Warren woke up from his slumber, well-rested and ready to join the guild. He quickly packed up and put on his armour, prepared for whatever the world might throw at him. Within a few minutes he was out the door and on his way to the city’s branch of the National Guilds Association.
From the inn he had been staying at, the branch office was only a ten minute walk away so he got there pretty quickly. Even though it was only a few hours past dawn, the office was open and available. It was a small space, even smaller than the tiny stores that peppered the streets.
The first thing he saw when he walked in was the large counter in the middle of the room. It seemed to function as a receptionist’s desk, and had a middle-aged woman sitting behind it. The rest of the room was filled with papers, books, and boxes.
“Excuse me.” Warren walked right up to the counter and addressed the woman.
“Whaddya want?” The woman asked in a bored tone of voice.
“I’d like to get my license as a new guildsman.”
The woman gave a long sigh and then got up out of her chair. She plodded over to the door on the easternmost wall and waved for him to go in. “Wear this, and follow the instructions you’re given.” She handed over a glossy, black metal bracelet. Warren slipped it under his armour and put it on. Once the two ends met, the bracelet sealed itself into one seamless piece of metal, and adjusted to fit snug around his wrist.
Once he was through the door, he saw that the room was covered entirely by sheets of crystal, veined with filaments of pulsating light. The middle of the floor started to glow until a red x was formed on the surface. Taking the cue, Warren stood on top of it and waited.
Before him, the crystal on the floor rose up and formed something that looked like a podium. Like the x on the floor, the podium started to glow until words formed upon it.
Full assessment of your inherent talents and abilities will commence once you place your hands on the marked area.
Right below the words were two handprints that he was meant to place his hands on. Um Yana? I know that you have a plan and all, but won’t this little test reveal who or what I am?
There’s no need to worry. Have you forgotten about the mark I gave you? It does more than just hide you from the gods. In cases like this, it hides your power as well. This contraption will not pick up on any of the abilities related to me, or the abilities your magical constructs give you.
Hearing that, Warren gave out a huge sigh of relief. To stand out was to be targeted, and he didn’t want to stand out any more than he already did. With his worries gone, he had no problem placing his palms on the denoted areas.
The second his flesh came into contact with the crystal, the room lit up in that same brick-red color. The red light it gave off washed over him. Although it was light, Warren could have sworn that he felt it press into his body. After a minute or two, the light dimmed away.
From the podium, a slender crystal tube rose up and curled up Warren’s arm. When it reached the crook of his elbow, the head of the tube changed into the shape of a needle and stabbed into Warren’s skin. After drawing a bit of blood and flesh, the tube retreated and melted back into the podium.
Physical assessment complete. Second stage will now begin. Please select the class and specialization you would like to follow.
After giving it some thought, Warren decided that he would be in a combat profession, and specialize as both a warrior and a mage.
Third stage of testing will now begin. Please answer the following questions and complete the tasks given.
The next two to three hours were spent answering the questions that appeared on the podium, and completing the tasks set before him. They covered a wide range of subjects, asking questions about everything from magical theory to botany, inquiring about personal information, and then telling him to sculpt a shape out of a piece of crystal. It had him run and fight against a crystal golem, use all types of weapons, and showcase all of his skills. By the time they were done, Warren was pretty worn out.
Assessment complete. Compiling and analyzing results.
Warren waited as the device made its decision.
Analysis complete. Please REPLACE the bracelet to complete the process.
The flat surface of the podium dipped down until there was space to put his hand in. Warren put his left hand inside the hole and watched as the bracelet glowed and vibrated. The crystal that surrounded it shot out small beams of light. It inscribed the surface of the bracelet with a small, intricate pattern of runes. He could feel the magic seep into the bracelet, as it was imprinted with a complex spell.
When it was finished, the podium melted into the ground, and the door unlocked and swung open. The bracelet was no longer a bare piece of metal. It was covered in runes and lines that were colored white. Besides the tiny lines, there was also a large diamond shaped mark next to a large cross, both colored completely white.
He left the room and went towards the woman at the counter. “So am I done, or is there something else I need to do?” He was too tired to exchange pleasantries with the woman, especially given her attitude towards him.
In response, the woman laid a bunch of papers on the counter. “This is the agreement and contract you’ll make with the guilds association and the nation of Erkestal. Sign here, here, here, initial there, sign there, and there.”
It was a fairly lengthy and verbose contract, and at one point Warren wanted to just forget about reading it and sign the damn thing. However, this wasn’t one of those software downloads where just clicking the little box wouldn’t do anything major. Although it was so long, the text was broken up into a few large chunks, and could be condensed into a few points.
Basically, once he joined up, the government pretty much owned his life. In exchange for not paying taxes or tariffs, he had to give them half of any loot or treasure he found, as well as any rewards he got for a private job. There was also a bunch of rules and regulations about what kind of jobs he could do, what he had to adhere to, and the laws he had to follow. Then there was some stuff about the rights and responsibilities he had, as well as that the guild had towards him. All in all it was a pretty reasonable contract, and Warren had no qualms with signing it. The receptionist looked over the contract and filed it away.
“Here’s something you’ll need.” She slid over a small, pocket-sized book. “It’s the National Guild Manual. It’s this year’s edition so it’s pretty up to date. Any questions or worries you may have, look them up in there before coming to me. Also, there’s one last thing. That bracelet is your license. Press the diamond with some Mana, and it’ll show your basic identification. Press the cross with Mana and the more detailed information can be seen. You come to a place like this, and you can update the information and your ranking if you get better. If you lose it or break it, it takes fifty silver nobles to replace it. Luckily for you, the first one’s free. Now go join a guild somewhere.” With that abrupt dismissal, she turned her head from Warren and promptly proceeded to ignore him.
Although he was a bit ticked off with her attitude, Warren left quietly. It seemed that no matter what world it was in, government workers were all rude and unpleasant. Nevertheless, he did get what he came there for. Since he was curious as to the results of the test, he pressed the cross on the bracelet and injected some Mana into it. He wanted to get a sense of his capabilities while he made his way to the guild.
