"Master, how could this happen?!" Aun greeted me with an outcry, full of indignation, as soon as I crossed the house's threshold. "Your grand finale is tomorrow, well, today actually, and you come home with only about four hours till dawn at most! What about resting and getting a good night's sleep before the challenging fight?!" He stepped closer to me, sniffed, and snorted loudly, "Master, how much did you drink?!"
"Aren't you sleeping?" Brushing off the lad with my shoulder, I let his words go in one ear and out the other and walked into the house. "Well, if you're not sleepy either, boil some water and make berry compote."
"Yes, of course." The boy was quick to react. "Take off your shirt - I'll hang it to dry. You're all wet!"
He hadn't seen the cloak that I had discarded when leaving the slum district; now that was truly wet, and compared to it, the rest of my clothes were quite dry. But I had no desire whatsoever to argue with Aun about it. So, taking off my shirt, I handed it to the lad and wrapped myself in the blanket the young man had passed me. The rain had already stopped, so I went to the atrium and settled into my beloved wicker chair. I tilted my head back, stretched as much as I could, and smiled at the Night Sister peeking out from behind the clouds.
Starting a fire in the hearth, Aun looked at me carefully:
"Master, you seem to be in a good mood. No, it's more than that. It's as if a burden has been lifted from your soul. The past few days, there was a darkness in your eyes, like swamp muck. And no, that darkness wasn't from fatigue. It was as if something was gnawing at you from the inside. That's gone now, and your gaze is clear."
I struggle for a few moments with the temptation to tell the boy everything, but this obsession quickly fades, and I brush him off with a minor lie:
"I took a long walk in the night rain, and that rain cleansed me."
"Uncle Wan always told me that the best meditation - rain meditation, that the water falling from the heavens helps wash away fatigue and the sorrows of your soul." I feel awkward about the lad believing me, but I hide this awkwardness behind a deep yawn. "You need to sleep!" Aun adds with certainty in his voice, "Of course, first have some hot drink, then sleep."
"No." I shock the lad, after which I explain more fully, "I'm not going to bed today."
"But… why?"
"Firstly, one sleepless night won't affect my physical form." I put my hands behind my head and closed my eyes. "Secondly, I need to meditate for at least an hour. And thirdly… do you know what Core Overflow is?"
"Core Overflow?" Aun scratched his chin and then nodded, "I know."
"So, I have exactly that right now. And if I fall asleep, the 'excessive' energy of Core growth will just dissipate. And the toad is choking me!"[1]
"What is choking?" The boy didn't understand me.
Laughing, I described to him the meaning of this metaphor. After listening to the explanation, the young man nodded and said very seriously:
"But even during wakefulness, isn't the excess energy of the Core dispersed by itself?"
"It does disperse, but not that fast, and this leakage can be reduced through meditation."
"So you want to achieve Elevation right after the grand finale." The boy said. "And if you do it with the Overflow effect, your Core will be much stronger!" But then fear flashed in his eyes. "But! Master! Elevation with Overflow greatly increases the risk of being left in the Void!! Master, you are already strong, you don't need to take such risks!"
I'm not sure whether his touching concern for me is more irritating or endearing.
"Such doesn't threaten me." I wave off the boy's objections.
Only Aun didn't calm down. On the contrary, he fell to his knees, pressed his forehead to the ground, and stretched out his hands.
"Hear me out, unworthy as I am!" In his characteristic manner of a radio announcer reading an advertising block, the young man rattled off without raising his head. "I've read a lot and heard a lot of teachings, I didn't fall asleep like other children during priestly sermons. Master, nothing else has destroyed as many of the best and worthy as the desire to become stronger and ignoring the risks. Even the monsters in the dungeons and the wars have not taken as many lives as pride has ruined! Please do not undergo Elevation under Overflow. Master, I beg you!"
The last argument is, of course, quite an exaggeration, but I was impressed by his speech. More precisely, not so much by what was said as by the boy's genuine fear for my life.
"Get up." The lad remained motionless, and I added, "Your water is boiling." This got through to him; he jumped to his feet and rushed to the kettle. "Calm down. When I said that I don't face the risk of Getting Lost in the Void during Elevation, it wasn't pride. It was a statement of fact. Consider that I have a sort of hereditary trait that makes me unafraid of such an outcome."
