The High Peak of Brenn [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1794.01.10]
A few minutes later, Makani returned with a big pot of fresh stew and a charged-up phosphorescent lamp. He put them inside before jumping in and sealing the exit.
The tempting smell of good-quality food was too much for Zeph. Without waiting for the Manacaster, he quickly assembled an improvised table using loose crates and moved the pot.
With the ferocity of a man wanting to drown all of his sorrows in calories, he started devouring the delicious contents with an oversized spoon that came with the pot. He ignored the fat drops of stew traveling down his beard, prioritizing speed over manners and appearance.
After securing both layers of protection on the exit, Makani brought another crate to sit down. He didn’t speak, only observing Zeph with worry in his eyes.
It took a few long minutes for Zeph’s body to start reacting to the food. Nonetheless, he soon felt the effects of the first wave of nutriments hitting his bloodstream. His body relaxed, focusing on the tall order of restoring its resources instead of listening to his stressed-out brain.
Zeph slowed down, taking a few last spoonfuls of the food, before throwing the spoon back into the half-empty pot and hiding his face in his hand while putting his elbows on the table for stability. He would have to wait for his stomach to digest some of the food before continuing.
“Sooo… Care to share?” Makani asked tentatively. Zeph didn’t even notice when the man set up his Spells.
“I… I need to visit the Shrine first thing after returning,” he said, not looking up.
“Is that your own initiative, or…” Makani asked, leaving the obvious unspoken.
“I think that I saw it again after waking up… The thing from the forest. The only comment I’ve gotten back is that I should visit the Shrine.” He looked up with tired eyes.
Makani nodded resolutely. “No problem here. And a good idea, seeing as it had some interest in you. We will go there together,” he said, raising his hand before Zeph could argue. “I require some explanations, too. The situation was as strange and dangerous as it could realistically get. A full check-up and an update on what possibly happened is due,” he said seriously.
Zeph looked down, massaging his forehead. “Yeah… Even if it’s impossible to detect Netherlings, it would be better to check for anything else…” he looked up with sorrowful eyes. “I am sorry. Really sorry. Now you have to worry about being infected, too.”
Makani only laughed hearing that, surprising him. “Hah, don’t be stupid! Do you really think it’s in any way your fault?” he asked with mirth. “Even if you lured that Netherbeing somehow, I was the one who brought you there in the first place. My chances of meeting one were always high, and the chance of becoming infected by Netherling even higher, so it just doesn’t make sense for you to worry about it,” he said with disarming honesty. “And we shouldn’t forget that you were here on the mission for the Custos Naturae’s case, organized by the System Onji,” he said more sternly. “I knew about that from the beginning and it didn’t seem like a problem, but…”
Zeph looked at him with worry. “You think that—”
“Yes,” Makani answered immediately, nodding, even before he finished the question. “No matter how chaotic the situation was, it definitely had something to do with the Onjis.” He shook his head depressingly. “I’m not going to just sit silently when it’s clear that we got mixed up with their affairs and almost died for it. From my point of view, the responsibility is on their side, even if we don’t know what exactly occurred.”
Zeph nodded in understanding. To say that this mission became suspicious was an understatement.
“After we arrive, we should send a messenger to the Guild. To update our status,” he proposed.
“Definitely. They should organize our transport from the Shrine to the Tournament location, too,” Makani agreed immediately. “Now, eat and get some more sleep. I will keep watch until we move away from this area.”
He nodded with appreciation. “Thanks.”
It took him another hour to sort himself out. Cleaning his facial hair was a pain because he couldn’t use much water inside, but he wasn’t in the mood to complain about that.
After lying down, he called up the list of changes to his Interface to distract himself as his body was settling down. It was a summary of everything he had achieved after the visit to the village with the mysteriously sick woman and daughter. It happened merely a few days ago, but he felt as if weeks passed instead.
Looking at it, he wasn’t overly excited, though. Those numbers only traced his progress, and most of it came naturally with his rising PE, or from the simple fact that he visited a new environment and tested his abilities in real combat there.
For example, almost all of his Spells saw some progress, but the truth of the matter was that he was just getting faster at helping the Matrices during Spell construction without getting any closer to constructing them independently – the new Tier 1 Spells were still out of his gasp. Only Electrify cantrip saw any true progress in that regard, and that’s only because he had been training to manually power the Discharge enchantment placed on his spear.