Name: Warren Fuller
ID# 359830492
Class: Combat
Specialization: Warrior + Mage
Official Rank: G
Combat Experience: H
Warrior Abilities/Skills
Sword Technique: B
Physical Conditioning: C
Heavenly Fire Technique: G
Mage Abilities/Skills
Mana Control and Technique: F
Fire Element Proficiency: F
Earth Element Proficiency: H
Water Element Proficiency: H
Air Element Proficiency: H
Light Element Proficiency: H
Darkness Element Proficiency: H
Magical Power: A
All in all it wasn’t that bad an assessment, and the evaluation system was rather useful. He knew full well the value of knowledge, of having his strengths and weaknesses quantified and compiled for him. Although it wasn’t precise information, having a general sense of his capabilities told him a lot about himself.
Since the scale of measurement began at H and went up, his growth was remarkable. He could understand why his sword technique and physical conditioning would be high, since he worked hard to train one and had an automatically enhanced body for the other. Unsurprisingly, his magic-related skills were nowhere near as developed as his physical ones, since he had just come to this world. He would need to put in a great deal of effort to train that part of himself.
Since he decided to work with two classes, his evaluation would be much stricter, and it would be considerably harder to rise in rank. At the same time, he understood just how powerful the people here could be. If he was at rank G, then he couldn’t even imagine the strength of those who had rank S. This was a cruel and harsh world that he found himself in, and he would have to grow considerably stronger to survive in it.
As he finished assessing his capabilities, he found that he had already arrived at the guild headquarters. He had looked at a city map the day before, so he arrived without any real difficulty. It wasn’t that impressive or imposing of a building, standing only three stories tall. It wasn’t anything special either. It didn’t have fancy decorations or an ornate design, and seemed to blend in with the rest of the buildings on the street. The only thing that stood out was the large square sign nailed up high on the wall. The only thing painted on the sign was a giant white bird, its’ head turned to the right and the wings flared out.
Warren took a moment to admire it. Though it was a simple design, it had a sense of strength and beauty about it, despite the nature of the animal itself. He was eager to see exactly what kind of guild this was, so he strode quickly towards the large wooden doors and threw them open.
The inside wasn’t as small as he imagined it would be. This was partly due to the fact that it was one large open space. Besides the pillars placed throughout the room for structural support, there weren’t any other rooms on the ground floor. From what he could tell, this was the common room/meal hall of the guild.
The left half of the room was entirely a lounge area, with tables and benches lined up in rows. There was a small closed off area in the back with a large open window that served as a kitchen and bar. The other side of the room was divided into a mini-library/reading area, and a reception for visitors, clients and official guild business.
“Can I help you with something?” The young brunette woman who sat behind the reception counter looked in askance at him. She looked to be a couple years older than him, pretty but not especially beautiful. From what Warren could tell, she didn’t seem to be a fighter or a mage, but just a regular person.
He walked towards her and smiled. “Yes, I wanted to join this guild. Do you think you can help me with that?”
She smiled brilliantly and pressed a small blue crystal that was set into the counter. She talked into it for a minute and called down the guild leader, suggesting that it was a communication device. Within moments, an older gentleman descended down the stairs on the far side of the room and made his way towards them.
“Thank you Nyssa,” he murmured to the receptionist. “Well then, you must be the one interested in our guild.”
“Yes, my name’s Warren. Pleased to meet you.” He stuck out a hand to greet the guild leader.
“My name’s Horatio.” As he shook Warren’s hand, a tingle ran up Warren’s spine. Although the leader was in his fifties or sixties, he was still a dangerous foe. Underneath the pleasant exterior was a hardened warrior. “Well, now that we’ve got the introductions out of the way, we can talk about you joining our guild. Let’s go to my office.”
They walked all the way up to the third floor and entered his office. It was a fairly spacious room, with books and papers strewn about. Horatio took a seat behind his enormous wooden table, and Warren sat down before him.
“Alright, first things first. Show me your identification bracelet.” Warren stuck out his arm. Horatio then took his arm and pressed it against a large multi-faceted crystal ball that was on his table. It lit up and projected his information for Horatio to see. He grunted at what he saw. “Not bad, considering you just joined as a guildsman. I suppose it could be worse. But I should tell you that these results are far below any of the other guild members. Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself? Like where you were born, who you learned from, and things like that.”
This was the moment Warren was afraid of. He had no history in this world, since he literally appeared out of nowhere. If he told the truth, that could have some serious consequences for him. The only option he had was to lie, and lie well. Fortunately, he prepared for this eventuality the other day. Part of the reason he went to the library was to gather enough information to create a plausible cover story. He trained his features and held his mannerisms in check to let the lie smoothly flow from his lips.
“I was born and raised near the Keil’Var wilderness to the south. My parents were somewhat eccentric so they lived quite a distance from any nearby town or village.”
“That is rather eccentric, and dangerous. Why exactly did they choose that life?”
“It was what they were used to. They met when they were adventurers. Dad was a decent warrior and mom was a good mage. They weren’t anybody famous, but they were strong enough to survive and even thrive in the wild. I guess after spending so much time alone in the wilderness, it became their home. I didn’t mind it that much. They’d go down to the nearest town once every blue moon, but for the most part, we were happy to be by ourselves. Dad taught me swordsmanship and my mom taught the basics of magic. Obviously I practiced one more than the other.”
“I see. And what made you leave home and come here?”
“Two reasons. The first was that my parents passed away, but even if they hadn’t I was planning on leaving anyway. I had grown up hearing the stories of their adventures, and I wanted some of that for myself.”
Horatio looked at him in sympathy. “I’m sorry for your loss. But you’ll find that this guild in particular is one that takes in lost souls and misfits. I was actually wondering why you wanted to join our guild when I first met you. Our guild isn’t very popular due to the fact that most of our members are non-human. Including you there’s only about five actual humans in the guild, and they’re all…unique in their own way.”
