Chapter 6: A New Name
“The question is what essences she should absorb.” Amara said. “If we want to get started on her training, we want to get her to iron rank as soon as possible.”
The four began to give a run down of essences, essence combinations, and confluence. As she learnt earlier, after a person absorbs three essences, a fourth essence is created from those three, called the confluence. The confluence isn’t an essence found in nature, and is generally considered superior to choosing a fourth natural essence since it has synergistic attributes with the other three essences. Depending on the combination of the other three essences, the confluence they produced changed. There were many general confluences, but even if the confluence name was the same, the abilities it produced is influenced by the other three essences in the set.
“For example,” Amara said drawing yet another diagram on the crystal board, “A Balance, Swift, Wind for the Mystic Confluence is different from a Mystic Confluence produced by Blood, Renewal, and Sword. Your ability and our own methods would identify both as a Mystic confluence essence, but the influence of the other three essences in the combination…”
Furthermore, since essences determined the general trend of abilities, it was also an outline for fighting style. Fighting style would differ between person to person even with the same essence set, but a Might, Swift, Wind, Onslaught Confluence combo would almost always be some type of damage dealer.
She was curious about magic sure, but this impromptu lesson about the theory of essences and how to choose was liquifying her brain and leaking it out of her ears like some brain-eating amoeba. If only there was an easier way to choose. Essence magic was important because it was instinctual, as had her ability to analyze the water essence they placed before her earlier. With that thought, she triggered one of her innate outworlder abilities, and a holographic window opened up before her to answer the question that the others had painstacking just started to prepare to answer.
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[Guide]
[Query]: What essences should I absorb?
[Answer]: The Dimension, Harmonic, and Balance essences for the Mystic Confluence is recommended for you.
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“Uh…” She said, staring at the window. “The window appeared again. It’s suggesting Dimension, Harmonic, and Balance?”
“That window you mention must be some sort of outworlder racial ability,” Chelsea said.
“Racial ability?”
“Outworlders gain custom tailored racial abilities for survival,” Chelsea said, “No real impact in combat, but useful for, well, survival. How do you think you’ve been talking with us the whole time. Do you think you speak our language?”
“Oh,” She realized, “I definitely do not.”
In the back of her mind, the knowledge to access this custom racial ability of hers floated to the surface. Amara had said internal magic was instinctual, and that outworlders were as magical as you could get.
Prompted by her thoughts, a new screen appeared before her.
Overview
Name: ??? / Wanderer (temporary)
Race: Outworlder (Human)
Rank: Normal
Age: 23
Titles
Spirit Warrior
Unbounded
Astral Shaper
Attributes
[Speed] (No Essence): Normal
[Power] (No Essence): Normal
[Recovery] (No Essence): Normal
[Spirit] (No Essence): Normal
Racial Abilities
Guide
Traveler’s Bounty
Resilient
Astral Traveler
Astral Domain
Free Spirit
Essence Abilities
None
When she indicated her curiosity over her racial abilities, their details manifested before her on separate windows, responding to her will.
Racial Ability: [Guide]
Interpret reality through a recognizable medium. Absorb and store information to for later use. Functions adapt to circumstance.
Current Functions:
* Status
* Inspect
* Archive
* Note
* Query
* Display
[Status]: Displays the details of your own state and abilities to yourself.
[Inspect]: Can inspect the details of objects, abilities, monsters, effects, and beings within your line of sight. Requires consent of those with a soul to see details. Those of higher rank will reveal less information without consent.
[Archive]: Stores the information of what you inspect.
[Note]: Records a [Note] for reference.
[Query]: Consult the [Guide] for an [Answer]. [Answer] will only be factual common knowledge in the form of text. [Answer] can provide recommendations related to yourself.
[Display]: Displays the results of any of the functions to another being.
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Racial Ability: [Traveler’s Bounty]
You and your allies can loot defeated enemies with aura range.
You can convert looted material to that of a material of equivalent type and rank.
Racial Ability: [Resilient]
Increased resistance to damage.
Increased resistance to afflictions.
Racial Ability: [Astral Traveler]
Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Astral Affinity].
Increased resistance to dimension effects and astral forces. Dimension abilities have increased effect and transcendent damage is increased. This is a legacy effect of [Astral Affinity].
If your body is discorporated, your soul will return to your [Astral Domain]. You may reinhabit physical reality upon the recreation of a physical body.
Within the astral you will be able to create and maintain a small zone of physical reality around you.
Within physical reality you will be able to create and maintain a small zone of the astral around you.
You are able to sense and enter coterminous dimensional spaces. Your presence stabilizes unstable dimensional spaces.
You are able to enter and traverse the astral.
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. 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].
Racial Ability: [Free Spirit]
Language adaptation.
Essence, awakening stone, and skill book absorption.
Immunity to identification and tracking.
Resistance to dimension-restriction effects.
That was far too much information for her to process all at once. Let alone the variety of new terms she was faced with; she just didn’t have the time yet to experiment nor parse through them.
She did, however, notice a useful function of her Guide ability, that allowed her to share her guide windows with others.
For now, she decided to just share everything with the group, passing copies of the windows to all others in the room.
“Oh this all warrants further investigation,” Amara said, rubbing her hands together excitedly. She was beginning to see the mad scientist peek out of the veneer of demi-god warrior that the woman exuded, and that Chelsea claimed to keep in check. “Astral Domains? Zones of physical reality and astral? Traversing the Astral? Astral constructs?”
“Focus, Amara,” Chelsea said, pulling on her arm again, “Realize that this outworlder doesn’t have any options here. This isn’t some expression of trust, but desperation.”
“Don’t out me like that,” she said, “It’s embarrassing.”
Amara’s sun-gold eyes locked onto hers, “I won’t experiment on you, do not worry. I swear it on my warrior’s pride.”