"Really?" The boy squinted at me as he poured dried berries into the boiling water. "A hereditary ability?"
"Not quite hereditary, but very similar."
"You won't lie to me just to calm me down, will you? You won't, will you?"
"In this matter - I won't," I reply, barely suppressing laughter, keeping calm in my voice. "Now go to sleep. I'll watch over the compote."
"I can also stay awake for a day without any consequences!" The young man grumbled proudly, lifting his nose in the air. "I'll finish the compote, and then I'll start training. I feel like I've felt something, and soon I'll be able to cast 'Blade of Wind'."
He "will be able"? He's already used it! When he leaped forward, covering with his body what he thought was a defenseless old man. Then he swung the dagger, fell short, but still left a bloody trail on the face of the warrior of Steel. However, at that time, he performed the technique intuitively, and now he's trying to master it consciously. So, let him train, it definitely won't be superfluous, especially with his talents.
After drinking a full mug of hot berry compote, I "melted" into the armchair and, asking Aun not to disturb me, plunged into meditation. Diving into myself, the first thing I did was to erect a virtual wall around the Core. Such a simple mental visualization technique was very good at holding back a small outflow of Core growth energy during minor and medium Overflow. Having completed the "construction" of this imaginary barrier, I turned my attention to the Core itself.
The first thing that intrigued me was the "Gaze of Kamo." The "past me" received such an achievement for eliminating a traitor who had betrayed a group of mages-theoreticians, but then it was not Ruby, but Mithril rank, reflecting the complexity of the task. And when "I" took a wrong turn and focused on avenging the questers, the achievement faded and stopped giving bonuses. Now, however, its Ruby-level entry allowed better discernment of others' lies. Unfortunately, this Achievement was not quite a full-blown "lie detector," but it could still be helpful, and someday it could save me from major trouble. But this entry also scared me a bit. From the "Gaze of Kamo," it's one step to the "Blade of Retribution," and that Achievement is within reach of Affinity with the Law. And with these two origins - Law and Chaos - which were even more fundamental than Light and Darkness, I didn't want to have anything to do at all. Yes, the opportunities that Affinity with Law provides are incredible. But this Affinity also imposes substantial restrictions on its possessor! In fact, it is not just "substantial" but as fundamental as the origin itself. And I had my hands full with the conflict of Shadow and Light already. Having promised myself to be more careful with "vengeance as retribution," I shifted my focus to the next entry: "Your blade is yourself."
Even though my victory over Paravi Malik looked epic from the stands, it clearly did not compare in terms of complexity, danger, and legendary status with the "Pure Palm of Five Empty Fingers." And yet, the color of this entry was the same as the "Pure Palm" - adamantium.
Entries on the Core are not made in the common language of Ain but in divine speech. These are not exactly letters, hieroglyphs, or even runes, and these are also not words or sentences - these are Concepts. And into familiar words, we transform these entries ourselves - at the level of our understanding. Therefore, the longer you "look" at the Entries on your Core, the more you understand them if, of course, you are capable of understanding the embedded Meaning. Because, as it sometimes happens, human reason is not always enough for this.
Immersed in deep meditation, I examined the adamantine record on the Core. Gradually, an understanding grew in me that the value of the act itself, victory over someone nominally equal with my hair, is not worth more than mithril. But because I was the first in all of Ain's history to do something like this, my record was etched not in mithril but adamantium. Anyone who wants to repeat my feat will not receive the Achievement "Your blade is yourself." They will be granted a weaker Achievement. This distinguishes "Your Blade" from "Pure Palm of Five Empty Fingers" in that the latter is awarded for a feat worthy of a true hero in itself. It doesn't matter if you were the first, the second, or even the hundredth to perform it. It doesn't matter! Anyone who can meet all the necessary conditions will receive a "Pure Palm."
