Chapter 113 On the Road.
Possibilities are a pain.
Possibilities are a joy.
Worry and wonder stem from one root.
What the heart makes to be pain and joy,
the mind shall dispel when it understands the unknown.
Amaret, the great sinner.
I stumble to my tent, limping due to my missing shoe. I really need a damned bath... and sleep... why did it take all night?! I'm not going to enter that damned river, not with the men taking their piss there... It's not like I have a bathtub. Why would I need one? I can simply conjure water... I also need another pair of damned shoes.
In my tent I take off my clothes. "Nim."
*
{28} Amaret (July) the 11th
I spend the rest of the day nodding off in my saddle after being up all night, but it’s worth it. Knowing what bloodline I belong to, or at least having some sort of clue to that, will help me both in power, and with the possibility of finding my mother. But that’s in the future. At the end of the day I collapse in my tent, unable to look at any book or do a single thing. Only at the night after do I get some time to sit down with my grimoire.
Do I really want to look up a spell that heats water? Waste a page on something like that? Can't I figure it out myself? Can't I just create a spell that conjure hot water instead of simple cold water?
Let's see... I float my Nim
I place my hand on the book. I want a 1st level spell that uses boiling water in a direct attack.
Mayan’s Boiling Wave.
Names: Mayan’s Boiling Wave. Boiling Wave. Mayan’s Frenzy. Burning Tides.
Element: Water
Sub element: Water
Level: 1
Words: nim, oue-rissu nirissu asuli fenu, aloki niam fainega nimuwal nimgafir, uwallota ri, asano walgafir gafir nia rissalwue.
Translation: water, here-a flect bending humble flower, cover them with red hot sea wave, stretch up a line, may the sun cast fire on your agile skin.
Quicken: Nimgauwal nimgafir
Patterns: 15
Gestures: Attach middle fingers > point middle fingers forward.
Offering: 5 belladonna petals.
Requirement: temperature above 1c and below 150c.
Range: 25 meters.
Target: advancing wave from the caster. 10 meters wide, 5 meters tall.
Duration: instant
Effect: 25,000 liters of boiling water (90c) form a wide wave from the caster’s hands. The wave will sweep creatures and objects in its wake. The wave will advance swiftly at first but will lose speed and water over time. The wave will be depleted of water entirely after 25 meters.
Cost: 60 water gems, 5 fire gems.
Bound cost: 40 water gems, 1 fire gem.
Altered cost: 4 water gems and 1 fire gem per pattern.
Great! This must be the pattern for heat! Let's try.
"Ganim."
"Ganim.
I hope I won't have to summon an elemental for this... Maybe I got the wording wrong?
"Nimga."
Whatever... I can now summon boiling water... take a hot bath whenever I want and can probably do this. "Nimgauwal!"
Perfect! Next spell. Something that's first level, something that give me a wide array of patterns for gravity...
I want serious first level gravity attack spell... maybe something like this wave... except repulse. A mass repulse. I place my hand on an empty page. I want a mass repulse spell.
Tukado’s Push
Names: Tukado’s Push, Repulsive Field, Shockwave.
Element: Gravity.
Sub element: Repulsion.
Level: 1
Words: Myrsha, nia tsaf lah! Nikit bach fukdi-ai fel ritsa.
Translation: Gravity, I command you! focus in hand mine and repulse.
Quicken: Nikit fukdi-ai, ritsa (focus hand-mine, repulse)
Patterns: 15
Gestures: right index and thumb connected. > aimed hand.
Offering: 10 rose petals.
Requirement: X
Range: 5 meters
Target: 30 degree cone area from the caster.
Duration: instant.
Effect: The spell will create a cone of repulsion from the caster. Any object or creature below the weight of 1 ton* to 500 kg will be repulsed away violently. The number of targets has no significance, as long as they’re within the cone of effect.
