chapter 2

Passing the gates of the village of norastir i half expected a dwarven village to

be made entirely of stone with great statues of heroes long past and works of art that would make

any human no matter who in awe of the great works of art usually associated with dwarfs in fantasy,however

as i walked further and further into town i was very surprised that it looked like a small town from a western.

no proper roads just mud and gravel,no works of art,simple building design i was half expecting after taking in the scenery for

a sheriff and a outlaw to be in the main street having a duel at sundown with tumble weeds roaming around but what

greeted me were happy faces of dwarves staggering around with mugs of beer in there hand with the occasional roar of

ammusment from a nearby tavern in town,i realized that this town is very laid back.

i walked just a bit further on and i spotted the lords mansion it was 3 times as big as all the other buildings, it was

positioned at the end of the main street,it had a big clock on it that indicated the time.

--1 oclock in the morning! ah no wonder most of the dwarves are in the tavern--

i walked closer to the lords mansion and looked at where i was staying for the night,it was a fairly large place

a bit bigger than the rest of the buildings here but still small in comparison to the lords mansion,i neared the door of the

supposed inn and saw a sign next to the door with a dwarf sleeping on a anvil with his hammer on the floor and some what looked

like nordic rune symbols on it,as i opened the door that was a bit small and ducked my head to enter i was shouted at by the

old lady behind the bar ."oi elf we don't like your kind ere,now get lost before i call the guards!"

--sigh she thinks im an elf--

"don't worry madam i am not an elf"

"ha thats the biggest lie i've ever eard ,and i've eard some big lies now get lost" she

replied with a look of amusement on her face

"it's true i am a human it's a new species to this world ah here" i said as i

remembered the proof of citezenship that was in my pocket,and took it out to give to the old dwarf.

"lemi see that" she said testily and snatched the small piece of metal out my hand to see it.

"ah" she muttered with a look of suprise on her face

"im terribly sorry for how i acted mr..."

"Black my name is Black"

"mr Black i hope you can forgive this old woman for how she acted"

"do not worry it is not a big issue"

--i guess i should get used to being mistaken for a elf seeing as how im pretty tall compared to a dwarf--

"now would you like a room mr Black"

"ah yes can i have one for one night"

--eh i'll just get a room for one night if i need to come back here then so be it--

"if you want food i can cook you something on the house as an apoligy but usually we only provide breakfast for our guests"

ah food i thought as my stomach made rumbling sounds.

"i'll take that as a yes then"

the old dwarf said and walked into the back room with a wry smile on her face,

after five minutes went by she came back out with a tray with two plates on it covered by a cloth and told me to

go up to my room ,as i walked up to the second floor the old lady shouted up.

"it's the last one on the right!"

after reaching my room i entered inside and was plesantly suprised by the clenliness of the room,i put the tray on the bed

and locked the door using the chain lock on the inside of the door.

--huh no lock on the outside i guess thats her way of saying don't leave your stuff here--

after eating the very delicios soup and cut of meat i layed in the bed that was

not big enough for me as the bottom of my legs dangled at the end of the bed,i organized the information i had collected

throughout the day and fell asleep.

after i woke up due to the knocking on the door of my room

"oi mr Black it's time for breakfast"

i heard the old dwarf lady shout through the door i quickly got up ,still wearing

my mage robes from the night before and unlocked the door

"i'll be right down" i said poking my head out from the door.

"oi mr black there's a bath out back if you need to clean up before breakfast"

--ah i think i know what she means--

i thought as i smelt myself and i did not like the smell ,after bathing with a bucket of water

which was a new experience for me i sat down on the bed and had breakfast.

--they should really make a dining area here i don't like eating on a bed--

after i put the empty bowl on the counter and the old dwarven woman gave me Arya's proof of citizenship

,i walked back into town this time all eyes were on me ,as i walked i heard whispers about me being

an elf and sigh'd,as i looked through the rest of the town i saw Arya's store

it was the same height as the rest of the buildings but instead of the colour of brown wood it was a clean white colour.

--ah so that's what she meant about it being the cleanist place here--

as i walked closer i noticed the shop next to Arya's was a blacksmith,i heard the

banging of hammers and the shouts of workmen as i walked past to get to Arya's shop.

as i neared the shop i saw the sign of a staff shooting electric,fire,water and wind out from it next to the door.

