This is a lot to take in... reflected the young man. He sighed. Thank god the arena floor is made of sand... it's somewhat more comfortable than bare stone.
The truth is, he already knew he was fucked. There wasn't really two way to say it. He had been isekai-ed into another realm. He'd read a lot, and while many things down here are cool and all. There was a very hefty price tag attached, usually saving the world, a painful death, and no way back. These Challenges were deadly. And while Xander had made a decent job to smooth things, Takeo had a very potent bullshit detector. It came from his hospitalized history of course, where the good doctors wanted some more money to perform this or that. Unfortunately, he had been too young when it began, so his parent's life insurance went to his aunt, who halved it for her own 'grief' and happily signed off anything the doctors asked, in exchange for a substantial return on investment.
Maybe I should give them some leeway. They do really seem like genuine people. He had been fairly impressed by the goblin and the display of magic so far. He sighed, but that didn't change his current predicament of course. He felt a bit bad to distrust them but he had been burned too many times, and he had learned to keep a healthy distance from strangers. Especially strangers with power over him.
I guess it means I'll have to toughen up, he concluded. Looking at his arms, there was obviously a lot of work to be done. BUT, at least I can remedy that.
He pulled out his shiny new purse. Connor had really pulled a magic trick on that one. He'd seen how the mismatched leather strip fused in his hands. The result was, truth to be told, quite ugly. But it was also seamless. As if some weird stripped animal had been purse-shaped, skinned, and tanned. The fun part was he could still see the different leather bases he had used, as they had different colors. But he didn't pull it up to marvel at his new "friend's" craftsmanship. Xander had said that he could safely use Orbs and Jades. He also said that what he sloted he couldn't get back, so he had to be careful with his choices. It all came down to builds. And that was something he could understand, having played numerous RPGs.
The problem was that he wasn't some native kung-fu warrior. Mage, or something akin would probably be better, but... According to Xander, none of his 'Jades' were of the kick-ass kind, he reminded himself.
Still, it's something that can be resolved later. After all, I've already been rewarded for running from a Goblin with a Jade. It's a brown one, though. He tried to remember what Xander had said. Ah, but maybe his trusty book companion would know? He had a bunch of things he wanted to check with it anyway.
He grabbed the floating book and opened it to the first page. It was blank, of course. It was kind of intriguing to Takeo that he could just lay the book in the air and it would float just there. He absently wondered if he could abuse its hovering feature somehow... He emptied his purse in a fold of his robe. He had many Orbs now. He wondered if he had ten of any colors. Maybe I could trade some with Xander? Something to think about later. It'd be cool if I could write in my book, he mused.
Several pages turned, beyond the Task's one and the Lexicon. A blank page greeted him. I still don't see any pen... Maybe it can take note by itself? he mused. He tried several mental exercises and found that thinking Write: was sufficient to get it started. "That's nice", he whispered. So many things to test... He began a Todo List, and a Question List for later. The book was quite responsive to his requests, but it was still somewhat limited in its comprehension. Organizing the list by order of priority was a pain.
After several minutes spent toying with it, he came back to the first page and the empty square. First, he confirmed Xander's information about the color coding of the Orbs. And he had been truthful. He hadn't mentioned Black, White, Purple, or Golden Orbs, which stood for Qi, Mana, Soul, and Luck Orbs. He'd gotten one of each, along with a knife, as a Reward from the previous room, or whatever that was when he had been high up in the air. They had called it a Seal Room if I remember well. Anyway, he had also said there were six basic Orbs, so maybe these aren't basic and are rarer? The book seemed to agree with that statement, as he had identified them as Rare, whereas his Orbs, most of them now +5, were uncommon.
He wondered if he should insert these Orbs, and if should ask them about it. After all, if they are valuable... Maybe I'll wait a bit, before asking about these. Thankfully, they are currently stored in the book's Task. So no need to hide them more, probably? He moved on. The next item to test was his new Jade.
Jade Tablet of Fire Skin (uncommon):
When fitted in a Seal, grant the Fire Skin Ability.
Fire Skin: Summon a veil of fire, surrounding the caster's body. Reduce the effect of any fire-based attack.
Task: Collect ten Fire-based Jade Tablet (0/10).
Task: Collect ten Jade Tablet of Protection (0/10).