Studying the Achievement "Your blade is yourself" prompted me to take a closer look at the adamantium record "Understanding the Hidden" that I received back on Gnur. I delved into its study, and only after an hour of unsuccessful attempts to realize what this record carries, I suddenly understood... That I was granted this Achievement not for guessing that I couldn't look for detours to complete the motto task. Even then, it seemed too small for an Adamantium Achievement, but only now did it dawn on me why it was awarded. It was given to me, in totality, for an overall understanding of what was happening, which would have been impossible without the "memory of the future." In essence, "Understanding the Hidden" is the result of the actions of "past me," not "current me." And from the height of this understanding, this record and its adamantine shine no longer seem to be given for some small thing. "Current me" can have any attitude towards what "past me" did. But I do not doubt for a second that killing a quester warrants an Adamantium Achievement. It was the echo of that feat, expressed in the "memory of the future" and my acceptance of these memories, that ultimately transformed into the Achievement of the Adamantium Step "Understanding the Hidden."
Having superficially dealt with this question, I focused my attention on the new bonus, on the "Adamantium Body." This was a natural progression of the previous reward, the same thing but slightly better. But it had some differences from a simple improvement of the "Mithril Body." The new enhancement developed not so much physical parameters as it improved energy, strengthening and expanding energy channels. Moreover, the main, if you can say so, "package of improvements" concerned the connectivity of the Core with the rest of the body's energy structure. The new body restructuring allowed for better, more precise manipulation of subtle energies, and this nuance apparently improved abilities in Mental magic. It's like improving a person's hearing to perfection, and they will inevitably become better at understanding music - nature leaves no other choice.
"Adamantium Body" is also likely to facilitate passing through the Spiral Gates or, as they say on the west of the continent, overcoming Barriers or Borders. It's not for naught that the fifteen ranks of the Spiral of the Great Path are divided into three coils: metal, precious, and legendary, also known as heroic. Each Coil is separated from the others for a very particular reason. If within each Coil, Elevation is achieved by rebuilding the Core and, as a consequence, increasing its energy, the transition between Coils is more complicated. The human body, strengthened by a new energy structure, can still withstand and operate at speeds available to the metallic Coil, but under the influence of energies of the precious Coil, it will not stand. So, to transition from Wootz to Opal, you have to not only rebuild the Core to the corresponding energy level but also adjust your body. As the locals say, undergo Tempering, preparing the body to work with new possibilities. For the inhabitants of Ain, this is not the easiest process, and the First Precious Gates of the Spiral of the Great Path remain fundamentally insurmountable for many. A person can be talented and persistent. They can easily pass through the Elevation ranks. But if their body doesn't withstand the Tempering, no matter how many Achievements the person receives, no matter how much growth energy they pour into their Core, they will not ascend to the Precious Coil. And if they somehow bypass the prohibition and still cross the First Border without Tempering, their unprepared body will turn to ashes and dust, unable to withstand the strain of new energies.
For earthlings, crossing the Borders of the Coils is much easier than for locals. We are capable of stepping over the First Barrier almost without noticing it. The bonus of the "Mithril Body," given to all earthlings, easily replaces the initial Tempering. The Barrier of the Legendary Coil is also not so difficult for us, although, in the Last Cycle, I did hang on this Border for about a month. Or, more precisely, by local standards, "only for a month," as even the majority of the most talented and genius locals spend years, or even decades, on the Second Tempering. "Adamantium Body," obtained by me for the Achievement "Your blade is yourself," will make my passage through the Heroic Gates of the Spiral of the Great Path a walk in the park. And that's good; it will save at least three weeks. A whole three weeks!
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
On this cheerful note, I relaxed my focus but did not come out of meditation so as not to destroy the barrier holding the escaping energy out. My thoughts floated, concentrating on nothing, and my inner gaze just glided over the Core. This went on for quite a while - until one idea, appearing like a small splinter, forced me to reflect.
The situation turned out that, at this moment, the most developed by the Stars of Talent in Magic I had was Mental. A whole three and a half Stars in it! And that's a lot. And if I spend the bonus from the Achievement "Movement Against" granted to me for passing the third individual task on the development of this magic[2], then in about half a year or, at worst, in nine months, I will be able to bring this Talent to full-fledged Four Stars!
