Nate vanished from where he stood as No Steps Necessary moved him exactly thirteen metres to the left. He’d learned over the last week that using consistent distances when avoiding attacks with his spatial skills not only made him predictable, it also made him very very sore. The price of predictability could be tallied in bruises and he had learned the unspoken lesson Luc was trying to impart. Appearing at his destination, he could already feel the rifts opening in the area he’d just moved to as Luc continued to use the momentum he’d imparted to his metal balls to launch them anew. But the pause between the rifts opening and the metal balls launching through the small apertures gave Nate an opening. A small opening, but an opening nonetheless.
Flowing mana into his Fire and Shadow runes he activated Runic Artistry and Imbue Intent. Runic Artistry connected the two separate runes, turning them into a runic array. As an array, he could apply his Intent to what was effectively, some form of Shadowfire. His Intents were thrown at the Subconcept as he controlled an area around Luc where the shadows cast by the canopy of leaves began to burn, the air shimmering with the heat given off.
“This again? You’re being a little shit!” yelled Luc in annoyance as he riftwalked away, appearing in the air as the older man used the metal studs all over his outfit and shoes to levitate.
Nate wasn’t done though. He sent a stream of mana to a third rune, Gather, before drawing it into the runic array. Gathering Shadowfire now, he used the remaining Intent that he had held in reserve to start condensing all the shadows. It was an odd look, to see shadows flowing like they were water, instantly replaced by other shadows as an area of darkness began to grow in the clearing.
Metal balls began streaking out of rifts around him again but he was ready, Spatial Awareness having warned him about the spatial tears before the metal balls had entered his sphere of awareness. Using No Steps Necessary he moved again, this time right next to his growing ball of darkness. The heat was terrible this close but he needed to be nearby for what came next. This was the hardest part. As quickly as he could, he swapped the Gather rune for the Release rune, letting it flow into the runic array and his control over the ball of shadowflame. Swapping the Intent applied to Gather, he added a single subconcept to Release - explosively - before activating From Me, To You.
The ball of shadowflame vanished, appearing by Luc in the air as the destructive sphere of darkness exploded. Everything blacked out above Nate as the shadows stretched across the clearing, blotting out the sun. The smell of burning wood and leaves permeated the air as the wave of heat rolled over his Barrier. A last second shift to spin up a runic array linking his Barrier, Fire and Shadow runes together made sure his own attack was unable to penetrate his defences. His barrier did nothing for the grass though, as it turned brown, shrivelling up before dying in the blast of shadowflame.
As the darkness cleared Nate looked up to see his teacher, unharmed. His Eyes of the Runic Artist went beyond that though and he could see the amount of mana flowing into the spellform that Luc had formed inside himself. He’d finally made him use it! Spatial Separation. A spell that formed a barrier made of a thin layer of space forcibly parted from the space around it. An almost uncrossable distance. Nate thought it sounded like the perfect defence but seeing the mana cost, even for someone with as huge of a Mana Reserve as Luc, told him why his teacher had bet him he couldn’t force him to use the spell.
“Can’t believe you did it, kid. That was one hell of a powerful attack, I’m impressed. Maybe you have a hope of making top eight after all and not embarrassing me,” Luc called as he floated down, landing on the now dead grass with an audible crunch.
He couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. It was one of the few he’d gotten from Luc, who had spent the entire week forcing him to develop his offensive abilities. It had started to show in his Skill development as well, as he glanced over the total improvements over the past week.
Runic Artistry 11 > 16
No Steps Necessary 10 > 13
From Me, To You 10 > 14
Spatial Awareness 23 > 24
Eyes of the Runic Artist 21 > 22
Enhanced Magic Power 8 > 14
Runic Knowledge - Concepts 21 > 22
Imbue Intent 24 > 25
Most of the advancements had been based around combat, with his Runic Knowledge - Concepts and Imbue Intent improving due to his continuous use of altering the Subconcepts of his runes. He’d tried his plan with Water and Fire to create steam and used the mist as cover. Luc had commented that it was a good tactic but useless against him, which he’d proven by casually hitting him with three faster than usual metal balls as Nate had teleported around the clearing. Annoyingly he hadn’t figured out how Luc had tracked him. But the week of training was coming to a close. He’d never thought he would find combat, even fake combat, so exhilarating. It was still a distant second to creating art but he had to admit to himself that it was starting to rival his enjoyment of comfortable living.