Cost: 65 gravity gems
Bound cost: 40 gravity gems
Altered cost: 5 per pattern
Notes: *The heavier a target is, the weaker the repulsion, 1 ton and above will not be repulsed. 900kg will only be pushed back. 800kg will be swept off its feet for 1 meter back. 700-600kg will find itself a few meters back. Anything less will be swept off its feet with a violent push.
Good... now cast and bind it!
I take out a few rose petals from my belt. "Myrsha, nia tsaf lah! Nikit bach fukdi-ai fel ritsa!
"Inara, can I come in?" Salik's voice comes from outside my tent, just as I finished casting.
There's no thunder like I've expected. There's not a single sound. My tent and everything in it gets ripped away from the ground and flies all the way to the other side of the camp. Salik gets flung violently in the air, along with a dumbfounded soldier who passed by my tent.
Woops!
No!!! "Latsa!" I twin and amplify the 'Minor Telekinesis' with every pattern I'm capable of forming. While I don't manage to catch them I do manage to slow their fall.
"Salik! Are you alright?" I run toward the disoriented man.
He sits up slowly, looking around for his straw hat. "Woah, kid... is this about me and Zoe?"
"What? No! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize I was going to succeed on my first try. Latsa."
I recognize him, it's the same soldier who tried to hit Kolag with his sword back when Kolag had turned into a demon. Lepp? I think his name was Lepp... "Ah... yes, Your Majesty. I've been blessed by your magic." He gets up and bows deeply, shaking with either fear or excitement, I can't tell.
Snakes... these people act all normal and it's easy to forget that they're all crazy cultists sometimes...
Salik impales his hat on his hook and dusts it with his healthy hand. "You're lucky you didn't break anything. Lepp, send some people to collect the Queen's stuff, don't want all these fancy books to get dirty now, do we?"
Rot and venom! My books!
"Latsa."
"Again, I'm sorry, Salik."
He puts his hat on with a smirk. "Ah, don't mention it, kid. I figured you could use some physical training. Up for some exercise while the men fix your tent?"
"Sure." I smile.
"Alright. We run laps around the camp then. Let's go, kid! Run with me!" he shouts in his mercenary leader voice and begins to circle around our camp.
I follow suit, letting my mind wonder and come up with ideas for spells. It'd be great if I could enhance my voice to sound louder... like Luard back when he held Lezere hostage... It would be useful when commanding an army... or just to be heard when people try and talk over me in general.
What else...
Oh... I wonder if there's a spell that allows me to see things from afar... Also Luard used this weird white ray... I wonder what spell that is... but I bet it's a water spell so it'll have to wait... I need to focus on gravity spells for now. What about a 1st level version of kinetic burst?
Salik passes me and runs faster, he already made a few laps more than me. "Faster, girl! This is barely a walking speed! Are you jogging or running?"
I roll my eyes. I'm going to run an hour now... I'm not stupid enough to waste my energy.
"Faster! Faster! Come on!"
"Do you have to do this show of shouting? Can't you just tell me what to do and I'll do it?"
"Yes! Shouting helps with physical exercise, ask every soldier you know. Now move it, kid!"
"Fiine." I pick up my pace, but it's not enough for him. He keeps shouting for a faster pace. After an hour of sweaty exercise I'm back in my tent. Even with my sore muscles I still want to look up the spells I thought of while running.
I want a spell that increases my voice and makes it louder.
Aria’s Increase voice
Names: Aria’s increase voice, increase voice, artificial shout, preacher’s friend, king’s little friend, general’s little friend.
Element: Air
Sub element: Sound
Level: 0
Words: Tans fe-lasiuak
Translation: Loud words
Quicken: X
Patterns: 5
Gestures: thumbs touching one another, > fingers touching one another, > thumbs touching one another again, > Touch the target with thumbs.
Offering: X
Requirement: sound transmitting surroundings.
Range: Touch
Target: A creature that can produce voice and words.
Duration: 10 minutes or until canceled.
Effect: the spell will increase the voice of the creature the caster touches, making it increasingly louder. The creature has to be capable of producing words in any language (including animal languages.) Sounds without meaning to them won't be increased.
