Wraith knew that no matter what happened in Nidavellir, he was likely going to come out of it a very rich man. After all, a city with towers of metal and buildings cut from crystal undoubtedly held immense stores of precious jewels and metals.
“So tell me, how are you related to the dwarves?” It was something he had been curious about ever since he saw their forms. He had only seen a few dwarf users during his time in Rosenheim, yet even he could see that the resemblance was uncanny.
The air grew thick with tension when he asked this question. The Dvergar that guided him to the city scowled at this remark. “That's a taboo topic around here. No one wishes to admit that they're related to those spineless cowards.”
Obviously there was a deep animosity between the two groups. “What did they do exactly?”
“They sold out their pride and honor just so they could curry the favour of the gods. They brought our knowledge to the other races and crafted instruments of death for them.”
“What's so bad about creating weapons? I mean isn't it the purpose of smithing?”
The Dvergar scoffed. “What they did was far beyond that of simply practising their craft. It's a long story, so I'll tell it to you at my house. Since most folks here don't trust you, it'll be easier if you stay out of sight and don't antagonize them. By the way, my name is Andvare, thanks for saving me from the attack. I was doing some scouting for monsters when I was attacked.”
“I'm Wraith, that's Sarin and Vangar.” With the belated introductions out of the way, Wraith followed Andvare through the winding roads of the city. He was eager to find out the rest of the history behind the dwarves and the Dvergar.
As they walked over the smooth cobblestone roads, Wraith was increasingly amazed at the crafting ability of the Dvergar. Unlike the cookie-cutter houses of the humans or the elves' homes that grew out of the forest, the houses in this city were all uniquely different in shape and in material.
It was as if every house was built by a different person with their own unique flair. What was remarkable was that instead of a poorly put together amalgamation, the different buildings overflowed with beauty. This was born from the synergistic effect of all the different elements somehow melding together beautifully.
Andvare's house was enormous with huge arches carved from crystal, and sheets of polished metal for walls. Andvare provided some food and tea for them since they were all famished. Once they finished the meal, Andvare began to tell the tale of his race.
“The story I am about to tell you is one that is unknown to the other races of the world. We are the last beings who know the truth behind this world. You may already know about some of the gods the overworlders worship. Freya, Tyr, Thor, and Odin are the most widely known. There are a few others that are revered, but in total there's no more than ten.”
“So what? What does it have to do with the great secret behind this world?”
Andvare laughed at Wraith's ignorance. “You don't find it to be small when compared to the size of the world?”
He was right. The kingdoms and cities were spread thinly across the land. With some cities cut off from others and the numerous races in Versailles, it was odd that only fifteen gods were in existence. I suppose that Royal Road is different since you can actually hear the god's voice, but he's right. In the real world there are scores of pantheons. Even countries that share a border with each other can have different gods and goddesses.
Andvare continued talking. “Several millenia ago, there were hundreds of deities and dozens of pantheons. Each of them were local gods for a town or city. Now, do you know why no one speaks of those deities and why a few spread and grew in worshippers? It's because they don't remember. All traces of their existence were erased, and slowly the people began to forget about them in favour of the gods known today.”
“How is that possible? They can speak to some of their believers and bless them, it doesn't seem possible for them to be forgotten like that.”
“Well, it didn't come about naturally. The gods currently known by the mortal world banded together to smite all other deities and take their followers for their own. You see, though they may seemingly be immortal they are not impervious to death. Just like you and me, they can die or cease to exist. They cannot be killed by their fellow gods, but they are reliant on the strength of belief. As long as there's even one follower that believes in them, they cannot die. If there are no mortals who worship them, then they will slowly fade away from existence. This was the only loophole the gods had to kill their fellow brothers and sisters. They first imprisoned them and sealed their powers. By doing so, they prevented messages and blessings to be sent to the outside world, making it seem as if they had abandoned their followers. Of course they didn't stop here. Other gods sent their followers to eradicate those places of worship and branded them as evil gods. The followers of these supposed 'evil gods' were eradicated by the commands of the 'gods that served the light.' It took a while, but eventually everyone believed it to be true.”
Wraith was surprised that such a thing could happen and no one would know of it. “What you're talking about sounds like a religious war on a massive scale. How come no one remembers? There should at least be some trace of it passed down through legends.”
