“-And that’s not even the last thing I could think of, but we really should start being productive.” Ark finally, finally finished her positivity tirade after nearly half an hour. If it weren’t for the fact that nobody seemed to be panicking, Vorn would be certain that his face had third-degree burns from being cherry red for so long.

For a moment, all he could was sit there and hope to recover, but it was becoming apparent he needed a distraction, so he ambled over to the wood line that he himself had pushed back only moments ago. The trees were all at odd angles from being forcefully displaced by the rising earth, but it only took a short moment to push them back a little further and flatten the ground, essentially creating a short clearing around their base. He couldn’t actually use structured magic for that, or well, he could, but it would take too long and be too specific for it to be worth the time. He just used sorcery, or intention-based magic, to do it instead.

Sorcery, for all it was an art instead of a science, might interest Vorn more than anything. All his life, as much as he thought he didn’t, he had a bias against it. It was hard not to when you grew up in a culture that regarded it as lesser, or at the very least dumber. In reality, where structured magic was giving mana a very clear goal and a set of instructions to achieve that goal, sorcery was more of a conversation.It was about having a discussion with the mana and compromising between what you wanted versus what the mana wanted.

Obviously, mana wasn’t sentient, but like every energy it had a path of least resistance. Where structured magic gave it such detailed instructions it couldn’t possibly find a different path, sorcery was about following the mana itself and working with it instead of making it work for you. It was a very… spiritual way of casting, that Vorn wasn’t sure if he preferred. Still, it was more versatile and dynamic if you could master it, at the cost of being less specific and cost-effective.

Really, the fact that Vorn could use both made him so giddy he could barely contain his joy whenever he thought about it. He didn’t have to choose between the two. Younger Vorn would be so jealous.

Still, he did come out here to do something productive. After thinking about it for a moment, Vorn decided to get them some firewood. The ground was absolutely drenched, so sticks were a no-go. He decided this was a perfect opportunity for some experimentation. With intense concentration, a spell matrix appeared in front of him. In the top space of the five-pointed star he summoned, he put in his Rune for Wind. Going clockwise, he put in a Rune for Sharpness. After that, Control. A scrawl of words appeared surrounding the Control Rune, which then seemed to swirl around it and then bind to it.

After that, it was just activation conditions and power requirements, and then boom, new spell. Of course, that wasn’t describing the subcontrol Runes that he added, but those were just to improve efficiency and didn’t add anything new.

Once the spell was finished, he could feel the weight of a new spell settle into his [Spell Storage]. He knew that if he ever needed it, it would be at his beck and call, never to be forgotten. That was another downside of sorcery, come to think of it. It was casting, sure, but it wasn't a spell, so it couldn't be saved to [Spell Storage]. Granted, it wouldn't be very useful anyhow, even if he could. The whole point was that it was versatile and different every time.

With that, he launched an invisible {Wind Blade} at a tall branch on one of the eponymous jade trees, which fell to the ground shortly after. Vorn wasn’t sure what he was expecting from the spell he literally designed, but the fact that it was truly invisible to the eye surprised him. Whenever he read novels about great heroes and delvers, for some reason the spells they used were always perfectly visible and dramatic. He supposed that a weapon more suitable for assassinations than for heroics just wasn’t as dramatic.

He spent a few more moments gathering and splitting the branches into more manageable pieces before making a simple campfire.

The next spell he made was one he knew was entirely unnecessary, but it was easy enough that he didn’t really care. Vaguely, past his concentration, he could hear Rowan saying something, but he wasn't screaming or anything, so Vorn figured it could wait for just a moment.

In front of him, a three-pointed star appeared and was quickly filled with Runes and instructions. It barely took him eight seconds, start to finish. The matrix swirled for a moment, before traveling into the campfire and igniting. He named the spell {Everlasting Spark}.

It was a bit dramatic for what it actually did. It just stuck to something and continued to draw mana until whatever it was sticking to ignited. Perfect for starting a fire.

“Can you hear me now?” Rowan questioned, amused.

“Ah, yeah. Sorry. What were you trying to tell me?” Vorn embarrassedly asked.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“If you were sure you wanted to light that fire. You gathered green wood.”

“Yeah, so? I figured it would be easier to light than the shit on the ground at the very least.”

Instead of correcting that assumption, Rowan just stayed silent for a few moments until the whoosh of a fire truly starting erupted… Sending plumes of smoke directly into their face.

Vorn quickly sent a spout of water, extinguishing the fire.

“You could have just told me.” He pouted.

“I could have.”

Vorn rolled his eyes and began working on a new spell, after, of course, having to gather more branches.

Five-point star, Clockwise, Water, Control(Gather/Collect), Pull, dissipate. Low mana usage, activation requirements: None.

Boom, {Desiccate} is born! Vorn tried his spell immediately… And was bombarded by high-speed splinters when the wood exploded… {Violent Desiccation} then.

A few moments later, a new spell that was basically identical, except for a gentler pull, {Desiccate} was actually born. He couldn’t actually get rid of {Violent Desiccation}, as [Spell Storage] didn’t work that way, but having more spells couldn’t be a bad thing. Probably. On second thought, that spell did have some pretty horrifying implications for all things with water in them. He wasn’t going to think about that.

