Westibule mountain chain [western part of the Torrent mountain range], local time [1793.10.28]
It looks rather ordinary? thought Zeph, looking at the mountainous countryside from his spot on an oversized but simple cart. The farmland terraces dug into the hills’ slopes down below made for a very picturesque view, especially from their position. The mountain pass they were traversing led straight through the crest of an enormous gulf. The color palette returned to the familiar greens of late summer; the alien vegetation of Torrent mountains was left behind like a bad dream. If not for the strange shapes of local plants, he would have thought it was Earth.
After witnessing the vast terrain below, his suspicions transformed into certainty. From the moment they left the village in the morning, they were moving up and away from the nearby pockets of civilization.
“I thought we would stop in one of the nearby villages?” he asked, looking at Aisha. “Or at least travel downwards.”
She shrugged lightly, not even opening her eyes while lying on the cargo with her hands behind her head. “The terrain below is a territory of semi-sentient species. We are at a ceasefire, but are not welcomed. Outside the agreed circumstances, at least. But don’t worry, we are heading to the next village, alright.”
That caught his interest. “It doesn’t sound like they are just a variant of the Human race?”
“Well, they are humanoids, mostly,” Makani chimed in from the front. He was in better shape after a day of rest at the knights’ camp. Zeph, on the other hand, was thanking his Gru-inducted metabolic changes for not dying from the alcohol poisoning after that unforgettable ‘rest day’. He heavily underestimated how much liquor was included in the knights’ provisions.
“But you would be right,” he continued, “they are different species altogether. All of them bear some animalistic features”—Zeph’s expectations skyrocketed suddenly—“like scales or additional limbs”—only to be instantly crushed—“which shows just how different their progenitors had to be from ours.”
“Are there any humanoid races with only partial animal features? Like, ears and tails?” Zeph couldn’t restrain his curiosity.
This time both of his companions looked straight at him, incredulity visible in their eyes, the unnerving staring broken only by the bump on the road. Aisha had to catch herself on the crate, and the rest swayed wildly side to side along with the cart.
“Sorry!” exclaimed Bardo, their driver. “I lost my concentration here for a moment. You sure are asking interesting questions, signor Einar!” he laughed.
Aisha sat up, evidently done with the shaky position. “How, pray tell me, would that even work?” she asked, sitting cross-legged on a lower crate. “Do you know how genetics work? I am quite sure you do,” she answered her own question. “Is it some fantasy kink of your people? Or maybe directly yours? It certainly sounds like one,” she guessed, smiling suggestively.
Zeph was abashed for a few seconds, until he processed what she just indicated. “Oh, it seems that erotic fantasies are quite universal, then,” he said, smiling shamelessly.
She giggled, “Better yet! Some people actually take those useless bioimplants,” she teased, surprising him. “But it became so closely related to the certain entertainment industry, that no respectful individual would do the same. Still, good for you, I guess!” she finished, laughing.
Well… I feel as if my high beliefs were just raped and soiled, he ruefully thought while smiling bitterly.
“About that, those implants aren’t really useless. They are just too costly for what they do. Not to mention, they are basically a weak point in a fight. The natural progeny of other intelligent mammal species keeps all their natural features. There are hardly any humanoids among them,” Makani cleverly summarized, dousing Aisha’s mirth with unprecedented efficiency. Smarty comments reeking of book knowledge were, as always, unbeaten champions in joy-killing.
They continued their loose discussion on species for the rest of the ride. The topic wasn’t that interesting to Zeph. Without meeting other races, it was hard to imagine what the two were describing. He at least learned which groups were immediately hostile.
Just when the talks started to meander near the interesting subjects, like the differences in anatomy and overall biology between the races, they arrived at their destination.
From atop the hill, they saw a small settlement in the distance. The sparse vegetation did nothing to hide it; Zeph could recognize the traces of intensive deforestation, even if the stumps were invisible from their observation point. Every building had a stone base and everything else was made from wood, but something green was growing on the wooden panels of the triangular rooftops. What confused him, was the fact that no chimneys were present.
