Charomera
The 14th of Elaphebolion
The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals
Arche’s head spun. Lord Cypress’s daughter. How had he not put that together? He rubbed his temples, laying on a bed in the elves’ guest tree. Dim, red light washed over him from the glowing moss above, making a mockery of sunlight as he reflected on the day’s events. Helwan, on the other hand, had cheered up considerably. He was holding the Tridory and was muttering to himself about potential meanings for the different writings that were patterned into the metal shaft.
“There are several buttons here,” Helwan murmured, breaking Arche out of his own thoughts.
“What?”
“Here, built into the grip. Three buttons, and another on the opposite side. The whole spear seems to be one continuous piece of metal except for these buttons. It’s a strange metal, not one that I recognize. I’m not entirely certain what the buttons do but simply pressing them doesn’t seem to be enough.”
“Then what is?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea.”
“More questions!” Arche moaned, falling back onto the bed and staring up into the wooden ceiling far above. “Is that all life is? Just a series of questions and questions, and any time you get an answer all it does is spawn more questions?”
“Well,” Helwan chuckled. “The life of a megaloscholar, perhaps.”
“What does that even mean? I’d never heard that word before you used it.”
“It is a clever word of my own devising. It means a scholar that has accelerated above the rest, one whose accomplishments precede them. A giant amongst men, to put it in other terms.”
“And do your accomplishments precede you?”
Helwan’s ears flattened nervously. In the red light, it was impossible to tell if he was blushing.
“Well, in the right circumstances, among the right population, there are some who may know me. I suppose I’ll have plenty of time to work on that when I get back to the city.”
“True,” Arche said, trying to keep his voice casual. “Or you could come to a startup village. I’m sure your knowledge of the arcane and the obscure would come in handy.”
Helwan sat up straight.
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s a village a few days away that Lyssa and I are going to check out. You could come with us.”
“Come with you? You want me to stay?”
“Yeah, why not? Could be fun.”
Helwan’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
“What exactly do you mean by ‘check out?’”
Arche snorted.
“I know this may come as a shock but it turns out Dawnwood isn’t exactly accepting of outsiders. Point of the matter is we’re leaving, me and Lyssa both, and if there’s nothing keeping you in whatever city you’re from, you could come with us.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes? No? I’d love to? Fuck off? Any of those would work.”
Helwan blinked several times before answering.
“I will consider it, though I’m worried some of my debts may cause trouble if I don’t show up to pay them off.” Helwan said at last. “What kind of village is it? Human?”
“Mixed, so I hear.”
“Curious. Mixed settlements don’t often live long. Even in the big city, people like to live with their own kind. Little communities pop up inside a bigger one and those that don’t belong are made to feel it.”
“What is the city like? I feel like I know but I’ve never been to one.”
“Oh, well let’s see. There are buildings everywhere. They aren’t like the trees here, though some are made of wood. Mostly, they’re built from stone, brick, metal, and glass. All kinds of materials. And the people! Oh, they’re everywhere. The streets are full of them. They bustle about from place to place, working and leisuring, selling and buying. It’s a crowded place in every sense, but there’s so much culture there. Histories, magic, services, the most beautiful women. Oh, and the dancing. It was a port town initially, you see. Now, hundreds of ships go in and out every day and the air smells like salt no matter where you are. It’s unlike any other place.”
“I hope I get to see it someday.” Arche smiled.
“I think everyone should have the opportunity someday but it is not for everyone. Some can’t get used to the artificiality of it, especially after a life spent in nature.”
Arche shrugged.
“This is only my second night here, actually. Most of my life I actually spent traveling in the woods.”
Helwan could not have looked more surprised if Arche had admitted he was a satyr in disguise.
“When you say, ‘most of your life,’ what do you mean?”
“Let’s see…better part of the last three weeks?”
They stared at each other for a moment, then threw their heads back with laughter. It felt good to laugh after the stress of the past week. Tension that Arche hadn’t even noticed was draining away. For the first time in what was quite honestly his entire life, he felt like he could take a break. There was no imminent danger, no threat to life or limb. He could relax for a night.
Helwan went back to studying the Tridory and Arche made himself comfortable on his bed. With eyes closed, he pulled up his profile.
Arche
Level: 11
Experience to Next Level: 1,018 (7%)
Race: Human
Age: 27
Height: 185 centimeters
Weight: 81.8 kilograms
Profession: N/A
Trade: N/A
Traits: Slayer of the Mighty
Companions: Lyssanderyli
Adventuring Party: Helwan Panysk
You have 5 undistributed attribute points.
Health: 360 / 360
100%
Stamina: 240 / 240
100%
Mana: 160 / 160
100%
Strength: 21
Dexterity: 18
Agility: 17
Fortitude: 18
Endurance: 15
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 14
Willpower: 14
Perception: 15
Charisma: 13
Comeliness: 1
Luck: 11
“Time to distribute, again,” he muttered.
His eyes flicked over each of his attributes in turn. He was fairly balanced, all things considered. His mental stats were a little lower than he would like but considering the fact he didn’t know any magic and had only used the Divine Body skill once, Mana didn’t feel like a priority.
