Mana based magic is divisible into two groups: Channeling and Weaving or Raw Magic. The common descriptors of Arcane and Divine magic are subcategories of Channeling, or magic that connecter to the Aether Field that the gods set up to make magic easier for mortals. Almost all magic is in some way connected to the Aether, even the natural magic of many races. Mana Weaving or Raw Magic is less restrictive than Channeling and allows the caster greater freedom though she must provide all of the energy.
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Adrian
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I find myself in a grey void, nothing in any direction. I am standing on nothing? I’m not falling, no wind, my breath makes no noise nor can I feel it. What is this place?
Somehow, I now know, this is a dream space of some sort. It is not mine, the gods of some place called Althrá made this. There is nothing here, a fragment of an astral realm. Only one person will ever be in a fragment at a time. But why do I now know this? Why did these ‘gods’ make this place? Why am I here?
Suddenly a burst of information floods my mind. I fall to my knees gripping my head. This place answers certain kinds of questions, guides some sort of boon. I’m not sure, a proper noun of some sort the concept of whatever this place guides, is foreign to me. The gods of Althrá made this place to guide, no aid the denizens of their world against something. A taint?
Another piece of information stabs into my mind. I cringe for a moment; my guess was right the gods of Althrá give aid to fight against the invasion of demonic entities. Fragmented and evil spirits, driven mad and corrupted. Back to the previous questions, I’m here to be aided to be told something? What am I to be told? Why not just tell me instead of this waiting until I guess the question I need the answer to?
I collapse to the floor, my mind ripping at the influx of information. I cry out a silent scream into this grey void. Some time passes before I pick myself back up. Too much information at once hurts the mind and soul? The realm is taxed from many new people entering it? A pinprick crashes though my thoughts, yes, my guesses are right. This realm allows one to have near perfect introspection, one can easily tell the amount of improvement you have. It has other functions as well, granting knowledge, skill, power but not freely. You must earn it with your actions outside of this realm. Fighting against those who are enemies, but no definition of enemy is given.
How do I use introspection? As grandpa taught or another manner here? Ah, here I can just ask and this realm will tell me about myself. Must I think to ask about each detail individually, or can it be compounded to some sort of display? A question appears in my thoughts display how? So, this realm is sentient? Is conversation possible? The realm is a mental construct, a program of sorts, but it is possible. How? Helping it learn, or wake my own guide?
What guide? I grab my head as more knowledge bursts into my mind, echoing over my thoughts. My family, we warp reality not with mana as others do but our mind and a second soul. Mine is asleep, weak because of how 'thick' reality is on Earth. As much as I want to know about that I’m sure that’ll knock me to the floor again. It, the other piece of me, will wake in time as I warp reality more. How do I help you learn then?
Willing it to be so, fine converse and learn to adapt to what I need in this realm.
[What did you mean by display?]
Direct thought projection, I don’t know how to do that. How can I respond?
[Speak aloud.]
“A display, such as a character sheet. Some sort of interface, like a computer or tabletop game.”
[What are these things?]
“Can you look at my mind if I think of them?”
[Yes, but only if you allow it. Only questions can we hear otherwise.]
“Then look” I draw upon the games I’ve played. Having my experiences of RPGs flash though the surface of my thoughts.
[I think I understand. None of us have ever thought of a standardized display. This is new, it is a good idea. Can I show the other parts of myself this concept?]
“Sure, but why do you ask?”
[We wish to implement this, what do you want for it?]
“Help me and my friends survive.”
[We will already do that, it is our purpose. Name another thing.]
“What do you mean by thing?”
[Knowledge, Skill, and Power. Name what you will if it is not too great a cost we will give it.]
“Can you integrate and add the things you were shown within my examples of character sheets to you?”
[Yes, but that is not a payment to you. That would be you paying us more, ideas and concepts such as those only help us fulfill our purpose.]
“Are there are limits to how far you help normally?”
[Yes. Once what you would standardize as a level reaches a certain point we can aid no more. We also only aid a being in a single aspect of themselves.]
“Perfect, take and implement what you can. Remove as many of your restrictions to aid on me as you are able.”
[We accept, but some restrictions are for your protection. Some powers cannot mix, we should not help you gain a power that conflicts with what you already possess.]
“That’s fine. Can you interact with me outside of this dream state?”
[We are too heavily burdened by new beings such as yourself, but in time we will recover and be able to.]
“No rush, what do you need me to do to allow you to see what you need to in my mind for this?”
[Permission.]
“You are permitted to look through my memories related to this subject; given that no harm comes to myself from the search and that I am not inconvenienced while you do so.”
[We will look, it will take some time should you stay conscious as we look. But the concept of character sheets can be added immediately. We will now proceed. . . What may I help you with as you are here?]
“Show me a character sheet of myself.”
[Reveal Stat block, Gain Class: Dragon Knight: Void, DK: V 2 (20SP), EP15, Magus 2 (+40SP), Accumulated SP:175, Gain Title: Reality Weaver, . . .]
