The Magic Society is too hypnotized by its own self-worth and self-image. It gets in the way of research. If anyone gets in my way…” Amara smashed her fist into her hand, “I have alternative methods of persuasion.”
“You can just beat up Magic Society officials?” Nara asked, aghast.
“Oh sure, if you’re a gold ranker,” Chelsea scoffed. “Who’s going to stop you then, especially if you’re in the right?”
“No one!” Amara said cheerfully.
“No one except a diamond ranker, and they might even agree with you. Diamond rankers rather like it when things get done.”
“You have the right idea,” Amara said, “Pummel those in your way. As long as you have the skills to back it up.”
Aliyah grinned, an expression of rare aggression from the otherwise gentle woman.
*****
There was one month remaining until John and Eufemia had to pass their Adventure Society examination. Nara spent a few days at the retreat, taking some time to experiment with something she had not had time to explore.
-------
Racial Ability: [Astral Domain]
You can shape the Astral into an [Astral Domain]. This domain additionally serves as a dimensional storage space. You can remove items from the storage space without entering the [Astral Domain]. This domain can be used to traverse the Astral.
You can call up a gate to allow for others to enter your [Astral Domain]. Only those you allow for may enter; others cannot forcibly intrude. You do not need a portal to enter your Astral Domain due to the effects of [Astral Traveler]. You need a portal to invite others into your Astral Domain.
You can shape the astral into physical reality and astral constructs. Constructs only provide effective defense against attacks lower than the rank of this item; attacks of its rank and above are minimally impeded.
You can manifest a portion of your [Astral Domain] into physical reality. Maximum size occupying physical reality corresponds to your rank. This manifestation does not share the full properties of you [Astral Domain].
You can utilize soul-engineering within your [Astral Domain] due to the effects of [Path Seeker Lute].
-------
Soul engineering wasn’t something she wanted to touch nor was going to touch; what Nara was interested in was her ability to manifest a portion of her Astral Domain into physical reality.
She could manifest the domain in two versions.
Version one, which she called the domain door, was as it sounded. She could conjure up a doorway into a false domain—something like a miniature dimensional space. It wasn’t her real domain, and it didn’t posses all the qualities her Astral Domain did. Even if she manifested it below someone, it would not drop anyone inside. Like portals, traversing the domain door required consent. They would just stand on top of the doorway, as if a plane of glass separated them.
However, this consent requirement was two-way. If she needed to escape, she could hide within the false domain and block others from entering. She didn’t know how high this denial went—if a bronze or silver ranker wanted to force themselves in, she didn’t know whether she could prevent it or an ability existed that could bypass it, such as teleportation. Additionally, she couldn’t delink the doorway to reality if she or anyone else was inside. If she did, it spit her outside, where she entered. If someone threw abilities through the doorway, it would likely pass through. She could still astral jump from within to her Astral Domain, so it could serve as an escape method in a pinch, although it would automatically de-conjure after her since she had left reality. Which meant that, if someone else was in her door domain and she left to her Astral Domain, they’d be spit out into danger if there was any.
Unfortunately, since monsters didn’t have souls, just motive spirits, they didn’t need her permission to enter. They just could. That complicated matters, especially if she was making for a quick escape.
The second version she dubbed the temp domain. She could temporarily ‘claim’ a location of physical reality, like painting over with ink like Splatoon. This version required significantly more time to set up, increasing with time with the domain claimed. Even at minimum, it took upwards of ten minutes. Similar to her domain door, she had limited ability to deny entry to others. Similarly, if she jumped to her domain or left the area, she would lose her claim.
She had a very strong suspicion that if she tried to claim a location within the Spirit Domain of a god, it wouldn’t work.
What the temporary domain was useful for was as housing. She could create a large-scale astral construct within the domain and sleep within it. Astral constructs were normally delicate, but were strengthened within her own domain. It wouldn’t serve as any sort of siege base, but it was enough that it wouldn’t immediately crumple if attacked. Enough for peace of mind to rest, or time to escape if she was awoken in the middle of the night to a surprise attack.
“As expected,” she muttered, staring at her construction of a cozy two-story house, “Outworlders are hard-specced into survival.”