Barringstone [Westibule mountain chain], local time [1793.11.09]
It was night already when he woke up. The unfamiliar sky greeted him, together with an enormous headache.
He started to sit up, gripping his head with one hand, but he immediately regretted it as a sharp pain in his left shoulder and side almost made him black out again. He powerlessly fell back on his makeshift bedding.
He was still in his armor – only the arrow shafts were removed, the rest of them still in his body.
“Finally,” Aisha spoke from his right. “I feared I would have to wait till morning.”
He slowly moved his head, trying to keep his muscles relaxed. She was sitting near a small fire, cooking something in a pot. An unconscious person, tied and gagged, was laying nearby.
Aisha tilted her head. “I thought you said you prepared something against arrows?”
He grunted, making a sour face. “Not for a volley like that, and I didn’t have a chance to really test it.”
“Ha! Good thing you are quite tough, then!” she said, laughing.
He sighed. “Engaging in the open was a mistake in the first place,” he said, glaring at her.
“Eh, we are alive, they are not, so all went well?” she said innocently while making a shrugging gesture.
This idiot! he fumed internally.
“Let’s leave the proper explanations for later,” she changed the topic, smiling crookedly. “We have other immediately important issues,” she said, nodding in the direction of the unconscious person.
“Don’t make jokes from a deadly serious matter,” he said to the troll, massaging his temples. “So, how we will do it?”
They obviously needed more information before going back to the village. Also, providing false information to the enemy would be a huge advantage. As so, a Ranger-type, if one was among the attackers, was their priority capture target. Not only were such Classes tasked with information gathering, but as the people with the highest chances of survival, they were responsible for reporting back to headquarters, oftentimes possessing additional means to do so.
“Gru already informed me that her Class lacks the similarity some of the villagers had,” she started explaining.
Zeph frowned. “Are you sure she is unconscious?” he asked, looking worriedly in the direction of the Ranger.
“Quite so. I have learned enough about my diagnostic Skill to ascertain that much.”
He sighed with relief. “Okay then,” he nodded, signaling her to continue.
“You remember what Makani said about sub-specialization of Classes? As you can imagine, people who live by the same profession will end up with similar changes. It wouldn’t be strange for this group as well, after all, it’s a mining village. The problem is, all the guards and most of the council also sport relatively similar changes. Most possibly, they are a group of vagrants, of the bad sort. She is not, so I hope to reach an understanding,” she said, indicating the woman.
He blinked, surprised. “Bandits? With an official city of their own?”
She tilted her head, looking back at him. “It’s quite natural? People who for different reasons have to leave their birthplace, tend to look for a better one. The settlements are self-governing for the most part, what would be a better place than a new one?” she explained, confusing Zeph even more. “This group either found the Hydrargyrum veins and struck a deal with the closest Landlord, or seized a scouting team, taking their place. If not for the disease and the attack, I wouldn’t even care. Although, something seems afoot,” she said, shrugging.
“No, no, no. They are murderers, right? Don’t you have laws for that? Shouldn’t they be disposed of, locked in prison, or… something?” he asked, feeling lost.
She shook her head. “It’s much more complicated than that… In the first place, lawful execution is only allowed against System-disturbed, mentally disordered, or Nether-infected. We have enough problems as is with the death rate, no one wants to supplement it with meaningless deaths. In our case, we would need hard evidence to involve other cities,” she said, taking the pot out of the fireplace.
“Ye, for sure. It works really well, I see,” he said, looking at the pile of bodies, stripped from all valuables. He couldn’t wrap his head around this mentality. “So, you want to bargain with one of the people who tried to kill us?” he asked neutrally.
“This is self-defense,” she said, pointing at herself, “that is politics,” she said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone, pointing at the dead bodies. “When a group of people is involved or has backing, hard decisions are made,” she said sarcastically. “For the greater good, of course – nothing a healthy dose of overwhelming power wouldn’t amend,” she said, placing the pot and a spoon near him. “She is just a soldier,” she continued somberly, “I want to ascertain where she really stands, firstly.”
“Thank you,” he said, looking at the stew. “But I need to fix myself a little before that.”
“Sure, we have a few hours before she wakes up, I think,” she said, sitting near the fire and away from him, concentrating on her weapon.
He looked around. His clothes were lying nearby, but most were in tatters. Beside them were his backpack, helmet, and weapons. Aisha had to clean the battlefield when he was asleep.
Zeph started by removing the armor on his left arm and opening the chest piece. The arrow wounds weren’t that bad from what he could tell, but an angry violet was surrounding them in large circles. The arrowhead in his torso had scraped off of his rib, stopping afterward, but the arrowhead in his shoulder seemed to be stuck in the bone. Both were quite close to the skin, though.
After examining himself, he was planning to borrow Aisha’s alcohol and ask her for help, but Gru had another idea.