The terrain around looked somehow desolated and neglected, as no crops were cultivated on the freed land. Wild plants of different heights tried to regain lost territory, creating a patchwork of greenery on the churned soil. A low embankment surrounded the settlement, probably because of the small stream flowing down from the mountainside on the right. It ended as a waterfall at the gulf’s ridge. During rainy seasons or in spring, it would surely flood the nearby land.
It was a poor and dirty place, just like the previous village near the knight’s campsite was. Which did nothing to break Zeph’s delightful mood. A civilization of any kind meant less chores and danger, after all.
He was becoming really tired of the constant alertness. Especially after the relaxing day with the knights.
Sadly, Aisha’s plans conflicted with that sentiment.
“Thank you, Bardo,” she started, standing up. “This should be far enough for the both of us.”
“Si, si! Gracia’po protection as well. Remember to be ready in four days!” the driver answered.
Zeph still wasn’t used to the strange dialect the peddler was using, but the meaning was quite clear to him.
“Sure thing! Have a good haul!” he said, jumping down from the moving cart alongside Aisha.
Gru vibrated grumpily at that, the sudden movement waking him up from his hangover-inducted sleep. He was quite toxinated after helping Zeph in surviving the ridiculous amounts of alcohol. A shame they didn’t know beforehand how their shared metabolisms would react to it.
After giving his own regards, Makani clumsily tried to do the same. He almost faceplanted himself on the rocky road, to Aisha’s amusement. He was lucky to be free from baggage.
They gathered together and started to walk slowly in the direction of the ‘village’. Though, Zeph had doubts if a settlement of around thirty wooden structures could be called that.
After the cart was far enough, Aisha started her lecture. “Now, Zeph, you remember when I mentioned Netherlings?”
He was more surprised she remembered speaking it at all. He nodded nonetheless.
“Now that we are impervious to eavesdropping…” she started, shooting a glance at Makani.
“No reactions for half a day already. The modulation barrier is active,” he reported.
So that’s what he was doing all this time? It was quite strange he didn’t ask me any questions… Zeph realized.
She nodded in acknowledgment. “We can touch the topic seriously. There is no person in this world that doesn’t know this already,” she looked at him gravely while saying that, “so I had to be sure we are alone before going into details, to not blow your cover too soon. The Ranger types are quite hard to notice. You see, When the System came, seventeen centuries ago, it informed every being with any semblance of intelligence of why it came here in the first place.”
It starts on a heavy note already… he noticed, listening intently.
“One of the… neighboring worlds is colonized by beings incompatible with Mana.”
Yea, great start… No wonder she was nervous when asking me about Prana…
“They started to invade our planet not long before System invited himself to the party,” Makani said, earning himself a glare from Aisha. “Ah, sorry for the interruption,” he said sheepishly.
She shook her head. “It’s serious. Don’t take it lightly,” she continued, looking at Zeph. “Those beings aren’t interacting with the physical world directly. Simply put, they don’t have bodies. They only interact with Souls.”
He blinked and looked at her in consternation. No! If that’s how it is, then—
“They feed on our Souls, Zeph. Whatever they do with them afterward is irrelevant; it was confirmed that the lost parts never come back,” she said, sadness evident in her voice. “The System contends with whatever is directing them, but it has very limited means to counter the invaders. We are still in search of abilities allowing reliable detection of Netherlings. They are the lowest of their lot, and the best spies. Those things are almost undetectable Soul parasites, just observing and informing stronger individuals, like the Netherbeasts.”
Shit! I am in a fucking Soul-infected world! he thought, slightly panicked. According to what she insinuated, he didn’t have even a scrap of necessary Soul protection.
“Graaa?” it skeptically asked.