“Wait, Helwan.” Arche sat upright. “You know magic, right?”
“I am familiar with a few different schools, yes,” the satyr replied.
“Can you teach me anything?”
Helwan’s face instantly took on a guarded expression with a twist of wistfulness.
“What you ask is no small feat, my friend. I only have one branch of magic that I can impart, gaiamancy, but I must admit I am hesitant. It takes most people several years to gain the proficiency to teach magic, and that is not something that is often done for free. It is also not something done quickly. Typically, it takes months of guided meditation to get your Mana to a point usable for spellwork. Species with intrinsic magic, such as satyrs, often learn their natural branches of magic easily, but it can still take a long time to learn new branches.”
“Don’t worry about it. I get it, I think. Not something someone can learn in just one night.”
“Correct, not without access to some rather extraordinarily rare materials. I will say that magic is a very expensive progression. Lower-level spells can be cast through proper distribution of word, gesture, and intent, but the more powerful a spell is, the higher its cost, sometimes requiring material components that can be rare and dangerous to acquire or handle.”
“Of course, why have something super powerful and easily accessible?”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Arche turned his attention back to his profile. The Tridory was currently too heavy a weapon for him to properly wield, even at its reduced size. Improving his Strength might make him better at handling it. On the other hand, his Divine Body skill had given him an incredible burst of power for a few moments; enough that he had cracked the revenant’s ribcage with nothing but his fist. That made his Mana, and by association his Intelligence, a mighty lure. It was tempting to split the five points he had into both Strength and Intelligence, but that was too risky of a gamble. Instead, he put one point into each, leaving him with three points to place in his other attributes.
Those three points would be needed to further balance his physical and mental attributes. His Endurance had fallen behind the pack, but Agility and Fortitude were still alluring. Arche decided to place one point into Endurance, not wanting his Stamina to fall too far behind.
The last two points would go into his mental stats. His Willpower had helped him in the fight with the arachtaurs, the memory sparked a shudder as he recalled the gruesomeness of their features. He was also certain it had helped him put forward the brave face needed to convince Lyssa that the revenant was a creature that could be overcome, though he stood by what he’d said about ignorance and stupidity. Charisma had also been vital in that conversation and was clearly important for social interactions. It could be even more important in the coming days when they reached the mixed village, helping them build relationships with the people there. Perception would also be important, as it had helped to find traps in the dwarven ruins and might help them survive out in the wild.
Arche fought the urge to laugh maniacally at the sheer size of it all. He wanted to spend points on everything, become the best all around. He was sure he wasn’t the only one who felt that way but he didn’t have the luxury of dumping points into everything. He placed his last two points into Perception and Charisma. Now that Arche knew what to look for, the boost to his Strength and Intelligence were readily apparent. His muscles felt a little broader, filling out the parameters of the new shirt he’d been given. His mind felt a little sharper, ready to process new information and solve new problems. He pulled up his profile again, wanting to test a hypothesis he’d had for a while.
Arche
Level: 11
Experience to Next Level: 1,018 (7%)
Race: Human
Age: 27
Height: 185 centimeters
Weight: 82 kilograms
Profession: N/A
Trade: N/A
Traits: Slayer of the Mighty
Companions: Lyssanderyli
Adventuring Party: Helwan Panysk
Health: 370 / 370
100%
Stamina: 250 / 250
100%
Mana: 170 / 170
100%
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 18
Agility: 17
Fortitude: 18
Endurance: 16
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 14
Willpower: 14
Perception: 16
Charisma: 14
Comeliness: 1
Luck: 11
No doubt about it. He was getting heavier. He was pretty sure it was tied to his Strength but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was another factor as well. He would need to pay more attention to that in the future. He was also growing taller, if his memory served him from when he’d first come to Tartarus. If only the measurements were in a format he understood. It seemed his body was physically adapting to accommodate his increased attributes. The height boost felt odd, however. Arche wondered if he would eventually grow to superhuman proportions if he could improve his Strength high enough and entertained an image of himself running through a forest while the same height as the trees.
Helwan wrote notes on the other side of the room, scribbling down thoughts and sketching images of the Tridory. Arche watched him surreptitiously, thinking of the skill Lord Cypress had given to him. The skill guided him in how to activate it. Arche tried to focus on Helwan and unfocus his eyes at the same time. The first time only succeeded in making his head hurt but the second time he managed to unfocus and refocus in succession and saw text over Helwan’s head that listed his full name. Focusing further revealed a limited profile that appeared as notification.
Helwan Panysk
Level: 17
Race: Satyr
Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Profession: ?
Trade: ?
Traits: ?
Companions: ?
Adventuring Party: Arche, Lyssanderyli
Health: 375 / 375
100%
Stamina: 210 / 210
100%
Mana: 440 / 440
100%
The information was basic, but what surprised Arche most was how close he was in level to Helwan. He had assumed that he was low-leveled given that he’d only started a few weeks ago, but here was Helwan only six levels above him. He probably wasn’t as far behind as he had thought. Though, he had to consider that there likely wasn’t as much fighting being done in cities as there was in a dangerous quest to ancient dwarven ruins.