Nice. And two new tasks at that. I wonder what happens when the task is completed. But it didn't seem that this Ability would be useful to him. According to Xander he already had something protecting him. Could the book help him somehow? He frowned. Let's try... He put his jade back into the purse and touched the brown Jade on the back of his hand. But nothing appeared. He tried several positions, without any success. A shame...
Well then, let's try the Talismans!
Explosive Talisman (uncommon):
Force Aspected. Five seconds after activation, explode in a wave of Force.
Task: Collect ten Talismans (0/10).
Task: Collect ten force aspected items (0/10).
Oh, fun! But it lacks details... How explosive it is? he wondered. I guess I'll have to test it... in a safe way. Both were identical, so he put them back in the back. I'll ask Xander about it later, maybe he knows? His hand went to the next item.
Ethereal Steel Dagger (uncommon):
Spirit Aspected. Dagger made out of Mystic Steel. Weakened when used under the sunlight, empowered under the moonlight. Highly effective against Spirits. Fairly durable.
Task: Collect ten Daggers (0/10).
Task: Collect ten items made of Mystic Steel (0/10).
Task: Collect ten spirit-aspected items (0/10).
"Uh, that's interesting," he mused aloud.
"What is?" asked Xander. He had removed his leather jacket. It had been riveted and reinforced with some metallic plates, and was currently being cleaned of blood, and mended were necessary by the young swordsman. Shit! Too late for discretion.
"I was wondering what the book would say about the dagger I had got from my previous Reward," he replied. Honestly, I should have done that before. I did that with the Orbs...
"That's right, you told us about this peculiar feature your book had, along with the feeding thing." That seemed to intrigue the young man. Both of them it seemed.
"No way, you've got honest Analyze ability?" asked Connor, not hiding his jealousy. "Can you tell us what our Jade are?" he asked, expectant.
Takeo shrugged, "Well, apparently only those not already in a Seal, but yes? I tried with the one I just got, and it worked. It's a Jade Tablet of Fire Skin."
Again both perked at that. It seems that Analysis isn't a common ability then, and if I'm honest, I can understand why it can be very important and useful.
Connor handed him his Jades, a Green and a Yellow. "Can you tell us about these, please?" he asked.
He agreed, took the little chips of jade, and looked at the book. Beside him, Connor mumbled, "I can't decipher what's written in there..." Which somehow made Takeo quite happy. It means I can leverage this.
He then read the resulting information, aloud, but edited it a bit. Nothing major, he just didn't tell them about the rarity or the related tasks he'd gained. "Bump and Aerovision. Weird, why isn't Bump a Red? It propels a Target you touch onward. Aerovision allows you to perceive air currents. Seems lame?"
"That's a major version of Analyze, isn't that Xander?" asked Connor. "I can't fucking belive it." Takeo was beginning to get uneasy now. He'd tipped his hand too much it seemed. He didn't expect that kind of reaction. He sighed internally, he needed their help, but didn't want to become their slave. Slavery was a common trope in the book he'd read. While he hoped that wasn't the case here, better safe than sorry.
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Connor accepted his Jades back, still a bit shocked, and nodded. "Thank you," he muttered. He made a step back, then reigned himself in, "To reply to your question, the main difference between Red and other colors it that Red's don't care for consent... Mind you, Orange Jades are dedicated to Mental Manipulation stuff. And they don't care about consent either," explained Connor. "Thus this Bump is Green because it would only work on people that agree with the Ability to be used on them, or items."
Seems pretty arbitrary for a color code... mused Takeo. The idea that mental manipulation was so widely available as to have its own Color disturbed him greatly. "Are Orange Jades common? Seems... dangerous?"
Xander replied before Connor, "Don't let grumpy here get to you. Orange Jade truly does work with the Mind, but there are many kinds of mental Abilities, and most are noninvasive and really useful, like Instant Recall, Multitask, Communication network, Mail, to name a few. But, there are indeed some very frightful Abilities out there. Mind Jack, or even Puppeteer are definitely banned from most Haven."
Takeo was surprised by the range of application of their magic, "Wah! Seems cool indeed, but. How does Haven regulate this?" he asked.
Both friends shrugged, but Xander replied, "According to our Master, a welcoming party of the local Guards wait at spatial tear usual locations. And they require you to reveal your Seal, and then perform an Analysis on it to reveal any banned Abilities. Then depending on the local policy... things might get hairy."