Cost: 10 wind gems
Bound cost: X
Altered cost: X
Huh... interesting... I wonder why it has to be words... the effect over sound should be the same. Regardless, it serves my purpose.
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Next. I want a spell that allows me to see a living being or locations from a far.
Before I finish my thought, the page in my grimoire flips on its own from the 'Increased Voice' cantrip to the next page. Words appear on the hardened paper. I expect another form of increased voice, just like I got with Tukado’s defense. Possibly one that increases incoherent voices...
Instead I have a message from the hag.
Dear daughter.
You have learned thirty new spells.
Congratulation.
Knowing many spells is well and good, but it is useless. You can only cast so many spells at a time.
Now you have to master your spells.
Master five of your known spells or cantrips, and cast them in the grimoire’s proximity.
The gems on the binding will light up once a mastered spell had been cast.
You do not have to worry about this grimoire, you can’t possibly damage it.
Until the five gems are lit, you won’t be able to look up new spells.
‘Kinetic Burst’ cantrip is banned for this test, your awakening spell is always mastered.
Snakes this hag! I thought I have a hundred empty pages! Snakes snakes! I wanted to learn more spells!
Ugh... I'm too tired for this... I'm washing up and sleeping this off...
*
{28} Amaret (July) the 12th
I fix my hat against the harsh summer sun overhead. My small army of about twenty orcs and forty humans march in an orderly column. Lepp's voice rises in a song from the front, and soon the rest of the human men join him.
"
On the road we march.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Toward the magical spell.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Silver water we touch
Oh hey, oh hey.
To old life farewell.
Oh, Master would you stay?
Show me to the spell.
Please show me the way.
Oh, show me a secret, I won’t tell.
We light with a prayer to Jalier.
On the road we march.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Toward the magical spell.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Silver water we touch
Oh hey, oh hey.
To old life farewell.
Oh, Cannary where you’re going?
Show me to the holy arcane.
Show me to the all knowing.
Oh, show me the path, yet again.
We light with a prayer to Jalier.
On the road we march.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Toward the magical spell.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Silver water we touch
Oh hey, oh hey.
To old life farewell.
Oh, sorcery will you come?
Give me the holy sign
I’ll bring coin of any sum.
Oh, show me the grand design.
So we can light with a prayer to Jalier.
On the road we march.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Toward the magical spell.
Oh hey, oh hey.
Silver water we touch
Oh hey, oh hey.
To old life farewell."
This is one of the five songs my men have been singing for the past few days, and I'm quite tired of hearing them.
I pull my horse alongside Balgrum and Sharla. The orc wears his new black snakescale leathery armor, while the fairy teases him in fluent orcish. She wears the form of a tall female orc, but no female orc has such a seductive tone of speaking, nor have I seen a female orc giggling before. Not to mention she's the only female orc to sideride a horse.
Balgrum is clearly annoyed with her attempts, and ignores her presence entirely.
"Don't orcs have marching songs?" I wouldn't mind an orcish song right now...
"Grrrrr... we only sing for battle, celebrations, and important deaths."
Right...
Lepp repeats from the front in a horrible voice.
"Oh, Master would you stay?
Show me to the spell.
Please show me the way.
Oh, show me a secret, I won’t tell.
We light with a prayer to Jalier."
Ugh... they don't even learn magic? Why are they singing about it, I could understand if Zoe liked this song... speaking of Zoe..."Have you seen Zoe?" I ask Sharla.
The woman shifts back into her fairy form with the fluttering autumn dress. She gracefully rides her spotted brown mare and tilts her fragile-looking head toward me with a smirk. "She's been avoiding you."
Avoiding me because I found her and Salik together in bed? Why? Not like I care... Too embarrassed probably... "Of course... Never mind. I actually wanted to talk to you as well. What do you know about the Rakshasa?"
"That I wish I could be one?" She giggles like a little girl. "I wouldn't be limited in when I can kill at least... Rakshasa is an Arch Fae, that's just below a Fae Monarch with the potential to become one of the Monarchs. They're usually old, very old. They rarely have children of their own and they tend to evolve into a Rakshasa instead of being born as one. What do you know about thuanonmah'a?"