He was also surprised at the amount of Mana Helwan commanded. It was nearly three times his own, meaning Helwan had invested heavily into his mental stats. That made sense, considering the satyr was both a mage and a scholar. Examine had used five Mana, which interested him because it wasn’t a spell. It was the second skill he had that required Mana to use but at least this one was unlikely to kill him from Mana Burnout.
Arche turned his attention to the Tridory, which was still in Helwan’s hands, and tried to Examine it. It was easier this time now that he knew what to do.
Tridory
Rarity: Mythic
Quality: Godforged
Durability: 15,000/15,000
Weight: 4 kilograms
Length: 1.8 meters
Traits: Dormant, Bound, Size-Altered, ?
As you are bound to the item you are trying to examine, information that is normally beyond your skill level is available
That didn’t tell him much that he didn’t know, though it did confirm that the reduction in length had caused a decrease in weight. It was still abominably heavy. Arche looked through his inventory, emptying items out onto his bed to make it easier to pick through them. Picking them up was enough to elicit a small notification that hovered next to the grabbed object, displaying its name, weight, and other relevant information. He was almost starting to get bored when a small ruby ring elicited a notification that got Arche’s heart pumping.
Magic Ring
Rarity: ?
Quality: ?
Durability: ?
Weight: ?
Comfort: ?
There was no additional information other than the revelation that the ring was magical. Testing a hunch, Arche tried to use his Examine skill on the ring, hoping it would reveal the item’s secrets. Now familiar with the strange eye-trick required for the skill, Arche got it to work on his first try.
Ruby Ring of Lesser Life
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Masterwork
Durability: 50 / 50
Weight: 0.1 kilograms
Comfort: Resizing
Traits: +5 Fortitude, +5 Endurance
Arche almost choked. The ring gave a boost to his attributes equal to two entire levels. He slipped the ring onto his right hand and pulled up his profile. The ring magically adjusted to fit his finger perfectly.
Health: 445 / 445
100%
Stamina: 325 / 325
100%
Mana: 170 / 170
100%
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 18
Agility: 17
Fortitude: 23 (18)
Endurance: 21 (16)
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 14
Willpower: 14
Perception: 16
Charisma: 14
Comeliness: 1
Luck: 11
The affected attributes glowed a soft green. Arche let out a small sigh of satisfaction, feeling better than he had in a while. An improved Fortitude and Endurance seemed to translate to improved feelings of physical wellness.
Arche quickly searched through the other items he had grabbed, but nothing else was magical. He did, however, have a veritable trove of silver and gold at his disposal. Helwan sniffed the air and turned to look at Arche, narrowing his eyes.
“Did you do something magical?”
“I found out that one of the things I took had a magical effect,” Arche said, raising his hand to show off his new ring.
“So you decided to put it on without considering the idea that a ring kept in a treasure horde might have been cursed?”
Arche lowered his hand slowly, feeling his heart start to hammer in his chest.
“I thought you said the dwarves didn’t do curses. I asked specifically.”
“I said they didn’t curse their own treasure. I didn’t say that all of it was theirs.”
“Fuck.”
Arche grabbed the ring with his other hand and pulled hard. It slid from his finger easily and his attributes reverted to normal, giving him a small sensation of discomfort.
“Let me see it,” Helwan held out one hand, the other fishing in a pocket to produce a monocle.
Arche tossed it over and the satyr began looking it over, inspecting the workmanship and the small runic designs. Finally, the satyr drew an incantation into the air and spoke a word of power. A soft, orange light appeared and shone over the ring. Finally satisfied, he tossed it back to Arche.
“It’s not cursed. You got lucky. Remember this the next time you activate a magical item, though. Sometimes they bite. Sometimes you’re lucky if that’s all they do.”
Arche put the ring on again and breathed a sigh of relief.
“All right, all right, point taken. What was that spell you just cast?”
“Reveal Magic. A lower level phosphomancy spell, but effective for quickly studying magical items and, before you ask, no, I can’t teach it to you. Like I said, I’m not a high enough level and you are not skilled enough.”
Arche raised his hands defensively. “I know, I wasn’t going to; I’m just trying to learn more about magic.”
“A pursuit that many have dedicated their lives to over the millennia. Knowledge of the arcane is closely guarded by the lyceums and libraries that house magical acolytes.”
“A paywall, in other words.”
“Yes, I suppose that would be a term for it, if it means what I think it does.”
“It’s a good thing we have access to a treasure hoard, then.”
“Yes, well, we should be careful. Greed is as big a reason for people to kill as anything else. It would be prudent not to flash our newfound wealth to the wrong people.”
“Damn, I was hoping to add a crown to my aesthetic. Guess that’ll have to wait.”
Helwan chuckled and went back to studying the Tridory. Arche laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. A notification waited for him.
Examine has increased to Level 2.
+2% Examine Speed (+4%)
Arche smiled and went to sleep.