Seems harsh, but then... I can understand, a little bit. He gave back the Jades to Connor. He didn't seem surprised, but a bit disappointed with the result. From their discussion, Takeo gathered that there was a wide spectrum of Abilities out there. The question is, what do I want to do? And then how? If he wanted to become a Mage of some kind, he would need to find appropriate Jades, but he only had four Slots...
"Can we have more Jade slots?" he asked.
Connor snorted, "If only... I wouldn't be in this shit if it were possible. At least, not that we know of. Who knows what hides further on the Path? Do you find that four isn't enough? Try three." He was still full of snark, but Takeo was beginning to understand his predicament. Thankfully, his Seal was a somewhat generalist Seal and there was enough space to be specialized into something useful. Supposedly, he had a Movement ability. He had witnessed it activate once. He didn't know how to make it work again, but probably they could teach him that. He had something of a protection as well. He hoped for some sort of force field, but he knew it wasn't something that made him immune, just more durable if his experience with the stone ball trap was of any indication. And then there was the Book and some mysterious Perception-based Ability.
"Right." He had to agree with Connor, his situation wasn't as desperate as his. While he could specialize to something more mage-oriented without losing much, Connor was stuck with his crafting abilities. They were too far away from any practical association with more direct combat-oriented stuff, or maybe some very esoteric one. That might be an opportunity for him there...
Xander got up and came by, he was bare-chested and well-muscled. Back home, he'd be in the eye of every girl in town... He took out his shiny new ring and presented it to Takeo, "What can you tell me about this one?"
It was a simple metallic band, made of a dark metal that faintly sparkled. Just by hovering his hand above the ring, he could feel its power radiating. He raised his finger and touched the ring.
Small Spatial Ring (rare):
Space Aspected. Allow the wearer to store and retrieve items into/from a space of up to one cubic meter.
Task: Collect ten Rings (0/10).
Task: Collect ten space-aspected items (0/10).
Task: Collect ten spatial storage items (0/10).
Task: Collect fifty spatial storage items (0/50).
"Hey, that one is pretty cool actually," he said, impressed. "It's a Small Spatial Ring, with one cubic meter of storage." He still frowned at the third and Task. Fifty? That's a lot... and unusual. I wonder why it proposed two Tasks for the same item.
Xander nodded appreciatively. "Indeed that's a wonderful windfall, but..." he mused for a second and turned toward his friend. "I think you should use it, Connor. You need the space more than I do."
Connor put on a deer-in-the-headlight look, "What? No way! I can't take that from you, Xander. It's too much." And gestured heavily his refusal.
"Sure," Xander shrugged and threw the ring at him. His friend had no choice but to catch the precious item.
"Good Lord, Xander! You can't just give that away like that!" he protested.
"Sure I can, and I did. Now shut up!" replied the swordsman, which made his friend grumble some more. Though he didn't throw the ring back at him. Guess he's not that bullheaded after all...
Xander turned back to Takeo, "So, what do you think?" he asked. "My take would be not to use these Jades, they aren't well suited for you. But, should we come across something useful, just ask and we will find a way to make it work." He winked and went back to his cleaning.
Takeo was a bit confused. But he nodded, "Sure, thanks." He put back his Jade in his purse. It is true though, none of the three Jade they'd found was of any use to them. Since his book was still open, he decided to check his new trousers.
Hardened Hakama Pants(uncommon):
Fine pants made of Lutlian Cloth. Higher resistance to Slashing damage. Durable.
Task: Collect ten Pants (0/10).
Task: Collect ten Lutlian Cloth items (0/10).
And now I'll have to turn into a pants-stealing gnome... He sighed. Hakama sounds like a- He stopped himself right there, his headache was rising from the depth of his mind. Let's leave it at that...
As he massaged his head, Connor came back to him, "Hey, you okay?" he asked, mildly concerned.
"Nothing to worry about. I've just a lot on my mind..." he replied, somewhat truthfully.
"Right, I guess I can understand that..." And handed Takeo a pair of slippers. "Try these, will you? they aren't the most beautiful, but they should be comfortable enough."