Mental Magic... In some ways, it resembles Illusions. In the sense that there are no template spells like "Discharge" or "Blade of Wind." Every influence of Mental is unique in its own way. Like the drawing of Illusion that you redraw every time instead of running energy through a template, as in the case with something like "Fireball." To become a master in this section of magical arts, it's not enough to deftly weave streams of mana and prana. Even the best weaves will be useless if you don't understand psychology, at least on an intuitive level. A Mental mage must understand what he wants to "press," what he wants to "plant" into the opponent's mind. And since all people are different, what affects one person might not touch another at all. Of course, in Mental magic, there were general practices, but it was truly terrifying for its "individual approach." This is when the master first studies his victim, and then, with a few pinpoint effects, they can make even a great warrior dance to their tune.
In Ain, Mental mages are not loved, like the same Oma Ai, and for a good reason. They are dangerous and are considered one of the most challenging opponents at any rank. In the Last Cycle, having received such a high Star of Talent in this magic so early, I would have undoubtedly started studying it without the slightest scruples. But now I didn't know what to do. The main drawback of Mental for me is that this magic is almost useless against demons. In opposition to them, it loses four-fifths of its abilities. The brains of demonic creatures apparently work differently than humans', and no one, as far as the "past me" knew, was able to influence them with Mental effectively. The thought flashed to use Mental to push earthlings to conclusions I needed, but I had to reject this idea as well. Very soon, in less than half a year, most of the earthlings will start to unite around the Shards. So, to influence the opinion of my compatriots, I would have to brainwash Katashi, Arien, Nate, Dice. And that's a problem. Mental magic hardly works on Shards; they seem to have a built-in immunity to it.
So it turns out that the branch of magic to which I am most predisposed at the moment is almost useless for me. No, if I had ten years to spare, I would certainly have delved into the study of this type of magical art. But I didn't have those ten years, so in the current reality, spending time on Mental meant taking it away from something else, something that would be much more useful in the upcoming War, such as Illusion Magic or Runes. And soon, when Arien unravels the mystery of the ritual of Magevra, I will be able to raise my talent in Lightning Magic to a full four Stars, so I will have something to study and strive to understand besides Mental. Of course, if I manage to master a few mental tricks on the go, I won't refuse such an opportunity. But I still won't specifically seek a teacher of this magic. It's a pity, of course, to bury such a three-and-a-half-star Talent in the ground, but harsh reality and the extreme deficit of time remaining until the Invasion leave me no other choice.
However, I won't exactly "bury" it! Even now, I feel that meditative practices come much easier to me than before. The "past me" would have required full concentration to maintain a virtual barrier around the Core. But now, I am able to hold this wall and think about abstract topics. This change is likely due to the raise of the Talent star in the Mental. If that's the case, then my multitasking has improved; at least, I can support a rather complex meditative practice in the background, something I wasn't capable of before. If I'm correct, then maintaining Auras will now be easier. A good and handy bonus.
Interesting. Does this mean that the quality and quantity of Auras supported by a person are determined by the Talent in the Mental? Why not? It would even be logically consistent. It's intriguing: it turns out that Ilona, who quickly learned to maintain several Auras at once, has at least three Talent stars in Mental magic if not all four, as she did it so easily. If fate brings us together again, I'll need to clarify this detail, and her answer will either destroy or confirm my theory.
Thoughts of Ilona brought memories of the time spent in Unudo. Even though I stayed on this island for a very short time, it left a mark on my soul. Miranda, Ilona, Flabius, and, of course, Sheriff Ender - each of these people, without realizing it, did a lot for me. They helped me get through the hardest first days in Ain and remain a human. To remain an individual and not become a function with only a goal and nothing more. For some reason, I still feel that if I turn into a semblance of my past self, into an extremely functional being for whom there is only a goal, then I face utter failure. This belief has no rational basis, and I don't know its true nature. Is it a banal self-preservation instinct? Maybe so, but I will try to remain a human to the end. And only if fate leaves me no other choice, only then will I...
"Master," a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts, "I remember that you asked not to be disturbed, but the sun has risen an hour ago."
Before surfacing from meditation, I established the support of the barrier around the Core, as I used to do with Auras. Previously, I couldn't have done this; it would have required too much attention and would have inevitably affected everything else. But now, this process seemed to work in "background mode," which required almost no effort to maintain.