"Thuan what?"
She frowns for a second. "Umm... Fae Evolution in your tongue. The Fae calls it Fae's Evolution."
Did I understand the Fae's language instinctively this whole time? "Wait did you use a lot of Fae's language words when we talked? Or is this the first time?"
"I do use Forest's Word often enough."
"Forest's Word?" Ok... my mouth clearly saying something different than what I hear. "Say it again please?"
"Sylvanintuto?"
I nod to myself. "Yes... It looks like I somehow understand your language as some sort of instinct. I don't even notice you're switching to it, I just hear the words as Sinteo sometimes even if they're clearly not... Anyway. What was it about Fae's evolution?" This is clearly my bloodline... yet... how would it even work?
Sharla smiles. "This ability is more common than you'd think, half of the Fae's Blood tend to have innate understanding of Forest's Word. I can teach you if you'd like. Anyway, back to Fae's Evolution. How much do you know about it?"
I pat Loyal's lush mane, oddly aware of the fact that my horse is becoming more and more sapient each day, the human form he took only made that fact more vivid in my mind. "Umm... Animals evolve into magical animals and they can evolve into Fae after they consume enough mana? That's pretty much all I know about it. I'm actually curious. What kind of magical animal were you before you became a Fae?"
She snorts. "Guess?"
"I wouldn't have any idea where to even start... Some sort of a magical chameleon?"
"Pffft... Do I really look like a lizard to you?" She rolls her starry eyes and turn them into humanoid hazel eyes. "I was born like this actually. While Fae can evolve into our Gnomenoid forms, we can procreate in them. My mother was a Cat-Sith I think... Though she once said she was an Atkol Rabbit for a while. I have no idea how that works, and my mother is a big liar. My father is Faeborn like me."
Atkol rabbit... The one that made me feel sorry for it... It makes a whole lot of sense with how Sharla makes everyone feel sorry for her... "So... How does it tie into the Rakshasa?"
Sharla lazily push one leg over the flank of her mare, straddling it. Her dress shifts into an odd set of pants, hugging her slender legs. "Yeah... Fae can evolve with the consumption of souls. We grow stronger when we feed on mortals' emotions. I personally grow when I feed on someone's pity. Just a little bit every time. Once we gather enough soul, our soul grow big enough that we can evolve into a much stronger fae. I can actually evolve into a Rakshasa if I chose to do so, but that'll be very far into the future and multiple evolutions down the line. Every Rakshasa in existence should be at least a thousand years old if not older. Unless born that way which is rare... Rakshasa don't trust each other to procreate and there are very few of them whom are still alive."
I raise an eyebrow. "Did you know a Rakshasa personally?"
"Yes. One. She's just shy of three thousand years old."
"She?"
Sharla tilts her head to me. "Yes. It's a female. Why do you ask?"
"She might be my grandmother..."
Sharla turns sharply to face me, her waist twisting in a way no human would survive. “You’re a Rakshasa Blood?! By the monarchs and courts! Inara! No wonder!”
"No wonder what?"
She seems to be taken aback, contemplating in silence for a brief moment. "Wait. How do you know you're a Rakshasa Blood?"
What got her so worked up? "I don't. The only clue I got led me to the Rakshasa, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s my Fae Blood or not. Nor why would a Rakshasa mate with an Elf…”
“Everything mates with elves.” Sharla chuckles bitterly. Her form shifts into an unworldly beauty. Silky strawberry blond hair, graceful facial features with almond green eyes, and a smile that makes my heart skip a beat despite not being attracted to women. Her body turns into a perfect curved figure that emphasizes all the right parts and not overtly so.
A few of the marching soldiers and orcs stop and gape, and one of them runs into the other. Berthold from the front turns to look at what everyone is looking at, he gapes for a moment and glances away. Salik doesn't bother to hide his appreciative look. He rides closer, taking place by Sharla's other side.