Now Yana’s insistence that he join this particular guild made sense. Where better to hide a tree than in a forest? Mixed among a generally unpopular bunch of demi-humans and the like, he could fly under the radar for his unique qualities. That’s certainly the main reason, but another one is that they’ll understand you and accept you as one of their own. You need friends and allies in this world, and they’ll give it to you.
Since Horatio couldn’t hear Yana’s telepathic message, he continued speaking. “Since you seem to be a decent fellow, I’ll give you a chance to prove your worth. Here’s how things are going to work, like any new member, you’ll have a three month probationary period before I make a final decision. Now this period isn’t so I can gauge your strength, but rather how well you fit in and get along with your fellow guild members.”
Horatio paused while speaking and thought for a minute. “Actually, regarding your strength, I think it would do you good to get a bit stronger. Okay, everything I said before still holds, but I’ll give you an additional month in advance to go and learn about the Heavenly Fire technique and magic. There are quite a few people and schools that would teach you the basics at least. Once the month is up, you can come back and we’ll formally start your probationary period. That sounds good to you?”
Warren considered it and then nodded gratefully. With a full month ahead of him, he could learn a lot and grow a great deal stronger. “That sounds great. I’ll get started on it immediately. Thank you very much for your decision.”
“No need to thank me. I have a sense for these kinds of things, and I can tell that you’re going to be an asset in the future. By the way, have you settled on a place to live yet?”
“Ah, actually I was about to go looking for one right now.”
“Well you should know that as part of the guild you automatically qualify for guild housing. It’s a government benefit so it’s rather close to this building, and you pay a lower rate than you would otherwise. It’s a small house, but it’ll do until you start making some money to move into something better.” He tossed over a small key to Warren. “Right down the street, number seventy-nine. It’s fully furnished so you can move in immediately.”
“Thank you very much.” Warren was very grateful, since it would make his life a hell of a lot easier now that he didn’t have to worry about lodging.
“No problem my boy. Now go work on improving your strength.” Following his words, Warren left the office and quickly went down the stairs, eager to get started on training.
Right when he reached the first floor, Yana’s voice resounded in his head. Warren, instead of leaving, go over to the third table where the older man is sitting, and ask him to teach you the Crimson Hellfire style.
I have no idea what that is, but it sounds rather unpleasant. Just what is it, and why do I have to learn it?
It’s a rather old and powerful technique that’s a variation on the Heavenly Fire technique. It’s also the most difficult one to learn. Learning it will prove to be a great boon in the future. I need you to trust me on this.
When she put it like that, he had no choice but to do as she asked. He walked towards the man Yana was talking about and sat across from him. He was much older than Warren, but younger than Horatio. Warren put him in his late forties or early fifties. His hair was shorn close to his scalp, the once brown head of hair mostly turned to grey. Despite his age, he still had a well-muscled and imposing frame.
One of the two things that stood out about him was the tattoo on his left cheek, a pattern of thin swirling lines of blood-red fire that went from the base of his eye all the way down to his cheek. The other thing that stood out was the pair of bright crimson eyes that he fixed on Warren. “Never seen you before. You new?”
“Yes, I just joined today. My name’s Warren.”
“I’m Dom. So, what do you want from me?”
“I want you to teach me the Crimson Hellfire style.”
Dom’s eyes widened slightly as he heard his request. After taking a sip of his drink, he was silent for a long moment before he finally decided to speak. “Kid, tell me something. Are you brave or just plain stupid?”
“Excuse me?”
“Those are the only type of people that try to learn this style. In fact they usually fall into both categories. Why do you even want to learn it anyway? There are plenty of safer techniques to learn.”
“A friend told me to do so.”
Dom chuckled. “Of all the reasons I heard, that’s a new one. You must trust your friend a great deal if you’re going to try to learn a style that only has a two percent success rate, and where the people that fail are lucky if they end up dead.”
Wait, what did he just say? There’s a ninety-eight percent chance that I’ll die or worse if I fail to learn this style?
…Every great reward has its challenges. And besides, I know that you’ll pull through, it’s just going to be highly…unpleasant to learn.
Great, just great.
Dom continued talking, unaware of the conversation Warren was having with Yana. “From what I can tell, you really have no idea what my style is or what it entails. First off, tell me what you know about the Heavenly Fire technique and its origins.”
“I know that it was inspired by magical beasts and it works by reinforcing the user’s strength, speed and defense.”
“That’s the simplified version for sure, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Since you have absolutely no idea about what this technique is, which is remarkable in its own right, I’ll explain it to you. First off, you’re right that it was inspired by magical beasts, to a point. The precise origin of the technique isn’t known, but we do know that it was developed several millennia ago. At that time, the world was much more difficult to live in. The only people that had any real strength were the mages.
Unfortunately, the ability to wield the magical elements on any significant scale is a talent that few people are blessed with. This meant that when monsters or the demi-human races attacked, there weren’t that many people able to fight against them. Humanity needed a stronger weapon, one that those who weren’t magically gifted could use.
They developed weapons, armour, and magical artifacts to use, but the problem was that the warriors were too weak to get full use out of these items. Of course at the time people did know how to strengthen their bodies using energy, but it was woefully undeveloped. Most people barely gave it another thought. After all, the best it could do was to give them just a little bit more speed and strength. It wasn’t all that practical in actual combat.
But where everyone else gave up on it, one man made it his life’s mission to refine it into a powerful technique. He was known as Merryl the Sage. The details about how he crafted the technique are murky. Some people say that the gods descended from the heavens and gave him that knowledge, and it was for that reason it had its particular name. Others say that he developed it by experimenting on magical beasts and the demi-human races, and that he defied heaven’s judgement for humans to stay weak and helpless. In either case, after several decades of study and research, he developed a comprehensive technique that served as the basis of martial combat.”