--of course she runs a magic store-- i sarcastically thought

as i opened the door and ducked under hearing a bell that

was attached to the door. "ah mr Black your here i hope you enjoyed your stay at the

inn,the one who runs it is my mother after all"

--ah no wonder the old lady looked suprised when i gave her Arya's citizenship--

"yes i did however the bed was a little small for my tastes"

sudden realization dawned on her face as she thought of the size of the bed

that was in the inn. "oh sorry about that since this town has only been here

for a short time we aren't exactly equiped do deal with other races"

--fair enough--

"so how long has this town been here then?"

"it's been here for around two years"

"so it's a fairly new town then?"

"yes after the war with the elves ended 2 years ago the dwarven leaders decided

to increase the ammount of land they had under there control so that the eventual

population boom after the war wouldn't cause mass starvation and overcrowding

it has been both succesful and unsuccesful this specific town was one of the first to be

founded for the project however the most recent one is 2 months old"

--huh that's probably the reason the dwarves don't like the elves but why was eren going to report to the elder if i was a dwarf--

"does the kingdom of dwarves have a presence above ground aswell?"

she looked a bit dejected at my question "sadly no after the war we lost our only foothold on the surface permafrost city and

were forced by the treaty to stay underground in this dungeon"

--wait what--

"this place is a dungeon?"

"of course this place is still the c rank dungeon of arctic beasts"

"how is this posible?" i asked wide eyed

"the dwarves were originaly from underground on the main continent,the third king of the dwarves told his 2nd son

to find a new land to birth a new dwarven kingdom you see at that point in time the dwarves of the main contenient were being annihilated

by a undead horde,and this was the last effort to keep the dwarven race from going extinct,they made a agreement with

the elves to help them settle a new land to the north after 7,000 dwarves and 3,000 elven escorts reached the north they found the

climate unforgiving but due to the sheer amount of dungeons containing magical beasts that where a source of food the dwarves settled

here in the far north far away from there homeland,the elves and dwarves lived in harmony for around 500 years until animosity arose

due to the assasination of a certain elf prince at the hands of a dwarven assasin,after that the dwarven leaders proposed to expand

certain low level dungeons so that in case of a civil war the dwarves had somewhere to go in times of need,once the project was finished

in this dungeon the powder keg exploded and a civil war erupted dwarves against elves neighbor against neighbor husband against wife"

i gulped at this part due to the serious tone she said it in.

"the dwarves had twice as many citizens as the elves,however very few had actual combat training due to the elves being the ones

we relied on to protect us from the dangers of the north,it was a massacre the dwarves lost every city that they had appart from permafrost

the only reason we didn't lose permafrost was because it was a centre of production and the population was mainly dwarven,we made a last stand

at permafrost but we were defeated once again,the elves proposed a peace treaty and in it the dwarves were forced to stay underground

and never re-emerge from the surface again"

--no wonder the dwarves hate the elves--

"but enough about the painful history of the dwarves come in and have a seat

let us discuss your race human was it im very interested in your race"

she said desperate to change the topic of conversation,she lead me into a back room

with a table and two chairs as i sat down i pondered on the thing's she said.

-- painfull history huh it seems the dwarves really don't like to talk about there defeat--

after we talked about the specifics about my race things like maximum age,culture

and the like we moved onto dicussing magic.

"so Black what is your specialty in magic i'd imagine that it would be cryomancy due to

your white robes but feel free to impress me" she said wryly smiling.

--wait the colour of the robe means which element you use--

"well im not actually very good at cryomancy magic i just got this robe before i came here because it has a cold resist enchantment"

i said holding the back of my neck feeling sheepish

"if thats the case what field of magic do you specialise in then?" she asked in

a curious tone

"well i use mana strings to help me load a crossbow due to the loss of my hand and imbue the crossbow bolt with mana to

make it explode on contact with a target"

"so you use mana similarly to a mage swordsman but i have never encountered someone who uses

mana and a crossbow very interesting"

"so ms Arya what field of magic do you specialise in?" i asked

"ah i use water and soul magic hence the blue robe" she said as she pointed to her blue robe

"soul magic?"

"soul magic is the use of the soul with mana,it is one of the most diverse fields of magic it can be used

for many different purposes such as making a blade of pure soul energy and mana

or imbuing a golem with a piece of your soul so that it becomes a part of you,or even searching a persons soul to see whether

they have commited any crimes like what i did before you entered town" she explained with pride in her voice.

