Chapter Ten: A World Of Magic

“What do you mean you already used the coins?”

Rook was getting used to speaking nonverbally to the voice in his head. Currently, he was climbing down into a ravine. There was a small creek that he thought might make it easier to move without leaving a trail.

However, as Oberon had noted, that plan had two problems. The first was that the mud would make it easy to leave footprints behind, so he had to be very careful not to leave even more tracks. The second issue is that the water likely would attract more animals.

Still, weighing his options, Rook decided that following the water, at least for a while, was worth the risk.

The conversation with Oberon, however, was distracting him more than he liked.

［Not all of it, obviously. I just used a small amount. I had to. If not, you would already be dead.］

“What are you talking about?”

［It’s your fault for giving away all your coins. For all this time, all I could do was watch you. That’s it. Nothing else. But when you brought all that stuff into your storage space, I finally had what I needed. I saw the chance, and I took it.］

“What stuff?”

［The porter’s luggage.］

Rook had forgotten about the first load of luggage he had stored. It was less than a day earlier, but it felt like a lifetime.

There were a number of magic tools in those boxes, Oberon explained.

［And there was a small box that contained some coins. Likely to power the tools.］

That made sense. Rook remembered Thayn mentioning backup tools, although he was shocked to hear that there were some coins as well.

［It was about a couple dozen coins, twenty-fine to be precise, but with the three coins you had, it was just enough.］

“Enough? Enough for what?” Rook was intrigued. He knew the coins were valuable, but he really didn’t understand what they were for, other than to power magic tools. Twenty-five coins would have powered every tool they had on the ranch for a year, but Rook knew they must have more value than that. Rhaeger coveted those coins more than his own livestock.

［I told you before. I can use those coins to unlock abilities. The thing is, before I could do anything, I needed to level up my core.］

“You mean the black skill stone?”

［Exactly. I needed to use those coins to power it up. That’s when I got the ability to talk to you, and to bring you inside the subspace.］

“What do you mean? What happened to the coins?”

［Whoosh! Gone! I used the up, and wow, it was a rush. Lights came on, you know?］

“So you used them all?”

［Pretty much. It took sixteen full coins to power up the core. Then, I had to use another five coins to get the Transfer skill. That’s what let me bring you inside. After that, I was pretty much out of juice. I barely had enough power left to bring you in and out.］

Rook was fascinated. He had no idea that coins could do things like this.

“Okay. So now you are all powered up. We have plenty of coins now, right? Why do you want to use more?”

［Well… Yeah, those coins got me to level up once. I can add a few more skills now, and that won’t cost too many coins, but none of it is very useful now.］

“How do you know? What else can you do?”

［Look, it’s not like I can just pick the skills off a menu. Oh, man, wouldn’t that be cool? I mean, it’s just like an RPG system, but it’s not like there is a guide. I have to figure things out myself. I think of what skill I want to add, then I know instinctively if it’s something I can do, and how much it would cost. The stuff I can do now is mostly related to organizing the things in your inventory.］

“Inventory?”

［Ah, yeah. That’s what I call all the stuff you brought into the subspace. It means… list of all the things, you know?］

Rook did not know. That explanation made no sense to him at all.

［Fine. Let me explain it to you in a way even a child would understand. Your “soul space” is special. While most people seem only to be able to store a small about of things in a subspace pocket they carry around with them, the amount of things you can store is, for all intents a purposes, limitless. It’s complicated, and I’ll be honest, I don’t quite understand it all myself… Yet.］

Rook didn’t quite care for the sound of that qualifier at the end, but he tried not to broadcast his skepticism as it seemed to trigger even more strange explanations from the voice.

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［Anyway, your subspace is bigger and way more powerful. The problem is the core, the “black skill stone” needs to get stronger to manage that power. To that end, I used those coins to bring it up to level two. This gives me the ability to generate new skills and manage the power in your “soul space” better.］

There was something sarcastic in the way Oberon kept saying things like “soul space” in a mocking tone. He really was like Rhaegun, Rook thought to himself. Of course, Oberon could hear that, but this time, at least, he chose to ignore it.

Anyway, I have even tried to create skills for that can do things that I think are possible, but are just beyond my current abilities. I’m pretty sure that if I level up the core one more time, I can do it, though.

“So you just want more coins to level up? I’m sure we got way more coins than that from the camp, right?”

［Yeah… well, about that. I already tried to level up again once, but I figured out something you should know about.］

Rook stopped walking. He felt that he needed to pay attention to this. He was surprised that the voice had already started using the coins in his space without even telling him. He even tried it a second time, so if he stopped, there must be an important reason.

The first level only took sixteen coins, but the second level needs more. A lot more.

“How many?”

A hundred and sixty-two.

Rook was shocked. That was months and months’ worth of his daily coin. More than the full collection of every single animal on the ranch. He had never seen so many coins at once.

“So you need that many? How many coins do we have?”

