Drawing reaches level 5. Increase your hands' ability to follow your mind's image by 5%.

David had done nothing but draw magic circles in the ground by the water. His mind had been taken entirely by that single thought.

He kept surprising himself. Indeed, he had never worked so much on his projects ever since—since ever. His poor school grades throughout his life were reflections of his lack of commitment. But seeing the actual promise of betterment, or maybe the cheap short team rewards piling up was pushing him more than he had ever thought possible.

Amid Fey children trying to draw swear words that did not exist in their language, from him or the constant come and go of naked people, and the occasional badmouthing of younglings from afar, drawing kept the poor man, who could still not move around freely, committed.

He kept drawing Arcane Aegis's Magic Circle, it was very hard indeed, but then he switched to the easier Arcane Missile's one.

How did Dave manage to draw? Where did he take his knowledge from? But from the Archive, of course. He had learned to move the Archive around. He stood immobile in his chosen position while the Archive itself, like a good augmented reality projection, moved about. He had learned to move it directly in front of him so that he could use it as a reference, or even better, trace the magic circle. Still, tracing it didn’t seem to increase his Drawing skill, so he preferred to use the Magic circle as a reference.

While he started using it as such, he commenced steadily leveling up.

The Skill at level five had made a powerful difference. The amount of Source he used to empower his hands was so pitiful that the Cleansing Water effect didn't even change. It constantly drained his Well by 1% every two or so minutes.

However, as he finished his last reproduction of the Arcane Missiles' Magic Circle, incredibly, Arcane Missile leveled up.

Arcane Missile (Fast Magic-Skill) reaches level 20 (MAX). 3.1% Well filling per cast.

The Source

Arcane Missile has reached the maximum level. Reach Class level twenty-one to increase its level further.

David wasn’t given enough time to respond to that situation that he was prompted with a choice.

The Source

Skill Rank-up!

You have reached a deeper level of understanding in Arcane Missile. New segments of Arcane Missile’s Archive have opened up for you, but you can choose to learn and apply only one for now. Choose wisely.

Exploding Arcane Missile: Arcane Missiles explode upon impact dealing increased damage; it further increases Well filling per cast.

Homing Arcane Missile: Arcane Missiles follow the caster’s intended target (they can be stopped); level increases Arcane Missile following and traveling speed and response.

Poisoning Arcane Missiles: Arcane Missiles fill enemy Well by the same amount the caster has used to cast it.

Splitting Arcane Missile: One Arcane Missile split into two. Every time it splits, the produced Arcane Missiles’ level is halved (each split costs as an additional Arcane Missile).

Untethered Arcane Missile: Arcane Missiles are paid with Ambient Source. The amount of Ambient Source used in its casting depends on the level.

That was much, much more than David was ready to address. Yet he soon got damn serious. He had made enough stupid choices in his life. It was time he made the correct ones.

“Source, do these abilities have their own level?”

The Source

Each Skill Rank-up resets the Skill level. Its maximum level is still determined by the Class level.

It was one less thing to think about. Now he had to properly understand how these abilities would impact his chances of survival.

It was clear that Exploding Arcane Missile was a direct increase in damage. Indeed, his Arcane Missile was pitifully weak, but his Mind stat determined it. So even if those pitiful missiles were to explode, the damage they would deal was unlikely to justify choosing such a Skill, or so he thought; also, it further increased his already high cost, so for the moment, he put it aside.

Homing Arcane Missile was good; it even sped up Arcane Missile traveling speed. It was fancy, it seemed to be a—almost—inevitable attack, and it could come in handy for more than one thing other than…well, defending himself. He had yet to enter the mind-frame of having to fight for his life as he had done against the Night Impit, but he could already envision how such an ability could be useful.

The Poisoning ability was indeed weird, or more precisely, hard for him to consider. For he would essentially fill his enemy's Well as he filled his own. Maybe in a proper duel, it could make a great difference, but did he need it as he was now? He doubted it; the last thing he was looking for were ways to put his life on the line, so, rejected.

Splitting Arcane Missile could clearly get out of hand and very fast too. He could poison himself to death with just a wrong cast. It was clearly the least ideal of them all, at least at that moment in time. David believed that the ability went arm in arm with the last one of his choices: Untethered Arcane Missile.

Untethered was very useful; he would essentially free himself from the trouble of Source Poisoning as he cast Arcane Missile. However, it was unlikely he could achieve it at this point in time, given the limitation on the Skill level.

