The National Library was one of the many buildings which had been rebuilt after the War. That fact was made obvious by the cleanliness and integrity of the façade of this roman-classic wannabe building, but also by a mini historical installation by the entrance of the library.
I didn’t bother reading any of the posters, and only gave a quick glance to the mannequins dressed up in various military uniforms which ‘guarded’ the door. The reason for that was that they didn’t look all that exceptional or interesting to me.
The War that shaped the world of “The immoral guide to immortality” was heavily inspired by the first and second world wars. It had lasted almost two centuries, and led to the expansion of Wild Lands which had previously been destroyed or contained during the Crusades. None of the posters, live-sized dolls, or artefacts on display in the library portrayed this tragic event in an accurate fashion. They glorified the War, and the technological progress it had entailed. But none of the framed texts or pictures accompanying them showed the bloodied battlefields where hundreds of thousands of people killed each other with supernatural powers.
“Would you like a quick tour guide of our exposition?” A librarian who’d snuck up behind me asked.
“No, thank you.” I politely refused.
Despite not caring much about history, I did end up staring at a particularly thought-provoking picture. It depicted a woman, floating several meters in the air and surrounded by arcane energy. Underneath her, men and women pointed their guns at a group of unarmed people dressed in fantasy and medieval clothes. The little text that accompanied this black and white photograph stated that this was the taken during the battle of the Falling Moon, in 147952, almost three decades ago.
“We also have videotapes of this battle in the back room.” The librarian, who could not take no for an answer, responded. “It’s on the second floor, I can give you more directions, and complementary archives, if you want to access it.”
“Then I shall go right after visiting the ladies’ room.” I said, and headed away from the librarian, hoping that they wouldn’t bother me there.
I knew it was their job to guide people around, but it annoyed me that someone would bother me out of the blue. As I reached the bathroom, and glanced back to make sure I wasn’t followed, a new thought crossed my mind. Maybe I wasn’t annoyed from being disturbed, but rather, from being snapped out whatever trance that picture had induced on me.
“Strange.” I muttered, as I took a staircase upwards, following the directional arrow above it.
I had never been one to care much about history before.
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In the end, I had to find a different librarian to direct me to the section on skill dictionaries.
After listening to a five minute lecture about how to properly handle some of the older books (which the library didn’t have the budget to restore or even scan), I dropped off my stuff at an empty reading table, and delved deeper into the rows of bookshelves.
I had decided to tackle my skills alphabetically, and then in order of rank. Thus, after a few more minutes of searching, I found a thick leather-bound book entitled “Black Ab-Ze”. It was surprising to see so many skills beginning with the word ‘Black’, but when I thought about it, it did somewhat make sense, since I myself had several of those. ‘Black Trail’ was hence first on my wanted list.
When I opened the book, I cringed at the size of the font. Although the book itself as well over half a meter in height, and almost as much in width, the letters printed on it were so tiny that I could barely read them. But at least they weren’t handwritten, like the books that librarian had warned me against. Said librarian had also told me that magnifying glasses were available for general use, and could be found in a drawer under most tables.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Thus, after sorting everything out, and finding the correct entry, I began reading:
Black trail is a skill used by many and understood by few. Although it is not unique to any known class, it is most prevalent in classes which rely on blending in with the masses, entering or leaving premises unannounced, or those in habit of rapidly traversing enemy territories. Hence, you are most likely to see this skill used by assassins, or scouts (now also known as couriers).
This skill is of the most fascinating nature. In its active form, it can be easily detected by a well-trained Oracle, Hunter, or even Hero. In this form, it allows for the user to install doubt in the mind of a target, convincing them of one of the following things:
* The user was not the person spotted by the target
* The user was not at the location the target spotted them at
At high ranks, (A- and above) this skill also confuses the target and prevents them from further questioning the user. The certitude that what the user is telling them is true anchors itself in the target’s mind. This skill can be applied to multiple targets simultaneously, at the cost of a one-time mana loss.
The effects of the active form of this skill can be undone with most mind-cleansing skills of equivalent rank or above.
The passive form of this skill is even more fascinating, as it takes all agency away from the user, creating an alternative reality of sorts around the target. It affect a single target in much the same way as its active counterpart, with no input from the user. The target can be led to believe several various realities as needed, and will not question any of them, even if they contradict one another.
At medium ranks (C- and above), this skill will affect non-human creatures as well. There have been several documented cases of this skill affecting creatures devoid of intellect, such as golems, mechanical constructs, and my wife.
At high ranks (A- and above), this skill will affect several targets simultaneously, and shift targets as needed. During this shift, the skill will cause partial memory loss in its original targets.
The effects of the passive form of this skill can be undone with mind-cleansing skills of equivalent rank or above with a 25-50% success rate. This low success rate is caused by the ‘not remembering what was forgotten’ phenomenon, as a target might intentionally or unintentionally block out mind-cleansing skills. The usage of a magic item is recommended in this scenario.
I sigh, and pulled away from the book. This had been a mouthful. If there was anything I could take away from reading this, it was that the author of this entry hated their wife, and that this skill was probably what had caused Alex to lie to Etienne about us leaving the coffee store together, or for Etienne to think that Alex had lied to him.
Out of curiosity, I flipped the book at a random page.
Black Bone, despite its name, is not a combat skill. It is most prevalent in classes with high magic affinities such as […]
I shut the book. On second thought, there was no need to hurt my eyes with this tiny font and annoying magnifying glass if I didn’t have to.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
“Oh fuck.” I swore as I pulled it out.
Not only was it 4 in the afternoon, but my battery was on 5%, as my phone so graciously notified me. I didn’t even bother checking for other notifications, as I knew it would shut down the second I’d unlock my screen.
Well, that was it for the day then. There was no chance they’d have any plugs in this part of the library, and even less of a chance they’d let me carry books elsewhere.
I put the skill dictionary in the ‘return’ cart and headed back downstairs.
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