“They were thorough. They ordered their followers to never speak the names of those gods again, as well as to erase all evidence of their existence. Thousands of scrolls, temples and statues were destroyed. Slowly but surely the mortal world forgot about them. That being said, the mortal beings weren't completely faultless either. Many of them knew exactly what they were doing, yet they threw away their morals for the sake of power. They carried out the wishes of the gods and slaughtered innocent men, women and children.”
It sounded horrible, but it wasn't strange or uncommon. Humans had a boundless capacity for cruelty and evil based on religion. The crusades were a notable example, as well as WWII. It was a sad story, but Wraith could see how it could happen. “And where do you all fit into this tale?”
Andvare's eyes darkened with what was either sadness or regret. “Well, the reason that we knew what the gods did was because we witnessed them. That's right, we once lived among the gods. They created us to toil away for them as their servants. By their command we built a city that no mortal could dream of, out of materials that could not exist and with methods that weren't possible.”
“So then, why did you fall from their grace?” Wraith asked this quietly, hearing the rueful tone in his voice.
“That was of our own doing. They asked us to create chains to bind a giant demonic wolf. We did so, foolishly believing their lies and deceit. The demonic wolf was just a test for the bindings. We soon realized that they planned to use what we had crafted to take over the realm. Back then we had a sense of honor and pride, so we refused to craft anymore bindings for them. As you can imagine, the all-powerful gods didn't take our little rebellion very well. They showed a small amount of mercy to those that stayed loyal to them. They received was a mortal body when they were sent to this land, and with them they carried the secrets of crafting weapons. To those who fought with weapons of wood and crude metal, the weapons they forged were godly in strength. They gave the weapons and the methods to make them to the followers of the supposed gods of light, so that they could wipe out those who were branded as pagan and heretic worshippers. For their cowardice and their part in that massacre they were rewarded, yet for doing the right thing they cursed us with this body.”
“But at least they didn’t kill you.”
Andvare's crimson eyes flared up. “For us, death would have been a blessing. What we have now is no life at all. We lie trapped between the border of life and death. Of all the people dwelling in this city, I am the oldest, though I'm only three hundred years old or so. I lost count a while back.”
“That doesn't make any sense, your people have been here for millenia. How can the oldest of you be only three hundred years old?”
“It's true that if we wanted to we can live forever. But like I said, that's only if we want to. All of us give in to despair and throw ourselves from the bridge to the ground below. It just depends how long it takes to do so. Living in a grey world quickly becomes tiresome and depressing. We should have all died out, but we made a command to leave a life behind should one choose to die.”
“That sounds horrible.”
“It is. The only reason we carried on, was to find a way to undo this curse. The others believe that given enough time, the gods will have a change of heart and lift this curse, but I know better. The only reason the gods have to lift the curse would be if we did something great for them, such as giving the gods the location of the Children of Loki.” Andvare looked up meaningfully, regret and anguish in his eyes.
“What are you-” Wraith suddenly realized what he meant by that. He tried to get up but found himself unable to even lift an arm. He saw that Sarin and Vangar were similarly indisposed. “What did you do to us?” His voice was low and menacing.
“A paralytic agent. Once consumed it takes a few minutes to set in.” He walked over to Wraith and dragged him into the other room. He lay him on the ground besides several tools and metal. It appeared to be his workshop.
“So that story of yours, was that just to pass the time while the agent took effect? Or is a being that turned against the gods capable of betraying the person that saved his life?”
“Every bit of that tale was true. Like I said, at one time we had a great amount of pride and honor. Those days are long past us now. I told you before that we hated and despised the dwarves that bent to the whims of the gods. That was true, but we also envy them. They got to live happily and free, while we lie trapped beneath the earth with bodies made of stone.”
“I know that it would be hard to live with such a body, but would you really take the life of an innocent man that saved your life?”
Andvare slammed his fists on the workbench. “If it's the only way to lift the curse, then yes I will do it. Even if it damns my soul, it's something that must be done.” He said this calmly, but pain was evident in his voice. It appeared that he didn't want to betray Wraith, but saw it as a necessary sacrifice.
“Then tell me, what is it like? You said that it was a grey existence, but you didn't tell me the details.”