--that magic type seems a little too op,but hey it's magic it's supposed to be op

maybie i should try and learn soul magic from her,hmmm seems a bit suspicious to ask to learn from

someone you only just met but i'll give it a try nothing ventured nothing gained is my mottow--

i looked her straight in the eyes and put on my best im very serious face and asked

"Ms Arya i would like to study the field of soul magic under your tutelage"

she looked at me suprise on her face for a few seconds until a small chuckle was heard

"very well but i must warn you before you become a practicioner of soul magic this type of magic will take a very large tole

on the psyche,it is not uncommon for practicioners to fall into madness or a mentaly impared state,i have witnessed many

mages fall into such madness after trying to become soul magic practitioners"

--gulp i may be biting off more than i can chew here--

"so, do you still wish to learn soul magic?" she asked in a very serious tone

--in for a penny in for a pound i guess--

"yes i do"

after i said those words my vision went black,i started to panic however i heard Arya's voice

"do not worry this is the first stage

to become a soul mage"

"what your not gonna ease me into it your just gunna dunk me into the deep end and hope i float?" i asked annoyed

at the suddeness of it all.

"hahahahaha of course not this trial will simply tell me whether you have the aptitude to become

a soul mage,it's sink or swim friend" she said as i imagined a massive smirk on her face

"okay okay,just tell me what to do in this place" i said giving in to her

"all you must do here is pull your soul from your body,don't worry this space is inside of your

mind so any damage will not affect you,if i was a cruel master i would make you do this while awake and if you failed you would

simply become mentaly impared,also should you fail here you may aswell give up on soul magic it is an inborn talent to feel one's

soul and manipulate it freely"

--there she goes again explianing thing i didn't ask about im thankful for the information but it's

a bit much at times anyway onto this soul manipulation business--

as i tried to feel my soul i imagined that it was similar to my mana pool but inside my head

instead of my body,after around 10 minutes i felt something moving i was interupted by Arya's voice.

"very well done usually it takes around two hours of concentraction

for even the most gifted in soul magic to feel there own soul, it

seems that your compatability for soul magic is incredible"

she said and i could tell that she had a massive grin by the way she talked.

"if i have a lot of talent in soul magic will it be difficult using other magics?"

i asked with curiosity

"hmmm it is possible but not very likely,you can use other types of magic already can't you?"

--well i did obtain that pyromancy skill while cooking that bear so i guess i shouldn't be worried about it--

"yes i can use pyromancy magic and as i have mentioned my mana string's"

"then there is nothing for you to worry about you may not be gifted with all the atributes of magic,but

usually a mage can use 2 or 3 kinds of magic"

--good to know at least i have something to look forward to after learning soul magic--

"now,i want you to manipulate your soul to exit your body" she said trying to get me to focus

"how,do i just grab it with my hand or do i have to force it to come out?"

"however you like,it does not matter"Arya said in a neutral tone

--very well then--

i reached for the back of my head with my right hand and imagined a mana string grabbing my soul,i pulled

very gently and gradually,eventually i felt the soul leave me and i pulled my hand with the mana string

attached in front of me so i could see what my soul looked like,it looked like a white sphere with glowing white flames coming off

the top with the mana string attached to my soul and hand it looked similar to a ballon.

--we all float down here-- i thought sarcastically

now that my soul was out of my body it felt like i was in two pieces,i felt cold

as if this dark place Arya put me in was going to swallow me,but as i looked at the soul

i felt reasured that it was there,it felt very weird but as i took a closer look at my

soul i noticed that a very thin membrane covered the soul.

"very well done,now that you have separated soul and body you may feel uncomfortable

but that should be the least of your problems when trying to learn soul magic,i'm

sure by now that you've noticed the membrane surrounding your soul that is what we

soul practitioners refer to unofficially as the soul hymen"

--what--

"wait wait wait so your telling me that my soul is basically a..a you know a"

"virgin soul"she said in a totaly serious way interupting me

"yea that"feeling very uncomfortable with the conversation i decided to ask what to do next

"now what do i do Arya?"

"i would like you to try and shrink the soul so that the membrane stay's intact but the soul

compresses down"

--okay let's do that--

i concentrated on my soul for around 20 minutes before i felt like my world was gradually getting smaller,

i looked at the soul inside of the membrane and it was very slowly shrinking.

--yes i've got it!--

"i've done it Arya now what do i do?"

"now you work on controlling the soul inside of the membrane,i want you to make the following

shapes a sword,a shield and then a cage,it may take a while for you to acomplish this but don't worry

an hour here is a minute in the real world so take your time,and be extra careful not to break the membrane

okay" she said putting enfasis on the last part.

