“Could you tone it down a notch? It can’t be that exciting,” Aurelia grumbled.
“You of all people don’t get to tell me that,” Janet replied as her eyes fluttered over the landscape like a jittery butterfly.
She was not just wiling away her precious time. Instead;
[Tree] – a tree
[Common Grass] – a variety of plant that acts as primary ground cover in most life-sustaining worlds and realms lit by an energetic star. Does not possess alchemical or magical uses.
[Stick] – a stick
[Pebble] – a pebble
“Are you saying I can’t call you out when you’re being an idiot?”
“Oh, so exploring a new Skill makes me an idiot,” Janet dialed up the sarcasm as she shifted her information Skill from [Identify] to [Appraisal].
[Tree] – magically inert, dead
[Stick] - magically inert, object
[Pebble] - magically active - object
“You’re meant to be finishing up the whole business of claiming the land so we can go hunting!”
Janet chortled. “What makes you think I’m fit for that right now? I just recovered from a debilitating injury! My mind is not in any state to be picking another fight right now.”
At least Aurelia had the decency to look embarrassed. She still didn't know that Janet could fight with half her torso blown off, but some secrets of her capacity for the extraordinary were best saved for maximum shock effect. Also, Aurelia still had not been subjected to a soul pact, so Janet could not exactly reveal her cards to her willy-nilly.
Anyhow, Janet was getting really frustrated with the two new Skills. The results they gave were totally random, as though the information they revealed had been collated by fallible, error-prone people and not an omnipotent, all-seeing System.
For example,
[Human] – (??)
Adventurer, Brewer
That was Aurelia’s [Appraisal] result. Janet had no issue with the result. But turn to Sylthis, and things got weird.
[Cyclopean] – (?)
Censored
In Darius’ case, the result was… [Sorry, kid.]
[Identify] just listed all three as “Person”, with no more information on offer.
“Anyway, why are my results so inconsistent?” Janet asked. “I can see Aurelia’s two question marks that denote her two Circles, but Sylthis just returns one, which is just absurd. In Darius’ case…”
“Oh, you were hit with the [Sorry, Kid.] as well?” Sylthis asked as she threw their mentor an amused glance. "Complete with the accompanying punctuation so you know it's a customized reply?"
“Yep.”
“Don’t worry. That’s what my [Appraisal] returns as well, and it's magnitudes more powerful than yours.” the Cyclopean then paused in thought for a moment, before she continued, “I think of all the people I know, only Pireus managed to break through his encryption, and all he got was another screen with a congratulatory message and a reward for getting that far.”
Was Darius smiling? Janet had definitely seen his lips crinkle up briefly into a half-moon at Sylthis recounting of events long past.
“What sort of reward did he get?”
“He didn’t share. All I remember was that three days after the incident, Pireus abruptly evolved the rarity of one of his secondary [Talents] that had been stuck in a bottleneck for literal decades.” Sylthis raised her brow in what could only have been a hinting expression, but with her single eye she just looked surprised and confused.
‘Okay…’ Janet took out her notebook in which she noted down important stuff and wrote down in Nimerian – the language from which runes were derived – ‘Note: Learn System Mechanics and crush Darius’ Status encryption.’
“I don’t know whether you’re messing with me, but no matter,” she admitted. She would still learn System Mechanics either way due to the sheer amounts of power that knowledge would grant her, so Pireus’ story being a lie was no big deal. “How about you, though? I can only see one question mark, and your Guilds are not listed.”
“Oh, that’s simple. I just censored that information.”
“Why, though?”
“Why not?” Aurelia jumped in. “[Appraisal] is a very common Skill. How would you like it if everyone you ever crossed paths with could potentially gain information that would put you at a disadvantage were they to bear arms against you?”
That statement got Janet thinking about her very inconspicuous [Unknown] Race, and her Wayfarer Guild affiliation that in the wrong circles, was more trouble than it was worth.
“How do I do that?” she asked, and instantly was hit with uncomprehending stares. “What?”
“My [Appraisal] on you returns question marks where your Race should be, and your Guild, and a censored word beside that,” Aurelia stated
“Was that not your doing?” Sylthis furrowed her brow in concern.
Janet just chuckled mirthlessly. Her eye inadvertently found its way to her wrist, where a certain wreath-shaped runic tattoo placidly sat like it was a benign aesthetic statement.
“I umm…” she searched for a way to divert the conversation. Aurelia did not need to know yet that her life was irrevocably complicated by beings that could wipe out their whole planet with a sneeze. “I need to get the land thing completed.”
Nobody bought her excuse, so she hastily entered [Meditation] before the glares made her blurt out something she did not want to share.
Once her mind was clear and the eerily sluggish mana flows of the Dead Zone were slushing by in her sight, Janet called up the Quest completion notification.