"What's the noise in the street?" Opening my eyes, I asked, looking towards the entrance.
"Guards." Aun shrugged.
"What do they want?"
"They say they were sent to escort you to the Arena."
I see; apparently, Oma Ai decided to cover her bases again.
"Breakfast?" Aun offered.
"I'll pass, but pour me more of the cold compote."
The young lad looked energetic, as if he hadn't engaged in vigorous training the whole night, but then again, I also felt splendid. Having completed my warm-up, I eyed the candle standing in the corner of the atrium. The stripes on the wax had become clearer and deeper compared to yesterday. I gave the boy a sign of approval, causing him to blush, then changed into my now-dried clothes and headed for the exit.
"Good morning, senior option." I greeted the familiar guard officer with a smile as soon as I crossed the threshold.
"And a good morning to you," replied none other than Kim Chhong, more out of formality, with a discontented look on his face.
Recalling the officer's last name, I involuntarily tensed up – was he a relative of the fleet captain I killed last night? Families in Tries can be large, and there are easily three dozen people carrying the same surname, Duan, as Aun.
"Believe me, guest Raven, I'm not particularly pleased to see you either," the senior option somehow misinterpreted my facial expression change. "So, let's make everything as simple as possible. My squad and I will escort you to the Arena without any incidents and in silence, and then we will part ways."
"In silence?" I smiled. "Agreed."
There was nothing to worry about, and he was not here because of the nighttime incident but indeed to escort me to the Arena, nothing more. I walked to the middle of the street, Aun joined half a step behind me, and the guards encircled us in a ceremonial "box."
Being at the center of the security perimeter made me feel a bit uneasy, but Aun, on the other hand, seemed to be literally glowing with boyish smugness. Perhaps, at this moment, he fancied himself a commander making a triumphant entry into a city, who knows? But the lad indeed looked incredibly pleased.
Our entire quarter, led by the baker, came out to see me off. I suppose many of Aun's neighbors will be in the stands today, rooting for me.
When our small procession entered one of the main streets, I noticed that most passersby were not merely staring at me but were observing my new hairstyle with great interest. Apparently, many were genuinely curious about how I would "fix" my cut-off braid. And, judging by the surprise and sometimes delight in the eyes of passersby, my new haircut made no less of an impression than the previous one. Still... I do miss my braid.
As Kim Chhong promised, we walked through the city in a complete, and one might even say haughty, silence. Only when we approached the central square did this silence shatter as Aun waved to someone and loudly greeted them. I followed his gaze and noticed Master Song and his wife, Tkhengin, standing by the fountain. Our eyes met, and without any prior agreement, we simultaneously bowed to each other. The barber could see the looks people were casting at my hairstyle, and his face literally shone with triumph. Or maybe his good mood was due to the fact that yesterday, like me, he was Bronze, and now I can clearly see a mark of Steel above him. My current hairstyle is indeed a masterpiece by local standards, so his new rank is well deserved, and I am genuinely glad that Ain appreciated the hairdresser's work with such a weighty Achievement. My bow did not go unnoticed, and dozens of curious glances converged on the maestro of comb and scissors. I believe that Master Song will never be short of clients now. And this is good. As Katashi used to say, "To each according to his labor!"
As soon as we climbed up the big stairs, Kim Chhong handed me over to the guards of the Alchemists' Guild with what seemed to me considerable relief, and then he hastily withdrew with his people. As usual, I was escorted to the preparation room, where I changed into clean, obviously recently laundered tournament clothes and left all my artifacts for safekeeping. After that, Aun was asked to go to the stands, and they started instructing me about the regulations.
Like yesterday, today's tournament day started with a big auction organized by the Alchemists' Guild for their own benefit. The only difference was that they took me, like the other grand finalists, out onto the sand, seated us in different parts of the Arena, and forced us to watch the whole thing. However, I was not too opposed; I just closed my eyes and focused on maintaining the barrier around the Core. The noise bothered me little, let alone other people's glances.