“Hang on,” Warren interrupted. “If the Heavenly fire technique is something that has to be learned and trained, then what I’m doing is all wrong, isn’t it?”
“Let me guess, someone told you to just envision Mana flowing into your body and strengthening it?” At Warren’s nod he continued speaking. “Well, they’re not wrong. What you’re learning is just the basics. It’s the original technique that was around before Merryl the Sage developed his technique. Merryl’s technique is built upon the foundations of what you’re doing.”
“Okay, that explains a few things, but where does your style fit in?”
“I was just getting to that,” Dom said peevishly. It seemed he was enjoying telling this story to him. “Now where was I…? Oh right. Merryl finally developed his technique near the end of his life, but he felt that it could be improved upon even further. He continued his research right up until his deathbed. Unfortunately, he didn’t have nearly enough time to finish what he had started. So he did what any great scholar does. He passed on his knowledge.
Now it should come as no surprise to know that just one man couldn’t develop this technique by himself. He had the help of his apprentices who had become accomplished masters in their own right. It seemed destined by fate, to have four apprentices that can study each of the four paths that the technique could take.
The first apprentice developed the Pale Mountain style, the second came up with the Moonlit River style, and the third came up with the Winding Forest style. The Pale Mountain style is known for its unwavering strength and defence, the Moonlit River style for its speed and quiet attacks, and the Winding Forest style for its harmonious blending of all the elements of combat. These three style have been studied and refined over the years, and most of the warriors choose one of these three styles to learn. The other styles are just bastardisations of these and the fourth style, and are considerably weaker.
Now we come to the fourth apprentice. Developping this style took the longest out of the four. It wasn’t a question of intelligence or passion, it was just that difficult. Where it took the other apprentices only about ten years or so, it took the fourth apprentice almost fifty. When he finally did finish it completely, there were several hundred warriors that lined up to learn from him. Of those several hundred warriors, the fourth apprentice only decided to teach twenty of them. They were the ones he felt had the best chance of learning the technique.
All those hundreds of warriors that weren’t chosen were understandably upset and furious, but they quickly changed their tune when they saw the aftermath. Thirteen of the twenty warriors died in agony, while four descended into madness. Only three out of all those hundreds of warriors were able to learn the technique. There’s a reason why the word Hellfire is in the name. Whenever a new apprentice learns the technique, they quickly find out that a long stay in Hell would be preferable to that.”
Warren was stunned into silence. He knew it would be difficult, but the way Dom put it, attempting it was tantamount to committing suicide. “Just out of curiosity, how many of your apprentices have learned the style?”
“Out of the six people that I thought had a chance? None.”
Yana, I’m really hoping you know what you’re talking about. Regardless of his fears, if this was what he had to do, then so be it. “Alright, I guess I’ll be the first one that passes.”
Dom snorted. “Yeah, that’s what they all say.” He chugged down the rest of his drink and stood up. “Fine, it’s your funeral. At least it looks like you have a chance of surviving. Follow me.”
He led Warren out of the Guild Hall and down the street. They walked a long way, out of the heart of the city and into the farmlands. The trip there was silent, perhaps to give Warren a chance to either prepare for it, or to back out. They finally stopped in front of a tiny stone structure.
“So is there any particular reason why we’re all the way out here?”
“Screaming tends to be somewhat unnerving for most people to hear. At least here, even if you scream, no one will hear it.”
“…”
When Dom unlocked the heavy metal door of the structure, Warren could see that the entire structure was just built to cover the stairs that led deep underground. They descended down the staircase and stepped into the underground room. It was one large room, lit up by glowing stones that rested on wall sconces.
The room was filled with various tools and equipment. There was a metal chair with restraints, a length of chain that hung down from the ceiling, a table with strange metal instruments, exotically colored bottles, and many other terrifying items.
“Decided to back out yet?” Dom asked cheerfully.
“I think I can handle it,” Warren said with only a faint trace of nervousness.
Dom shook his head regretfully. “So be it then.” He went over to the table and opened a large trunk that was tucked underneath it. He came out with a pair of simple grey pants and tossed it to Warren. “Wear this and have a seat on the metal chair back there.”
Warren did as he was asked. The metal chair was thick and sturdy. It was also bolted down onto the ground and had thick metal manacles attached to the armrests and the legs. Barefoot and bare-chested, with only a pair of underwear and the pants on, he sat in the cold metal chair. Thanks to his powers, he was completely unaffected by the cold.
“You’re not taking off the glasses?”
“Will there be a problem if I don’t?”
“Not particularly. Alright, let’s go over what’s going to happen and what you need to do. You’re going to take two potions. One is a Potion of Alertness that will let you stay awake for days on end without any sleep or food, and the other is a special cocktail that will let you learn my style. This cocktail is made up of a secret blend of unique ingredients.
The main ingredient is derived from a type of poison called Dragon’s Breath. On its own it will cause unbearable pain in every part of your body that can feel pain. With the addition of the other ingredients in the potion, it’s been transformed into something that can form channels in your body and lay the groundwork for the Crimson Hellfire style.
Now it’s very important that you listen carefully to me. Once the potion enters your system you’ll be in too much pain to focus on what I tell you. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that this is going to be the worst pain in your life. If you survive, I can guarantee that you’ll never again experience anything even remotely close to what you’ll feel right now.
The only way to make that pain stop is to manipulate your Mana in a way that it surrounds the potion in your body and seals it off. Thanks to another ingredient in the potion, you’ll be able to feel it work inside your body, and it’ll have a defined structure to it. Then, no matter what happens, you have to maintain your Mana in that form.
I’ve told you before that the Crimson Hellfire technique was something special. It’s because unlike the other styles that try to emulate magical beasts, our style is a transformative one that changes our body to be like the beasts themselves. This is your last chance to back out of it. Are you sure you want to go through with it?” At Warren’s hesitant nod, Dom went and fetched the two potions. One was in a small vial, while the other was in a large jar. “First let’s start with the Potion of Alertness.” He uncapped the small vial and brought it to Warren’s lips. As Warren swallowed the sweet-tasting liquid, his body was filled with energy.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Warren, don’t forget what you learned about life energy, and good luck. With that one sentence, Yana was gone from his mind, letting him face this trial without any distractions. “Alright, are you ready now?” Dom looked to him somberly. Warren could tell that a part of him was hoping that Warren would back out of it.