I notice an odd aura around her, something that attracts the eyes in a magical way. She has a dreamy expression on her face, one that makes me take a deep breath before she shifts back into the Fae form she wore before. “They’re the children of Koshavi, in both beauty and lust,” she adds with a cold smile.
Competitors on her field of expertise? “Anyway,” I continue. “I’m not entirely sure whether or not I have a Rakshasa’s blood, but this is the best theory I’ve got. I did a little reading. I know how a Rakshasa takes control over a mortal city and enjoys manipulating everyone in it. I know how they feed on authority and dread, and it actually fits some of the urges I have at times. For example when we conquered Red Cedar City, the speech I gave? It was a weird urge, some sort of an instinctual drive. I actually planned to leave everything to Kolag and learn spells in my room, but I had this urge to show up at the trial and speak, and I told the people what they wanted to hear. What I wanted them to hear. I felt weirdly good later... and I was angry at myself for feeling so good that I made myself feel terrible..."
“Most rulers lie to their people,” Salik comments from the side. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Oh you poor thing.” Sharla shifts and sits sideways on her horse again. She fixes her autumn leaves dress, and a few dried leaves separate from the dress and float away in the summer wind. “You must have a high elf blood. High elves cannot lie and are honorable by nature. No wonder you're so critical of yourself with an impossible level of morality, or that you're trying to be honest and fair with all of us at all times, even sharing such a thing so openly with people in an earshot. Rakshasas on the other hand are manipulative pathological liars…”
“High elves can’t lie?” I raise an eyebrow.
Salik is the one to answer this one. “No, they can’t. They’re the children of Koshavi and Noxi. If a high elf lies or commit any action against their own conscience—something that is extremely hard for them to do—they’ll lose their beauty and sometimes even their long life spans. They’ll become fallen elves. Drow. While some Drow can live for long like elves can, many of them die within twenty years of becoming one. Elves rarely leave their closed settlements, they both attract too much attention when they do, and the younger one abuse it to snake everything around them...”
“Actually.” Sharla flips her long blue hair. “I’ve been told that the Lady of Love created the high elves with another God of Truth. A God of Truth who existed before the Lord of Light. But it has been over five thousand years ago. The Fae are old enough to remember, but even for us it’s only myths. It's funny that you asked about that Rakshasa. It's the same woman who taught me about it. She said that this is why the high elves are dying, they only have the Lady of Love to watch over them, but not that other dead god.”
Jerro clears his throat and startles me, I didn't notice he rode closer to us too. “There was a God of Truth before Noxi. My lord remembers. Amiran, God of Honor. It was him Koshavi created the high elves with, not Noxi. Noxi is the youngest god of the major twelve. Our year count of 5780 goes by the day of his ascendance to godhood.”
Yeah... I don't care about that religious rot... Wait! "Ryon is a half drow. He isn't exactly ugly... quite the opposite actually."
Salik chuckles. "Elves who turned drow are ugly, not their descendants."
That makes sense I guess... It'd be unfair for the children to suffer for their parents' sins, something like that from a God of Honor would seem hypocritical... And I doubt the God of Honor or the former God of Honor would want to appear like some sort of a hypocrite...
"Back to the Rakshasa, Sharla. After we leave the Gray Islands, can you take me to her?"
She nods sharply, like an odd bird. "No problem. It's a bit of a journey, and I'm not sure your Master will let us go, but assuming she does, yes, I'll take you to her. I'd love to go home..."
It's possibly my grandmother... I'd really like to know everything I can about that fae... "What's her name?"
Sharla shifts awkwardly on her mare. "Inara. She's an Archfae, do you really think she'd share her name with me?"
Right... Names are dangerous... I forgot. "What did you call her then?"
"Nothing? We don't actually need to use names much in Sylvanintuto."
"Forest's Word... Is that the only Fae language?"
"No. There are a few more... If you're looking for a language to learn, you should probably learn some orcish. It'll be useful with orcs under your command, a lot of what they're saying doesn't actually translate well to Sinteo."
