It was clear now that the moles had intended to betray them and steal what information they could. By now it was hard to tell how much they had already stolen from the depths of Owens' mind when they communicated, or anyone else for that matter.
“I can’t just tell the others about this…” he thought while pacing by the bell.
The best answer was to simply confront them with the truth. He still had to be careful as they most likely had access to forms of mind magic that would fry his brain and leave him in a vegetative state. Unsure of how that would even affect him as an immortal it was best to proceed with caution. After all, in the worst case it would leave him in such a state for eternity.
No spell could be cast instantly and it would take time for them to perform such a feat given what he understood of mind magic. Placing a hand upon the bell he called for the moles to the surface.
He only got away with reading their minds from up here given they had no hope he would ever be able to learn. When face to face he would have no ability to hide it. Wanting to end this in a way where no one had to get hurt he made a rash decision in speaking with them alone.
Parting the ground that had healed itself once more the three moles came before him. Hugur, looking as stern as ever, asked “Are we ready for today's lesson?”
“Are we?” Owen asked. Of course he wouldn’t use the traditional method mind you. He connected to Hugur due to that lack of defence and in the creature's utter shock and bafflement Owen said “I think some progress has been made.”
“But.. how?” Hugur asked.
This may have been their preferred method of talking, but he needed to confront all of them and he just didn’t have the power to connect to more than one person at the moment. “I spent a lot of time looking internally until I found the issue.” He explained verbally this time. It was unlikely they would understand the process he went through.
“Though, as I got here.” Owen stated. Walking forward he looked over at the three of them “I heard a conversation below that stated something about wishing to steal from us because this training was going to fail?”
All three were taken aback by such a claim but it was clear the two adults' shock was that of being found out. Stephen on the other hand was more surprised by the idea someone would do that.
“Is it true?” the young mole asked. Turning to face Hugur and Heket he repeated his question before he added “Were you planning to steal from mister Man?”
Heket seemed unsure how to respond in the presence of the child so she stated something to him, though privately.
Stephen shook his head and backed off “I’m not going to let you be mean to man!,” he protested. Raising his claws into the air he rushed over to Owen’s side.
Hugur only looked stern and even more aggressive as he stared at Owen. “We cannot afford to let our people fall behind. If you rush off and tell your friends then this will all be for nothing. I am sorry but we have to do this.”
Owen expected this outcome, holding up his hand as he said “It takes time to perform any spell that would do that much damage to someone. If you even attempt it I will raise the alarm sky high and my friends will come in. Neither of us want that.”
Hugur paused at least while Hecket seemed convinced this was the best course of action but was also forced to pause once Owen held his hand to the bell that he used to summon them.
Owen looked down to Stephen at his side and gave him a reassuring smile “There's no need to worry. You go and rest up and I’ll make some extra muffins for later. We just need to talk for a bit.”
The young mole continued to stare up at him with an uncomfortable whine but Owen assured him once more by connecting to his mind and stating “I am a lot better at this now. Not a baby anymore.”
It was at least enough to convince him not to worry as he slowly backed away and said “Twice as many,” returning underground.
Owen could then safely return his attention to the two before him. “If I feel anything out of the ordinary I will signal for others. You do not want to know what the large one will do to not just you, but your people if he gets involved.” It was an aggressive threat but Owen felt that it was the only way to turn this into a standoff.
Hecket backed off and relaxed her posture while Hugur said “Then do it. If any outcome of this leads to our betrayal being revealed then we will not be able to survive this endeavour.”
“That doesn’t need to be the case.” Owen responded. His hand was still hovering the bell to keep himself safe.
“What do you mean?” Both moles asked in tandem.
“What I mean is I expected more of both of you, but Stephen clearly shows he wants to learn and expand his horizons. He cares for me in a way only a friend would. While you have betrayed my trust, I still wish to teach Stephen of the world.”
They shared confused glances before he continued “And in doing so I can't exactly have his guardians killed. I won't tell anyone of this event, provided you take my training seriously and don't pull any stunts like this again.”
The two once again shared a glance, most likely convening on what they would need to do in this situation. They only had one option that didn’t end in an untimely demise for at least them so Hecket nodded and Hugur huffed through his nostrils “We agree. As an added apology for our transgressions I will also teach you an advanced method of defending yourself from others' mental attacks.”
“Then this lesson starts now.” Owen stated. If they taught him how to block mental attacks he could feel at least slightly at ease around them until trust was rebuilt. “Don’t try anything funny though. If anything happens that causes my mental shutdown my hand will fall directly onto this bell and call for everyone in this space to come running.”