“I’m ready.” Seventy thirty, seventy thirty, seventy thirty, Warren chanted in his head. That was the ideal ratio that he discovered for mixing Mana with life energy in the Heavenly Fire technique.
“Alright then. Hopefully I’ll see you on the other side.” He broke off the wax seal on the jar and tilted it up so Warren could drink it. The liquid was thick and murky, and tasted as terrible as it looked. At first he didn’t feel anything. Then suddenly, he could feel the potion spread out of his stomach and seep into every part of his body.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHH!!!”
Oh god, it was burning so bad. He was on fire and it wouldn’t stop. He had been so stupid, so arrogant. He thought that he could handle it. He had felt intense pain in Royal Road. He had been burned alive, drowned, decapitated, and died a hundred deaths, but nothing could have prepared him for this. There was no pain limiter for this; in fact in this case the pain was enhanced.
It wasn’t just a potion or a poison; it felt alive, burrowing through his flesh and bones. If it were the roots that spread out from a plant, his body would be the dirt. Thousands upon thousands of strands branched off from one another and wound itself through the physical and spiritual matter of his body.
It wasn’t just heat he felt. It was the corrosive burn of acid and the furious shock of lightning that he felt in every single one of his nerve endings. He could feel it in his toes, his teeth, and the deepest recesses of his body. Even his eyes felt as if they were about to burst.
He thought he could fight it, that he could control it, but it just hurt too much. Yana was wrong about him. He couldn’t fight this, he wasn’t nearly strong enough. By now it had gotten so bad that the pain overrode everything else. He couldn’t even feel his own fingertips, or his arms apart from his legs. Everything blurred together and was drowned out by unrelenting waves of agony.
He had lost all sense of time as well. How many days, how many weeks has he been strapped in that chair? He didn’t know. All he knew was misery and agony. It was the one constant in his body. It pushed out all other bodily sensations, sight, sound, smell and taste. That and his mind were all that was left to him. There were more than a few times that he wasn’t even entirely certain if he was still alive, or if he really had been dragged to hell. However, every so often he could feel something besides the pain. He felt a thin connection to something else, his body. It was so faint and delicate that it always slipped away from him, but it was enough to tell him that he was still alive.
If he couldn’t fight it, then maybe he should just stop and let go. What was he fighting for anyway, what was there to live for? His friends and family may as well have been dead to him. He was alone, so helplessly alone. Even if he had a map or a guide, he was lost in this world, and would never fit in. At best he could be called an aberration, at worst an abomination. If he died, no one would hold a funeral for him.
Yes, he could just give up and float away. He started to do just that, and felt the pain ease away. This was better, this was alright. There was nothing for him in this world, maybe his next life would be better. He was right in the middle of letting go when an image flickered in his mind. A small tree, and a promise.
It meant something, he knew it did, but from where? That’s right, it was Yana. He could have died once before but he didn’t. Why didn’t he die, why did he want to live? There was something he was forgetting, something important. Kiyalah. He remembered her now. He remembered what she had done, and what she could do. He was part of the reason she had such power, and he had a duty to set it right. More than that, he wasn’t going to let her win. He was going to live, if only to wipe that look of smug satisfaction off her treacherous face.
To do that, he would, not, die. By sheer force of will, he reached back to his body. He gritted his imaginary teeth and flexed his imaginary muscles. Waves of pain buffeted him and tried to drown him, but he powered through, keeping his head just barely above it. He forced aside the burning sensation. It wasn’t what he needed. He needed to get to put himself back inside and wake up from this nightmare.
He didn’t know if it took hours or days, but eventually he dragged himself together and beat down the relentless agony. He could feel the sensations coming back to him now. It hurt unbearably, but he could feel it when he flexed his toes and clenched his hands. Although they felt like they weighed a ton, he forced his eyelids open and focused on his body.
He could feel it again, the root-like tendrils of poison coursing through his body. Seventy thirty, he told himself once more. Drawing from the two wells of power inside him, he pulled out a thick strand of Mana and Mixed it with a thinner one of life energy. They blended in that exact ratio and turned into one thick rope of power.
More and more of that rope was pulled out, until it could reach the heart of that tangled web of poison. It had started out in his stomach, so that’s where he directed it. Inch by slow inch, it crept to his torso, until it finally reached the poison. After arriving at the origin of the poison, Warren had to split that rope of energy into five strands to cover the five branches that came out of it.
He had to concentrate hard on it. Even now, the pain beat against him. He couldn’t ignore it, but he found a way to keep a level head despite it. He focused and managed to split it up and make it surround the poison. It was an almost imperceptible amount, but he did notice that the pain eased slightly. Of course it was only a fraction of a fraction of the total pain, but it was something.
Now that he knew it worked, he pushed the energy forwards. It started to creep along the surface of the poison, and slowly coated it. It went slowly at first, as he had to focus on the energy as a whole. He had to simultaneously push five strands of energy at once, just pushing the strands one at a time didn’t work.
It didn’t get any easier from there. Five became ten, and ten became thirty. Every inch of the way, he had to push it along until it branched off once more, and he had to split the energy again. Fortunately, with every inch of poison he covered, the pain shrunk in scale. As the pain shrank, he could focus more on the task and less on dealing with the pain.
Even with the reduced pain, it still took an incredible amount of focus and mental fortitude to maintain the energy structure and create it so quickly. If he hadn’t had his magical constructs, it might have taken him twice or three times as long to do it. Eventually, his efforts progressed to the point where he finally managed to reach the end. With one final push, the last tips of the branches of poison were capped by his energy, and the pain was completely gone.