“This curse doesn't just change the shape of my body, it does so much more than that. It takes away the ability to feel, to taste, and all the small pleasures of life. You don't know what it's like to be trapped in a body that can't feel the touch of a loved one. Even the simplest pleasures of food and drink are denied to us. Even the most finely cooked foods taste like ash and dirt. The only senses we have are of sight and sound. But the gods' cruelty didn't end there. From the day of our birth to our eighteenth birthday, we live free from the curse. Then almost overnight, we find ourselves in bodies that aren't our own. Sometimes I think that if I never knew the taste of good food and the caress of a loved one, then I could have lived in peace. It's worse to lose something when you never knew that you had it. We lived for millenia like this, which would turn even the most stalwart of hearts. I hope now you understand why I'm doing this.”
Wraith wanted to hate him, but he couldn't. Andvare seemed to be an honorable man at one point, but now he wasn't evil, but merely broken. “So tell me, how did you know what I am, and what's the plan to make me talk?” Although torture was the expected answer, it wouldn't work too well on him. After all, he could log out if things got too bad.
“One of our abilities is to see the truth in all things. Your garb does nothing to hide your true self. As an added bonus, this ability lets me see into your mind and spirit. I'll have to cut you open, but I'll be able to read your innards. That way I'll know the way to get to your hidden realm and the gods will be pleased.”
Though Andvare was speaking about eviscerating him, he seemed uncomfortable with it. No matter how broken he may be after living for so long under such a curse, it seemed that he still had a shred of decency left inside him. The only way he was going to make it out alive was to appeal to that small part of his soul.
“So after sacrificing so much to go against the ways of the gods, you're going to betray everything you once stood for and run back to them with your tails between your legs?”
“Don't bother to lecture me,” he growled out. “I told you that I know what I'm doing, but it has to be done.”
“For your people right? It's funny how none of them are here. Do they even know what you're up to?”
Seeing Andvare stay silent, he had his answer. “So, you're the only one that's willing to go this far. The others either have more honor, or they just have some vestige of decency.”
“You have no right to judge me. Whether they appreciate it or not, I'll still save them from this misery even if I must become a pariah to do so.”
“I think you misunderstand me, I don't judge or blame your actions. Actually I'm on your side. You gotta do what you've gotta do. I'm not one of those idealistic idiots that think that everyone can be saved with hope and love. Of course I'm furious and I want to rip your head off, but that's due to my survival instinct.”
Andvare seemed stunned by what he said. “That, that makes no sense at all.”
“I suppose it seems odd for me to tell you this when you're about to kill me, but I'm not one of those people that see things as black and white. Sometimes we have to get our hands dirty in order to serve the greater good, and I know that this wasn't your first option. You have the air of a desperate man who ran out of ideas. Fortunately for you, today won't be the day you tarnish your honor and sully your soul.”
“What?” He seemed confused at that last statement, since it implied Wraith had a way of escape.
“You see, paralytic potions have a tendency to wear off quickly so I just had to buy some time. It seems you're not that adept at using such agents. Had you used more of the potion, it would have lasted longer.” With that he pushed himself off the ground and stood up. He was still a bit shaky, but he was alright. Sarin and Vangar soon came into the room, the potion had worn off for them as well. For a minute it seemed as if Andvare was going to fight to subdue them by force, but with a sigh of resignation he sat down and surrendered.
“I guess I'm not cut out for stabbing people in the back. You might as well get out of here. I'm not going to follow.”
Wraith was tempted to do just that and leave the city, but he couldn't leave the inhabitants of the city just like that. Though Andvare tried to kill and torture him, he wasn't evil. He was just another victim, forced into the role of a murderer. “Loki, you're supposed to be watching over me, so tell me how I can help them.” It was a simple plea he sent to the heavens. He didn't fully expect it to be answered, but he wanted to try anyway. After all, it wasn't a problem he could solve by himself.
Unexpectedly, a glowing orb formed and a deep masculine voice came from it. It was the voice of his patron god. “I can see what you need help with. Unfortunately I can't undo the curse just like that. Since you carry my blood within you I can use a portion of my powers through you. However, to compensate, you will have to give up something as well. It won't be a small price either, it will strip you of all that you are. Can you make such a sacrifice?”