Just like his purse, they were totally seamlessly fused. Despite what he said, he has a keen eye for measures. They are slightly too small, but not enough to be a problem. The young man stood up and made a few steps. Somehow he had gotten used to being barefooted, it was a strange new level of comfort that landed on his feet. "They are great! Thank you," he said this time truthfully.
The creator grumbled. Well of course they looked like nothing presentable, there were some odd edges here and there that had been partially cut out. But Takeo guessed that whatever he did, Connor wouldn't be happy. "I'll try to make you some jacket, but it will take longer. And it probably won't be as fashionable," he muttered.
Takeo shrugged, "Anything would be preferable to the plain cloth of my Robe. It's itchy! Why you could probably just glue leather above or under it, and that would do the trick!"
Somehow that seemed to horrify the young man. Well, well, well. Guess you DO like manual work, don't you? At least a little bit.
Connor reigned himself in quickly, and shrugged, "I'll try to do one first, and if that doesn't work, I'll do it your way," he conceded.
Takeo was again left alone and his stomach grumbled for some more nourishment. He grabbed another apple and idly looked at his book. His eyes bulged.
Apple of the Tree of Rebirth - Ripening (mythical):
Life aspected. Increase longevity, strengthen, and purify the body when eaten. Fruit of the mythical Tree of Rebirth. Not yet ripe.
Task: Collect ten Apples from the Tree of Rebirth (0/10).
Task: Collect ten life-aspected items (0/10).
Holy fucking bovine! Mythical? Increase longevity? He looked at his bag, only three apples remained. Maybe... I should keep them safe Quickly, he pushed the apple into the Task, he would push the remainder later. Then he saw his staff.
Shoddy Staff of the Tree of Rebirth - Living (mythical):
Life and Death(Rebirth) aspected. Simple wooden Staff made out of a mythical Tree of Rebirth branch. Living. Extremely durable.\
Task: Collect ten samples of the Tree of Rebirth (0/10).
Task: Collect ten life-aspected items (0/10).
Task: Collect ten death-aspected items (0/10).
Task: Collect ten rebirth-aspected items (0/10).
Rebirth aspected, Living? and extremely durable. How come it's still living? he wondered. Well of course he was happy that it was extremely durable, but he didn't quite understand. He had shaped it using some broken stone.
Starmarble Stone Fragment (rare):
Space aspected. Stone Fragment of Starmarble. Very durable.
Task: Collect ten samples of Starmarble (0/10).
Task: Collect ten space-aspected items (0/10).
Space aspected. But nothing specific besides its durability, he mused and sighed. He wouldn't solve that mystery that day. It wasn't that important anyway. Seeing his new companions weren't particularly paying attention to him, he filled his book with his remaining apples and sat himself again. Still hungry.
As he was about to take a small nap, he was loudly brought back to reality with a deathly shriek followed by a powerful roar coming from the other side of the arena. Both Connor and Xander jumped back up, weapons at the ready within seconds. Takeo himself was back up as well, his hand firmly gripped on his staff. All had their eyes riveted toward the dark end of the Arena. It was quickly echoed by a tumult of yelps and no less impressive roars. The whole didn't even last five seconds before the silence settled again.
Ten seconds. Thirty. The young man lost track of how many heartbeats lapsed way too quickly so fast it beat. But nothing appeared. Whatever was within the shade didn't venture out.
"I bet that's the second Challenge," declared Connor. "I wonder what it is?" he asked, excited.
Xander seemed to agree, "Seemed more animalistic...," he hesitated a bit. "But the Hobgoblins roared beastially as well, so I don't know."
"It doesn't seem to want to come here, so let's stand down. I'll keep an eye on it for now, you can go back to sleep Takeo," added Xander. "You look like you need some. When you wake up, we will go through the basics of your dagger and staff handling, if that's okay with you. You do need to learn how to defend yourself, at the very least."
"Right," agreed the young man. How could he refuse? "And maybe you can help me trigger my Abilities?"
The swordsman nodded, "Sure." He grabbed his now cleaned armored jacked, fastened it, and set himself up five meters in from of both of them. "If whatever rushes here, give us ten seconds to try ourselves against them. If we call for retreat, jump into the Left Door, okay?"
That smart. Contingency. I should have thought of that, myself! A bit miffed, he agreed again and lay on the side. He closed his eyes and tried to reach the slumbery heaven. A mighty task with his heart still beating like a drum.