[Feat Performed: Kill multiple tainted creatures (+5EP)]
[Feat Performed: Submit Improvements to ???: Gain Trait: Free Multiclassing]
[Adrian Human male, STR 10, DEX 15, CON 11, INT 16, WIS 15, CHA 13, APR 14
Class: Magus 2, DK: V 2, Age 17 HP: 20 MP: 6 EP20 SP324
Skills: Ranged 4, Firearms 4, Archery 1, Melee 1, Perception 2, Evasion 1, Arcana 14, Nature 5, Physics 4, Mathematics 5, Religion 2, Tactics 3, Technology 2, Chemistry 3, Planes 3, Handle Animal 2, Empathy 2 Driving 3, Computers 3, Cooking 3, Sewing 2, Leatherwork 1, Drawing 2, Carving 2,
Traits: Perfect Recall, Free Multiclassing, Reality Weaver,
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Language: English, Spanish, Portuguese,
Magic: Reality Control 2, Space 2, Fate 1, Life 1, Death 1, Mind 1, Primal 1, Soul 0, Planar 0, Time 1, Transmutation 1, Telekinetic 0, Fire 2, Lightning 2, Light 1, Darkness 0]
Well, not that neat but workable. “Still improving on the concept, I guess?”
[Affirmative]
“What’s with the ‘???’?”
[We lack an identification.]
“You should get one at some point. What are these EP and SP? And why are there Spheres with values of 0 while other Spheres that I know exist are not displayed?”
[EP are points? spent to improve your base body, or bloodline abilities. Classes such as Dragon Knight are connected with them. In addition, after a body is fully matured EP can no longer be used on the body itself. SP are spent on things other than your base body. Spheres of your magic are displayed based on proficiency, a 0 means you are not completely oblivious to the concept, a partial incomplete rudimentary understanding.]
“Explain.”
[Example: Magnetism, you know of its existence but are oblivious to any way to warp it with your power. Darkness, you are aware enough to touch on it via Light though not directly. You are closer to being able to manipulate Darkness than Magnetism.]
“How do I spend EP and SP?”
[Asking]
I slap my forehead, of course everything works here by questions.
“What am I able to buy with my current EP?”
[ Keen Senses (-15EP): Augments your awareness to your senses, more likely to notice a sensation without active effort.]
“And what are other options not yet available?”
[Barring abilities that are not viable:
Darkvision 30 Infravision 30 Keen Senses 15
BlindSense 50 ManaSight 75 Echolocation 40
Lifesight 75 Ultravision 30 [] Sense 45
Inc STAT (+2) 10M [Elem] Infusion 50 [Elem] Touched 50
Draconic
Demonic 75 Celestial 75 Scales 30
AltForm 100 BreathWeap 50 Mana Infusion 75
Mana Touched 100 [Special] Infusion 75 [Special] Touched 75
Basic descriptions sent to your memory.]
A twinge of pain in my mind as I now know what these powers entail, I defiantly want to wait. Even though the descriptions didn't give me mechanics on any of them the names are self explanatory. Aside from that the brackets are to show that there are a list of things under them.
“And what of SP, what are the costs of things with it?”
[To purchase something, a basic formula is followed:
Skill Costs: Lang 30, normal 2R*3 STAT: 2R*10
Sphere Cost: 5*2(R+X), X is a modifier based on sphere difficulty and R is the rank at which you are at. Reality Control costs: 10*2R]
“I want to purchase an increase to my Reality Control, and Sphere: Life.”
[Purchase: Life 2 (-80SP), Reality Control 3 (-80SP)]
A flood of information enters my mind flashing images of the mysteries of life. Cells dividing, growing and replicating to replace damaged cells. The flow of energy within living beings, the symbol I associate with life force grows slightly clearer to me as my perception shifts slightly. My head throbs as the understanding grow deeper, and I feel my power rise; as if it is now easier for me to bend and shape the world around me. This place is great, I feel as though I was able to spend months focused on studying in but a moment.
[Safety Protocol: Approaching Enemies: Ejecting Adrian Ravnos
Please survive, we are also removing the restriction on the number of visits one can have in their sleep within 24 hours.]
The grey void slips away from my vision. Along with it another thought passes through my mind, damn I wanted to keep trading in SP.
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Bryan
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I walk over to railing of the second floor, while there are no windows in this part of the store I can look at the main entrance and the only ways to where we are resting.
Adrian, Tomas have gone to sleep though only Adrian immediately passed out. I look over the injuries my friends hold, Adrian may be trying to hide the fact that he is in pain but I know how much those first-degree burns must hurt even without the likely infected cut on his left arm and the shallow breathing from a cracked ribs or two.
“What is it?” Abagail asks as she moves to stand beside me.
“You should sleep” I say to avoid her question.
“I can’t sleep yet; I’m too worried.”
“There’s nothing we can do about anything but ourselves.”