“Gre!” it warned him.
He paused. “Um… Okay, but stop immediately if I tell you,” he said worriedly, laying down and relaxing his muscles.
He could feel something wiggle around the wounds. Looking at his shoulder from an angle, he could see his skin slowly opening in a clean line. The pain was bearable, and no blood flowed out of it. He took a sharp breath through his teeth as he felt the arrowhead dislodging from the bone. After a few moments, he could see the back of the arrowhead slowly push out of the cut. Black, thin tendrils, reminding him of long parasite worms, were coiling around it.
He averted his gaze. The sight made his stomach churn. It was one thing to be aware of what was inside his body, and another to actually see it in action. No offense, Gru, but you are not pretty. Not pretty at all, he mentally apologized.
When the arrowheads were out, the cuts slowly stitched together, kept together by unknown means. Zeph wasn’t going to ask.
“Gra!” it proudly declared after the half-hour operation.
“Thanks, doc,” Zeph said with a small smile. He tested his arm and tried to sit up again. The pain was still there, but he could manage. His left arm was weak and had a limited range of motion, but it wouldn’t be a nuisance.
He decided to stay without the upper armor for now.
Next, he checked the armor on the back of his thigh, where the Spell had hit him. The armor seemed mostly intact, but Phleya in the area was dimmed significantly. He guessed it conducted most of the Mana away from the point of impact, and dissipated the heat. The subsequent explosion was potent, he was surprised his ears weren’t busted. If the Mana was allowed to accumulate instead of being dispersed by Phleya, the effect would be much worse.
Spell fights are frightening sometimes… he thought with a chill. He stood up to test his leg and do light stretching. Then he roughly cleaned his torso, concentrating on the wounds, with soap and a small amount of water. He even borrowed some alcohol from Aisha to disinfect the wounds, earning himself a strange look from her.
After finishing, he took the pot and started to eat. He also called back his notifications. Zeph could vaguely remember being bombarded by them before passing out.
[Profession] [Shaman] is now level 28!
Congratulations! Your [Class] [Force Generalist] [Third] reset was successful!
[Force Generalist] fully constructed, full capacity restored!
[Seeded] [Class] [Force Generalist] is now level 1!
Reset [Reimbursement] applied! You have earned 2358 [UP]!
You have 6 unallocated points.
Congratulations! You leveled up [Class] [Skills]:
[Lesser Telekinesis] [Spell] is now [T1][L75]! (+23)
[Primitive enchanting] is now [T1][L100]! (+23)
[Stabilize] is now [T1][L24]! (+5)
Congratulations! [Skill] diverging for [Primitive enchanting] is now possible! Do you want to proceed?
Congratulations! New [Skills] mastered!
[Mastered Matrix Spells] list updated! You have 7 [Spells] awaiting a decision!
Reminder: you can choose to transform them into an [Energy Enhancement] or a [Passive Class Skill].
New data derived from the learning process. [Soul fragments] awarded!
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[Profession] [Shaman] is now level 30!
You have 10 unallocated points.
[Alert]!
[Profession] [Shaman] is leveling 3,98 times faster than your [Class]! Revising leveling restrictions is recommended!
Conditions changed!
Current [Class] leveling speed reduced by an average factor of 10. Previous factor value: 3,3.
[Garuan] [Class] [Will-o’-the-Wis’oul – level 10] has been reset!
[Class] [Will-o’-the-Wis’oul] is now [Seeded]!
Finally! he thought giddily after reading the first few lines. Spells, wait for me!
He finished reading and quickly spent 10 new points in Regeneration. Before making any decisions, he opened his Interface’s main page.
[https://i.imgur.com/IATEPB6.jpg]
Seeing his ‘Matrix space’ and ‘Mana capacity’, he started laughing. Quietly at first, but the sound slowly got louder with each second until he was in full-blown laughter, making Aisha look strangely at him, again.
I can finally use all of my Matrices! he celebrated internally, still unable to speak. And what numbers those are!
It took him a moment to calm down, but finally, the calm silence of the night returned.
Sighing contently and making himself comfortable, he again looked at the notifications, and a moment later squinted at the leveling speed factor.
“Why is it… Ah, right. Aisha and Makani told me it would happen. My Soulbase is larger… And still fragmented?” he noticed, looking at his Traits. He shook his head at the strangeness of this Trait, deciding to read the Soul General Skill some more in the near future.
“Congratulations, Gru! How is it on your side?”
“Gra!” it thanked him, vibrating happily.
“We need to rebalance the leveling restrictions, it seems… Ugh, did you manage to register how much of Soul fragments the System sent to you after the reset?”
“Graaaum…”
They discussed it for a while, trying to estimate the numbers. After some mental math, taking into account the current split and Gru’s testimony, Zeph came to the conclusion that Gru’s Soul was now bigger than his, which surprised him. The exact number was quite hard to estimate, but he was almost sure Gru needed 5-6% more Soul fragments to be level with him.