“No. Even the specialized Classes have problems with detecting them. Not to mention that the species proficient in Soul arts aren’t able to root them out. No matter how talented you are, your chances aren’t high,” she answered, not even batting an eye anymore at the fact she could freely communicate with Gru.
“Grauuu…” it vibrated disappointedly.
“Anyway, you should treat any settlement without a dedicated specialist as a hazard,” she said, looking at Zeph. “Not in the context of direct danger, but of a spy that WILL plunge your chances of survival down to zero. Chasem, even the best-protected cities aren’t safe! Thankfully, the Netherfolk of higher echelons are easy enough to detect – their energy source repels Mana, just like your Prana did. Or, at least, drastically decreases Mana concentration. They are hard to fight against, but it’s clear who the enemy is, at least,” she finished, making sure he understood the gravity of the situation.
“Never speak about your exotic and unique characteristics without security measures. Always follow secrecy protocols. Even in the cities protected by specialists, always have your guard up!” Makani recited.
Fuck! Zeph despaired. This blocks almost all of my possible avenues… I will have to find a proxy to do business! But wait, does it mean… “The village ahead is?” he voiced his worry.
“Yes,” said Aisha, nodding solemnly. “There are no Neiners”— Zeph almost spluttered after hearing the name—“in this village to protect it. Aside from the passing knights and patrols, there is no security. The perfect place for an impostor.”
So that’s how it is… the question about my origin should never have happened; I now understand how the knights felt. The landlord basically made them a bait…
“How can your society even function with something like that around? Don’t they have an absolutely better hand? Especially because they don’t have to rely on Mana density?!” he asked, realizing more facts, the longer he spoke.
“Eh, it’s not that bad,” she shrugged. “Netherlings are basically larvae. They have to mature after a person achieves level 100, or die trying, so higher regions are free from their presence. Also, the ‘energy’ Netherfolks are using follows the same laws when it comes to the pressure, so the stronger ones have similar problems we have in lower Mana density regions. The difference is that, if they learn about a potential threat in lower regions, a concentrated attack is sure to take place.”
It’s basically a constant war effort, he thought.
Aisha and Makani fell silent after that. Zeph was deep in thought even after entering the village, processing new information. For the first time, nothing around looked safe for him. He now knew why Aisha and Makani delayed this talk for so long. It would be impossible for him to really relax after learning about it.
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“Good luck, for both of you,” said Makani.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
It was the morning of the third day. Makani was heading south, along the ridge of the gulf. He was recruited by Aisha to help with the Torrent mountains’ air, so this was his last stop before separating from them and pursuing his own objectives.
Zeph was quite saddened by the sudden parting. Following the protocol, they never informed him beforehand.
“Don’t worry, we will see each other soon enough,” Makani said to Zeph. “I learned a lot from your explanations. Especially about the prooteiens,” he said.
“It’s proteins,” Zeph corrected. “And I am really not sure if you understood the mechanics I described… Modifying Spells that way is risky as hell if you don’t know what you are doing, so… just, stay safe, ok? Test it first on small samples,” he repeated himself for the hundredth time. OSH was important in his line of work.
“Sure, sure, mother,” he answered, weakly slapping Zeph’s shoulder. “I will be back in a few months. Make sure to progress some during that time,” he finished, turning away and moving to his transport. It took a while to find someone willing to transport him, even if he was paying.
“So, what do you want to do today? Gather some more materials?” Aisha said almost immediately after Makani moved away, impatient to do something constructive.
They already explained to him the local currency and prices. Taking those compressed feathers from the mountaintop turned out to be a good idea, they were worth much more than his pre-prepared gold. Still, gathering some rare plants from the surroundings was advisable to boost his meager wealth.
“Sure,” he shrugged. “It’s not like we have anything better to do… Well, actually we do. Maybe we should hunt some more? I would rather finish my resets before trying to learn from my Skills, my Matrix space is still at its lowest.”
“You, and your ridiculous growth rate,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “I am not against it, but it’s a shame there is nothing challenging around.”