“My god, you actually pulled through.” Dom must have had some way of knowing that he had succeeded. Warren hadn’t noticed Dom at all during the entirety of the trial, since it demanded his full attention. Now that he looked at him, he saw that Dom had grown a short beard. He was wearing a shirt and pants that seemed worn and dirty.
“How long?” Warren managed to croak out those words from a throat that was raw from screaming and rough from disuse.
“Six days. I’ve never heard of anyone going through the first part of the trial so quickly.” Dom shook his head in shock and disbelief.
Warren was similarly shocked but for a different reason. “First part?”
“You didn’t think that this was it, did you? Don’t worry, there’s only one part left, and it’s much easier than the first. Now listen closely, I’m going to unlock your restraints, at which time you have to stand up and walk ten meters to the right, all the way to that large circle painted on the floor. Once you get there, we can get on with the rest. While you’re moving, remember to keep that Mana structure steady.”
After Dom unlocked the manacles, Warren gingerly got to his feet. As he moved, he felt the Mana structure bend and shift with him. He had to concentrate so that he didn’t lose control of it. Step by step, he walked ever closer to that large red circle on the ground. With every step he took, the better he control became. He could adjust to the shifting energy structure and maintain it with ease. Within moments he was able to stand in the middle of the circle.
“Good, good, now you’re ready for the final part. Like before, you’re going to work on maintaining the energy structure, regardless of what stimulus comes your way. The difference is that I’m going to be providing the stimulus with this metal rod,” he held up a meter long rod in the air, “and will force you to lose control of the structure. When you lose control of it, it’ll naturally draw back along the tendrils of poison. As you lose and regain control of the structure, it will eventually thicken and grow, slowing down the rate at which it pulls itself back. When it reaches a point where it doesn’t draw back at all, we’ll be able to finish. Are you ready?”
“Yes.” With Warren’s go-ahead, Dom thrust the butt of the rod into his stomach. The sudden action shocked him and immediately made him lose control of the energy he was holding tight. Like Dom told him, the structure pulled back along the branches of poison, and he wasn’t able to regain control until a tenth of the poison was revealed. It took so long because with the loss of control, came the immediate pain of the revealed poison. Eventually, he was able to push the energy through and cover up the poison once more.
Right when he covered the poison up completely, Dom hit him with the metal rod once more. This time he struck him across his back. Like before, he lost control, but this time he was prepared for the shock, and was able to regain control much faster. As he got used to the strikes, his control improved further, and it took more and more to fully disrupt his concentration. Hour after hour, the metal rod fell heavily against his body.
Slowly but surely, the energy structure thickened and solidified. It got to the point where it was so easy to keep the structure under control that Dom had to resort to knocking him out for a few seconds. Eventually, they reached the end of the final stage. The structure was at such a state that it was no longer a thin membrane over the poison, but a thick and hardy wall. Now Warren could be unconscious for hours on end, and the structure wouldn’t change in the slightest.
“Hah, I think you’re ready.” Dom was practically glowing. It’s only to be expected, since all the other prospective apprentices ended up dead. “Drink this.” He handed over a large vial filled with a dark red liquid. “It’ll solidify your energy structure and complete the entire process.”
Heeding his instructions, Warren downed the vial quickly. Unlike the potion he drank before, this one didn’t burn on the way down, but froze. It felt icy cold as it spread along the entire energy structure. As it passed through his body, it condensed the thick energy of the structure and transformed it into something more solid. There was only a moment of discomfort, before it dissipated completely.
“Congratulations,” Dom roared joyfully as he enclosed Warren in a fierce bear hug. “You’re now officially a member of the Crimson Hellfire school.”
“Really, that’s it? No more strange concoctions or soul-crushing torture?”
“Nope, that’s it. I’ll tell you, I’m certainly impressed. You passed the trial in just nine days. It took me twenty. Now all that’s left is for me to teach you how to use what you’ve gained.”
“If it’s all the same to you, do you think we can hold off on that until tomorrow?”
Dom chuckled at his request. “Of course. When I finished my trial I wanted to sleep for a week. Here, swallow this tablet and it’ll flush out the Potion of Alertness from your system and let you have a proper night’s rest. I’ll set up a place for you to sleep.”
After they had a quick meal, Warren swallowed the tablet and fell deep asleep on the rolled out mattress on the ground.
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When Warren woke up, he felt fully rested and refreshed. He stood up and stretched, unkinking the knots in his muscles. He found Dom sitting at the wooden table reading a book. “How long was I asleep?”
“About two days,” Dom told him. “I got up a few hours ahead of you.
“Two days?”
“Well what, did you expect that the Potion of Alertness would have no consequences?”
“I suppose not. So now what?”
“Now I teach you how to use our technique properly.” He put down the book he was reading and walked to the center of the room. “Activating the technique is pretty simple. Just focus on the structure you made. See it in its entirety and visualize it burning and glowing. Since it’s the first time you’re going to do it, I’ll help you start it up. You might as well see what it looks like.”
He took his shirt off so he stood bare-chested before Warren. His body was covered with old scars. The change was almost instantaneous. Thin crimson lines appeared on his skin, criss-crossing over each other and covering the entirety of his body. Energy seemed to leak out from these lines, letting out red flames with flecks of black inside them. In response to the flames, his eyes glowed brightly as well.
“Impressive, isn’t it? Once the technique is activated, it greatly magnifies your strength, speed, reaction time, and defense. In addition to that, there are a few additional benefits to this technique. The first is that the surface of your body is corrosive to the touch. Of course this is something you can control, so you don’t have to worry about your weapons and armour breaking down. The second is that your attacks will transfer a bit of your energy to your opponent. Because of the burning, corrosive nature of your aura, it’ll make your attacks even more effective. Finally, you’ll find that you have an increased resistance to fire attacks. Now it’s your turn. The first thing that’s going to happen when the technique is activated is that it’s going to burn the poison out of your system.”
