Chapter 21 Options

Adrian found that Yrenor seemed downright changed now that he knew about his connection to the ancient Guardian, his magic, and most importantly his coming back from the dead.

For a few weeks he made Adrian focus on his magic and dagger throwing, the spear training reduced a little. The old man was of the opinion that he only needed the basics, especially for killing undead.

Adrian didn’t ask too many complex questions in that time, mostly focusing on his magic and learning to write and read better than before. His shaping glass magic got to level three but he didn’t notice a major difference. He collected more Essence from the undead he killed daily, sticking to Yrenor’s regime to put them on the pyre.

One day he stood behind the man, leaning on the well he had come to use for that very purpose. “Are you from this city?”

Yrenor didn’t reply but Adrian knew the man was done with his prayer. He had asked a few questions before but anything dealing with him personally, he either ignored or answered with single words.

“I’m just wondering why we’re doing all this. Is it to honor the dead? Or is this your job? Did a Guardian appoint you?” Adrian asked. He didn’t expect a serious answer, grabbing his spear to continue his work after a short water break.

“Is it not enough? To set them free? To give them the rest they deserve?” Yrenor asked.

Adrian looked at the growing pyre they were building. “It’s a lot of work,” he said. He didn’t know this place, didn’t know its people. He probably wouldn’t even do this if he came back to his hometown and found everyone suddenly undead. Yes, he would make sure the people he knew would be buried but everybody else? He wasn’t religious and he wouldn’t pretend he cared that much. He helped the man of course but that was mostly for selfish reasons.

The undead killing was useful in the sense that he gained essence, but the whole bringing them back to the pyre and praying for them? Seemed a bit much for monsters that tried to kill him. If there was a soul or something, he was sure it was long gone from these creatures walking the alleys and streets.

“You are not obligated to help me. But I won’t let you disrespect them. If you choose to gather Essence for your own needs, do it somewhere else,” Yrenor said.

“Noted,” Adrian said. You would really kill me over that? he wondered. Not that it matters. I’d just come back to life anyway.

He went back to work and chuckled to himself, thinking of Yrenor standing next to the white tree, his corpses piling up as he tried to get rid of the regenerating being. He supposed Yrenor could just put him in a cell or something, giving him food and water for however long he stayed in the town. He shook his head, preparing his spear as he reached the place he had left off from before.

One thing was clear, he would try to stay on Yrenor’s good side. If that required hauling undead bodies down to the pyre for months on end, he was happy to do so. He would probably do a lot more now that he thought about it.

Not being able to just slaughter every undead he saw for the Essence was a bit of a problem of course. At some point he would need to find other things to kill to advance more quickly. But for now he had plenty to learn from the old man, and he could explore other things in the city. There was more than Essence after all.

“What does this word mean?” Adrian asked, saying it to Yrenor.

“It’s an ingredient. A rare herb. Are you reading the potion book again?” Yrenor asked.

“Of course I’m reading the potion book,” Adrian grumbled.

“You’re not a witch, nor an alchemist. You will just kill yourself trying to make something,” the old man remarked. “Stick to your magic and spear.”

Adrian smiled to himself, reading the entry again, especially the description of the resulting liquid. “Good thing that dying isn’t much of an issue then,” he murmured. “You don’t have any clue what the expiration time is on a health potion?”

Yrenor dragged on his pipe. “Far worse things than dying. Especially with potions. And no, I do not. Ten years is a long time for them all to just… sit there. I never used any nor will I try now.”

“Ten years?” Adrian asked.

The man looked at the fire, as he always did when the conversation was over.

“I’ll be careful. They could be useful in an emergency. And I tried a health potion before. It saved my life. Multiple times,” he said.

“Potent, yes. And expensive. I would kill you if I knew you were just here to loot,” Yrenor said.

“Good thing I’m not then,” Adrian said and continued his reading. There were a lot of different potions, all with tens of ingredients and very delicate instructions on their making. Much of it magical too, related to weather, the elements, the moon even. If he hadn’t used one himself before, he would think it all a bunch of gibberish. The effects were far beyond anything that could be produced from the medicine he knew.

Maybe they just figured out how to harness the full moon more effectively, he thought and flipped the page. “You don’t mind if I take a few potions here to look at?”

Yrenor didn’t reply.

“That’s a yes then,” he said and continued reading.

Adrian looked at the potion in his hand, a small flask, simple shape, dark red liquid inside and a cork to keep it there.

Potion of Wara [Adequate]

Vitality, he thought, remembering the description he had read. The effects described wound healing, bone mending, and back pain relief. He didn’t know if it would be quite as useful as the potions he had used before but it was the only vitality related potion in the shop he could place.

Wyne Potion [Adequate]

This one used the same container, the liquid however was white and very thick. Something to increase the senses apparently, the ability of the body, whatever that meant exactly.