“Well, I can cook something aga—”
“Let’s go!” she exclaimed seriously, pumping her hand up and walking in the direction of the distant forest.
She baited me… he thought ruefully. She surely liked those tortillas I scrambled together yesterday…
The rest of the day passed peacefully.
The locals were happy to exchange some vegetables and fruits for the additional meat. The peddler was happy to pay for the hides. The sun wasn’t even setting when Zeph and Aisha started to prepare food for the journey. Most of what they had was smoked, boiled, or dried, leaving only enough for a few tortillas.
Zeph was surprised by the clever structure of the buildings. The fireplace was underground, enclosed by stone. The smoke was escaping from a roofed pit a few meters behind the house. In winter, or on colder days, the smoke was directed into the tunnel system integrated within the stone foundations of the house. Every one of those poor houses had underfloor heating essentially, and minimal risk of catching fire at the same time.
The kitchen appliances were all connected directly to this system. The smokehouse was a basic amenity in these regions, it seems. It was a shame the plumbing wasn’t as developed, but in this case – the nearby stream invalidated that problem.
After darkness started to settle for real, they both sat in their rented house to eat dinner. The locals were prepared for hosting guests – most of their food was sourced by passing merchants, after all.
After the tortillas were ravaged, they both sat in comfortable silence, seeping a light broth. A gentle yellow-green light of lamps, filled with some phosphoric substance, filled their humble abode, adding to the serene ambience.
Only after long minutes, Aisha broke the contemplative atmosphere.
“By the way, why did you choose to leave your home in the first place?”
“Hmmm. I will simplify it a little, if you will,” he said, and she nodded. For a minute, he was mulling about how to phrase himself.
“It is only my point of view, mind you. I am well aware most people were quite content with the way things worked,” he started slowly, looking at the window, deep in thoughts. “We were hermetically enclosed by our own society. The technology we built required an absolute specialization in a certain field from an individual. A very specific line of work and a very specific position. It effectively forced upon us the socially-economical structure of society. One in which you were critically dependent on the… company you were a part of,” he explained, finding a fitting Rui expression. “On the other hand, the company owners, along with other ruling individuals, were becoming so far removed from the lower classes, that even the geniuses in their fields couldn’t reach them. It was all for naught – trying to use your talents for what you deemed worthy. Or to create something meaningful by your lonesome, even on a scale of a city… It was suffocating for me… for so many reasons…” he tried to keep his voice even but started to fail slightly. He definitely wasn’t ready to explain what he was forced to… No; what he was a part of when working in his company, what dreams he had to abandon. So many, many other reasons were intertwined with those memories…
But he managed to stop the flood before it overwhelmed him.
“Graaaaaaeeee!” it exclaimed worriedly, strengthening his resolve. It was also working against the coming resonance.
Gru could feel in its ‘bones’ that this resonance would be able to further demolish Zeph’s Soul and deepen its fragmentation.
He shuddered, taking a hold of himself with the help of Will, the constantly active ‘Lesser Metabolic enhancement’, and Empathy EE, finally recreating and even broadening the accomplishment from the Myconids’ caves. For a few minutes, he breathed deeply, keeping the strange phenomenon up.
Congratulations! You successfully modified your [Skill]: [Lesser Metabolic enhancement]! Calculating…
You have gained new [General Skills]: [Resonation Suppression] and [Extended Empathy: Feedback stimuli] from the [Knowledge Base]!
Congratulations! You have gained 2 [Greater Willpower]!
[Will] [T2][L56] is now [T2][L61]. (+5)
[Will manipulation] [T2][L57] is now [T2][L61]. (+4)
He ignored the notifications, concentrating on finding his balance once more. Aisha was looking at him worriedly, but he ignored it, too.
After the emotions died down, he continued in a monotone voice.
“I just wanted to leave this trap. To find a way to create something meaningful by myself, free from the restrictions the society was placing on me,” he finished, generalizing the problem.