"why what will happen if i break the membrane?"i asked with curiosity laced in my voice

"you remember those side effects that i told you about before you came here"

"yea"

"well that's what happens if you break the membrane and your not ready"

"oh"

"yea that's why im here to guide you through the steps, so make sure you complete all the shapes

before we move onto the next step"

--i have a bad feeling i know what the next step is--

after 4 hours of practice i managed to make all the shapes,the cage was the most difficult one

i spent 2 hours on it!.

"now that that is out of the way,i would like you to use your mana,and make a small hole in the membrane

with your mana string,make sure that it is very small only the size of your ring finger"

--i knew it sigh--

"also this is the dangerous part if you fail here you will either become a invalid or a madman, good luck!"

she said the last part in a cheery tone

"wait didn't you say that in here is a safe place to mess with my soul?"

"that was only the first step that was safe,if you did the first step awake you would collapse from pain

don't forget this is your actual soul we are using here"

"ah"

--alright let's get started then--

as i created a mana string to poke a hole in the membrane,Arya spoke once again

"once you make a hole in the membrane the soul will want to exit you must control

your soul so that it stays in the centre,it must not exit the membrain"

she said the last part very slowly and seriously.

i pushed the mana string through the hole and immedietly it was like a vaccume,the soul

began to move to the hole to escape but i held it in place,after the longest 3 minutes of my life

the vaccume finaly stoped."perfect now that you have finished that step have a break and we will move

onto the final step"

after 15 minutes i asked Arya what the final step is

"now what do i do?"

"oh it's quite simple really,you just manipulate your soul out of the hole into your head where it was originaly

once that's done you will wake up"

i did as she said,and as i made the soul enter my head it didn't stay there,the soul expanded until it filled my whole body

as that happened i very suddenly woke up.

"welcome back" Arya said with a grin on her face

as i was about to say good to be back i was interupted by the system

GAINED SKILL [SOUL MANIPULATION]

CLASS CHANGE BLAKE SMITH HAS BECOME A [SOUL MAGE] CONGRATULATIONS

GAINED TITLE [SOUL MANIPULATOR]

--huh class change i hope it's a better class than mage i mean.. it would have to,be to automatically

change it--

"status"i muttered under my breath

NAME:BLAKE SMITH

CLASS:SOUL MAGE

TITLES:[FIRST ARCTIC EXPLORER][SCHOLAR][EXTREME HUNTER]

[SOUL MANIPULATOR]

HP:165/165

MP:220/220

STATUS:HEALTHY/HANDLESS

ATTRIBUTES

STR:25

AGI:20

VIT:33

INT:34+(10)

WIS:23+(5)

CHA:8

LCK:12

UNASSIGNED POINTS:0

SKILLS:[COLD RESIST LVL 5][FEAR RESIST LVL 4][SURVIVOR LVL 4]

[MANA RESIST LVL 1][PAIN RESIST LVL 5][MANA MANIPULATION LVL 5]

[CRYOMANCY RESIST LVL 5][CRYOMANCY EMPOWERMENT][MANA STRING LVL 6]

[RAPID HEALING LVL 2][CROSSBOW MASTERY LOW LVL 5][MAN ENHANCED PERCEPTION LV 3]

[LIMITLESS STRENGTH LVL 2][SOUL MANIPULATION LVL 1][PYROMANCY LVL 1]

[UNBOUND SOUL]

"woah"i said accidentaly in awe of my new status

--now that is a big boost to my status all my attributes exept luck and charisma rose by 10 each,sweet but

what is this unbound soul skill, system?--

[UNBOUND SOUL] IS A SKILL THAT IS GAINED BY UNLOCKING THE TRUE HIDDEN POTENTIAL OF THE SOUL HAS INCREASED ALL

PHISICAL STATS BY +10 PERMENENTLY

--so basicaly because the is now free from the membrain it's now spreading everywhere in my body making me

stronger, awesome--

"ahem" snapped out of my thoughts by the sound i saw Arya looking

slightly annoyed at being ignored

"ah sorry i was absorbed in thought i didn't mean to ignore you"

--smooth Blake real smooth--

"very well i shall repeat myself, i've always wanted a brilliant disciple in soul magic now

that i have one i thought it might be good if you worked in my store whilst i taught you,so

that not only can you learn magic but earn a wage aswell,you don't expect me to pay for you

whilst you are here in norastir right, not only that but i will help you with your other magics

so that eventually we would be equals,and i would have a conversational partner to discuss magic

with and you would become a powerful mage with your talent it should only take a few years,

so what do you say Mr black would you accept my kind offer"