There was some hesitation on how they would show this without being allowed to attack his mind directly but Hecket eventually stated “Connect to my mind and feel as Hugur will attempt to attack me. Watch how I form a barrier to protect myself.”
It was a compromise that Owen could get behind. Reaching out his natural mana towards the two he had it connect to Hecket who allowed it to freely enter. “Very good.” She stated.
It felt almost a bit patronising given they constantly referred to him as less than a child for not understanding how to do this. Now it felt like he had been promoted to being treated like a child. A step up perhaps, but not how he liked being spoken to after what just transpired.
“Calm yourself and pay attention now. I will be attacked from the front by a mental blast. Watch.” He had to close his eyes to visualise what he needed to see. It was mostly interpreted as colours in his mind. A mix of blues and greens flowing about in the world before him where his own mana manifested as a sharp red that connected back to himself. If he were to describe it in sheer volume, he was like a tiny needle penetrating the wall of a house in sheer scale. Watching the colours dance about to freely allow him to enter he soon saw… No, he felt the colour shift into a much more solid form to block another string like himself from entering.
This string was much more jagged and coated in spikes, with a malicious aura surrounding it. Owen doubted that an aura would feel this malicious, but as a for sake of example he understood what it was over exaggerated.
In forming this wall of mana the malicious intent struggled to penetrate the wall he was safely behind. No matter how it prodded it seemed it was unable to attach to her in the same way he was.
Eventually he untethered his mana from her and thought about what he had seen and how it was best to implement such a defence for himself. It required active concentration at very least which was something he had to be careful about.
Splitting his concentration between whatever he was doing and protecting himself mentally would mean things would take far longer to complete. Such is the price of safety he supposed, taking mental notes of it all.
The rest of his lesson was simply repetition of the example so he could grow and understand it better until it would come natural to him. No wonder that they couldn’t even begin to describe how such a magic works to him. He could now do it and still had no idea about how it truly worked just yet.
After his lessons with the mole it was time for him to meet with a ‘special guest’ as Alister called her. An older elven lady who came to visit him by the field. It was the first time Owen had ever seen what he could call an old looking elf. Her face was coated in wrinkles and long ears drooping slightly. Long grey hair was parted to the left covering one side of her face and brushed back behind her shoulder.
Despite her age she still looked very physically fit. Wearing a light tunic similar to his own she waved him down and said “Welcome, Owen.” Her voice matched her look as he could only describe it as sounding like a kind grandmother.
Beside her were two children clinging onto either leg, both staring at Owen with thousand yard stares that pierced right through him. The boy was a Ratling like Swiss and the other a human girl.
Both of which wore matching tunics with the old lady so it was natural to assume she was their caretaker. “Oh where are my manners,” the lady said as she offered a hand to him “My name is Olivia. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Owen responded. He was treated to a show of just how strong the old lady was when she gripped his hand like a vice used to keep a mandragora in place. His eyes widened at such a blatant show of strength and sudden burst of pain.
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She laughed in response and said “Oh my, I do forget myself sometimes,” releasing his hand and gently patting both of the children's heads “How about you two watch from a safe distance and we’ll get ice cream after.”
He expected two young children to jump at the idea of ice cream but both simply nodded quietly and released her legs, taking a hold of each other's hand and walking together to sit down and watch them from across the training field.
She noted Owen’s visible confusion and explained “Immortality is a curse. Sometimes it strikes those who are already broken. Cursed to wander the lands as a husk of a person.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” Owen responded. In actuality he hadn’t said anything at all.
“The explanation would have happened at one point or another. It is best I am the one to shed some light on their condition,” she assured.
Owen took this as a go ahead to begin asking questions and the first thing on his mind was “What do you mean by broken?”
Olivia took a moment to compose herself when looking at the children, turning her attention back to him and explaining “Both of these children underwent severe hardships in their youth that left them… mentally unavailable to us. Unfortunately the abuse they suffered and the condition they are in, seems to be a permanent fixture of their minds since they became immortal.”
Owen watched the two as they silently sat together cross legged in the grass. There was no emotion in their eyes other than a vacant curiosity for what was to come next. “Fate is cruel…” Olivia said somberly. “Cursed to forever wander. A childhood stolen from them.”
Owen, as pragmatic as ever suggested “But can Psychopomps not deal with the soul of an immortal?” They had said he could kill Owen if he didn’t want to go down this path.
Olivia continued to watch Owen, sizing him up. “The dragon could do many things, and granting death is one of them. However, it would be such a sad existence to allow the children to die without giving them at least a portion of a life. The powers they have also allow them to help others in need.” Owen felt that was an area he needed not pry just yet. He was here for a lesson after all and Olivia was prepared to give him one. “But the time for discussing the children has come to an end. Let us move on to your training.”