“I said I would help them. Do what you need to do.”
He felt his body heat up, his blood pumping fiercely through his veins. Slowly his blood heated up until it felt like fire coursing through him. It was only present for a minute or two, and then it had disappeared.
To lift the curse of the Dvergar, you gave over a portion of your life-force. By the blessing of Loki it was regained as Mana. Form of the Wolf-King skill also affected. While in that form Mana rises by 10%, and Life is reduced by 20% while in this form.
Before he had a chance to figure out what had happened to this stats, Andvare's body started cracking. His stone skin started splitting apart with rays of bright light spilling from the cracks. The pieces slowly crumbled and fell onto the ground, leaving behind a dwarf with weathered skin lined with wrinkles. His once crimson eyes turned flint-grey. What was once thin roots became chestnut strands of hair. With his diminutive height and his thick beard, he was the spitting image of a regular dwarf.
Andvare raised a trembling hand to his face and slowly felt his skin. His eyes were half-closed and brimming with unshed tears. He had almost forgot what it was like to feel anything at all, let alone his own skin. Still shaking, he put down his hand and turned to the table. The bowl was still filled with root vegetables. When he took a bite and felt the food touch his tongue, his face was enraptured. For so long he had eaten only for sustenance, never remembering how exquisite the taste was.
“I had forgotten what food tastes like. I hadn't thought that it would be like this. The soft texture, the earthy smell and taste, it feels brand-new to me. It was as if I was born again.”
He turned his face to Wraith. It was filled with joy and had tears streaming down his cheeks. He grasped Wraith's hands and squeezed them tight. He wept openly, sobbing out his thanks and begging for forgiveness.
When he had spent his tears, Andvare looked out a window into the city. The streets were filled with people running and shouting. Everyone was overwhelmed with emotion. There wasn't a single face free from tears and a wide joyous grin.
Swept up with emotion, Andvare dragged Wraith outside and held his arm high in the air. “My people, this is our saviour.” He bellowed this out to the other Dvergar. They all raised a cheer and shouted out joyously. “Tonight, we shall cook the finest dishes and bring out the best ale and spirits. Today shall be a day to gorge ourselves and to drown in ale.”
The people raced into their houses to craft delicious meals and to dig up the alcohol that they hadn't drunk in such a long time. It was to be a festival to celebrate their good fortune. Within an hour the streets were filled with tables laden with food and ale. The Dvergar all came out and crowded the streets. They threw back pitchers of ale and inhaled the food till their stomachs were filled to bursting.
The air was filled with song and laughter as they danced around in merriment. Wraith saw that many couples went off by themselves to fully experience their rediscovered sense of touch. After a while the glow from the crystals dimmed and plunged the city into darkness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wraith woke up to a splitting headache. His mouth felt dry and it was as if someone was using his skull as a drum-set.
You have a hangover. All stats reduced by 30% for 1 hour.
He groggily stood up and looked around. After carousing and drinking for so long, there were dozens of Dvergar passed out on the streets. For him it was the first time drinking alcohol, so he overdid it a bit. Never again. He groaned to himself as he felt his stomach twist and churn. He spotted Sarin and Vangar lying on the ground, similarly incapacitated by the ale.
“Stat window.”
Status WindowNameWraithAlignmentDarkLevel53ClassAvatar of the Chaos BeastTitleNoneReputation0Health515 (-2920)Mana4345 (+2920)Health Regen1.2%/secMana Regen3.6%/secStrength10Agility272Stamina157Vitality154Wisdom136Intellect139Luck0Leadership21Attack1-2Defence78Charisma1Killing Intent106Endurance52Magic ResistanceFire0%Water0%Earth30%Black Magic50%
* All stats increase by 20% at night
* Holy weapons and magic do twice as much damage
* Gained the ability to equip class specific items
* All NPCs will look upon you with caution, and will be less likely to give you quests. Cities with a strong Church of Freya presence might be openly hostile
* Restricted from gaining fame or land with other mortal races
* Relationship with wolves at maximum
* Relationship with other churches at minimum value, might be considered an enemy by paladins and priests
* Will not be attacked by werewolves unless provoked
* Can understand the speech of other monsters
* Prohibited from using any form of weaponry
* Can learn Tailoring and Alchemy skill to the level of a Master
* Can learn secret skills related to class
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
* All Hp gained will have 85% automatically converted to Mana
* Strength capped at 10. All additional gains split equally into Intellect and Wisdom.