Luc floated down, joining him in the middle of the clearing.
“You did a number on the clearing, kid. If you survive the Capital, maybe we can do this again. Though I think the next lessons would have to be about control,” Luc said with a smirk as he took a moment to pointedly glance around the clearing.
Nate had to admit that Luc wasn’t wrong. The entire place was brown with dead grass and shrivelled up leaves. Even the trees showed a little damage. Maybe he had gone a bit overboard. Or not. He’d succeeded in his goal after all. The clearing would no doubt recover.
“I just wanted to say thanks,” he started, feeling a bit awkward. He was, after all, thanking the man for training that he had paid for. But the training had been good. Just what he needed. He’d learned and developed significantly and so perhaps thanks were in order. “The training over the past month has been amazing. I’ve learned a lot.”
Luc chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder.
“You’re not a bad student, kid. Like I said, if you do alright in the Capital, hell, even if you don’t, look me up. I’d be willing to teach someone like you again. Maybe you Commoners aren’t all so bad,” Luc replied with a wink before yanking Nate into a rift with him.
The next moment they were standing by the North Gate of Helmfirth.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“I’m bad at goodbyes, kid. So, Capital, with my other Mana Gathering Array. Got it? Good. See you soon,” Luc said as he stepped backwards before turning and vanishing.
Nate wasn’t sure how to feel about the farewell but after a moment he shrugged and started walking towards the opposite side of Helmfirth. Tonight was going to be a farewell dinner at the Beaufoys, then back to the Oaken Ring for his last night in Helmfirth. It felt weird to him to be leaving, even if it was what he wanted. This had been the first civilisation he’d found since he had been dumped on this planet. He’d grown comfortable here. That alone told him why it was dangerous to stay. If he wanted to settle, Helmfirth was the place to do it. But he didn’t want to settle. Not anymore. He wanted to push himself. Push his art, push his runecrafting, and perhaps… yeah, even push his combat abilities. He couldn’t do those things here, in the beautiful outskirts of Etrua. He needed more. He needed the challenge and the knowledge the Royal University could provide.
Frick exited the Familiar Contract, taking up position floating next to him, interrupting his thoughts.
“Boss, why didn’t you ever use me in your training against Luc?” Frick asked, sounding confused.
“Because, I have been too trusting up until now. I trust Kiri and her parents. I trust you, now. And yeah, to a lesser extent, I trust Aisling and Deverell. But we don’t know Luc that well. For all we know, they allow betting on this Tournament. Do you think he’d sell information about our fighting style and abilities if he thought it could give him an advantage in betting? Or earn him some mana?” he replied, the questions clearly rhetorical.
“Maybe there’s hope for you yet, Boss,” Frick said with a big toothy grin.
Nate just shrugged. He couldn’t afford to be as naive as he had before. Certainly, not everyone was out to get him, but when he compared who he was now with who he’d been on Earth, he had to acknowledge that there were things about him now that would make others covet him. Not for who he was, but for what he could do. On Earth, that had never been an issue. He had been a nobody. A poor orphan whose defining features were the ability to create art. That didn’t make him special or unique. On, whatever this world's name was, he could do things others couldn’t. Things that could make people wealthy or powerful. He had to start being more careful. Offering less, at least to those he didn’t know or trust. And speaking of those he trusted, it was time to enjoy some good food and better company. With that on his mind he exited the South Gate, headed for the Beaufoys.
*************
Nate woke up with a big smile decorating his lips. The sun was just starting to rise which meant he didn’t have long to get ready. Splashing some water on his face he moved around the room doing a last minute double check to make sure he’d grabbed everything and put it in his spatial storage. With that done, he took one last look at the comfortable suite that had been his home for the past few months. With that same smile still on his lips, he closed the door to the suite for what was likely the last time and headed downstairs. Valeria was behind the bar and she gave him a sad smile as he came down.
“It’s been a pleasure having you, sir. If you ever return to Helmfirth, I’d be happy to host you again,” she said, her honeyed voice empowered by her Skill washing over him. He was going to miss that too, he realised. She gave him a look that made clear her words had more than one meaning.
He opened his mouth to reply and found he wasn’t sure what to say. After a moment he settled on, “the pleasure was all mine, Valeria. I left you some things in the suite. I hope you enjoy them.”