She slightly crouched and raised an arm as she got into a defensive stance “Come at me with everything you have. I can run circles around Alister so you needn't worry about hurting me.”
By now it was best not to underestimate anyone here so he prepared himself and launched forward at her using the same speed that Alister had taught him how to harness. A swing from the left was his opener.
Olivia stood still and watched him until the last moment where just before impact she moved to her right so the swing slipped by her without impact. “Try again.” She stated.
Owen did as he was told, being reminded of Alister in her stance and disposition while fighting. Again he swung but she deftly dodged. Again and again and again she slipped away from every attack at the last moment.
After one such dodge she lifted a knee to counter attack. Slamming it into Owens chest he had the breath knocked out of his lungs. He hardly had time to react before a palm collided with his face and sent him onto his back.
Laying and staring at the artificial sky above them he couldn’t help but think “Why is everyone here some form of super human..?”
“You have the speed, you have the strength. You lack the technique,” she said. Helping Owen up to his feet and returning to her defensive stance “Come at me again and this time be ready to dodge my counter attack.”
Again Owen rushed her and attempted to predict when she would counter his attacks. This led to her grabbing his arm and throwing him over her shoulder, “Thinking about countering too much causes your movements to become slow!”
This process repeated for some time with any direct attacks being dodged but if he thought too much about countering he would be thrown or grappled in some way. To add insult to injury it seemed the children were capable of emotion. That emotion being entertained, given any time Olivia would toss, punch, or simply grapple him they would clap and sometimes even giggle depending on the severity of the attack.
“Come now.” Olivia finally said as she helped him up. “If Alister cannot land a hit on me I doubt you will.”
Owen could hardly fathom why everyone here was so antagonistic when it came to training but knowing that Alister could not land a hit did fill him with some relief. Getting to his feet again he awaited the signal and threw another punch, this time as it passed over her when she ducked he attempted to slam it downwards with his speed enhanced by his spell.
Somehow she managed to see this coming and shifted her body to avoid it, slipping backwards and with a toothy grin said “Clever but not fast enough.”
It continued this way for some time, each tactic being predicted and promptly avoided with some form of a snide or sarcastic comment. At this point he was beginning to miss Alister’s blunt nature.
Time after time, blow after blow, and comment after comment it seemed Olivia was finally satisfied after an hour of toying with him. “Well it seems you still need to polish those skills of yours,” she commented, helping him to his feet one final time.
“Thanks…” Owen muttered. Clutching his chest he wished that along with being indestructible he could also not feel pain. It felt cruel being immortal but still able to suffer. From drinking acids to being treated like a punching bag he needed to grow stronger to avoid any further pointless agony.
Olivia patted him on the back a few times and said “Do with that what you will. I’ll be back in a few months to continue the training.”
Stumbling away from the wreck that was that training session Owen had one more lesson today. He was to begin his training with frost finally so he made his way to the hill that overlooked the small town they had where he had met swiss on the first night they came here.
Frost was waiting for him as he approached, the hulking form of a woman always imposing in her own right. She was enamoured with the sun it seemed given she hardly acknowledged his approach but he knew that she would know he was there.
“Welcome,” she eventually said, unmoving. “Today I will begin to teach you magic.”
Before Owen could get a word in edgeways, Frost turned to face him. Her eyes clouded in that same dark myst that gave him a shiver down his spine any time he stared into it for too long. He always wondered what was going on with that, what did she look like behind the mask of magic that prevented any of her face from being seen.
“You know the basics, yes?” She asked in her distinctly foreign tone. He couldn’t even place where she was from but it had to be to the north if he made an educated guess.
“I know how to light a stove and cool down my dinner… mostly,” he admitted with a tinge of regret now that he lazed off in magic studies so he could spend more time doodling faces and drawing alchemy patterns into his notebook.
“As long as you can produce a flame we may begin,” she stated. She raised a thick leather gloved hand to show a large flame above the palm. “Magic is a very dangerous art. It takes concentration and willpower to bend the world to your will. It is easy to simply create something and allow it to run rampant… However,” as she explained the fire began to shrink in her palm until a tiny but bright blue flame hovered above her palm “Control means not only making something more powerful. To contain and release the required mana to produce a small flame also takes skill. Anyone can toss a fireball because fire is already dangerous.”
“Then how do I start?” Owen asked, eager to simply get to learning something that might not hurt him for once… Or so he hoped.