Congratulations! [Class] [Skills] leveled up:
[Electrify] [Spell] is now [T0][L57]! (+56)
[Lesser Ignite] [Spell] is now [T1][L65]! (+5)
[Lesser Condense water] [Spell] is now [T1][L65]! (+15)
[Lesser Sound detect] [Spell] is now [T1][L55]! (+4)
[Lesser Telekinesis] [Spell] is now [T1][L95]! (+10)
[Stabilize] [Spell] is now [T1][L72]! (+35)
[Primitive life detection] [Spell] is now [T1][L61]! (+8)
[Lesser Life detection] [Spell] is now [T2][L16]! (+4)
[Lesser Tremor detect.] [Spell] is now [T1][L6]! (+5)
[Lesser Magnetic scan] [Spell] is now [T1][L39]! (+2)
[Lesser Force weave] [Spell] is now [T1][L32]! (+30)
[Lesser Mana beam] [Spell] is now [T1][L97]! (+15)
[Lesser Mana bomb] [Spell] is now [T1][L42]! (+41)
Congratulations! [Profession] [Skills] leveled up:
[Mana Highlight [Spell]] [Spell] is now [T1][L58]! (+7)
[Lesser Light [P.S.S.]] [Spell] is now [T1][L59]! (+7)
[Flashlight [Spell]] [Spell] is now [T1][L63]! (+2)
It was a technicality. This progress. Greater Willpower and his expanding pool of Will directly enhanced the Will-Powered Mana manipulation, the very method he was abusing to manipulate Mana externally. The true gain lay in the fact that he got a much better feel for all of his combat Spells and got better acquainted with their shapes and possible forms – as evidenced by a few that leveled up extensively. Testing them in real combat seemed to be the key to proving one’s mastery and even Stabilize didn’t escape that rule – even though all he did was find new applications for the Mana-L that it produced.
Actually, I should’ve added my new Enchanting ‘Spell frameworks’ to the active Skills. ‘Life Energy’ shaping and ‘Lesser Shamanic Enchanting’ could’ve come in handy… if I knew how to use them, at least, he thought and shrugged. Looking at his available Matrix space, he saw that he could add them all immediately.
[https://i.imgur.com/gLzooja.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/Vd6vQFB.jpg][Table version:]
Name: Zeph Einar Perk: Body fluidity auto-training Race: Human (type 6671: 'Earthling') Passive Enhancements: Power 60 Intuition 228 Flexibility 50 Memory 68 Regeneration 50 Greater Willpower 76 Basic properties: Resource: Total: Available: Reserved: Matrix Space: 233 72 161 Mana Capacity: 1_543 1_531 12 Mana Generation [/s]: 207 166 41 Class: Level: Unallocated points: Matrix space taken: Force Generalist [Seeded] 14 0 141 Profession: Level: Unallocated points: Matrix space taken: Shaman 35 0 9 Soul contamination: Details: Space (type: B5001) 5.22%, slightly increases [Matrix space] Will (type: H1) 8.73%, enhances interaction between Will and Mana Iron Isotope Alloy (type: ZW1) [Soul] imbalance detected! Natural [Soul contamination] balance not achieved!
[Synhronization] detected! [Soul contamination] instable!
3.00%, stabilizes I.I.A. ZW1 in Mana environments Planaria Ferrium Fullerene (type: CON8795-XA65) [Soul] imbalance detected! Natural [Soul contamination] balance not achieved!
[Synhronization] detected! [Soul contamination] instable!
0.18%, [Unknown] effects.