“Oh ********!******* why**********!****!****!****!*********!”
“You've got to be kidding me!” He knew that there would be side-effects, but this was too much. If he was a magic-wielding class, this would be a great boon, but for a close-combat class this was basically a death sentence. All it would take was a few critical hits to kill him just like that. Even one good attack from a boss-level monster would be the end of him.
However, that was a pale comparison to his loss of strength. His strength stat was one of the two most important stats to him. The only options available to him was a mage-like class. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to switch classes. While he could pick up Mana mastery and learn spells eventually, they would be nowhere near the level of effectiveness of other mages.
While he was cursing, Andvare had woken up and came over to him. “May I see the effects of lifting our curse?” With a mournful sigh, Wraith pulled up his stat window again for Andvare to look at.
“I'm sorry for what you had to give up.”
“It's alright, it was my decision. I brought all this upon myself. Besides, saving a few hundred people seemed more important at the time.”
“It's not alright at all. You had no reason to help us, especially after what I almost did to you. That's a debt that can't easily be repaid. Of course you'll have full access to our riches, but that's not enough to make up for my actions. The only thing that will suffice is my life.”
Saying that, he knelt before Wraith and took out his war-hammer. He bowed his head and presented the hammer to him. “I swear an oath of fealty to you here and now. For as long as you walk the earth, my hammer shall swing for you and you alone.”
Andvare Helmdallr has pledged eternal loyalty to you. Accept him into your pack by sharing blood with him.
“You really don't need to go this far. I've already forgiven you for what you did, and I told you that I understood why you did it.”
“It doesn't matter. You didn't just save my life, you saved my soul. I thought that the only way to save my people was to cast away my pride and honor. I nearly tainted my soul with betrayal. The fact that you stopped me from falling into that abyss means more to me than you'll ever know. You're someone I would be proud to call my friend and my liege lord. It's the only way I can repay what you've done and given up. If you choose not to accept, then I will simply follow you from a distance and protect you from afar.”
“I see that there's no way of changing your mind. Alright then, I accept.”
Wraith took out a knife and slashed his palm through the gloves. Andvare did the same, and they clasped hands and shared their blood. “Now we are blood-brothers. No matter how perilous the battle, I will always have your back and serve with honor.”
Andvare Helmdallr has joined your pack and tied his life-force to yours. He has gained the skill: Spirit of the Wolf, as well as the ability to talk to monsters and beasts.
“Well, this is an unexpected skill. Spirit of the Wolf.”
Upon activation of the skill, his body grew bigger by about half a foot and was covered with reddish-brown fur. Andvare had turned into a werewolf. It wasn't the typical man-eating beast that inspired terror, but was considerably smaller with thick slabs of muscle. Instead of a wolf, his physique seemed more like a pit-bull.
“So what else does the skill give you?” After Wraith asked this, Andvare shared the details of the skill.
Spirit of the Wolf
Releases the spirit of the wolf bestowed by the pack leader. Can be maintained indefinitely until the skill is cancelled. Cannot be levelled.
* Strength rises by 20%
* Agility rises by 10%
* Health increased by 20% while in this form
* Will be considered a monster, will be attacked on sight.
* Freedmen will not be penalized for killing you.
“What do you think of your new ability?”
“I like it,” Andvare said with a grin on his face. “I look mighty fierce with the head of a wolf.”
He was probably the only dwarf that was a lycanthrope, though to anyone else he would probably look like a baby werewolf. Well, at least I increased the amount of fighters under my command.
“What's wrong sire?”
“Call me by my name Andvare.”
Andvare was uncomfortable, but he acquiesced. “What's wrong Wraith?”
“I'm just thinking about what to do next. With the changes to my stats, the easiest course of action would be to find a mage or priest to learn skills from.” It was something he dreaded. He came to Royal Road specifically to engage in melee combat, not to stay in the back and attack from a distance.
“Is that what you want to do?”