If he had to follow Skills he had unlocked until now, then it was clear that even maxing Untethered Arcane Missile would net him a twenty percent decrease in Well-filling, which would still put him at around...2.4% Well filling per cast—pointless.

Thus, his choice hovered between Exploding and Homing. But he was not a fool; he had learned his lesson.

He would not make that choice with the blindfold of ignorance covering his eyes, no. He would ask, and he even knew who to ask—since there was still no trace of Erin.

***

Still, rather ashamed by his nudity, David reached back to the exit. He knew he would only have a few minutes at best to get the guardian's wisdom, for he had to get back into the Cleansing Waters before the ten minutes mark, just to be sure.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He sprang into a run and reached him; he was panting when he sat near him.

"Old-Randiallen, no. Master-old Randiallen, no, wait. Guardian Master-old Randiallen…" Dave frowned, "—can't I just call you Randy? Old Randy sounds cool.”

The guardian looked at his exalted face, likely wondering if he was on drugs. For what Dave knew, he might have been. Who knew what it was that they really made him eat and drink, or what effect the waters were having on him.

"Alright, I'm spacing out…So Old-Randy? May I ask you a question," he continued as the guardian did not answer.

"Call me Randy again, and I will displace your Ethereal Echo," answered the Fay, turning his face to the other side.

"I have—zero idea what that is, but I'm smart enough not to call you that ever again. So, what is an Ethereal Echo? No, wait. I didn't come to ask you that. I wanted to ask you about Skills Rank-up," Dave bowed, "Can you teach me, guardian?"

The guardian chuckled, "You keep calling me that, but I'm not a Guardian, Hiumen. I wish I was but for now, I'm only…a Myst-caller."

"O-kay. It's human, by the way, and you can call me Devia- David…you can call me David. But what does a Myst-caller do, exactly?"

The Myst-caller nodded, "Very well, I will call you David as long as you don't call me Randy."

"Deal."

The Guardian raised his arms in the air, "As a Myst-caller, I create the mist that shields this portion of the jungle and this ethereal barrier you see. Right now, my mist is hovering in the air all around this complex. It allows me to gauge what happens outside, who passes through the jungle; it confounds the beholder; it impedes passage to the unwanted and undesired, and the sight if I so wish." He let himself be clouded by a veil of mist for a few seconds, likely to add in the visual effect to his speech. It worked.

"That's wicked, you are a showman, Old Randiallen," David answered wide-eyed.

"I am indeed," answered the guardian, proud, "Whatever that is…you said. But, now, tell me, what did you want to ask?"

"Well, it is about Arcane Magic…"

"Arcane Magic is part of my Class formation, so ask."

"Alright..."

David explained his conundrum to the guard—Myst-caller.

"I see...Your doubts are well-founded. Indeed, Poisoning, Splitting, and Untethered would not help you at this level. But before giving you my opinion, take into consideration your future and find an answer for this question—" He prepared to say something smart from the way he was grinning, so Randiallen closed his eyes, but then something changed, and he looked to his left—he looked at the cave's entrance.

His eyes drastically changed, became serious, then he waved his hand and, following the gesture, David noticed that the see-through barrier that protected the entrance blurred, it became cloudy.

The Myst-caller rose, serious, yet he seemed to have an answer for David still.

"As I was saying, answer this question by yourself, and you will know what to do; if you are lucky, you might even understand yourself better. The question is: At the end of the day, did I face my problems head-on, or did I outsmart them?"

He smiled; Dave instead looked serious, "I didn't believe you were a philosopher, old-Randiallen."

"I am not," he chuckled, "however, listen, David. I've known Erin for a long time. She has taken a liking to you, and so are the children around here, so go to the Cleansing Spring, ask for the route, and if someone questions you, say that I have sent you. But be fast, or you will pass the Well Threshold; it's already at three percent," he added with an intelligent, knowing smile.

"Wait, how did you know—" Randiallen beat his staff on the ground, interrupting him.

"Go, now."

“But I wanted to ask you so many things…like, why is there a Sentry next to your info?”

“You will speak with the Ancient, she will tell you anything you need to know. Now go.”

David was confused, but something about the entrance's blurring was suspicious, so he obliged to the Myst-caller's guidance.

"Thank you for your wisdom, Old-Randiallen."

The Old-Fay nodded back, then David ran away.