“We must enhance your reserves of mana. You have that of a mortal so we must expand.”
She stepped back a brief distance and raised a hand into the air again to show off a spell “You will not be able to handle magic unless you do as a mortals magic could not fathom this level of power”
The air felt different between the two. Frost raised a single finger and formed what seemed to be just one, singular, snowflake. It floated down towards Owen and he was left in a state of confusion.
She seemed confident so he reached out for it allowing it to float down so it would land upon the tip of his finger. Upon contact the snowflake shattered with the sound of a hundred glass shards being destroyed in unison and the area around them from the top of the hill to the base of the town were engulfed in a raging blizzard.
It all happened so fast that it took the pain of being unable to breathe for Owen to realise that his entire body had been completely flash frozen. Luckily, Frost wasn’t one to leave him suffer so she raised a flame to quickly unfreeze him. “This will be a tad uncomfortable for a moment.” She stated.
Raising her hand the tiny flame from her palm rose before it began to rapidly expand. It didn’t lose any of the power of the blue flame as it continued to grow until it resembled that of a miniature sun.
It did melt the ice around them all the way down to the edge of the town but it also came with the uncomfortable feeling of being painfully hot. It felt like Owen’s skin was burning up, getting ready to melt off.
It ended moments later with the sun being completely snuffed out of existence and the air slowly returning to normal now that the pressure of the mana was dissipating. “I get the picture…” he stated cautiously.
Superhuman might not have been the term to use anymore. Whatever these people were were akin to monsters, beasts of legend, one might even say gods. To think such power was something he was training to attain still left him feeling uneasy.
Later in the evening he was called to the mess hall where the main group wished to meet and have a discussion so he thought it was the best time to prepare another pot of stew with the meats and vegetables they had.
One by one they filed in from their own studies or training so they could sit around the large table close to the cooking station. “So, as I have told you all… Owen has attained the ability to use mind magic.” Osmir began. It shifted everyone’s eyes over to where Owen was currently peeling some potatoes.
“That is true.” Owen stated. It was easier to show it off to the one who would raise a fuss so he sent out his mana to connect to Alister. He was in the middle of a sceptical thought that he suddenly managed to do it when Owen transmitted the message “No need to be so sceptical.”
It did cause Alister to briefly pause before he said to the group “It seems it is true then.”
Osmir cleared his throat as he placed down his log book and said “What I called everyone here was not for the reveal of Owen’s sudden abilities but that I am concerned about how they came to be. If you could inform the group how you suddenly understood mind magic?” Directing the end of his query to Owen.
Owen was taken aback, feeling this was some form of intervention now but Osmir was the one who looked after their health after all. “Well… I used that homunculus that Psychopomps gave me and a donation of blood from the moles to begin experimenting on what was essentially myself. Given I knew their mana signature due to the managraph I could feed the homunculus potions until it began to exude the same form of signal when set to expend mana.” He began, brushing aside the peels into the trash next to him and taking a breath. “Then when it finally did output what I wanted I then took the time to dissect it and find if anything had changed within the body, where I found a tumour like growth had appeared on the brain.”
The others seemed to visibly reel back at the idea, bar Alister of course but if that man knew what emotions were the world might be in danger. “Then after I confirmed the growth on the brain contained what was in essence an expanded version of the body's natural mana capacitor I decided that it was time I took the potion myself. It hurt like hell and I ended up blacking out. That’s when Osmir found me and healed the wounds I harboured from the experiment.”
Osmir left the explanation hanging over the group for a moment before he chimed in, “Not only was it reckless to take such a drastic action, such an action could have left you in a vegetative state for the rest of time, yes?”
“In a sense, yes,” Owen was forced to respond. “But I was more than fifty percent confident that that would not be the case.”
“All I wish to be clear on is that this was an incredibly reckless decision that could have had dire results,” Osmir tried to scold. Though it seemed others had their own reactions to such actions.
Alister seemed quite impressed and said “To go through such efforts for our request is more than admirable. I assume learning mind magic from them would have been otherwise impossible?”
Owen nodded in response as Frost had her hand to her chin. “It worked out in the end. We should not argue with results,” she finally said once she made up her mind.
The sound of the cauldron beginning to bubble prompted Owen to hastily continue his chopping so he could have the vegetables done on time. Swiss got up and moved over so she could help him, finally sharing her stance. “I’m not sure we should be taking such big risks if it means being left incapacitated for the rest of time. It’s not worth the risk.”
“While the process may not be reversed, I simply ask that you refrain from making such decisions on your own in the future.” Osmir said once everyone had time to give their opinions on the matter.