With those parting words, he quickly made his way out of the Oaken Ring, heading for the North Gate. Frick floated along next to him and his Familiar had a look on his face that told Nate he was about to open his mouth.
“Not a word, Frick. Not a fucking word,” he said before the spirit could speak.
Rather than discouraging him, that response just seemed to make his Familiar even more pleased as the little blue goblin started zipping around him cackling. He had to tolerate Frick’s antics all the way to the North Gate. Kiri was already there, loading a couple of packs onto a large six-legged furry looking lizard that had four evenly spaced humps along its back. The beast was saddled and harnessed and as he looked around, he spotted three more of the creatures, along with Aisling and Deverell.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Kiri called with a wave. “So envious of all your spatial storages. I’m the only one who has to bring backpacks!”
“A few Dungeons might resolve that lack, Kiri,” replied Aisling as she approached him. “I am sure the Guild would provide you a token for access if you make the top eight in the Etrua Adventurers Guild Royal University Entry Tournament.”
“Can we just call it ‘The Tournament’? That is such a mouthful to say,” asked Nate.
“I suppose,” said Aisling, offering him a smile. “Do you have everything you need for the journey? Bedding for the nights between towns? Food?”
Nate nodded but the Guildmaster, or he supposed, just Platinum Adventurer now, continued to pepper him with questions. “What about materials for your crafting? We can buy more as we go but it’ll be at least four days till we reach Pinewater.”
“I’ve got plenty of crafting materials,” Nate responded. He really did. He’d had Frick go buy him enough metal plates to make another four Mana Gathering Arrays. In addition, he had the gems provided by Luc for the original enchanted version of the array. On top of that he’d resupplied himself with paint and canvas as well as plenty of wood. He paused for a moment as he went over what Aisling had said.
“Only four days? I thought it took over a week when Jorge was taken to Pinewater for healing?” he asked.
“We’ll be going a bit faster than a merchant caravan. Hope you’ve got a decent Constitution stat Nate, else your arse is going to be sore from riding the Alliram. Mount up,” Aisling replied, putting action to words as she leaped the considerable distance to land unusually lightly in her saddle.
Nate climbed into his own saddle, glancing at Kiri. Uncertainty was written on his face, only to see his best friend with a huge grin as she got comfortable on her own mount. Alliram he supposed they were called. Jorge stood off to the side with Rania, and the old man gave a wave that seemed filled with as much uncertainty as Nate’s face.
“Take care, both of you. And take care of each other. Send letters when you can,” Jorge said before glancing at his daughter. Nate debated looking away as he saw a tear start to trickle down the older man's suntanned face as he continued to speak softly. “I love you, daughter of mine. Do yourself proud and come home, alright?”
“You’ll both do wonderfully. Just remember to eat!” supplied Rania with a motherly smile.
“Love you both too. Thank you, for everything. We’ll be back, I promise!” Kiri said, wiping away her own tears as Aisling whistled and the Alliram lurched into motion.
Nate glanced back as the six legs of his mount started moving at a little faster than a jog down the dirt road away from Helmfirth. The image was bittersweet and he noted Jorge stayed watching until they were out of sight. Turning back around he activated Eyes of the Runic Artist before motioning Frick into the sky. The spirit would keep an eye out for mana anomalies that might indicate a Dungeon. Glancing across at his best friend her eyes were red from the tears, but the grin on her face was wild and free and after a moment, he realised his own smile matched hers. It was the dawn of a new day, and he couldn’t wait to see what they’d find next.
*************
Arikanvil looked up from the coalescing Soul Energy. The experiment had been a failure, yet again. He was so sure this was the right path forward though. Sealing the Soul Energy with a few of his tools he put the Dead Realm artefact back in its protective casing. Putting it away reminded him of the mortal who he’d gotten the artefact from and with a thought he connected to the spell he’d placed on the spatial storage he’d gifted the intrepid Dead Realmer.
A smile momentarily graced his purple lips as he examined the mortal.
“Mythic for first evolution. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. I could do with another Herald. Will you rise or fall, mortal? Fate gathers around those who push forward so fast. I shall have to keep a closer eye on your development.”
Withdrawing his examination, the divinity began setting up the next experiment. He would solve this, eventually, as he had done for every other problem that had ever stood in his way. Even if he had to resort to brute force.