By the time he actually got the fire set up, the sun was already setting over the Jade Forest. Ark came over shortly after with her disassembled boar and chuckled lightly.

“What’s so funny?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“You still have splinters in your clothes.” She chortled.

Looking down, Vorn realized she was right. He hadn’t thought about it that much, but his high CON meant he hadn’t actually felt the splinters that violently flew at him, and forgot about them shortly after. It was a bit funny, or horrifying, to think that little accident could have killed him if he weren’t so goddamn tough because of Rowan.

Oh well, no use dwelling on it now, it would have to keep him awake later.

Ark had already gotten a little pan set up and was searing some boar slices. “Hey, do you have any salt in your pack? I left mine in the base while I was inspecting it.” She asked.

“Uh…”

“I’m guessing that’s a no then… Wait, what did you actually pack?”

“Uh……”

“Vorn, I swear to god if all you bought was magic trinkets I swear to all that is holy I am going to drop kick you.”

“UH………”

Ark sighed, the very picture of a disappointed parent, “For someone so smart, you sure are fucking stupid sometimes. Don’t think I’m excluding you for a second Rowan, you were just as responsible for making sure this idiot actually picked up some provisions.”

“Forgot.” Was all he said in their mind.

Ark must have noticed the look on his face because she just signed once more before giving them the unseasoned meat and heading back to base to pick up her bag.

The boar looked… Fine. But it was awfully bland without salt, so he had an idea. He was a godsdamned super-mage after all, why not just summon the salt?

Turns out, because he had no idea where to even start. He couldn’t just make a salt Rune, he didn’t know the first thing about it. Who studies salt? How would a Rune like that even work? For water, he just focused on the concept and his knowledge, essentially just pouring his total knowledge into the Rune… Again, why would he know anything about salt?

Disappointed, he went back to eating his bland meat. Turns out this super-mage couldn’t even season his food.

— — —

The next day, their entire party embarked deeper into the forest. Whether it be because they were just lucky, or for some other reason, they weren’t harassed by bugs at all on the first day. Today, that changed. Significantly. They were constantly harassed by all manner of pests for nearly an hour before their comm stone vibrated.

“Uh, do you mind if I spread out a little poison? I can use it as a pesticide, and it’s too weak to really have an effect on those with a CON over fifteen. I just figured I should ask first…” Rexen asked.

“Please!” Vorn and Ark said in tandem.

Rowan quickly took control back and also requested his services.

Their walk quickly became more pleasant.

— — —

In their first encounter, they allowed Rexen full reign to show off. They were already keyed into his presence, so it was all the more surprising when he seemed to just… Disappear from their vision.

The Dire Wolves ahead of them were sniffing the air but didn’t seem to notice anyone getting closer.

If Rowan wasn’t paying such close attention, he would never have noticed the glimmer of a drop of liquid splashing on each wolf. The spot where it landed quickly turned shock white before spreading quickly. The wolves started itching and rubbing themselves against trees, before starting to howl in pain. A crazed look began to manifest as the itching only worsened before they fully went insane. Scratching, biting, and snapping at themselves and each other.

It was quick, bloody, and effective. The last wolf after Ark took pity on them and shot them while they were writhing on the ground.

Ark seemed completely unbothered, same with Rowan. Only Vorn voiced a complaint.

“Would you mind using something a bit less… Cruel next time? I know they're monsters, but I just… I don’t like seeing that.” Vorn tried to say as gently as he could.

Both Rexen and Ark seemed to recoil at hearing those words.

“I mean no offense, if that’s the most effective method for taking care of a situation, then go ahead! I’m only asking if you wouldn’t mind!” Vorn quickly tried to explain.

“No, you didn’t say anything wrong. Most people just tend to be a little less understanding after seeing methods like ours. I know you wouldn’t kick us out of the party for this-” Ark sent a meaningful look at Rexen before continuing, “but others ha-would. It’s just a bit of a sore subject. For both of us, I imagine.”

Rexen seemed to gain a little bit of his confidence back because of Ark, “Yeah, what she said. Most people tend to be less than understanding… But I get it! I can totally use less painful poisons, I was just trying to showcase m-my utility. Things that are in pain aren’t great at fighting back…” He explained.

“Just, if you don’t need to use poisons like that, then please don’t use them. But, we are a party, so I’ll trust your judgment. If you feel that it’s necessary please don’t be afraid to use the fullest extent of your abilities! I won’t hold you to a different standard to anyone else, so don’t worry about me kicking you out for no reason. Besides, I’m not sure I could considering I’m the only one with a real problem with torture.” He finished with a slightly strained laugh.

No one bothered to correct him.

After a moment, Ark said, “I guess you’ll just have to be our party’s moral compass then. Make sure we don’t get banished or anything.” She chuckled, diffusing the tension.

“Seems the others are trying to steal my idea for a force of reason.” Rowan said, amusement lacing his tone.