He turned off the technique and went to stand behind Warren. He placed both hands on Warren’s back, one between his shoulder blades and one on his lower back. They were both placed directly over his spine. “Now like I told you, visualize it happen. I’ll be here to spur it on.”
Warren took a deep breath and did as Dom asked. He could see the branch-like structure as it wound about his body. He pictured it burning and glowing as Dom said he should and felt the structure start to respond in turn. From Dom’s hands on his back, he felt warm energy seep into his body and catalyze the reaction. Within a few seconds, the structure was ablaze with energy and fully activated.
He could sense the poison inside the newly-formed channels burn away, and within moments it was completely gone from his system. It felt as though a weight was lifted from his body, and he felt clean and refreshed. With the poison gone, the technique activated fully, and he could feel the changes it brought him.
When he looked down at his body, he saw the same red lines that he saw on Dom, and they too were leaking crimson flames with flecks of black. Dom had stepped back and came around to face him, now that he had successfully activated the technique. “Well that’s strange. Your energy structure is remarkably stable and natural looking. Everyone else that used this technique, myself included, didn’t have anything nearly as strong and integrated with the body as you do.”
Warren knew exactly what he was talking about. If the Crimson Hellfire technique was created to make someone as strong as a normal magical beast or demi-human race, then Warren was several times stronger than them. He had the life energy to thank for that. Though he didn’t want to reveal his secrets to Dom, he still felt that he owed him some sort of explanation.
“You see, a while back, I was caught up in a spell that accidentally went wrong. It affected my entire body so it probably resulted in this.”
Dom looked at him pointedly with an upraised eyebrow. It seemed that he didn’t buy the story. “If you say that that’s the reason why the technique went the way it did, then so be it. We’re all entitled to our secrets, so I won’t pry. Now, let’s work on practicing with the technique.”
The next few hours, Dom took Warren through the basics of the technique. The first thing they did was work on getting used to the sudden and massive increase in speed and strength. By the end of the day, he reached a level of proficiency where he could perform simple movements. It took another day for him to become fully used to the movements.
Over the next three days, Dom taught him how to fight with the technique. He first went over the basics of close-combat fighting, which Warren already had down, and then moved to advanced techniques to use the aura the technique produced as a weapon itself.
“Alright, that’s it. I’ve taught you everything I know. Now it’s up to you to work on it and improve your skills. You’ve already made remarkable progress. I’ve never seen anyone learn skills as quickly as you do.”
“What can I say, I’ve got a gift. By the way, I’ve been so busy training and trying to survive your trial that I almost forgot about something. Don’t I owe you something, like a fee for training me or lost wages for all this time you’ve been here with me?”
Dom snorted in amusement. “Kid, I’m not your teacher, I’m your Master. When I find someone that can be my disciple, I don’t take money for it. And as for lost wages, that’s not your problem. Besides, I have more than enough money saved up. Now, on to the more important matters. Since you finished training with me, you’ve officially graduated as a member of the Crimson Hellfire school of fighting. As such, you’re entitled to two things. The first is the mark of your graduation. Sit down.”
He brought over a long needle and a small well of red ink. The needle appeared to be hollow, and had a small opening at the tip. The top of the needle flared out into a small funnel shape. Dom activated Crimson Hellfire technique and channeled his aura into both the needle and the ink.
He pressed the needle into Warren’s left cheek, until the tiny hole near the tip was just under the skin. After doing so, he tilted the inkwell and poured a good amount of the aura enhanced ink into the needle, and let it flow beneath Warren’s skin. Warren felt it burn slightly as the ink moved under his skin and dispersed in a certain pattern.
Dom held up a small mirror so Warren could see the result. There was a tattoo over his cheek that was identical to the one on Dom. “There, now anyone that sees that will know what technique you use. Now for the second item.” He went back to the table he got the needle and ink from, and brought over a small book bound in red leather, and a small booklet.
“This is a copy of writings left behind by the original founder of the technique. In it is everything you need to know about the technique and even some aspects of the technique that even I haven’t been able to learn. Inside the booklet is everything you need to know about how to pass the technique on. Memorize that and then burn it. It’s not only to keep our secrets safe, but to prevent fools from trying to learn it and getting themselves killed.”
Warren then looked through the booklet and memorized its contents in under two minutes. He then took another two minutes to make sure it was locked firmly in his mind. “Alright, it’s memorized.”
“That was fast, but I guess that’s what I should expect from you.” He took the booklet from Warren and lit it on fire by a small brazier. “That’s pretty much everything. Unlike other schools, our teachings are rather fast and the actual training of the skills is done individually. You can always come to me if there’s something you need help with, but on the whole, you should be fine by yourself.”
“Dom, thank you for teaching this to me. I won’t misuse it or let you down.”
“I know you won’t. And besides, since we’re in the same guild I can keep an eye on you. I’ll see you there.”
“Yeah, well I won’t see you for another sixteen days. I’ve got that time to work on improving my strength.”
“Alright then, I’ll see you then.” After a hearty handshake, Warren left the underground dungeon-training area.
When he got outside, he squinted against the bright sunlight. It had been a little over two weeks since he had been outside.
How are you feeling?
Pretty good, all things considering. I haven’t heard from you in a while.
I kept away so I wouldn’t disturb you. And what did I tell you? You successfully learned the technique.
Well, it wasn’t easy…I even thought about giving up at one point…
It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Feeling what you felt was very natural. You were thrown into this world having no idea how it worked or really how to get by. Everything was new and strange, and you couldn’t help but feel all alone.[ b]
I thought you said you stayed away so as not to distract me.
[b]I did, but I always know what you’re feeling. I know that you fought through the trial because of duty and obligation, but that’s not all you have to live for. You have a new friend in Dom, and even if you didn’t, you’ll always have me.
Thanks.
You sound like you’re crying.
You’re mistaken. A-anyway, the warrior aspect of my class is taken care of, so I thought you might have some ideas about the mage part of it too.
Actually I do. This time you don’t need an instructor since there’s only one way that mages can fight. For now head West.