She was expecting something to the tune of “Do you wish to claim the parcel of land designated as (some coordinates and other identifying information)?” Instead, something utterly baffling was revealed.
Quest: Norim Demon Extermination I
Assist in the closing of an incursion point (1/1)
Contribute in the Slaying of an invading demon (1/1)
Contribute in the restoration of a Dead Zone (0/1)
Reward: Unlock or upgrade a Title within the [Ruler] line.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“Guys, I don’t know how to say this,” Janet said as she opened her eyes barely 30 seconds after her undignified retreat into her inner world. “You know what? You just have to see it with your own eyes.”
Janet shared the Quest notification with everyone present.
“Looks like it was that kind of quest, after all,” Darius spoke up.
After some insistent eye-gesturing, he revealed that since Amurag, a full-fledged Wayfarer owned the continent, it was impossible to completely erase his claim to it unless he was dead, or someone utterly eclipsing him in power wiped out his mana imprint upon the land. A Second Circle imp Demon certainly was incapable of doing that.
“The 'I' in the Quest Title also implies that this is a chain Quest. Kill more demons, or in this case contribute in the closure of multiple incursions, and you get to climb higher on the ladder of nobility under Amurag's banner,” Aurelia revealed.
Janet could only sigh with disappointment. Such a Quest meant that the incursions were a widespread problem, which meant the rewards would also be relatively meagre.
Yet still, a Title in the Ruler line would improve her skillset massively. “How do I cleanse the Dead Zone?”
“Same deal as claiming it. Just flush out the demonic taint and replace it with your… own… mana.” At the end of her explanation, it suddenly dawned upon Sylthis just why there was a ‘contribute’ tag attached to each line in the quest. Janet only had 300 MP. To flush out the taint a demon had spent its entire time on their Sphere planting into the mana…
“Or you could just consume the demonic Mysteries,” Darius suggested. “It would lead to the same effect, no?”
Sylthis turned a worry-filled admonishing glare towards her mentor. Aurelia gaped at the ancient Practitioner. As for Janet, her magical jaws had already become unhinged before Darius even finished the second part of his statement.
Quickly, before Sylthis managed to berate Darius back to his senses, Janet honed in on the signature of demonic Mystery inside her body. It was particularly prevalent around the flesh that replaced the hole that had been blown through her stomach. She then allowed the mana that had been resting in that area to travel towards her core. There was a slight sting, like a frigid breeze upon a phantom limb, but that was just a memory effect of her core’s burning under the same magic.
From there, Janet willed her core to produce mana of the same type – in the same way she could will it to generate more mana shadow or fire affinity – before pumping everything it produced into her shadow.
[Shadow Authority] came to life and every single shadow within the Dead Zone was registered in Janet’s mind. Shadows cast by trees, by grass, by the dead insects and birds… all of them came under her purview.
All that was left was to allow her own shadow to make contact with all others… and the traces of demonic mana in her shadow resonated with those of the same kind throughout the Dead Zone.
“…Janet could catch fire again,” Sylthis scolded. “Weren’t you just warning her about taking unnecessary risks? How do you expect her to adhere to your advice if you yourself keeps contravening…” her voice trailed off.
Her head turned mechanically in Janet’s direction after her [Mana Sense] picked up a huge working coming from her Junior Sister. The realization that she had been played had her shaking her head in consternation.
All around them, an invisible breeze had been whipped up by Janet’s working, and it was picking up pace with every second. The shadows appeared ghostly and flickered like mirages as mana filtered through them.
[Mana Sight] revealed the true picture. Ambient flows of mana in the air cycled like currents in a boiling pot, even as the shadows drew traces of errant Mystery from the ground, the vegetation and the corpses strewn about all over the place. That cacophony of magical exchanges is what made the shadows appear as ghostly, wispy flames.
“How… how can a First Circle even do this?” Aurelia shouted as she felt some hints of mana get stripped from her own shadow.
“This, dear,” Sylthis whispered in a tired tone, “is why magic academies exist.”
“To teach their students higher magics?”
“No, to instill common sense.”
Looking at Janet’s pale, trembling form that had green, ghostly flames crawling all over it, Aurelia had to agree with her. Janet looked even less healthy than after defeating the demon. She was not panting or exhibiting any signs of weakness, but for some reason it looked like her flesh was getting used up in her magic. Sunken cheeks and a suddenly sagging outfit that had been properly fitting just minutes ago told a grim tale.
Janet continued to waste away for a full 20 minutes. The telltale Ding! made her sigh in relief as she withdrew her mana back into her body. All the shadows returned to their usual stillness as she deactivated her Skill and retracted her shadow.
Ding!
You have completed Quest: Norim Demon Extermination I
Reward: You have unlocked the Title [Peer of Norim]
With [Identify] enabled, Janet was able to read the description of her newest title.