"Can you teach me?"
"Gladly, Mistress. A'ark means wolf. Ti-A'ark is the traditional orc battle-cry, it means 'we-wolves' in a direct translation but there's so much more to the word wolf in orcish. It means a predator, a dominant species. It means strong. It means a creature that doesn't need to turn away from a fight and can hold its own. Next is death. There are a few words for death in orcish, but I'll focus on the important two. Kolh’ak and yomh’ak. The first means an honorable death, a death in the pursuit of strength, one that happened during a duel of honor or the hunt of a mighty prey. While the latter means an honorless death. I'm sure you can imagine the implication as there is no greater shame for orcs. There's also Julh'ak that means useful death. Someone who died in the pursuit of their craft or to save a life. It is respected, but not held in a greater respect like Kolh'ak does..."
*~*~*
Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.
Mana pools status:
Crown-knot: Affinity 10: connected: 1 gem replenished per minute.
Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 79
Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: formed: 16 gems. Conversion ratio: 6:1
Air: Affinity 4: formed: 26 gems
Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 13 gems
Light: Affinity 3: formed: 19/20 gems
Water: Affinity 6: formed: 39 gems
Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 6 gems
Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 13 gems
Gravity: Affinity 9: connected: 91/95 gems
Cantrip known:
Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing. Aria’s Sonic Scream. Aria's Increased Voice.
Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating. Nuriss’ Ignite. Oniga's Soap Creation.
Light: Noxi’s Light. Lako’s Blinding Light. Rika’s energy hand.
Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet. Ayla’s instant freeze. Ayla's Flowing Shield. Ayla’s Freezing Vapors. Hot Water Conjuration. Boiling Waterjet.
Earth: Alice’s Oil Summoning, Reiko’s Acid Spray. Alf's Copper Bolt
Wood: Arigor’s Lesser Vines. Kolosu’s Vegetable Summoning.
Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s Lesser Shield II. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body. Alino's Orbiter.
Transmutation: Oniga's Laundry.
Spells known:
Light: Rika's Electric Channelb1
Gravity: Alino’s Weightless Bodyb1x2. Imari’s Lesser Flightb2. Tukado's Push.
Life: Brigit’s Lesser Cure Poison. Brigit’s Skin Restoration.
Focus capability: 18 patterns.
Social status: The Queen of Red Cedar City. Shaman of the Twin Moon Tribe. Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries. Sorceress.
Personal Wealth: 1465 Magic Gems. 1420 Golden Peas, 45 Silver Scales, 32 Copper Bits.
Personal Items:
Magical necklace. Contains 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.
1 potion of lightning body.
1 potion of mana, medium grade.
5 potions of Lesser Healing.
5 potions of Pain Tolerance.
An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keeps the pouches’ content fresh. Each pouch may contain 10g of petals or six potion flasks.
Glitter ingredients. (1 bag)
Fresh rose petals, 36g
Fresh lavender petals, 7g
1 empty soul bottle. 6.5 Marili Serpent Soul shards. 2 Luard's soul shards. Glass with a diamond stopper, put in scaled leather wrapping.
The Great White Egret grimoire. Dedicated by the Maven of mysteries to Inara. 30/100. Locked.
Present Companions:
Loyal
Sharlafyn Nettledew
Salik
Jerro
Zoe
Ryon
Berthold
Languages:
Toml’a
Sinteo
Myrsha
Felul
Nim
A'arkalu
Injuries and scars:
Curses:
-
Kingdom’s treasury: 3836 gold coins. 123 magical gems.
Kingdom’s citizen: 3,881 humans, 1,836 human children. Twin Moon Tribe: 1,158 orcs. 293 orc children. 529 sheep-slaves.
Kingdom's army: 1,156 Orc Warriors. 324 Footmen. 49 Peacekeeper Knights.
Notables at Court:
Tasiya Keyholder.
Jolla SilverQuill.
Talbot Bookkeeper.
Marasi Chef extraordinaire (spymaster.)
Old Gardner Tiom.
Balgrum Orc Chieftain.