And the last one he deemed useful was a Lain Potion [High], a brown liquid with small black pieces floating inside. It definitely didn’t look good anymore but he didn’t know how a fresh one looked so he just accepted it.

The description of the effects were mostly focused on increased endurance and strength. Severe side effects were mentioned too, but not what exactly they were.

For now, he was glad to have some potions, still just learning about the many variations they came in. There were ones that increased the brightness of a magically produced flame, some that increased hair growth, or claimed to do such. Others were really just potent drugs, against pain, or to cause dreams and visions. Psychedelics he assumed. Or they really connected the mind to some kind of eldritch being to show visions and dreams. Neither option seemed particularly alluring.

There were sadly no simple mana potions, something he had hoped to find to be able to focus on his magic training more. Mana really was his limiting factor, the regeneration being so slow he could really focus on it for a few minutes per day only.

Intelligence affected his regeneration, so he invested his gathered Essence into the stat, managing to level twice and bringing it to sixteen. About thirty points per hour if he meditated for the full hour, not something he thought possible. He was getting better however.

The meditation didn’t just help with his mana regeneration he found, it provided more, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

“I’d like to explore a little more,” he said on the way to the town.

“You’re not ready to face the more dangerous undead, let alone what lurks in the sewers,” Yrenor said.

“I don’t want to fight them. I just want to find equipment that will help with my magic training. And mana potions,” he said.

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The old man chuckled. “Even nobility could not pay for such a lavish way to train magic. Why the rush? Are you not enjoying my company?”

Adrian laughed. “Sure. I love how much you share with me. Think of it this way. If I get all the old mana potions left behind and use them, looters won’t get them. Same thing with equipment really. It’s just lying around somewhere, collecting dust. I’m sure the masters who made it all would be furious that their hard labor is wasting away.”

Yrenor glanced back at him, his red eyes squinting lightly before he focused onward again.

Adrian on the other hand grinned, schooling his expression in case the man looked back again. Yrenor always got in a foul mood when looters were mentioned, and he spoke highly of the smiths, tailors, and leather workers who had crafted his various pots, weapons, and clothes.

“What do you have in mind?” he asked.

Yes.

“You know the town,” Adrian said. Yrenor hadn’t admitted it but it was obvious that he knew his way around. “You must have a detailed map, or just outright know where the best of the best had their stores. Maybe even more, I’m thinking barracks, houses of powerful mages, a treasury even?”

“You do sound like a looter,” Yrenor said.

“I’ll bring stuff back for you too. You tell me where to go and I’ll take the risk of actually going there. I’m sure there are things you would like as well, to honor their memory,” Adrian said.

“You do not care about the memory of Faenhold,” Yrenor growled.

Adrian looked at the man. “No. No I don’t. I care about finding out if it was Terranthir who took me here, finding out why, and going back to my land. Better magic is the only thing I can think of that could help me do that, that could help me explore more dangerous places to find clues.”

Bring up Terranthir to remind him I was literally Guardian sent.

“You will gather things for me too,” Yrenor said. “And I won’t hear your whining about rot, infections, repeated death, pain, skewering, burns, blight, or dysentery.”

“Perfect. You can put a blanket over your ears while I shit myself to death. Don’t think I won’t complain. But I’ll get you your things. But you know that I’ll get better at it if I have access to mana potions and adequate gear,” Adrian said.

He knew his own worth. Yrenor was powerful, sure. It was hard for Adrian to gauge how strong the old man actually was in comparison to an undead mage or knight, but what he knew was that he remained careful, only expanding slowly to kill the undead in the next alley where he had left off the previous cleansing.

Adrian didn’t plan to die but neither did he plan on ignoring the advantages given to him in this weird place. With the potions he already had, coupled with his spear training and equipment, he at least thought some exploration to be possible. Plus he could kill a few more undead without dragging them down to the pyre. Yrenor would surely understand it if he murdered the creatures out of self defense.

Doesn’t matter if they rot standing or lying. If anything it’s more dignified, he thought, shaking his head at the memories of the growling and moaning undead.

They reached the square where Adrian did his magic training, trying to perfect another dagger. By now he was improvising new hilt versions, blade lengths, and weight distributions. Using a dagger the conventional way and throwing one were two very different things after all. For now, it would be more effective for him to figure out the design of a more efficient throwing knife. It was just trial and error however, as Yrenor didn’t exactly offer any useful advice on the matter.

This knew version was slightly curved, most of the weight at the front part of the blade to assure the impact would drive the tip forward. With a last effort, he sharpened the point and edges, adding a little pressure to the whole structure of the glass weapon to compress it just a little more.

His head started hurting, informing him about the low state of his mana. He finished up, smiling as he looked at the product. A slightly curved, weirdly balanced knife. The hilt was smaller than that of most of the daggers he had made. Adrian assumed that wouldn’t be a massive problem if he used it for throwing only.

