> … Rebirthed Souls are a regular, albeit uncommon occurrence. The notes of Soul Sorcerers have revealed to us that when the body dies, the soul is flung away at an explosive speed. The exact reason for this phenomenon is unknown, but referencing it against the Tidbits provided by the Manifestation of Order allows us a limited understanding of what happens after we die. The soul is flung away at a high enough speed to leave this plane, and while drifting among the stars it is gradually pulled towards the mana from other planes. Eventually, it settles on the plane and is granted a new body by the Manifestation of Life. Thus is the cycle of Rebirth.
>
> Through these means, souls from other planes have been recorded coming to our own. These can come from planes similar to or wildly different from Erdau. The most well-known example would be the souls of a plane they know as Earth. Their plane is home entirely to humans and is entirely devoid of mana. Despite this, their folklore and legends are rife with magic and magical beings. It is perhaps because of this that they are incredibly keen to explore our plane. The Souls of Earth also tend to approach magic and Skills with unparalleled enthusiasm, causing them to rapidly accumulate power and fame whenever they appear.
>
> The reason the Souls of Earth are so well known is due not only to the fame they accrue, but to their frequency as well. Interactions with these souls have revealed the population of their home plane to number in the billions, far outstripping our own. Additionally, they have much shorter life expectancies as a result of the lack of mana, with inhabitants of Earth seldom reaching a hundred years of age. Their massive population and shortened lifespans are thought to be the primary reasons for their high frequency relative to souls from other planes. Some other theories…
— Midterm Essay of an Anonymous Student, Academy of Fuortera.
----------------------------------------
Cain had about finished sifting through the mass of notifications. First, he’d managed to manifest an objective to rid Tersaulis of slavery. That was great, but what was Tersaulis? Was it the name of the province? The country? The world? He had absolutely no way of knowing. Second, he’d manifested a skill. Apparently his fire aspect and hatred for slavery had combined and satisfied the unlock conditions for some anger-based self-buffing skill. If Cain were to guess, it would be similar to the “Rage” abilities that a lot of warrior classes in video games had access to. Third, he’d somehow pushed his new skill to the maximum grade and then evolved it. “Tempered Fury,” it was called. Judging from the names and descriptions, the difference between the post- and pre-evolution skills was that Tempered Fury improved his Sense attributes too, as well as protecting him from things that might cloud his judgement. Considering that, it was likely that the unlock condition for that had been controlling his anger. Speaking of, the fourth thing was the new Control attribute he’d manifested. It seemed like it would help protect him from impairing effects such as hallucination. And fifth was the Skill Level Interface, which sounded like it would basically be a character sheet.
He mentally prodded the back of his head, the spot that usually itched when Order wanted his attention, and asked to access his Skill Level Interface.
( Cain Peyton, SL: 11, Unclassified )
Human (Unmodified), Male
[ Next Milestone : (Classification Interface + Primary Selection) ]
Min. SL: 25, Min. Skill Total: 10
( Skill Total : 5 )
E1 [ Self-Awareness (Middling) ], 2 SL
E1 [ Burning Man (Middling) ], 2 SL
E1 [ Boiling Lifeblood (Lesser) ], 1 SL
E1 [ Adrenaline High (Lesser) ], 1 SL
E2 [ Tempered Fury (Lesser) ], 5 SL
( Mixed Skill Total : 1 )
[ Mana Control (Lesser, III) ], 0 SL
Cain lingered on his name for a moment before disregarding it. His attention was better spent on the new information he’d acquired. For example, the Classification System he’d anticipated. Apparently he would unlock it at 25 SL (presumably short for Skill Level) provided he could collect a minimum of ten skills. The “E(x)” modifier in front of his skills was probably representative of their current stage of evolution, considering Tempered Fury was his only evolved skill and the only skill listed as E2. Skill levels seemed to be based on both the grade and evolution of his skills. His lone mixed skill, Mana Control, was listed, but it provided zero skill levels and didn’t have an evolution marker. Maybe mixed skills couldn’t evolve? But the fact that Order went out of their way to put “0 SL” next to it implied that mixed skills could provide skill levels farther down the line.