***

Asking for the Spring revealed to be quite harder than he imagined, for many did not want to believe Randiallen had ordered him to do such a thing, but in the end, how would an outsider know about their Spring? So they pointed it to him.

David descended through more tunnels than he had previously done, and he knew he was about to reach the Well Threshold; he was actually growing scared about it.

Then, just like that, descending tunnel after tunnel, he suddenly found the only door of the entire compound—it sprang open.

The furniture inside of the room was much, much more advanced than anything he had seen before; they almost looked like things that could be found in a house back on Earth—table, chairs, cabinets, chests, beds. There was everything a normal house required; then there was an open balcony that looked out into the darkness, only the vague semblance of fireflies illuminated the dark abyss that probably waited over the balcony.

A white-haired, white-eyed Fay had been the one opening the door. The Fay let him in. "Through the balcony," he or she said, pointing at it.

"What—"

"Jump, you will find water. But you have to do it now, or it will be too late."

It was all about trust; he doubted he would resist the still twenty hours he needed to wait before he could use the Arcane Discharge again.

So he would have to do a leap of faith.

Until then, the Fey had done nothing but help him; he had literally put his life into Erin's hands, and she had been there, helping him ever since. Although weird, the Fey had been exemplary; so, why would they wish to hurt him now?

No, David would trust.

So he ran, without finishing his question, he ran through the room, he closed his eyes and jumped over the balcony.

A few moments later, water welcomed him. Cleansing waters, and he could finally feel the full brunt of the pressure that had built up until then melt away.

When he opened his eyes, he was in an entirely new environment.

Here the light of that Sun did not arrive at all, but there was something else providing it for it; putting aside the mushrooms, there was a great collection of those big fireflies. They illuminated the spring's every square centimeter, and although the overall light was dim, it gave the place a sort of mystic feeling to it.

He turned around and found out that he was alone in the grotto; nobody else but the bloody fireflies and the Ali'ati—the Source Poisoning eating fish—were there with him.

"What kind of place is this?" David asked himself as his eyes surveyed the hall.

The Cleansing water sprang up from deep within the earth, and the pool in which he stood was not really a pool, it was an abyss, a dark abyss through which he could swim and reach probably— " The center of the planet, bloody hell."

The rest of the hall was made vibrant with mushrooms that sprouted from the walls and the ground, and fireflies zigzagged about everywhere the eyes reached.

"Take this," said a voice from above.

It was the white-eyed, white-haired Fay, she or he, he couldn't tell, threw him something from above; a mask dropped down and reached the water with a small splash.

"What is this?" David asked, picking it up. "I'm David, by the way; I trusted you. "

Fay (Defender)

Level: 83

"Ferginlya, and I didn't doubt that. I knew you would," she smiled. David had roughly understood how names worked, so she was a female Fay, but she too had a wording next to her… just what were those things?

"What am I supposed to do with this?" He said, picking up the mask.

"Place it on your face, and dive down, illuminate your way with your magic, and reach the second exit. Not the first exit, the second one."

"Alright. A scuba diving mask then, but isn't it missing an oxygen tank?"

"I have no idea what an oxi'gin tank might be, but that mask converts water into breathable air. So take it, and go," she answered, shaking her head.

"But why?" David had to know what he would be seemingly trying to escape.

"They have come looking for you, Fiends. They will find you if you don't leave," David wanted to answer, but before he could open his mouth, Ferginlya continued, "Erinnya will be sent to reach you."

Dave hadn't even spoken yet, "Well, thank you, old-Fergi." He placed his face in the mask, looking as if it was made with plastic, and it stretched, covering his whole head with its sleek plastic-looking membrane. It was almost instantaneous and a little scary, but David was able to breathe.

He placed his face in the water, taking a few seconds to try and breathing it in—no water filled his lungs, only air.

Raising his head up, he looked at the rocky balcony to thank her; Ferginlya was already gone.

His attention went back to the matters at hand. Indeed, people were looking for him; he couldn't help but fear for his life…but not really his old life. The feeling of having this new life that had been breathed into him taken away scared him more.

David's previous life was dull, full of mistakes, of missed chances, or opportunities that he had let slip by. He didn't want to do the same with this new one.

It was about time he started taking real action to safeguard his own well-being. So Dave, uselessly, took a big breath and delved into the dark waters. With Arcane Missiles illuminating the way, he swam toward salvation and new possibilities.