［No. I’ll need more. A lot more. To get the skills we can use to keep you safe and get you out of the forest alive. Once I level up the core, I’ll need more coins to create those skills.］

Rook hadn’t been able to spend much time contemplating the riches he had picked up off the ground in the campsite. He was sure it was a lot, but he had no idea it was so much. With that many coins, he might be able to live in the village. He could eat rich food, and sleep in a real bed. Now, just as he had recognized how rich he was, the crazy voice wanted to spend it all.

［Spend it all to save your life. Don’t forget that. It’s not like I am just doing it to make my own existence more comfortable.］

That felt like a lie. At least that last part. Still, Rook wondered what choice he had. To be fair, he had no survival skills at all. Now, he was not only lost in the middle of the forest, but a gang of bandits was likely chasing him at this moment.

“Fine. The coins are useless if we are dead, right?”

［Alright! If this works the way I think it will, this is going to be awesome! Just give me a sec.］

Rook frowned. Sometimes, it was very difficult to understand Oberon. At times, he spoke like an adult. Other times, he used strange, fake, sounding words, especially when he got excited or annoyed. He remembered that Thayn also changed his speaking style. Was this a normal thing? Some kind of camouflage?

［Alright! Done. Now, put your hand out.］

Rook did as instructed. A small brown object appeared in his hand. It took a moment to recognize it, but he had seen it just the day before. It was the pinecone that Thayn had given him to test his soul space. Turning it over, it looked the same as it had then.

［Now, place it on the ground.］

Bending down, Rook carefully put the small object on the ground, next to a tree.

［Alright! All set. Not I’m pulling you back inside.］

Rook was back inside the cold void again, but this time, there was something different. It still felt the same, and it was still a deep, endless black, but there was a strange object floating directly in front of him. It looked like a window.

［Check it out! That’s a live transmission! Picture quality is amazing, don’t you think?］

Rook looked at the rectangular-shaped hole in the blackness. On the other side, he saw the forest, right where he had just been. He focused on it, and suddenly, he was back outside.

Except there was something strange. First of all, he still could not sense his body. He couldn’t move at all. It was similar to the paralyzation he had felt before.

Also, his perspective was strange. He was extremely low to the ground, as if he were lying his head in the dirt.

It was all very disorienting, and he tried to pull back. As he did, the view around him pulled in front of his eyes until it was again a window hanging in the darkness.

［What do you think? Awesome, right?］

“What… Where? What is that?”

［The portal isn’t real. It’s just a projection. I can make them now, isn’t it cool? I can only do them inside here, though. If I make them outside, only you would be able to… Oh my God, I have the most amazing idea!］

“Wait… what is that? Was I just outside again? What happened?”

［Oh, you don’t get it?］

Oberon sounded disappointed.

［That was the pinecone! Well, you were looking through the pinecone. See? I used a new ability, and now I can project the view from an object you own, even if it’s outside and you are in here. Now, do you get it?］

Rook still did not get it.

［Argh! You are so dumb! Listen. The ability is called Ownership. I can modify any object, and once I do, I can get information about it, even if it is moved outside the subspace. That includes getting a live video feed of its surroundings.］

Rook still did not get it.

［Fine! Let me try again. Stuff you own can be marked as yours, even outside. I can see through things you own, so now, we are looking through the pinecone you put down outside. If anyone is nearby, we can see them, even if you are in here. Now you don’t have to worry when you go outside anymore. Just leave something to look through, and we can check.］

Rook finally understood.

“That’s… really?”

He focused on the window again, and the view shifted once more. Indeed, he could not move, but he could shift the view in any direction. It was still disorienting, but now that he knew he was looking from the perspective of a small object on the ground, it was much easier to adjust to it.

He now realized that it was not a picture, but a living view. The leaves on the trees shifted in the wind. He could even hear the sound of the wind and the water from the small river below.

“Can we do this everywhere? We can leave them behind and see if anyone is following…”

［Hold on. There are limits, at least at this level of my core. I can’t keep track of unlimited objects. For now, I think I can only manage four or five at a time. Also, there is a range issue. I’m not sure how far it is, but I know that if you move too far away from an owned object, I won’t be able to see it anymore.］

Rook nodded. It wasn’t all-powerful, but it was a big improvement to his situation. At the very least, they could set up a perimeter to warn them if anyone or anything approached while he was resting or inside the soul space.

［When you go back outside, grab any small objects you see. Rocks, pinecones, small branches. Things that won’t be noticed. Then, I can use the ownership skill on them, and we can use them later. We can also test the range of the skill.］

“This… This is really good. Thanks, Oberon.”

［Ehem…］

What?

［Thanks, Oberon, what?］

It took Rook a moment to realize what the voice was waiting for.

“Thanks, Oberon, king of the faeries.”

［Not at all. Actually, that’s not all. Wait till you see what else I got with the upgrade.］

Rook was excited. As frightening as his new world had become, thanks to Oberon, he was getting a glimpse of a world he never could have imagined. A world of magic.