Cain appreciated having a better idea of what he was working towards, and how he would get there. After all, he doubted he would overthrow an oppressive social order as a level eleven nobody. Realistically, he’d need a lot more levels, a healthy number of allies, and a whole lot of resources to make any meaningful change. Resources…? Ah, he’d almost forgotten his delivery. Cain lightly shook the leather pouch in his hand and heard a soft clinking sound. Probably coins. In his left hand was the letter from Simon, he should probably read that. The envelope was a slightly tan parchment sealed in green wax with a compass rose stamped on it. He walked back to the bed and sat down on the covers before tearing the message open.
“Cain,
I would like to thank you for your contribution to clearing the Entropic infestation in the Flutewood. Unfortunately, the influx of reports and paperwork prevents me from discussing your compensation with you in person as I had promised. After reviewing the reports of Mina Smallaxe and her party, along with several others, I have determined you to have done the work of approximately ten fire mages, and thus have rewarded you with the pay of ten people. Each member of the raid was offered one silver upon successful return, and so you have been awarded ten silver. As Ms. Smallaxe reported that you claim to be unregistered with any guild, I have also decided to waive the requirement of an entry test should you register with the Adventurer’s Guild here in Fellgrave. If you take issue with any of this, feel free to seek an appointment with me at your earliest convenience.
Gratefully,
Simon Wells, Raids & Extermination Section Chief”
How polite. Cain didn’t really mind not having to go back into the office for another conversation, but it was nice that Simon had notified him. He didn’t know how much ten silvers was, but it was probably a good amount. He wasn’t sure exactly how dangerous entropic forests were, but the Adventurer’s Guild didn’t seem to take the problem lightly. And if people were willingly walking into them… Cain shuddered. It was definitely good pay. But what could he buy with it? What did he need? Clothes were probably one thing, he was still in the spare set Roberts had lent him. Food, sure, but he wasn’t hungry yet. Preserved rations, then? If he was going to grow stronger and make a living, it seemed like Cain would end up becoming an adventurer or signing on with some similar guild, and that meant he needed a weapon. But what could he use? He had no training of any kind. His best bet would probably be… maybe some brass knuckles for melee combat? And something to help with his magic, if he could find anything.
Stolen story; please report.
Cain was starting a decent shopping list, but he had a feeling he’d still have more leftover cash than he’d like. He mentally went over what he needed most. For short-term survival, there was food, shelter, and clothing. Simple enough. For his long-term goals, there was power, allies, and resources. Also simple, but not nearly as easy. Becoming an adventurer could probably satisfy the survival category, assuming he didn’t get himself killed, while also helping him work towards the goals of power and resources. The real restraint was allies. Finding people he could trust would likely be Cain’s biggest obstacle. Moreover, he needed to figure out how slavery actually worked here before he could do anything about it. That meant everything from laws on the subject to how it was enforced. The latter was of particular concern. From the window, it had looked like slaves were somehow magically bound to their owners, probably through that tattoo below the collarbone. If that were the case, the option of inciting rebellion was likely to be entirely impossible. But Cain couldn’t rely on speculation when the time came to act, so how could he…
An idea formed. A terrible one? Maybe. But it might just turn out to be worth it.
----------------------------------------
The main lobby of the Adventurer’s Guild was growing steadily louder as the light outside grew steadily more red. Cain could barely hear any one voice over all the rest, save when someone shouted next to his ear, which was more often than he would have liked. He did manage to pick up the reason for the rowdy atmosphere, at least. Apparently some lone fire mage had started burning the forest while everyone was still asleep, turning an expedition that would have likely stretched into the wee hours of the morning into one that saw the majority home before sunset. Actually, there was one more reason. Everybody had been paid one silver. It was, apparently, a generous amount of money. Cain weaved his way through the crowd and to the front door more easily than he would have thought himself capable of. Oh, he realized, Self-Awareness is letting me keep track of the people around me. Cain didn’t like being stuck in crowds, so he appreciated the skill’s help. Even with the unpleasant side effects.
As Cain stepped out the door, the street opened up before him, abuzz with evening shoppers eager to finish their errands before the sun was out. A few adventurers, distinct for their function-over-form style of dress, could also be seen milling about. No doubt indulging themselves with their newly silver-lined pockets. The crowd outside wasn’t nearly as tightly packed as the one inside the Adventurer’s Guild, so Cain strolled east down the road with ease. He shortly found what he was looking for. A small crowd was gathered around a wooden stage, upon which stood a finely dressed auctioneer and one remaining slave. Cain noticed that, aside from the occasional adventurer, the people in the crowd were somewhat more well-dressed than the people he’d seen on the street. He wouldn’t take any for nobility or wealthy merchants, but he doubted any of them had trouble paying the bills.