Warren did as she asked. On the way, he used his remaining life energy to heal whatever wounds remained on his body, and replenished it from the flora around him. Eventually he came to stand before a pond.
So what am I supposed to do here?
You need to learn about the essence of the four main elements. Earth, air, water and fire are the closest thing in the real world to the four basic types of Mana.
What about light and darkness?
Those are two elements that you don’t need to worry about right now. I won’t even go into how erroneously they’re named. They are certainly essential and flexible elements, but you won’t be able to use them until you reach a Wizard’s level of ability, and for that you’ll need a teacher. For now these four are enough. For now, I want you to feel the earth and know it in its entirety. Once you understand that, then you can understand the other elements as well.
He did as she asked. He reached into the ground and dug out the grass to reveal the dark, loamy soil. He used all his senses to see, feel, smell, and taste the earth. And from all that, what he learned was…that soil tasted pretty bad.
This isn’t working, I’m not getting anywhere.
That’s because you still haven’t realized the essential truth about the earth element. I told you that the physical earth is just the closest thing in the world to the earth element. You still need to understand what it actually represents.
That’s really helpful. He had been at this for an hour, so he was understandably annoyed. Alright, earth. What does it represent? Life, plants, what? It’s brown, it’s heavy, and it has a strange, not unpleasant smell. But that’s probably all useless. It’s just a metaphor for something else, so I should think of a concept or an idea instead. What concept lies behind dirt, and sand, and stone? Solidity. Of course, earth, air, water, and fire are representations of a solid, liquid, gas, and…energy!
I knew you’d get it.
You know you could have just told me this to begin with.
Something that you don’t work for has no real meaning. Anyway, now that you have a deeper understanding of the four basic elements, it’s time for you to put it into practice.
For the next two weeks, all he did was practice using magic and his Crimson Hellfire technique simultaneously. The Crimson Hellfire technique only took a small amount of Mana to activate anyway, so it didn’t drain his Mana pool significantly.
As the days ticked by, eventually the last two weeks were up. It came as a huge relief to Warren. He had set up a back-breaking training schedule for himself. It was only thanks to his life-draining skill that he recovered after every train session so he could get back up for the next one. Unfortunately this also resulted in the area around him becoming a barren wasteland.
After today, you can finally be part of the guild.
I know, I should probably get my information updated before I go back. So, do you have anything I need to do once I get into the guild?
No, just do what you need to do. I’ll be searching for information about Kiyalah and her plans.
When Warren went back to the office of the National Guilds Association, he was feeling pretty confident. After all, he had trained hard in the Crimson Hellfire style of the Heavenly Fire technique, as well as raising his magical skills. He was even able to improve his physical conditioning as well.
“You’re back so soon? And what do you want now?” The woman that had gotten him his license was still there at the counter. Obviously it was a little strange for someone to come back so soon after they got their license.
“I need to update my information. It’s through the same door right?” She nodded and waved him through.
This time around, the process was still almost identical to the first. The only difference was that it seemed to be a little bit more intensive and longer, so as to measure his newly acquired skills. After a while he finished the entire testing process and left the room.
“So I’ve finished. Is there anything else I need to do?”
“Nope, that’s it. Though I should tell you, most people only come to update their information once every year or every six months.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.”
Since he was all done with that, he thought it would be a good idea to go to the guild. He still had until tomorrow until his probationary status officially started, but he thought he might as well pop in anyway.
When he got there, he saw that the same brunette woman was at the receptionist’s desk. He believed her name was Nyssa. “Hello again, is the guild leader available?”
“Why yes he is. You can make your way up; I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
“Thanks.” Once again, he walked towards the staircase and began climbing up. When he arrived at the doors to Horatio’s office, he took a deep breath and walked in. He had to admit that he was a little nervous as to whether or not all that training paid off or not.
“Warren,” Horatio welcomed warmly. “You’re here a bit earlier than I expected. Ah no matter. One day won’t make that much of a difference. Since you’re here I’m assuming you trained yourself up as well as you could during the time you had.” Suddenly, his face froze. “That mark on your face, could that mean…? Were you trained by Dom?!”
Warren shrugged embarrassedly. “Yeah, I have to say I was quite lucky.”
“This is excellent news. To have two members of the Crimson Hellfire style in my guild is a great blessing. Come now; show me how strong you got.” Warren walked over and put his arm out to the large crystal that initially took his information in.
Name: Warren Fuller
ID# 359830492
Class: Combat
Specialization: Warrior + Mage
Official Rank: C
Combat Experience: H
Warrior Abilities/Skills
Sword Technique: B
Physical Conditioning: B
Heavenly Fire Technique: A
Mage Abilities/Skills
Mana Control and Technique: B
Fire Element Proficiency: B
Earth Element Proficiency: B
Water Element Proficiency: C
Air Element Proficiency: B
Light Element Proficiency: H
Darkness Element Proficiency: H
Magical Power: A
Horatio stood there, mouth agape as he took in the astronomical rise in power that Warren exhibited. He then shook his head and laughed. “I must be remembering things wrong. For a moment I was sure that you went from being rank G to rank C in the span of a month. Which is ridiculous of course…”
“Yep, ridiculous,” Warren laughed weakly. “So is this enough to let me start the probationary period?”
“Hmmm? Oh, of course. Welcome aboard Warren. I’ll gather everyone to come meet you tomorrow. Just be here in the morning. Oh and by the way, take this.” He gave over a chain with a large blue crystal hanging off of it, and a folded sheet of paper. “It’s a communication device for our guild. The paper will tell you how to use it properly. Now, you must have worked hard this past month, so you should go home and get some rest. Come back rested and refreshed tomorrow.”
Warren laughed. “That sounds like a great idea.”
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After Warren left the guild to go back home, the guild leader was left alone to think. I’ m sure he started out at G…or maybe it was D. It must be D…Oh god, is this what it feels like to go senile? I need a vacation.