“So, you wanted power?” she asked, confusion visible on her face.
“More like personal strength? At least to some extent. It allows one to move freely in places not controlled by human laws, and adds a possibility of self-dependency. “Power”, as you called it, indicates I wanted some social recognition, too, for which I don’t care outside of my chosen group. And in such a group, personal strength shouldn’t reflect on social standing anyway.”
“I think I know what you mean, but I don’t separate those aspects. For individuals, high personal strength automatically reflects on their stance in society and is as important in survival scenarios as in civilization. It’s not like we can really avoid one of those aspects… So, you have the power, or not,” she said, shrugging.
She is totally missing the point, Zeph thought, a little irritated.
“Are you a musclebrain?” he retorted and she smirked, irritating him even more. “The personal strength you are talking about automatically includes the “power” over others, but is it always the case? On the other hand, weak people can have power over others, don’t they? Or do you want to tell me there are no alternatives in your society?” he asked incredulously, pointedly ignoring her amused expression. “Parents have power over their children. A lawyer has power over the uneducated. An enforcer has a legal, and oftentimes physical, power over citizens. But in all of those examples, the means are totally different from personal strength. And, like in most cases, its measure depends on interpretation and on the point of view,” he said, pausing to catch his breath. He always got too emotional during a discussion about semantics and philosophy, he should probably stop.
But seeing her skeptical eyes stirred him again.
“In case of personal strength, its true and objective measure is only relevant in insolation and—”
“Gah, stupid!” she interrupted him, fed up with his monologue. “It’s about the potential! You don’t get audacious toward someone who can kill you in a seco—”
“Sure! Only to get himself killed back by the governing gro—”
“We are not barbarians! Nobody would sacrifice people just to get revenge!” that statement made him pause. “He would be judged, yes. But our demands would be useless without their goodwill or their equal enforcing the law. The dead one would surely appreciate our deep regrets and sympathy.” The sarcastic comment hit him hard. “You have so much to learn…” she finished with disbelief, shaking her head.
They spent the next few minutes in silence, sipping from their bowls. Zeph was pondering if this misunderstanding stemmed from cultural differences, or if it was just Aisha being Aisha.
After some deliberation, he decided to speak up again. His worldview couldn’t be that far from the reality of this planet, right?
“I think you are underestimating what a recognition can do. A recognition and respect for you, your group, and what you say. Whether you are weak or not.”
“And you are playing with fire, I am telling you. There is no true recognition for a weakling,” she looked like a haunted person for a brief moment. Zeph had no doubts now, he touched upon some personal story here. “Haaah, you won’t live long gambling like that… but whatever!” she said throwing her hands up. “It’s not even related to what I wanted to ask about,” she looked at him again, leaving the topic behind. “So, what were you looking for besides personal strength? I can tell it’s more complicated.”
“Ummm… Basically, I wanted the freedom to progress and gain knowledge at my own pace. To create. Without the need to be a part of a society, freely,” he confided, scratching his head. It was a little embarrassing to say it out loud.
“Progress in what exactly? The strength you mentioned already,” she asked bluntly with a straight face.
Is this common consideration here? he thought.
“In whatever I will find interesting, I suppose,” he shrugged. “I didn’t have any specific dream past my fascination with Mana. There was a reason for me choosing the Generalist. Though, learning the basics is a necessity for me right now…”
“You are basically telling me you want a library access. So very ‘independent of society’, aren’t you?” she said, laughing.
“Shut up! I wanted for it to be possible, not necessarily going full hermit! But I don’t see a problem with reinventing some things.”
“And you call that a ‘progress’?” she teased, using his own semantic pedantry against him, again.
“Guh… It’s personal progress… And the System seems to encourage it! For the time being, I hope to invent something meaningful. I just didn’t want to be restricted by others. Especially in the distribution process…”
“I smell more of your life-story here, so let’s stop,” she chimed in.