--wow that offer is really great i can't exactly see any negatives not only do i get money i learn

magic aswell--

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"where would i sleep here at the shop or at the inn"

"you would stay at the inn for free for around 3 months after that

you have to pay"

--so basically i live at the inn for free while earning money and learning magic--

"i accept your kind offer ms Arya"

"wonderful i look forward to your future development my student" she said with a grin

i responded in kind "and i look forward to your excellent guidance aswell teacher" i said with a large grin on my face

after i accepted Arya's offer we talked about the elven girl feila that arrived after me

"i was told by that girls guard that when she woke up she started panicing and trying to get out her cell

she managed to break her own fingers when she tried to escape due to the guard slamming the cell door on them"

--ouch that must have hurt,why was she so desperate to get out?--

"and so begins your first lesson you,will acompany me to see the girl to interogate her and heal

her broken fingers,it should be easy with your talent in soul magic so i will be your assistant.

while interogating her"

"master are the dwarves allowed to take elven prisoners?"

"not really but it isn't that big of a deal,if they can't see her they can't help her"

she said with a maniacal grin on her face.

--uh oh her sadistic side has shown itself--

"do you not like the elves master?"

"i do not hate them in fact i admire them ,there prowess in magic and

archery is enviable,and that's before i even mention that they

live incredably long lives ,the only reason i dislike the species

as a whole is there wholeharted devotion to there species,they will

sacrifice anything and everything if there leaders tell them to

,absolutely everything. she said the last part in a angry tone while she clenched her

fist so tight i saw her knuckles turn white.

--whoa,now that's some represed rage right there if i've ever seen it,

what the hell happened to her for that kind of reaction--

"master?" i saked in a concerned tone

"ah im fine,now let us depart for your first lesson" she said getting up from the chair

and walking towards the entrance of the store ,naturaly i followed her out.

as we walked towards the lords mansion Arya was bombarded with hello's and

how are you's by the other dwarves as we walked,after she finished talking with

the overly friendly populace we reached the lords

mansion,she spoke up about what occured on the street.

"if you haven't figured it out by now i'm one of the two mages in norastir

aswell as the only person who can heal injuries"

--ah no wonder the dwarves were so friendly to her--

we entered the lords mansion and it was the first door that i did not have to

duck to get in due to it being 2 meters tall,as we walked in there was a

sort of reception desk the dwarven girl behind it took one look at us and gestured

with her hand to go into the room on the right with the guard next to it ,as

we walked towards the door the guard started to look at me suspiciously but

Arya spoke in a gentle tone. "it's fine he's with me"

"but isn't he a elf?" the guard spoke in a gruff tone tensing up as if readying

himself for a fight.

"no he is not,he is a human and also my student,if you continue to show hostility

i will inform lord Oal that your days would be better spent as part of the Death

Team"

--Death team,that sounds like a happy place-- i thought sarcasticaly

the guard stutered and said "m..my apoligy's Ms mage please proceed with your student"

as he opened the door i saw that it lead downstairs with a set of wide stone stairs.

we got deeper and deeper and while we were descending i decided to ask Arya about the

death team she spoke of.

"so what's that death team stuff you were saying to that guard?"

"the death team is basically a military unit comprised of criminals

with combat experience,they take on suicide missions hence the name death team"

--no wonder that guard stutered when she brought it up--

"doesn't gathering criminals to perform suicide missions make them

want to escape even more,and how do the guards stop them from escaping?"

"there are no guards of the death team but thay have a collar on them

the collar acts as a restraint of sorts it not only kills them if they

break any dwarven laws but it can track were they are through there soul"

she said in a prideful tone

"you seem awfully happy about the death team master"

"of course i am i was once a member of it"

--huh,wait,hold up,what?--

"you were a member?"i asked wide eyed that my master just admited to being a criminal

"yes i was"

"then how are you free at the moment,did you escape"

"hahaha of course not in the death team once you finish 10 missions you go free

thought usually nobody makes it past the 5th mission,and very rarely do people

finish the 10th mission,i know of only 1 other person that finished his missions

and became a free man"

--damn i unsuspectidly chose a baddass for a teacher,lucky me i guess--

as we reached the bottom of the stairs it looked like a old medeival dungeon

very little light only torches placed on the wall outside of each cell,each cell

only contained a pair of chains on the wall and a bucket nothing else was there

exept the cries of a few prisoners from far away cells.