“Hell no. I've got nothing against spell-casters, but there's no thrill, no rush in fighting a battle from a distance. When I feel the enemy's flesh give way and have their blood coat my limbs, I feel alive. Vangar says that it's the thrill of the hunt. Others might say that it's somewhat disturbing, but I can't give it up no matter how difficult or seemingly impossible it's become.”
Andvare laughed heartily. “It's not wrong to enjoy battle like you do. You're more respectable than a warrior that sells his blade for gold. You fight for survival. Were you on the side of the gods, you would be honoured in Valhalla. If you live to fight, then I will help you. Don't fret, we'll either find a way to restore your power or we'll find a way for you to use the conversion to your benefit.”
“Thanks Andvare. Though I won't have to worry about that for another eight weeks or so. For now I just want to explore the city and gather information.”
“Alright then, I'll take you to our armoury, our treasury and our library. But lets fill our bellies first.” After the curse was lifted, Andvare seemed like a different person. He was helpful, friendly and easy to get along with. Wraith felt that he would make a great asset to the pack.
While they were talking, Sarin and Vangar had woken up and groggily walked over to them. Upon reaching Andvare, they started sniffing him.
“Yes, he has joined us. After hunting for a while, he'll fit right in with us.” Fortunately they took the news well and nuzzled up against him. It seemed that they had accepted him as one of their own.
After a meal of grilled beetles and tubers, which Andvare scarfed down happily, they went to the library. It was old and enormous, with hundreds of thousands of books lining the shelves. It also served to keep rare and valuable artifacts and relics on display. “Alright, Andvare and I will go through the books while you two look at the relics. If you find anything interesting or odd, mark it for observation later.”
He had a few days before the test, and he had time to look for valuable items later on. He would be better off using his time studying. Given that he was in an ancient city filled with knowledge and power, there was no better place to research using Mana in combat. Royal Road was a place where anything could happen, so it wasn't that far-fetched an idea.
To find any trace of this concept, the four of them split up and went to different corners of the library. Wraith went straight for the section pertaining to ancient lore and Mana, while Andvare took the are relating to warfare and combat. He had already been there before so he told them about sections that were useless or of a lesser quality.
For the entire day they collected books and relics that were of interest. In total they had forty-one books and nine artifacts of interest.
“Alright everyone, tomorrow I'll be doing some reading so you two should go with Andvare around the city.” Because he was the saviour of their race, everyone gave him whatever he asked for. The head librarian had already promised to allow him access to the restricted books. Before he went there, he decided to look at the books left outside first.
Andvare led Sarin and Vangar back to his house to get a good night's sleep, but Wraith decided to stay in the library to get an early start in the morning.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The second Wraith woke up, he immediately started reading the books. There were stacks of books he had to get through so he dove right in. After hearing what Wraith was looking for, the librarian brought over several more books relating to the theory behind Mana and the use in combat that covered everything from biology to history.
Wraith had always been an avid reader so he breezed through the books. Within the first hour he had finished the first book.
Finished reading An Introduction to Mana Manipulation Theory
WIS+1
He was somewhat happy with the stat increase, but it would only be useful if his search proved fruitless and he was stuck with a pure magic class. After dismissing the system message, he delved back into the books.
For the following seventeen hours, he read continuously. Most of the books weren't that useful, but every so often he would come across a passage or a page that appealed to him. He only got small scraps of information, but eventually those bits and pieces would add up in value.
He did the same thing for the following three days. Hour after hour he pored over the texts and chipped away at the giant stacks of books. He had managed to read about fifty books in total, and had gained thirty-six points in wisdom and forty-seven points in intelligence. He had made a great deal of progress and had made his way through the immense pile of books.
He had read everything there was to know about the phenomena of magic and Mana. Instead of just memorizing spells like lizards or mages did, he wanted to understand the theory behind it. From what he had gathered, Mana was an intrinsic energy of the world. Like blood, there was a complex system inside the body to create and harness Mana.
There were millions of nodes inside the body that released Mana into the bloodstream. Instead of structures, they were created by energy. This meant that they were invisible and without form. To the naked eye the physiology would be the same as in the real world.
Broadly speaking, there were two types of Mana in the world. There was internal Mana and external Mana. As their names suggest, the difference between the two was whether the Mana was inside or outside the body. The difference between them was that internal Mana could be controlled better but was less powerful, whereas external Mana wasn't easy to control, but was incredibly powerful. To create spells and incantations, the Mana housed inside the body was used to create a sort of blueprint that the external Mana filled and powered.