Class Skill Matrices (CSM): Skill: Tier: Level: Activation Reserved resources Time: Cost: Channel: Matrix: Electrify 0 57 0.66 s 63 M 10 M/s 1 Lesser Ignite 1 65 0.49 s 4 M 1 M/s 2 Lesser Condense water 1 65 1.5 s 2 M 4 M/s 2 Lesser Humidity detect 1 50 3.5 s 4 M 8 M/s 2 Lesser Sound detect 1 55 1.19 s 1 M 1 M/s 2 Lesser Harden 1 53 1.23 s 4 M 2 M/s 2 Lesser Telekinesis 1 95 2.20 s 5 M varies 3 Lesser Grinding 1 56 1.47 s 2 M varies 2 Stabilize 1 72 0.88 s 50 M varies 3 Lesser Life ward [P.S.S.] 1 61 8.1 s 5 M - 3 Primitive life detection 1 61 0.5 s 4 M - 2 Lesser Life detection 2 16 1.07 s 6 M - 4 Lesser Air sphere 1 1 3 s/mod varies varies 12 Lesser Tremor detect. 1 6 1 min 1500 M 100 M/s 14 Lesser Magnetic scan 1 39 2 min 1200 M 50 M/s 32 Lesser Force weave 1 32 0.42 s 300 M varies 25 Lesser Mana beam 1 97 9.87 [6.1] s 120 M - 13 Lesser Mana bomb 1 42 3.2 s 150 M varies 17 Profession Skill Matrices (PSM): Skill: Tier: Level: Activation Reserved resources Time: Cost: Channel: Matrix: Mana Highlight [Spell] 1 58 41 s 957 M - 2 Lesser Light [P.S.S.] 1 59 0.71 s 1 M 1 M/s 2 Flashlight [Spell] 1 63 0.26 s 3 M 3 M/s 3 Flash [Spell] 1 41 0.3 s 10 M - 2 Passive Skills [Streamlined]: Skill: Tier: Reserved Matrix: Reserved Mana: Primitive enchanting 1 5 0 NOTEBOOK
Hmmm… I still have a few more options for combat Spells. All those mastered cantrips unlocked some interesting options and now I have enough Mana capacity to actually test them, he thought, debating his choices. Nah… There won’t be any time for testing until the end of the Tournament. I would rather slot in something useful. In the end, he decided to leave the list as it was. The free Matrix space could be useful in the future but first, he had to take stock of his available Skills and Spells.
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His growth in General Skills also wasn’t exciting. Besides the few that had risen drastically from their close calls, only his spear fighting style and Mana masking found true, decent growth.
Congratulations! [General Skills] leveled up:
[Corora lifeforms] is now [T1][L55]! (+19)
[Corora herbarium] is now [T1][L16]! (+3)
[Mixed Enchanting Arts] is now [T2][L35]! (+4)
[Explosives] is now [T1][L99]! (+1)
[Spear [Enchanted] (style: E2M1)] is now [T2][L71]! (+21)
[Close combat (Mima)] is now [T1][L55]! (+3)
[[Enchanted] [Module]] is now [T3][L4]! (+3)
[Resonation Suppression] is now [T2][L44]! (+37)
[Extended Empathy: Feedback stimuli] is now [T2][L45]! (+32)
[Will] is now [T2][L77]! (+2)
[Will manipulation] is now [T2][L89]! (+2)
[W.P. Mana manip.] is now [T2][L82]! (+2)
[W.P. Soul manipulation] is now [T2][L20]! (+5)
[W.P. Soul perception] is now [T2][L72]! (+2)
[W.P. Soul whack] is now [T2][L49]! (+1)
[W.P. Soul Memory access sharing] is now [T3][L20]! (+2)
[Soul] is now [T1][L75]! (+4)
[Ambient Mana] is now [T1][L82]! (+2)
[Mana manipulation] is now [T1][L49]! (+1)
[Mana perception] is now [T2][L17]! (+2)
[Mana rupture] is now [T1][L17]! (+1)
[Mana masking] is now [T2][L15]! (+12)
[Life Energy] is now [T1][L41]! (+2)
It was nice to advance, but definitely nothing groundbreaking happened overall. He was sure that he had the basics down by now, though. He felt comfortable with his armor, spear, and their enchantments. His offensive and defensive Spells were trained enough for him to use them instinctively.
He was as ready for the Duels as he would ever be.
Scanning the Interface, he took note of the changes. A few of his General Skills were close to reaching Tier 2 Level 50. He had some hopes for new stuff occurring at those milestones.