--now this is damn depressing--

as we walked we eventually saw a cell with a guard outside it,we greeted the guard and

asked him to open the cell door to let us in,he grabed the keys off of his belt and unlocked

the cell door with a click,he opened the cell and me and Arya went in

we saw feila crouched in the corner as we went inside the dark cell

Arya signaled for the guard to give us some alone time with feila

and he obliged,he walked presumably to check the other prisoners.

"who are you?" feila spoke in a dreary tone not even looking up to greet us

"i am Arya Thaast and this is my student mr Black"

as soon as Arya said my alieas she looked up sharply and her eyes

widened when she saw me

"i thought you were dead human" she spoke in a spiteful tone

--calm down blake just play it cool no need to strangle the life out of

a prisoner--

"to be honest i arived here in a better state than you elf,at least i wasn't

betrayed by my comrades beaten black and blue then tossed down that hole to die"

i said in a haughty voice

"tch" i heard her click her tounge at me

"i don't hear you deny it elf,so why did your own people turn against you?" i said in

a arrogant tone

--it's probably best to try and provoke her so she reveals something while frustrated

Arya's not interfearing so i think im doing the right thing--

"i need to get out of here,i need to get back to permafrost"she said in a annoyed tone

"answer my question elf,and maybie i'll let you out"

she looked like she was thinking about something for a few minutes,until Arya

broke the silence."if you refuse to answer the question of why you need to

get back and why your companions did what they did,my student will use

soul magic to make you talk,but be warned he is inexperienced and may leave

you as little more than a invalid if he goes through your memories"

--ah the fear tactics,but why do i have to be inexperienced ugh--

after hearing that feila very quickly made a decision

"fine i'll tell you" she said giving in

"i am the 3rd elven princess from royal blood,or i used to be

i was abandoned by the elven royal family after i was framed

for crime i did not commit,one of the elven elders

framed me,and now that most of the descendents of the king were

killed in the civil war by dwarven assasins"she paused to glare

at Arya but she remained unfazed by the elf's gaze

"the king has only one possible heir

now,my younger brother who is only 20

years old,i was going to return to the elven capital

after i managed to uncover evidince that the elder

had framed me,so that

i could stop that elder from controlling my younger brother

like a puppet,but as it was

my team's turn to hunt for food in the dungeon

i went with them,little did i know that the same

elder who framed me paid my team to kill

me,and now they have probably destroyed the evedence i had against him

luckaly my team was ignorant and did not kill me on the

surface,but tossed me down the hole,after beating me black and blue like you said"

--a elven princes huh,and one with a grudge it seems--

"interesting very interesting,Black stay with her for a minute

whilst i inform Oal about this development" Arya said as she opened the

door and left the cell.

"so are you really a human,or are you just a tall dwarf?"she spoke after Arya left

"no i truly am a human"

"oh so that means that the first impression you have of elves is a bad one then ?"

"whatever makes you say that,was it the part where the first time i meet your race

i was pushed into a hole and expected to die from the fall?" i say in a sarcastic tone

"i am truly sorry for my team's actions,but please do not judge all elves by the

actions of some,when you meet with others of your kind please do not make elves

out to be evil"

"ah you don't have to worry,in truth humans are worse than elves in that regard

and i do not wish to tell tall tales to the rest of my kind about the elves

i will only tell them the truth about what i have witnessed,and also your wise words"

--she seems rather friendly for a elf,i always pictured them as arrogant and prideful

well i guess she was in the begining,also it seems she thinks that im in contact with

other humans,boy if she could just see what i've been through whilst i've been here--

after a few minutes of conversasion about human and elven cultures

Arya came back with Oal in tow.

"well well well,getting a bit friendly with the elven princess are we black"

Oal said with a smirk on his face

"not particularly,we were just having a cultural exchange of sorts"

i responded with a calm tone

"hahahaha of course of course,now princess please come with me to my office

so that we may discuss your return to the surface"

Oal said in a happy tone with a smile on his face.

--he's up to something but it's not really my place to get involved--

"i would love to lord Oal but first,can someone please heal my fingers"

as she said this both me and Arya looked at each other and facepalmed

--ah we forgot one of the original reasons we were here for--

"of course,Black would you please do the honor of healing the princesses

fingers"Arya said looking at me.

"but,i don't know how to heal yet master"

"don't worry,just force your soul out of your hands into her fingers

after realigning them with your mana strings"

--okay--

"very well i'll give it a try"

"wait a second can't you do it ms Arya,im a bit worried about a inexperienced

soul mage healing me"

--oi--

"have no fear princess while he is inexperienced he is also extreemely talented

it should be fine,also it will be a good experience for him to learn healing"

"okay" feila said in a dejected tone

as she stood up from the corner and walked towards the light i saw the state that her

fingers were,in they looked like tree roots branching off in all directons it made

me uncomfortable just by looking at it.