The last stretch felt a little smoother again.

He looked inward and found the reason.

Soulbound:

Essence – 486

Level – 13

Vitality – 16 [23]

Endurance – 10

Strength – 9 [12]

Skill – 8 [12]

Intelligence – 16

Wisdom – 14

Soul skill – Shaping Glass Magic – level 4

We’re progressing. Slow and steady, he thought and stood up, flicking the knife at a close wooden door.

Yrenor did a double take when he saw how easily the blade had penetrated but didn’t comment on it. Likely due to the shit eating grin on Adrian’s face.

Might actually be able to use these things on undead creatures soon, he thought but curbed his enthusiasm. Overconfidence was the bane of every budding knife thrower after all.

“There are barracks, near the wall,” Yrenor said. “If you follow the main outer road, you will find them.”

Adrian looked in the direction. “Cleared out already?”

“No. I expect plenty of guards, soldiers, maybe even mages. But perhaps you can see it as… a test of sorts. If it’s too much, come back and continue your training,” Yrenor said.

“How can I identify them?” he asked.

“They’re the largest set of buildings by far. And you’ll get there before you reach the western gate,” Yrenor said. “If you miss them, you’re even more incapable than I thought.”

“Don’t make the mistake of underestimating my stupidity,” Adrian said. “Anything you’d like from there?” he added.

“No,” Yrenor answered.

He would’ve gotten it himself, I’m sure, he thought, shouldering his pack before he loaded his crossbow, adding it to his back as he checked his daggers and spear. “Any tips dealing with mages? The last one had some kind of defense I couldn’t break through.”

“Hit harder,” Yrenor said.

“Helpful,” Adrian answered in the same dry tone.

“You can also try using your glass,” Yrenor added and grabbed his own weapon and cart.

Magic against magic? Adrian asked himself. There was some logic to that he supposed, taking the new slightly curved knife with him. It still looked just as sharp after he ripped it out of the door.

“Thank you,” Adrian said and followed the road.

A few rows of buildings stood between the broad street and the outermost walls of Faenhold castle. Adrian assumed this street circled at least half of the entire town. It was one of very few that were this broad.

It didn’t take him long to reach an area that Yrenor hadn’t yet cleared of undead. The main street was bustling with them. Hundreds, if not thousands as far as he could see. His goal were the barracks however, and so he went to the alleys and closer to the wall.

This won’t be quite as easy as I thought, Adrian mused as he looked at the dozens of undead stumbling or sitting around even in the alleys. And so he got to work, spear in hand and shield at the ready, prepared to run away if the hordes overwhelmed him.

With twenty three Vitality and his gear however, he thought himself more than able to deal with unarmed undead. Even if they managed to swarm him. He had a helmet on and his daggers in case they got too close.

He silently walked to the first sitting creature, his spear smashing through its head without issue. He didn’t even look at the creature again as he moved on to the next, this one stumbling around. A quick thrust punched through its neck, killing it in a single blow.

The noise had attracted a few more, Adrian taking a step back as he checked behind and to the side to make sure he wouldn’t be surprised by any of the beings.

“Alright then, come at me,” he whispered, letting go of his pack and crossbow. More training with the weapon had perhaps been in order. Something to consider for the next few months perhaps. The reload time was still quite long.

Single and quick thrusts finished the undead as they ran at a slowly retreating Adrian, the way behind him unobstructed and without any present monsters.

The trail of undead was long, their moans attracting yet more. But he found that his arms didn’t weaken, his focus didn’t waver. Not as it had before. His breath was steady and his simple thrusts, trained thousands of times, continued to strike true. A part of him wondered about his Endurance stat but he was just glad to have invested all this time to train. Already he dreaded the time it would take to bring all these corpses back to Yrenor.

He could certainly talk himself out of hauling corpses out from dangerous areas but here he was just continuing with Yrenor’s work.

I need a bigger cart.

Soulbound:

Essence – 486

Level – 13

Vitality – 16 [23]

Endurance – 10

Strength – 9 [12]

Skill – 8 [12]

Intelligence – 16

Wisdom – 14

Soul skill – Shaping Glass Magic – level 4

Equipment:

Helmet – Faenhold Soldier Helmet [Adequate]

Vitality +2

Chest – Faenhold Soldier Leather Armor [High]

Vitality +2

Warrior Soul Skill Damage +1

Arms – Faenhold Soldier Bracers [Adequate]

Skill +2

Hands – Faenhold Soldier Gloves [Adequate]

Strength +1

Belt – Faenhold Soldier Belt [Adequate]

Vitality +2

Legs – Faenhold Soldier Pants [Adequate]

Strength +1

Boots – Faenhold Soldier Boots [Adequate]

Strength +1

1h Weapon – Faenhold Spear [Adequate]

Skill +2

Off hand – Wooden Shield [Adequate]

Vitality +1