[https://i.imgur.com/FTPYm28.jpg][Table version:]
General Skills: Skill: Tier: Level: Type: Resource taken: Unusable or Level-irrelevant Interface 1 50 Inactive None Tabu 1 100 Inactive None Memories of the Earth N/A N/A Internal [variable] Mana, Will Position of materials N/A N/A Knowledge [10] Mana/s Knowledge Ancient Civilizations 3 13 Knowledge [523] Mana /s Universal Cir language 1 92 Knowledge [93] Mana /s Corora lifeforms 1 55 Knowledge [56] Mana /s Corora herbarium 1 16 Knowledge [17] Mana /s Survival 1 100 Knowledge [101] Mana /s Leatherworking 1 32 Knowledge [33] Mana /s Exotic Metallurgy 1 6 Knowledge [7] Mana /s Knowledge of Physical Actions Mixed Enchanting Arts 2 35 Crafting [351] Mana /s Earth’s methodology 1 34 Science arts [35] Mana /s Explosives 1 99 Crafting [100] Mana /s Wood carving 1 12 Crafting [13] Mana /s Javelin and atlatl 1 76 Martial arts [77] Mana /s Spear [Enchanted] (style: E2M1) 2 71 Martial arts [660.6] Mana /s Close combat (Mima) 1 55 Martial arts [56] Mana /s [Enchanted] [Module] 3 4 Technique [334] Mana /s Mixed arts Willforce 2 49 Technique [471.4] Mana /s Resonation Suppression 2 44 Technique [428.4] Mana /s Extended Empathy: Feedback stimuli 2 45 Martial arts [437] Mana /s Related to Will and Greater Willpower Will contamination 1 61 Mixed [unknown] Mana, Will Will 2 77 Knowledge [712.2] Mana /s Will manipulation 2 89 Knowledge [815.4] Mana /s W.P. Mana manip. 2 82 Knowledge [755.2] Mana /s W.P. Soul manipulation 2 20 Knowledge [222] Mana /s W.P. Soul perception 2 72 Knowledge [669.2] Mana /s W.P. Soul whack 2 49 Technique [471.4] Mana /s W.P. Soul Memory access sharing 3 20 Technique [670] Mana /s Related to Mana Soul 1 75 Knowledge [76] Mana /s Ambient Mana 1 82 Knowledge [83] Mana /s A. Mana channeling 2 1 Knowledge [58.6] Mana /s Mana manipulation 1 49 Knowledge [50] Mana /s Mana perception 2 17 Knowledge [196.2] Mana /s Mana rupture 1 17 Technique [18] Mana /s Mana masking 2 15 Technique [179] Mana /s Life Energy 1 41 Knowledge [42] Mana /s
Finally, he checked his new Energy Enhancement. It was one of the things he came here for and, thankfully, he managed to pull it off.
[https://i.imgur.com/Ov4t6rC.jpg][Table version:]
Advanced and independent improvements: Energy Enhancements: Details: Willforce
[Extended Will shielding] Basic [Energy component] of [Willforce Morphon], the complex [Modification]. This [Micro-structure] allows for advanced applications of [Will] and is acting as an intermediary in [Energy exchange]. It is permeating the [Body] and [Soul] and possesses [Unknown] manipulation applications.
Cost: Reserved 15% of [Mana Generation], Reserved [??%] of [Will Regeneration]. Enhanced structurized force transfer
[Power Milestone] Skin [Energy Enhancement]. Forms external Mana of the user into energy-transferring structures, spreading the force used in a wider area. Burns external Mana. Compatible with Spells. Incompatible with external Mana manipulation. Effectiveness depends on the amount of Mana around the user. Homeostasis defense
[Regeneration Milestone] Body/Soul [Energy Enhancement]. Passively prevents extreme metabolic reactions. Strengthens homeostasis in a body by negating macroscopic effects. Those functions can be negated. Mana-shaping internal amplifier
[Flexibility Milestone] Body/Soul [Energy Enhancement]. Intercellular network of micro-matrices. Enhances accuracy of neural activity. Passively links Mana control to the body movements and state. Enhances Mana shaping in all forms if used alongside physical exercise. Those effects can be internalized, disabled, or amplified.
Yep, just as advertised, he thought, reading—as well as reading, although there wasn’t much underlying information—into the description. The Mana manipulation part was nice and all, but what he wanted were the neural and physical properties of that EE. The latter wasn’t obvious, but better microcirculation of Mana would strengthen the effects that all physical PE had on a body while simultaneously giving the user more control over those same effects. It had a subtle, but very important impact; at least according to Aisha.
He dismissed everything and started to imagine dueling with different opponents, planning and evaluating possible scenarios. It was a form of mind training, something he rarely had time to do lately.
And this time wasn’t that different – before long, sleep took his thoughts away.
~~~
He woke up an unknown amount of time later. It was difficult to say how many hours passed, but Makani was fast asleep in a sitting position by the wall of crates.
The pot disappeared, but a small stack of wood and a pile of meaty snacks were lying nearby. Not wanting to waste time—or worse, allow his mind to wander—Zeph decided to craft those promised stilts.
After thinking about it for a moment, looking at the random assortment of sticks and small logs, he came to the conclusion that it would be impossible to hide the stilts in the city. In the more-frequented places, the snow would be either packed into a solid surface or just absent. So instead, he decided to just make them thick soles. If they tied them up to their boots with fabric, while covering the wood, it would just look like cheap footwear for harsh winter weather.