"this may hurt" i said as i manafested 10 mana strings and wrapped them around

her broken fingers,as i did i heard a moan of pain from feila.

"here we go" i said as i pulled the broken fingers into there proper

positions and held them there for a few seconds i heard a cry of pain

from feila this time.

"AAHH!"

while she was crying out in pain i pushed the part of my soul that was in my hands

into the mana strings connected to her fingers and heard the sound of

bones clicking into there proper place for a few seconds,and then i started to feel very sick my

face paled and my consentration broke,my soul recided back into me as i threw up on the floor,it

managed to get on everybodies trousers and robes in the room.

after i threw up i heard the similar sound of throwing up infront of me,as i looked i was shocked

the elven princess threw up aswell,we both shared a look and started laughing.

"hahahahahahahahah"

"ahh why did you throw up aswell feila?" i asked as the laughter died down

"ah i can't stand the sight of vomit,and i feel ill myself when i see it"

--well that really killed the illusion that elves were noble creatures,but now at

least it feels easier to talk to her--

"as i was going to say before you broke into laughter,is that since it is your

first time using soul magic you may feel a bit nauseous"Arya said in a neutral voice

"i think he went past feeling nauseous,and went straight to throwing up" Oal

commented looking at the bottom of his robes with sick on them

--ah crap now my throat is burning and i need a change of clothes,also a drink of water

would be nice as well--

"well Black it's time to stop flirting with the elven princess and go,i'll even get

you a change of clothes and a drink of water at the store" Arya said as if reading

my thoughts.

"i wouldn't call throwing up flirting but sure i could go for a glass of water right now"

as we exited the cell and walked towards the stairs,i heard the princes shout

"see you later Black!"

"of course you will it's a small town!" i replied

as we left the lords mansion we walked to a clothing store where i managed to change into

a black longsleeve t shirt and a pair of blue work trousers it seemed that Arya new that i'd

need clothes eventually so she comisioned this tailor to make something my size while we

were walking to the lords mansion.

--can she see the damn future i bet she knew that i would throw up but didn't

say anything very sneaky,but damn i look good now-- i thought as i looked in

the mirror that was just a bit too small,what greeted me was a handsome face

with five scars across it a black beard and long black hair making its way past

my shoulders, past my neck i had a lean but strong build similar to a boxer.

--i wonder if the blacksmith can make me a metal prosthetic hand--

i thought as i looked at my missing hand

--i also need to cut my hair and have a shave although it's seems like it's

normal for men to have beards,well dwarven men anyways i'd personally

feel alot better if i could get this itchy thing off my face,oh yea

i need a weapon aswell i lost my crossbow in the fall aswell as my staff

maybe i should try and use a sword and get into that magic swordsman

buisness that Arya mentioned,hmmmm on second thoughts nah i prefer

to use magic over sword,well Arya said that soul magic is diverse

not to mention that i could level up my pyromancy and discover

my third magic type so i'll stick with learning magic at the moment--

after getting my new clothes i sold my mage robes to the tailor for 10 gold

which according to Arya is a lot.

--well maybe he gave me a better deal because im Arya's student--

after getting the 10 gold Arya walked with me towards the inn to speak with her

mother and tell her that im her student as we walked i asked Arya about the offensive

and defensive uses of soul magic.

"hmmm it's a bit early for you to be learning those sort of spells,

you must be able to use soul magic without throwing up first"

--i'm never gonna live that one down whilst i'm with her,am i--

"but,i suppose since you have a very high affinity for soul magic

i should be able to teach you those sort of spells sooner than most,

however before that i'd recomend that in your spare time at the inn

you practice using your soul,but make sure you have a bucket to vomit in

whilst you attempt it" she said with a massive grin on her face.

--just you wait *mentally shakes fist*--

"so how do i practice using my soul?"

"well there are many ways but for you i'd recommend that you

push a majority of your soul out of your body so that it

is visable and make different objects using it,but

make sure to never push all of your soul out,after

you can do that easily i will teach you the

offensive and defensive soul spells"

--alright,that will be fine but i need a new crossbow,just in case i need

too defend myself--

"by the way the blacksmith sells an assortment of weapons,i'd recomend you

buy one you are comfortable with for tomorrows training,but that can wait

take the rest of the day off and go in the morning to grab a weapon"

--fuck,can she really read my mind?--

as we arrived and entered the inn i saw the old lady coming down the

stairs.