[ Mind Attribute Increased : Control ]
(Current Value: 6 -> 7)
“And now, the prize of tonight’s auction…” The top-hatted man gestured towards the slave with his cane. “This specimen hails from the Jeröamic woodlands, renowned for the ferocity of its monsters. This wolfish demihuman has not only kept her mana pure, but her body too! For such a rarity, bidding will start at the generous price of twenty-five irons!”
“Twenty-six irons!” Cried a hopeful voice.
“Twenty-seven!” Better luck next time.
“Thirty—”
“Thirty-seven—”
“Forty-five—”
“Fifty—”
“One silver,” spoke an adventurer. The crowd quieted down, save some grumbling.
[ Mind Attribute Increased : Control ]
(Current Value: 7 -> 8)
“We have one silver from the adventurer with the greatsword, do I hear two silvers?”
“…”
“Going once…”
“…”
“Going twice…”
“Two silvers,” spoke Cain, raising his hand. He didn’t like giving this person his money, but it was the best way to gain information, and possibly a new ally to rely on. And if the latter didn’t pan out, he could just find a way to have his “slave” set free. A small evil today to kill a greater one tomorrow.
“That’s two silvers from the man with the black hands, do I hear three?” Called the auctioneer.
“…”
“Going once!”
“Going twice!”
“Going three times…”
“Sold! To the man with the black hands. Step right up here to have ownership transferred, my sir.”
As most of the crowd began to disperse, Cain skirted through the gaps until he reached the stairs on the left of the stage. He stepped up onto the platform. The somewhat crude wooden stand was mostly clean, save a few specks of dried blood in the center. I could probably fix that, he thought longingly. The auctioneer waited, smiling wide as the slave stepped forward. He swiftly brought his cane to the back of the demihuman’s knees, but instead connected with her hamstrings as she preemptively knelt. He clicked his tongue.
[ Mind Attribute Increased : Control ]
(Current Value: 8 -> 10)
“Take this,” the man held out the short silver knife Cain had seen earlier, “Use it to draw blood from yourself. Once that is done, press the wound to the slave crest beneath the collarbone. This will bind the slave to your mana and transfer ownership.”
Cain did his best to not betray his emotions as he took the knife in his right hand. His heartbeat thundered in his ears like distant war drums. He sliced across his left palm, feeling the familiar sensation of flesh parting. A chill ran through him as he began to feel the trickling of blood. He brought his gaze up to meet the girl kneeling before him. Steely gray eyes with an outer tinge of brown told Cain exactly what she thought of him. He promised himself to prove her wrong as he pressed his bleeding palm to her collarbone. A burning sensation ran through him, and when he pulled his hand away he saw the intricate markings glow red-hot for a moment before returning to inky black.
[ Slave Crest Bound ]
Demihuman (Wolfish), SL: 17
“What’s your name?” Cain asked her.
“Magira,” said the girl.
“Magira, come with me.” He handed the auctioneer his two silvers and turned to walk away.
“Before you go, sir,” called the auctioneer. “If you wish to have additional runes inscribed onto her crest, I can take you to the enchanter to have them inked at generous prices!”
A fresh wave of disgust swept over Cain. “What do you offer?”
“We can provide several highly sought-after effects here in Fellgrave, such as the Telepathic Link rune, Attribute Sharing, Mana Draw, and Lust.” The man still had that sickening grin on proud display.
“Explain Attribute Sharing to me.”
“Of course! The Attribute Sharing rune allows you to either give the slave a portion of your own Body and Mind attributes, or take a portion of the same from your slave. Ethereal attributes are closely connected to the soul, and as such are impossible to transfer.”
Telepathic link would be a way of communicating without the possibility of being overheard, and Attribute Sharing… Magira looked even thinner than Cain had thought, and could have been exposed to any number of harmful pathogens. He wanted to ask for her opinion on the matter before just making a decision, but that would immediately let the auctioneer know something was off. This world is seriously fucked. With gritted teeth, he made up his mind.
“How much would Telepathic Link and Attribute Sharing cost me?”
“A fine choice, sir! For those two, only a single silver.”
At least he’d be able to use it. “Fine. Take me to the enchanter.”
[ Mind Attribute Increased : Control ]
(Current Value: 11)