He blinked. “You are not interested in my life story? I am from another… culture, you know?” he said, trying to sound funny. Unsuccessfully.
“It will probably be as ridiculous as your thinking process. I would rather keep my sanity,” she declared, leaning back. “But tell me if you succeed in your endeavors. The practical knowledge you produce is quite valuable.”
“Gru!” it noticed, and the idea struck Zeph’s mind.
“You are right! It seems we just found the deciding difference in our worldviews,” he declared, drawing Aisha’s interest again. At least enough of it, for her to glance in his direction. “You guys have too limited minds to really understand the importance of a support role,” he said, nodding to himself and crossing his arms. “But you will learn! As the folks’ wisdom says: never make an enemy of a person responsible for healing you,” he said while thinking of his ‘Lesser Metabolic enhancement’ and all the boost Spells he could derive from it.
About that… he realized. What is taking the System so long to calculate? It never took more t—
She snorted, distracting him. “Indeed, you have found one difference already. Because it’s an absolutely inapplicable saying – healing Spells are useless.”
“Like magic is all there…” he started, before registering what she just said. “Wait, what do you mean ‘useless’?!” he exclaimed, his head snapping in her direction.
“Those Spells can’t do much? On the other hand, they can easily cause serious damage instead of helping. It’s better to just visit a Doctor in most cases,” she explained, closing her eyes and relaxing.
“No regrowing limbs?”
“No, are you insane?”
“Detoxification?”
“No. I am quite sure you may be insane.”
“Helping with blood loss?”
“Chasem, no! Definitely insane, we should visit a Doctor in the closest city,” she diagnosed, staring at him.
“Surely closing the wounds is possible?”
“No. But if you are brave enough, a Healer can try to stop the bleeding.”
“B-brave? What CAN they do?!”
“Well, it’s not purely Healing, but they can help with parasites. They are also quite good for tooth-care or scar removal. Their usefulness concentrates on the life-detection Skills. They made for quite efficient butchers, too – with all those scanning and cutting Skills,” she said, scratching her chin.
“Fuck! This doesn’t sound like a magical Healing at all. I thought the System has some Matrices for the occasion…” he said depressingly.
“Do you even understand what you are talking about? What a Spell is? You want an effect, a static effect, that will not harm a living organism, and at the same time work on many diverse bodies?” She asked, placing her hands on the waist and leaning slightly forward. She continued her lecture, poking him with a finger. “You would need either inhumanly precise manipulation and detection, or have to tailor an overwhelmingly complicated Spell, formed specifically for ONE living target. The System provides us with knowledge and physically enhances our bodies, but it isn’t enough to construct something like that! The only known people who came even close to really healing anything, were the ones with legendary enhancements for their minds, long after they immortalized themselves. Most of them left this world, though. It’s a lost case for normal people like us… Well, me, in any case.”
This sounds… reasonable? I guess. Though it means all the training with the RPG systems wasn’t that useful, he thought bitterly. One point for you, Alana.
===============================
The next morning marked the real start of their journey.
After getting to the next village, they should be able to buy themselves a cart of their own. The peddler was touring all the settlements in the mountains, while they wanted to leave the place as fast as possible. They could only accompany him that far.
Zeph was grumpy, the System was still calculating the Skill changes. Although, after all this time, he was more inclined to believe it was just waiting for him to do a few more repetitions. It would be easier for him, if he could ask Aisha about it, alas they would need to gain some distance from people before that. Especially because they didn’t have Makani anymore.
“Stop imitating the sounds of your bond, and move already,” Aisha called him impatiently. She was already on the peddler’s cart.
He grumbled some more, lugging over the heavy crate full of their supplies along.
How in the world did I get degraded to a pack mule? were his last thoughts before the journey began anew.
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Interface:
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[https://i.imgur.com/aMLm2EN.jpg][https://i.imgur.com/qh2jtOy.jpg]