"Arya what are you doing here,i thought it was strange that you gave mr Black

your proof of citizenship,have you finally found someone new?" the old lady

said with a happy tone and a smile on her face

Arya frowned and spoke in a exausted tone

"no mother,this is Black he is my new student,Black i believe you

have already met my mother"

"yes we have met"

"Black could you please go upstars to give us

some privacy,i have something i would like to discuss

with my mother in private"Arya said with a frown on her face

"very well i shall take my leave upstairs then"

as i walked past the other rooms on the upstairs

floor,i heard a few raised voices and the banging of

metal downstairs/

--oh so it was that sort of talk,i wonder why

Arya's mother said have you finaly found someone new

to her maybe it's just her mother taking an interest

in her love life,but still i don't think that i'm

her type,well i could always be wrong i mean im a man

and she's a woman i wouldn't exactly say no but

even still i would rather just be friends--

i reached the door of my room from night before

and went inside to sit on the bed.

after a few minutes of imagining scenarios with me and Arya

i concluded that i would not work out at least not while i was

her student

i was broken out of my thoughts when i heard the door open,and

saw Arya,standing there with a black eye!?.

--wow now that's brutal her mom just hit her--

"you okay?" i said getting over the initial shock of

Arya of all people having a black eye.

"i'm fine you are able to stay here for 3 months

for free as i said also apoligies for putting

you in a awkward position here"

"ah don't worry about it i'm used to family disputes,so

what happened for you to end up with a black eye,wait

don't tell me let me use my power of divination,you...

didn't do the dishes" i said in a joking tone.

--a bit of humor never hurt's in these situations--

"ha,not at all i always did the dishes when i

was young,thank you black but i would rather

not talk about it it's a very personal matter"

she said with a sad smile.

"don't worry i also understand that,but still

if you ever need someone to talk to i'm always

available,im your student after all aren't i"

i said with a smile.

"yes, yes you are"

"alright then now that's settled

when should i be at the shop,tomorrow

for my magic training?" i asked

"be there by 10,but make sure you

get a weapon from the blacksmith

before you arrive,okay?"

"ugh,so early,but i guess i can

make it there by ten"

after we said goodbye and Arya left i

was curios about my status "status"

NAME:BLAKE SMITH

CLASS:SOUL MAGE

TITLES:[FIRST ARCTIC EXPLORER][SCHOLAR][EXTREME HUNTER]

[SOUL MANIPULATOR]

HP:165/165

MP:170/170

STATUS:HEALTHY/HANDLESS

ATTRIBUTES

STR:25

AGI:20

VIT:33

INT:34

WIS:23

CHA:8

LCK:12

UNASSIGNED POINTS:0

SKILLS:[COLD RESIST LVL 2][FEAR RESIST LVL 4][SURVIVOR LVL 4]

[MANA RESIST LVL 1][PAIN RESIST LVL 5][MANA MANIPULATION LVL 6]

[SOUL STRING LVL 6][RAPID SOUL HEALING LVL 3][CROSSBOW MASTERY LOW LVL 5]

[MAN ENHANCED PERCEPTION LV 3][LIMITLESS STRENGTH LVL 2]

[SOUL MANIPULATION LVL 2][PYROMANCY LVL 1][UNBOUND SOUL]

--seems like some skills changed when i used them with soul magic

my mana string is now soul string?,i guess it must be a superior

version of it,also rapid healing changed to rapid soul healing,i

should get started on practicing my soul magic then,wait i

hate to admit it but Arya's right i need a bucket--

i went downstairs and grabbed the bucket i used to wash myself

with this morning and brought it upstairs.

--eh she shouldn't mind me using this bucket as long as i clean

it up before i give it back--

after 2 whole hours of practice making shapes out of my soul

and feeling sick i heard the classic ding of a system message.

[SOUL MANIPULATION LVL UP]

--thank god it finally leveled up well thats me for the

night--

as i lie in the bed that was still too small for me

i wonder about my mom and dad and how they were doing.

--they should be fine dad's as tough as a brick and as loyal as a

dog he'll never abandon mom,and mom well she'll be able to

just punch her way out of anything,ah i

still remember her hugging me and almost killing me with her

iron grip,anyway i hope there doing okay--

as i lay there drifting off to sleep i remember something

--i still havent got that glass of water Arya promised me sigh--