[Peer of Norim] – Your service to your continent and Lord of Norim has been recognized. As a Peer, you are elevated above all commoners, and hold some authority over them.
Janet read the description thrice, each time finding issue with it. For one, there was no mention of land anywhere. Secondly, this Peerage stuff sounded very lopsided in that if she held authority over commoners, what did that say about actual nobles? Thirdly, and most importantly, Janet did not feel any changes at all to her magic.
“How many demons do you reckon I’d have to kill before I am made a Baron or something?” she asked to the staring trio. No answer was forthcoming.
“Sheesh, I’ll eat something, all right? Turns out demonic magic consumes the Practitioner’s life energy. Who knew?” Every sign so far pointed to her utilizing that kind of magic very sparingly… until she managed to unlock Gaia’s Blessing. Then, she’d inflict her current condition onto all that crossed her. It would be interesting to see how her enemies fought back as their fat and muscles bubbled and evaporated from inside their bodies.
Sylthis took out her cooking implements and began setting up a fire. “A hog, if you don’t mind.”
She was pointedly not looking her way which hurt a little. When she retrieved a butchered half of a jungle pig, Sylthis levitated it to her seasoning station without turning in her direction even once. She did not utter a word, yet Janet felt the sting of her disappointment.
She understood Sylthis’ anger. Her actions were monumentally stupid in retrospect. People died to foolhardy schemes all the time, and few things were more scatterbrained than taking in raw, unbound demonic magic into one’s core.
‘I have to find a way to apologize. I know, I’ll gift her one of those hogs that have their souls dispersed into the meat. She seems particularly fond of those.’ she thought to herself as the aromas of the cook made her stomach growl.
‘Even better, I should kill something for her that’s even more delicious and powerful than the hogs. I could even take Aurelia on the hunt for extra insurance!’
“Hey, Aurelia!” was that drool on her lower lip? “How do you feel about accompanying me on a hunt after the meal?”
Throughout the entire meal, Aurelia was sporting a smile. Even while staring wide-eyed at Janet’s spectacular gorging on inhuman amounts of food, or when she began to feel hyper-energized and had to shoot off a few [Mana Bolts] to calm down her internal mana as the superfood was digested, her joy did not subside.
===
“Did you notice it?” Darius asked as Janet and her new buddy went off to hunt in a direction Sylthis had pointed out.
“Notice what? That the demonic Mysteries nearly killed Janet? Again?”
“She was nowhere near close to injury, let alone death,” Darius defended himself.
“I have to ask, though. What brought on this motherliness? I’m beginning to think that when the time comes, you’ll find it hard to cut her free.” He looked right into Sylthis’ eye. “And the time will come, make no mistake about that.”
Sylthis just turned her head and watched the disappearing backs until the girls were swallowed up by the jungle. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Darius nodded to her answer. They really could only take it one day at a time.
“Anyway, what was I supposed to notice?”
“She consumed the Mysteries. All the demonic magic in the Dead Zone.”
“Yeah, she always does that,” Sylthis said as she gestured to the pile of plates where Janet had just vacated.
“You’re not getting my point. That was real demonic magic, not a few measly flames clinging to inert mana. The planet-scouring kind of magic that we have no way to reverse or fight against.”
Sylthis mulled over the statement, then let her eyes peruse the former Dead Zone where insects could be seen flitting about among the new shoots of sprouting grass. “Oh,” was all she could enunciate.
“Was it that Arcane-rank Shadow [Talent]?”
“Actually, no. The shadow pseudo-domain was just to expand her reach. Soul magic did the actual devouring,” Darius explained.
The pair then fell into companionable silence. Thoughts that would one day topple empires ran through their minds, chief among them the realization that for the first time in ages, their war of attrition against the invaders from Hell had been granted a weapon that could reverse the odds.
If only that weapon was not outlawed by every single religion, Guild, and magical doctrine in existence.
The next time Darius retrieved his notebook on Janet, he put checks besides two items on his list. One read, “Obtain credible evidence of Janet’s Soul Magic in action”. The other was a few entries lower, and regarded something every other person but him had missed. It read, “Have Janet put down a sufficiently powerful soul imprint to allow for a contingency teleport beacon.”
What the two avid theory-crafters and the metal mage had missed was that magic trended towards balance in all things. When the demon consumed Mystery and turned jungle into a region of death and stillness, its own Mysteries had replaced what had been there before. What, then, did it mean now that Janet had supposedly devoured all the demonic magic in the Dead Zone?
If one watched closely, they would have seen that the variety of grass that sprouted to replace what had been killed before was the slightest bit greener, and sturdier. Life’s influence shining through, no doubt. And the weird part? Those same dark-green shoots that glowed dimly when observed with [Mana Sight] were appearing past the former boundary of the Dead Zone.
A claim had truly been laid down. And unlike the demons’ caustic, destructive affair, this one seemed to be enriching the land.