The auction lasted almost an hour and a half, and after it, the performance of the bards and harpists began. As has happened before, commissioned performers read poems or sang songs dedicated to the finalists' path to the grand final. According to the draw, the first to perform was a skald who loudly recited poems about Laore Tempai's battles. After him, a young but clearly gifted harpist sang a poetic song dedicated to the mask of the "Rising Dragon" school. The third to perform was a bard, already familiar to me, who seemed tired of his profession and listlessly plucked the strings of his lute. Formally, his performance about my battles fit all the canons of heroic songs, and if you've heard at least a couple of such, you could say you've heard them all. This rendition was so permeated with insincerity and boredom that even the simplest spectators, sitting in the middle rows, began to yawn openly. If I weren't meditating, I might have gotten a little angry about such a miserable poetization of my battles. But formally, the bard sang everything according to the classical canons, and the stewards were pleased with his performance.
But soon, everyone was in for a big surprise. Almost lulling everyone with his mournful songs, the bard took a short break before starting a new song dedicated to the bronze final. He stood up from his place, stretched his legs, then put his boot on the stool and struck the strings powerfully. Those spectators who had managed to doze off woke up immediately. His new song was drastically different from what he had been singing before. It wasn't even remotely a heroic epic. Rather, it was a rollicking tavern song. Cheerful, boisterous, almost bordering on vulgarity, it was the kind of song you'd hear from the lips of drunken sailors, not from a respected bard. At first, I didn't even realize that the song was about me. It was a spirited verse set to a lively melody that didn't tell the story of the Alchemists' Guild's Bronze final but of a drunken brawl between a weary raven and a cunning fox. For a minute and a half, the organizers didn't know what to do, but then it was too late. Because when the bard started singing the chorus for the second time, he was joined by several hundred throats. When the chorus went around again, it was shouted by all the front rows. And when the bard sang the final verse and finished his performance with the chorus again, the last lines of the song were bellowed by virtually all the stands, except perhaps for the VIP boxes. Tens of thousands of people sang, or rather shouted at the top of their lungs:
"And the raven spanked her, spanked her with his severed wing!.. And spanked her, and spanked her with his severed wing!"
Alas, I am not a harpist, and I couldn't rhyme these lines in my native language, but it sounded spirited and harmonious in universal Ain. And considering that the chosen word "spanked" was often used locally with a sexual meaning, the song had an openly vulgar context. The bard had already left the sand, but the stands continued to shout the spirited chorus for almost ten more minutes. The lead steward first tried to call for silence, then gave up and waited for the audience's excitement to subside on its own.
Well, now Paravi Malik will have no life in Tries. The only option for her, as I see it, is to leave the city as soon as possible and never to return. Such clingy ditties are not forgotten. Did I feel sorry for the girl? No. She consciously risked her life by provoking me, and in response, she got her reputation killed. And I was completely satisfied with such a somewhat asymmetrical response to my cut-off braid.
Upon completion of the bardic performances, an entire delegation of priests came out onto the sand. Under the canonical recitatives of sacred texts, they depicted the Primordial Tree on the arena's sand with their bare feet. And then, taking each of the grand finalists by the hands, they led us through all the bends of its branches and took us to the very roots, where we drank the ritual potion that temporarily blocked our access to the Core's energy. After this, we were taken to different parts of the arena, where the final verse of the ritual was read over each of us individually, and a question was asked:
"Raven from Seattle, do you accept the Great Tree?"
"I accept," I replied.
No sooner had these words been uttered than an incredible weight fell upon my shoulders. It was as if all the air was violently squeezed out of my lungs. I suddenly became an incredible weakling, unable even to hold a spear, or as if I landed on a planet with gravity at least twice that of Earth's. In reality, the world around me hadn't changed, and my body remained the same; it was just that it had lost the support of the Core and had become ordinary, just like it was on Earth. And getting used to this was not as easy as it might seem at first glance.
Shaking my head in annoyance, I leaned on the spear shaft and took a step forward.
The grand final of the Alchemists' Guild tournament had begun.
[1] TLN: In short, he feels greedy. See the explanation at the end of https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/chapter/1257836
[2] TLN: "An achievement that gives the ability to focus on a particular skill, talent, or profession and develop it twice as fast." It wasn't clear from the initial description in the first volume, but it can be used only once, which is why Raven didn't use it.