As so, he set the share at a 52/48 split in Gru’s favor. It was better to give him a little more.
Then he decreased his Profession’s share from 20% to 5%, this should be enough for it to reach level 100 when his Class hits level 50, taking into account that around 30% of Soul fragments dedicated to his Class were still exchanged for ‘Soul contamination’ fragments. Probably. The additional ‘Matrix space’ from his Profession would come in handy.
Finishing the stew, he roughly cleaned the pot and sat down by the fire, next to Aisha.
She glanced at him, still bent over the weapon on her lap and concentrating.
“Congratulations?” she murmured, looking back down.
“Thanks,” he said, smiling. “Can you explain some things to me? Reading everything from the Interface right now will take too much time.”
She stayed still for a moment longer, before straightening up with a weary sigh. “Sure, I need a break either way,” she answered, stretching a little.
“So, one of my mastered Spells has an option to derivate, should I? Also, I don’t understand the difference between a mastered Spell transforming into a Passive Skill and an Energy Enhancement?”
He honestly forgot about that option altogether. Not like I could have made use of it before unlocking my ‘Matrix space’, realistically speaking… I really need to get this notepad function-thing from the Library Goddess. Either way, thanks for reminding me, System!
“Gearing up finally, I see,” she said, smiling encouragingly. “Skill derivation is always a good choice – it creates a multidisciplinary Skill. But try to perfect your practice before taking the option. The more you achieve, the better Skill you will get,” she started, going fully into teacher-mode.
“Now, transforming a mastered Spell will give you access to Soul memory from the time you practiced it. For Energy Enhancement it’s a static memory, but it allows for an instant Spell construction by replicating the Enhancement structure outside of the body. For Passive Skill, it’s an interactive memory. Or in other words, your peak performance will be directly accessible from brain-adjoined Soul memory - it will ensure you never forget how to construct that Spell, never get out of practice, and any improvements you make along the way will be memorized,” she paused, giving him time to parse through the explanation.
“Both have other, more advanced applications, especially for people above level 100, but you can read about those yourself. Just know that Energy Enhancements are better for other Advanced Enhancements and for internal Mana manipulation, while Passive Skills are better for Mana and Soul techniques, as well as external Mana manipulation,” she finished.
He thought about it for a moment, but it was hard to predict which one he would need more. Instant construction of Tier 0 Spells could drastically speed up his construction time of higher-Tier Spells containing them as modules, although he would still need to apply small changes after the replication. On the other hand, perfect memory would allow him to experiment with them more, and he probably could get close to an instant construction by practice alone.
It was a question of efficiency vs versatility, but he had yet to read more on advanced applications.
In the end, he decided to ask. He didn’t have enough experience with advanced Spells yet to be sure of the choice.
“Could you recommend something to me?” he asked, smiling ruefully. “I think I will have to wait with the choice... But if there is something really obvious, I will take it.”
“Drop all of your Tier 0’s into Energy Enhancements,” she said without hesitation. “After enough levels and upgrades, Passive Skills will lose most of their functionality in case of low Tiers. It’s meant to strengthen the learning speed and scope of an individual – you obviously don’t need that. Also, Energy Enhancements should give you an immediate boost in manual Spell construction, they do reserve some of your Mana capacity, though.”
“Oh, okay, let me think.”
He debated the for a minute longer, but it really seemed like the best choice. So accepted the transformation.
Summary:
6 [T0] mastered [Spells] transforming into [Energy Enhancements].
6 Matrix space reserved.
12 Mana capacity reserved.
Continue?
Yes, yes. It’s the highest time, he thought, and immediately a tingling sensation run through his whole body. He could feel some Soul shenanigans going in the background. It wasn’t unpleasant and finished in a few minutes.
Congratulations! Transformation successful!
He tried to construct the Heat cantrip, and it indeed formed instantaneously. Well, probably not literally instantaneously, but still. He could feel as his Will transferred the information directly from the Enhancement in his body to the Mana outside, the whole shape emerging at once.
That, he thought, is awesome! I need to try imitating the process… Wait, wasn’t I going to do the same with Power EE to get better telekinesis?... Library Goddess, where are you when I need you the most?!
His good mood didn’t last long, though. The next question was more morbid.
“So, I was also wondering… Why my Profession leveled up four times from killing… Well, basically five people?” he asked, looking at her seriously. “Only five people,” he added after a moment.
“Sentient species have, on average, ten times larger… how did you call it? Soulsomething?”
“Soulbase?” he answered.
“Yes, that. And I mean before leveling up. They give ten times more Soul fragments.”
As I have thought. “And why didn’t local conflicts escalate into a total war and bloodbath yet?” he asked, really curious.