“That’s a relief,” she said, her voice a little shakier than she intended it to be.
Redell, sitting beside her on the grey couch, gave her a reassuring smile.
“You said this Guide ability of yours recommended a set for you,” Amara said, “Then I believe that is the best option.”
“Just like that?”
“We won’t go into detail, but there is an intimate relationship between essences and the soul.” Redell said, “The details are a distraction, at your rank.”
“The nothing rank.”
“Essentially, it is best to choose essences that suit your personality.”
“Dimension I get,” she said, “I clearly have some sort of affinity with dimension. But the other two I don’t really understand. What does it even mean to be the materialization of Balance?”
“Balance and Harmonic aren’t ‘definitive’ essences,” Amara said, “They won’t harm you.”
“Definitive essences?”
“Essences like Blood, Hunger, Dark, Venom, and Sin,” Amara said, “They tend to resonate with certain aspects of the personality. Not inherently bad. Balance and Harmonic are very neutral. They won’t draw out anything extreme.”
“Draw out?”
“We’ve already said too much,” Chelsea said hurriedly, elbowing Amara lightly, “But this selection is neutral. If your soul is suggesting this combination, it logically is the one most suited for you.”
“How does my soul even know about this stuff?”
“Outworlder tend to draw on local knowledge for their information abilities,” Chelsea said. “It’s in line with their patterns.”
“So… just trust what I’ve chosen for myself?”
“That’s how it is,” Amara said, “You’re setting your own path out for yourself. I think that’s a marvelous start to your new journey.”
“The rest of us have to go through the excruciatingly long process you just deftly avoided, “ Chelsea said, her eyes conveying that her faltering attention span did not escape her.
“Or use whatever you find,” Laius said in a rare comment. It must have been what happened to him.
“That’s not inherently bad either,” Redell clarified, “Since the soul influences what abilities you awaken, everything works. There’s just less of an adjustment process.”
Amara was more excited than she was, her sun-gold eyes flashing with energy. It was that passionate, friendly, and responsible attitude that had drawn her to Amara’s magic, although the responsible part of her aura left a different impression than her initial one.
Her own excitement for new magic was clouded by unease over her general circumstances. Everything was very new and happening very, very, fast. But she felt similar time pressures—Who knew how long it’d take before she’d get back home? 2 months have already passed. It wasn’t a lot, but it permanently lost time. As the time away stretched into years, would she be able to maintain her willpower? She may as well grasp onto whatever propulsion she could, letting her original leap into turbulent waters propel her as far as possible, before she had to push forward under her own power.
“Then, how do I do this?”
“Before that, why don’t we figure out a name for you,” Redell proposed. “We can’t keep just calling you, ‘you’.”
*****
The crystal board was cleared of its contents, and a list of names was hashed out.
“How about Wanda?” Redell suggested.
“Redell, stop suggesting puns,” Chelsea admonished.
“You get to chose your own name at the inception of a journey beyond your imagination,” Amara said, head nodding strongly in satisfaction, her warrior’s passion reigniting, “This is the ideal adventurer origin. A warrior of unintentional circumstance that has since chosen their own path and their own name.”
“I’m not really much of a warrior.”
“Not much of a warrior, yet,” Amara said, wagging her finger, “That’ll change.”
Will it really? She thought, but she didn’t really know what she was in for. Maybe, her mind-melding journey through the astral has forged her mind into something more resilient than it originally was. Her racial ability sure claimed it: Resilient. Should she hope her experiences have already changed her beyond her ordinary self, or lament the loss of her past self?
The three suggested various names, Redell eliciting various stares from Chelsea as he continually suggested funny names to lighten up the atmosphere. Despite his large imposing stature, he turned out a bit of a goof.
She had no problems with puns, it was ‘God’s favorite humor’, her dad used to say, but she wasn’t going to chose one as her name. She smiled when she realized another thread of her memory had returned to her, something more personal. She had only been in this world for a single day, but she theorized that interacting with reality may trigger more memories to return quicker.
“Nara.” Laius spoke for the first time in the conversation, then fell back silent with no additional explanation.
“Nara?” Amara said, her expression transforming into one of agreement. “It’s a name from my culture. The name from a myth, an enigmatic wanderer, known as the ‘one from beyond the horizon’.”
The name scratched a familiar itch in her mind. It tugged on a string of memory, but the string held firm, no prize memory dropping from the ceiling of her consciousness.
“That sounds pretty nice,” she said, “I like it. Do I seem enigmatic?”
“Not yet,” Amara said, “We can work on that.”
“Why is that something she’d ever work on?” Chelsea countered.
“Her racial abilities are plenty enigmatic,” Redell suggested supportively.
“She shouldn’t go around telling people about those.”
“I shouldn’t?” She said.
“You shouldn’t.” Chelsea confirmed, staring down Redell who slunk back a bit, “Guide, Traveler’s Bounty, Resilient, and Free Spirit are all fine,” She clarified, “Looting, translation, and information abilities are all standard Outworlder racials, even if they vary wildly in form.”
Amara clapped her hands, bringing the conversation back into focus, more from excitement than to prevent derailment, “Then from now on, you are Nara Edea!”
“Edea?” She asked.
“That’s my last name,” Amara said, pointing to herself. “It’ll come in handy, I promise.”
“She’s right about that.” Chelsea said. “She has some fame as an adventurer-inventor. You’ll probably find several items she’s invented out and about, after we take you to a city. At the very least, it means she serves as your guarantor.”
A guarantor for her identity, who had no origin in this world. Or maybe, the she’d serve as some sort of emergency contact if something happened.
“Nara Edea,” Nara said, rolling the name off her tongue, feeling the syllables out. It was pleasant, fitting.
“Yeah, I like it.”