She frowns, “that doesn’t make it any better.”
“No, it doesn’t but you need to sleep if you’re going to be able to much of anything tomorrow.”
She sighs, “you need to talk to someone too, don’t just blame yourself for their injuries.”
I don’t immediately respond. My guilt must be showing on my face, I have bruises but everyone but Abagail is in worse shape than me. Adrian literally put himself through a fireball to protect us. I don’t want him to have to do stuff like that again.
I need to be stronger, all of us do so we don’t have to risk ourselves like that again. I also know that Adrian’s magic hurt him more than he lets on. Power comes at a price and I don’t know what price he paid to save us.
I hear breaking glass and Adrian bolts upright, while saying “Get everyone up!”
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Kythia
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A wave of mana stronger than I have ever felt before, one that no one with even the least bit of magical potential could have missed passes over me and I shiver along with Lysan, Talia and the three elves who follow them.
“What was that?” I ask.
“They couldn’t have” Lysan mutters while the other four elves look around confused.
The world shakes and everything blurs for a moment. I feel myself falling for a moment before landing on a strange black stone which looks unnatural. Strange unnatural sounds and smells assault my senses as I look around. The elves that I run with are here amidst buildings of strange smooth stone, the shining metal of well-crafted blades and armor, and hardened air that shines like water catching the light of the sun.
“Where are we?” asks Talia.
I nor any of the elves have an answer. There is only one thing that I can conclude about where we are, it is no place in Althrá. I have never seen or heard of a place that is anything close to what I see here.
I growl as the scent of nearby tainted goblinoids reaches my nose.
“What is it?” Talia asks, she knows that something as always wrong when I act so.
“Goblins and orcs” I answer.
“How? There is no way they could be the owners of a place like this.”
“That wave of mana, I think it is at fault” Lysan answers.
“”How?” I ask.
“We came here after it passed over us. It probably did the same to them as it did to us.”
“Why?” asks one of the elves whose name I have never cared to learn.
“We weren’t the target of whatever that spell was to begin with. They may have been dragged along just as we were.”
Screams of terror reach my ear, those of people who should never have been let near the tainted. Where are the combatants, the defenders of this strange city?
“We may be able to receive the hospitality of these people if we aid them in their defense” the elven male says.
I doubt that is what will happen, we have appeared out of nowhere accompanied by the tainted. Talia will have similar thoughts to my own but they will be hostile if we do not help.
“Where are the nearest tainted?” Talia asks while looking at me.
I do not answer but pull the slightly curved blade of black metal that was once my mother’s. The nearest are some goblins and orcs in front of us. I cannot name the direction as the night sky is not the same as the one I know.
I whisper the words my mother taught me as I draw forth and shape my mana to build the needed bridge into the Aether, and instant later the power of the world joins my own in fueling a tiny trace of crimson flames along the edge of my blade. Then I break into a run, Talia leads this not pack and she wants us to fight the tainted.
The elves follow behind me as they always do. Talia may be a skilled warrior but the two women and the man are not and Lysan who is both mage and healer follows at the back.
I turn towards the smell of the filth of tainted as I pass a building with strange walls, partially invisible and partially fine metal. I notice that there is an open field made of the strange black stone I landed on minutes ago with many tainted.
They have broken the strange invisible part of a wall to the huge building, the smaller goblins entering before the larger orcs as they so often use as a tactic.
The elves slow slightly, trying to cover Lysan and Talia. They will claim that it is for their ladies' protection but I still think them cowards. Both of the elven twins chant spells to shape their mana and bring forth power.
A flaming arrow flies past me into the small horde of creatures in front of me, exploding and unfortunately orcs are hardy; more will be needed to kill them.
They do not panic or even seem afraid unlike most of the lesser tainted that we run into. Instead they cheer as if we were simple villagers to be killed and eaten. The nearest orc meets my charge and our weapons cross. My blade bites into the poorly maintained garbage he wields and I take the moment to use another magic.
Bolts of black energy form around my left hand as I take it off my blade's handle to invoke the last part of the spells components. I speak the name of my spell and gesture to a target, “Dark Missile”.
It may not kill an orc outright, but the negative energy will weaken its life force and diminish the advantage they have in their numbers. Talia and the three elven cowards release a similar spell of reddish bolts of energy. The orc falls but there are still many of them.
Strange sounds come from within the building, like explosions but there is no flashes of fire or waves of heat coming from the building's interior.
The orc in melee with me makes the mistake of overextending assuming that his approaching allies will cover him. It does not and a sliced belly will soon see the orc dead. They do not have a shaman or witch doctor among them so rather than a finishing blow I step back to engage the four approaching orcs away from their dying ally, the crimson flames growing larger as they feast on the blood stuck on the blade.
I take another step backwards to dodge the first lunge of the orcs while working on completing the requirements for a third spell, simpler than my earlier ones Frost Fingers.
The wave of cold doing some damage but more importantly, causing the orcs to be even stiffer than normal.