While external Mana was the backbone of mages, Wraith was looking for practical uses of internal Mana. Since the game was created and developed in Korea, there would be heavy influences of Eastern medicine. In particular, this would include Ki or Chi for fighting. From the description, internal Mana seemed to be the form of Ki. It excited him, since he had always wanted to move and attack like the characters in his favourite mangas did. The only problem was that there was almost no research given to it.
All the texts focused on harnessing the power of external Mana to power incredible spells. He tried to look in the historical texts to find people that seemingly used such techniques, but there was almost no information whatsoever about such people. Although there were certain movement and melee attack techniques, such as the monks' ability to attack with Mana, there was no actual school or guild to teach in-depth techniques and skills.
He had given up on restoring his stats, so the best way to regain his strength was to use the increase in Mana, Intellect and Wisdom to his benefit. Since there wasn't anything definitive about it, he could only take notes about what he did learn.
He had pages of notes that detailed how Mana flowed through the body and how it was controlled. He studied these notes and added to them with whatever new information he found. It wasn't very thick, but it was a compilation of all other data he had unearthed.
Though he had read so much, he barely had any information to go on. He was tired and frustrated. “Think you can give me a bit of help here?” It was a halfhearted appeal to Loki. Since he had no other logical course of action, praying seemed to be a good idea. After all, he didn't think that he would leave him high and dry like that without offering the slightest bit of aid. As he was berating himself for being so foolish as to expect aid from him, a piece of paper fluttered down before him.
Unearthing the Lost Arts
From your research you have discovered that a forgotten style of combat may have existed in the distant past. Follow the clues left behind in history and find the old masters.
Difficulty level: D
Quest Requirements:
Investigate and show great interest in close-combat fighting with Mana
Be a melee fighter-class that had his stats changed to favour Magic
Quest Rewards:
Learning the skills of Internal Mana attacks
Apprenticeship
“I accept.” It was a quest that he wasn't expecting. Nevertheless, he was grateful that he did receive it. Not only did it mean that there was actually a form of combat that used Mana, but it gave him more of a solid direction to follow. Excitedly, he read the sheet of paper. It seemed to be an excerpt from a historical text about an ancient war.
All he had was a clue that pointed him in the direction of Asvale. It was a small kingdom east of Serabourg. According to the text, it was where a large battle took place between the kingdom and hordes of monsters. Apparently, the only reason it wasn't overrun was due to a sole fighter that turned the tides of battle with a strange fighting style.
It didn't give any additional information apart from that. However, now he had a place to go following the test. He didn't know how accurate the information was, but he would make his way over to Asvale and scour the place for information. Since it was something he could only do later on, he put it out of his mind and decided to read some more about internal Mana.
After thoroughly familiarizing himself with the material, he set to put it to good use. He left the library and went to find Andvare.
He saw him with Sarin and Vangar, still getting used to his new body. “So you've finally come out. We were worried that you were going to start living there.”
“As comfortable as it was, I needed to come outside. I was looking for a place to train and practice. It has to be far away from other people and where I won't have to pay for any property damage.”
“There isn't anything like that inside the city, but the trench would be a good place for all that.”
“The trench?”
“It's the big ditch around the city, pretty hard to miss. It's almost a kilometre wide and made of earth and stone, so you don't have to worry about causing any damage. There's a path that leads down to it.” He led Wraith to a large building. It was a government building, where the council of Dvergar made decisions and held meetings. Since Wraith's arrival it was abuzz with excitement, with people going in and out to discuss what to do next. Wraith went to the back of the building and entered through a stone door. He walked for a long time down the spiralling staircase until he reached the exit.
Once he was outside, he took a look around. There were several glowing crystals all around the trench that gave off light. Like Andvare said, it was all earth and stone. It was the perfect place to test his theory.
He found a place without any large stones and sat down. He meditated as he sat cross-legged on the ground. With every breath he took, he visualized his Mana pumping through his veins and coursing through his body. For several minutes he didn't feel anything, but slowly he felt power start to surge up inside him.