She hummed, placing a finger on her cheek and glancing up, deep in thought.
“I am not sure,” she said in an innocent voice. “Maybe because we are reasonable and very emphatic creatures?” she asked, tilting her head and looking at him.
Ah right, the Empathy Enhance—
“Or maybe because you can Soul wound yourself badly that way?” she interrupted his thought, tilting her head to the other side.
You can? Bu—
“Or maybe because you will not get any Soul fragments from System Onji? Had to be close and intimate with the enemy,” she said in a more alluring tone, hugging herself, “and be recognized as such?”
Wait, that shouldn’t work like tha—
“Or maybe because some veeery unpleasant Onjis would like to speak with you at some point?” she said it like a warning for a kid.
Ugh… Ok, I am starting to under—
“Or maybe because your Class will certa—”
“Stop! Stop please, I understand!” he interjected. “Let’s just pretend I didn’t ask,” he said, shaking his head. It was not the time for this discussion. Definitely.
They continued debating on some more pressing matters, like the plan for tonight. Both of them were in a good mood, happy to be able to finally speak freely. The nice, warm night soothed them after the hectic evening. Even when the topics were exhausted, they just sat there in silence, looking at the fire and relaxing, enjoying the reprieve.
After charging his imaginary batteries, Zeph went back to the preparations. Tonight, they would infiltrate the mines, after all.
He quickly scanned his Matrix Skill list in search of useful Spells but decided to leave it for the travel time. Aisha would have to carry him, otherwise, they wouldn’t make it back before dawn.
After examining his wounds one last time, he put on the top half of his armor and examined his weapons. He used all 7 exploding beads during the attack. Along with other types, he could only sustain that many with Mana-L from the Stabilizing Spell.
His left arm was quite useless right now, so he prepared a few javelins instead of the spear. The green light of his armor, he hid using his leather clothes. Any uncovered part, he bandaged to hide the glow. He finished by repacking one of his small backpacks.
Ready for the action, he returned to the fire and sat near Aisha, this time not disturbing her concentration. While waiting for the supposed Ranger to wake up, he started to enchant his beads. He would need more Life detection ones, he was left only with 4.
The hour passed in silence and concentration. Then, the woman on the ground stirred. They raised their heads in sync, putting away the gear they were working on.
The woman paused after a moment, only to suddenly roll over, trying to quickly stand up in a crouch. She only managed a clumsily fell to her backside because of her tied-up legs. Her head swiveled around, eyes slightly panicked, until she saw and recognized them.
Her composure returned. As she relaxed, Aisha walked to her and loosened the gag.
“Is this how Priestess are these days? Killing on sight?” she immediately started prattling. “We just wanted to—”
“Kill us,” Aisha finished for her, smiling sweetly. “Or are you saying my Onji is incapable of discerning emotions this simple?” she asked in a more serious tone, leaning over.
The woman’s mouth opened and closed reputedly a few times before she started nervously glancing around. Even in the poor light, Zeph could see she had paled slightly.
“W-where is Tali?” she asked, straightening suddenly.
Without a word, Aisha walked to a loose bag near the fire and took out a tied-up green-colored bird.
The woman sighed with relief. “Alright, what do you want from me?”
Aisha placed the bird near the woman and took her weapon. She placed its head down, the spike at the top was curiously absent, resting her hands and chin on top of the shaft.
“Let’s just talk first,” she said in a bored tone, her face neutral. “Why are you with this group? And I mean the village.”
“W-well, I survived the destruction of the Thruma village, and…”
Zeph just sat there, slightly to the side, listening to the proceedings. He kept his hand near one of the pistols.
The talk was getting long as Xim, the Ranger, eagerly answered every question. In painstaking detail.
I have a very bad feeling about this… Zeph thought at some point, his nerves straining more and more without any evident reason.
Aisha seemed relaxed, though.
When the topic reached Xim’s personal beliefs and feelings and both women started to speak more freely, Gru suddenly vibrated silently.
‘So stiff,’ was the meaning and a feeling of touching something lightly.
Everyone paused, only the Ranger looked at him in surprise and curiosity.
Aisha sighed in resignation, seemingly understanding something from this short description. She slowly straightened, lifting her warhaxammer. She took a batter stance.
Zeph was shocked slightly by the sudden violence.
But before the woman could even start to protest or scream, her eyes got wide and her body froze.
All Mana around was suddenly pushed away from her in an intangible blast of force.
“NO!” screamed Aisha, attacking immediately.
“GRE!” Gru vibrated in denial.
“What?!” squealed Zeph in confusion.
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Interface:
[https://i.imgur.com/JJtW8at.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/KpTCXuP.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/QClRqE1.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/qoBVCVE.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/joOReY2.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/7d39pdS.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/oFTZUJp.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/eOkNWQm.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/WhUernf.jpg]