And harsh it was – Zeph could not only hear the turbulent winds whistling outside, but even felt a weak draft of the freezingly cold air sneaking through their cabin.
While working, using Grinding Spell with optimized Force-Magicules to shape the wood, he wondered if he shouldn’t train something in the time they had.
His Flexibility-training Perk was still active, but Zeph couldn’t tell what it was doing. Differently from the Power-training Perk, this one didn’t have the immediately visible side effects.
Or maybe it has. I am barely moving around. It’s hard to notice a difference if I am not actively looking for it. Also, it’s not like 10 Flexibility is that much at this point… he paused at a sudden thought. Right! Flexibility training! That’s a good idea, he decided, returning to his sculpting exercise.
What was it again? he wondered, glancing at the Interface. Internalize, disable, amplify… The instructions aren’t clear, but those are probably advanced techniques anyway. I should get accustomed first, anyway.
With the plan set, he focused on finishing his current labor quickly.
~~~
The day passed without incidents. Zeph’s training was interrupted two times by his hunger and subsequent naps, but he managed to get a feel for his new EE.
It was just enough for him to be comfortable with it working in the background. He did have to do a lot of stretching, though, to make sure how his body changed. All in all, it seemed that the auto-training brought some fruit because he intuitively knew when to stop and when it was possible to stretch a little harder. He also had a feel for what would damage his body in a more dynamic setting – those limits were pushed further away for sure.
His internal Mana manipulation and perception also saw some major improvements. He was still very far from what he should be able to do, but he no longer felt like an invalid. There wasn’t much he could do with his new proficiency, though.
Makani was asleep most of the time, only waking up during the short breaks the caravan was making. The bad weather prevented anyone from using the wildscape bathroom, so the caravan had to regularly stop when encountering better-sheltered areas.
After some time and another session of ‘yoga meditation’, Zeph suddenly realized that they had arrived in the city. The caravan wasn’t stopped at the walls, for some reason, but the ride became smooth and he could feel the difference in Ambient Mana. It was impossible to not notice the increased density and chaotic flow after spending almost a week in much calmer places.
So that is their version of population centers’ pollution, huh, he mused, moving to the back of the vehicle.
He opened the flaps slightly to peer outside.
They arrived in the dead of the night. There was almost no traffic; the city was dark and silent. At least the wind became tolerable.
Zeph closed the flaps and woke up Makani.
Without speaking much, they started preparing for disembarking. The few crates with their belongings were put close to the exit, their simple bags packed, and fake soles tied.
It didn’t take long for the caravan to arrive at one of the local marketplaces.
In the accompaniment of hushed conversations and silent laughter, people started leaving their vehicles and organizing their cargo. Zeph and Makani also jumped out, landing on the packed snow covering the plaza.
Looking around, Zeph was reminded of the atmosphere at the train stations during late-night arrivals – a somehow subdued excitement filled the air as people silently celebrated the end of a long journey.
Despite the late hour, a long line of carriages and coaches for hire waited on one side of the plaza. Groups of people were already walking there unhurriedly.
Not waiting any longer, they put down their crates and waited for the wagon’s weight check. The coachman wasn’t interested in his passengers and allowed everyone to leave as soon as it was done.
As awkward as it was, they carried the four crates to the nearest coach that looked free and quickly paid for the ride to the Shrine.
~~~
“Are you sure you don’t need me to take those?” their coachman asked, putting the last of the crates on the floor.
They were in a leisure room near the entrances to the Shrine, as per instructions from the System’s terminals. They wouldn’t be taking their gear when visiting higher floors, but they would need the room to change clothes afterward.
“Don’t worry about it. Someone will take them from us first thing in the morning. As long as you deliver my letter, that is,” Makani said seriously. Said letter was, of course, encrypted.
“Haha, after you paid this much, my company would skin me alive if I failed a task this simple.” He waved them and started walking away. “I will leave you to your devices, then. Have a nice day!”
“For you too,” Zeph replied, looking as the triangular doors slid closed behind the man.
“Where to?” Makani asked.
“Thirtieth floor, isolation room. It shouldn’t take more than two hours. You?”
“Conversation room at seventh. Check on me when you finish. I expect your presence would be required.” Makani shrugged.
“Shure thing,” Zeph nodded and turned to the doors with a heavy sensation in his stomach. “Let’s go, then.”