It rose up inside him, and built up in force. Just when he thought it was about to spill over and do something, it stopped. It was as if someone had capped a bottle, preventing his power from taking form. Of course, the debuff from the dungeon is still in effect.
Since he was still a melee-combat class, he couldn't learn or use any combat-related skills. Since it was closely tied to magic, there was no way to practise it inside the dungeon. This didn't deter him from practising. If he couldn't practise applying his techniques, he would work on getting used to Mana.
After all, the only time he used Mana before was to activate a skill, and that was an automatic application. It didn't teach him how to use it consciously. To that end, he practised drawing out his Mana and pooling it in his body. He circulated the Mana inside him and purposefully sent it to different parts of his body one at a time. He grew more attuned to the ebb and flow of energy, and found manipulating it to be much more easier.
Although he was getting more adept at using his Mana, he knew that it wasn't enough to learn how o channel it properly. He was going to have to find a mentor to teach him the proper way to use it. All he could learn by himself were the very basic of basics, and build up a foundation for the future.
Growing tired of channelling Mana but showing no results, he dusted himself off and headed back to the city. When he got back to Andvare, he saw that he was in his wolf-form. He was a few metres away so he could fully appreciate the difference in forms. Andvare looked like a real werewolf, with proportions exactly like his normal body, save for the wolf's head and the thick fur.
It was a stark comparison to his own monstrous form, which was more beast than man. Looking at Andvare, Vangar and Sarin, Wraith felt peaceful. He may have lost most of his strength, but that was a paltry thing, in comparison to what he had gained. He had made a new friend and ally, who he could trust completely and utterly.
Those three made up the core of his pack. Though there would be more joining them, this was where his group truly began to take shape. Wraith's mind raced with the possibilities. Two ferocious beasts with ties to the animal kingdom, and a Dvergar with incredible crafting skills and sway over this city. Unlike the other players that had to stumble along to find their path, his was being created for him. He wouldn't make a name for himself with individual deeds in service to kings and queens, his glory would come from the accomplishments of his pack.
He had been away from them for too long, now it was time to act as a leader should. “Andvare, what can we kill around here?”
Andvare's lips curled up to show his fangs. Though it looked like a snarl, it was actually his smile. It seemed that Wraith wasn't the only one that was itching to get some exercise. Sarin and Vangar were giddy too, excited at the prospect of a hunt.
“Well, I know about a nest of Giant Bats just a bit outside the cavern. Take these goggles, they'll help with the dark.” He tossed a pair of thick crystalline goggles towards Wraith and fitted a pair on Sarin and Vangar.
“None for you?”
Andvare showed another toothy grin. “We've adapted to have good night vision. How else do you think I led you here?”
After putting it on over his mask and beneath his headpiece, he led his pack towards the bridge that led outside. “Alright everyone, lets hunt.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the monitor, the people presiding over the test stood slack-jawed at what had happened. Jacob was pleased to see that Wraith had stepped onto an new path and made another comrade. One of the workers spoke up, irritated by the blatant favouritism.
“Sir, given the location and inhabitants of the dungeon, it seems as if you're giving preferential treatment to this player. Of course we know that you're impartial, but it gives people the wrong impression of things.”
“Well, that's right, I am giving him preferential treatment.”
The worker went bug-eyed behind his round glasses. “Th-that's not fair to the other players. If it got out that you were treating them differently, there would be an uproar.” Unicorn was a tremendous force in the political and economical world, and so any breech of protocol or ethics would be judged harshly.
“Well there's no need to worry about that.”
“Sir?”
“I don't intend to pick him as the winner, regardless of his scores and ability. After all, given the nature of his character it would be an impossible task.”
The worker let out a breath of relief, but was curious as to what he meant. There would have to be a good reason to dismiss him altogether. “I don't understand, what's wrong with him?”
“Well think about it. We need someone to be a hero and legend in Royal Road. He or she needs to be someone that will inspire millions and accomplish great deeds. Given the nature of his class and race, I don;t exactly see him becoming a great hero. If anything he'll become an unparalleled villain. It pains me to say it, but he just isn't suitable for this particular job.”
The worker left placated, but didn't notice the small smile that formed on Jacob's face. No Wraith, you won't be chosen by the test, since I've got bigger plans for you.
Next Chapter